ESOPs Continue Growth in 2006

Based on data from the Department of Labor and the IRS, the NCEO estimates that in 2006 that the number of ESOPs and stock bonus plans grew by approximately 5% over the 2005 numbers. Plan assets grew to approximately $675 billion, up about 12% from the prior year. We estimate that about 800 new plans were set up in 2006, but approximately 350 were terminated. As a result, we estimate that there are about 9,650 ESOPs and stock bonus plans with about 10.5 million participants. Some of these plans, however, have no current assets.