Study Quantifies $141.8 Billion in ESOP Wealth Distributions

A study titled More Than What Remains: Measuring the Wealth ESOPs Have Already Delivered identified $141.8 billion in total ESOP distributions paid to workers and beneficiaries between 2009 and 2024. The research found that approximately $28.7 billion, or 20 percent, of that total came from ESOPs entering termination, which is typically triggered by a company sale or change in ownership. The study was conducted by Aaron Dean of Deanalytics and authored by Steve Storkan of the Employee Ownership Expansion Network.

The report provides a cumulative national figure for wealth transferred to employees through ESOP distributions, a metric that has not previously been calculated on a national basis. This calculation aggregates distributions across 16 years to capture wealth that has already reached employees through various events, such as retirement or job changes.