10,000 Employers: A Data Milestone

We've crossed a milestone: 10,000 active employers in the Bnchmrk dataset. Here's what that means for benchmarking accuracy and why it matters.

Why 10,000 Matters

Scale improves benchmarking in concrete ways:

More granular peer groups: With 10,000 employers, you can filter by industry AND state AND size and still have meaningful sample sizes. A Texas manufacturer with 200 employees can benchmark against actual peers, not a watered-down national average.

Better statistical confidence: Larger samples mean tighter confidence intervals. When we say "the median deductible is $2,000," you can trust that number reflects the actual market.

Richer trend data: We can now track year-over-year changes with enough volume to spot meaningful patterns, not just noise.

How We Got Here

The path to 10,000 employers wasn't about acquiring data at any cost:

Verified documents: Every employer in our dataset traces back to an actual plan document—SPD, SBC, or benefit guide. Not surveys. Not estimates.

Validation discipline: Our compliance engine flags inconsistencies before data enters the dataset. We've rejected data that didn't meet our standards.

Continuous updates: Data flows in throughout the year, not once annually. The 10,000 figure represents active, current employers—not a cumulative count of everything we've ever seen.

What's in the Dataset

Across 10,000 employers:

• All 50 states + DC represented
• 65+ industries with meaningful sample sizes
• All company sizes from under 50 to 10,000+ employees

Plan types include medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and stop-loss.

The Accuracy Advantage

More data enables more accurate benchmarking:

Before (smaller dataset):
• Broad peer groups required for statistical validity
• Limited granularity on niche industries or regions
• Trend data noisy at the segment level

Now (10,000 employers):
• Precise peer group matching possible
• Deep coverage in specialized segments
• Clear trend signals at granular levels

What Doesn't Change

Scale doesn't change our methodology:

• Still verified source documents
• Still rigorous validation
• Still continuous updates
• Still independent and unbiased

The foundation that got us here is the same foundation we'll continue building on.

10,000 employers is a milestone worth celebrating—but we're not done. The goal is to make Bnchmrk the most comprehensive, accurate, and useful benchmarking resource for benefits professionals everywhere.