Updated May 2026 · DOL Form 5500
City of Los Angeles Pension Plans
Government
City of Los Angeles sponsors two distinct defined-benefit plans covering 76,500 active and retired participants — a sizeable workforce-and-retiree population. The combined plans are well funded at 83.6% average funding ratio — within the actuarially acceptable range. Worst single-plan grade is B.
City of Los Angeles's pension obligations span 2 plans serving 76,500 participants, with $51.3B in assets backing $61.4B in projected liabilities. Average funding sits at 84% — within typical corporate-pension range but not without ongoing funding obligations.
The plans on file for City of Los Angeles include both active accrual plans (still adding benefits for current employees) and frozen plans (paying out earned benefits without new accruals). The worst grade among the plans is B — a useful flag for which specific plan to examine most closely. City of Los Angeles operates in the Government sector. Industry context matters for pension analysis: cyclical industries with volatile cash flow face harder funding patterns than steady-margin sectors, and the underlying ERISA and PBGC obligations are uniform across sectors regardless.
What the Numbers Mean for City of Los Angeles
City of Los Angeles's combined pension footprint reports $51.3B in plan assets against $61.4B in accrued benefit obligations, producing an aggregate funding ratio of 83.6%. The unfunded gap of $10.1B is the dollar amount that would have to be contributed today, on top of expected investment returns at the assumed discount rate, to bring every plan to 100% funded.
City of Los Angeles's weakest plan earns a B — the sponsor's pension footprint is solidly funded, with at most minor gaps or flat trend lines on individual plans. The worst-grade signal is more useful than the average for a multi-plan sponsor — a healthy aggregate average can mask a single critically underfunded legacy plan inherited through acquisition. Participants in a specific plan should look at that plan's individual page rather than the company-level average.
City of Los Angeles is required under ERISA to file Form 5500 annually for each plan, with Schedule SB disclosing the actuarial valuation, funding target, and minimum required contribution. Schedule SB filings are publicly available through DOL EBSA. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation separately publishes the federal guarantee that backstops these single-employer defined-benefit plans up to the statutory annual maximum.
Plans Sponsored by City of Los Angeles
| Plan Name | Type | Participants | Funding Ratio | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles City Employees Retirement System (LACERS) | public | 49,000 | 75.8% | B |
| Los Angeles Fire & Police Pensions (LAFPP) | public | 27,500 | 89.5% | A |
How This Grade Is Calculated
Each plan's Pension Health Score combines three signals: funding ratio (50% of the composite), 3-year funding trend (30%), and PBGC risk level (20%). All three come directly from DOL Form 5500 filings and PBGC publications. The company-level "worst grade" surfaces the weakest plan in the sponsor's pension footprint — a useful signal for participants because legacy plans inherited through M&A often differ materially from the sponsor's active plans. Read the full methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
How well-funded are City of Los Angeles's pension plans?
City of Los Angeles's 2 pension plans are on average 83.6% funded. Well funded status means the plans hold within the actuarially acceptable range. Total assets stand at $51.3B against $61.4B in accrued liabilities, leaving an unfunded gap of $10.1B.
Is City of Los Angeles's pension protected by PBGC?
Corporate single-employer defined-benefit plans like the ones City of Los Angeles sponsors are insured by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation up to a statutory annual maximum that varies by retirement age. PBGC publishes the current guarantee tables at pbgc.gov. Multiemployer plans, if applicable, fall under a separate PBGC insurance program with a much lower per-participant guarantee. The protection is real but capped — high earners with benefits above the PBGC maximum can lose the portion above the cap if a plan terminates underfunded.
What does the B grade mean for City of Los Angeles?
City of Los Angeles's weakest plan earns a B — the sponsor's pension footprint is solidly funded, with at most minor gaps or flat trend lines on individual plans.
How many of City of Los Angeles's plans are underfunded?
Of 2 plans sponsored by City of Los Angeles, 0 are fully funded (100%+) and 1 falls below the 80% actuarial benchmark. Participants in any underfunded plan should request the most recent Annual Funding Notice, which is mailed annually under ERISA Section 101(f) and discloses the plan's adjusted funding target attainment percentage.
Where does this data come from and how current is it?
Every figure on this page comes directly from the Department of Labor's EBSA Form 5500 datasets, which compile every ERISA filing submitted by U.S. corporate pension sponsors. The most recent filings reflected here are from May 2026. Form 5500 typically lags plan year-end by 9–12 months. City of Los Angeles is classified in Government.
City of Los Angeles sponsors two distinct defined-benefit plans covering 76,500 active and retired participants — a sizeable workforce-and-retiree population. The combined plans are well funded at 83.6% average funding ratio — within the actuarially acceptable range. Worst single-plan grade is B.