Updated May 2026 · DOL Form 5500
Texas Cities Pension Plans
Government
Texas Cities sponsors a single defined-benefit plan covering 218,000 active and retired participants, placing the sponsor among the larger U.S. private pension liability holders. The combined plans are well funded at 87.8% average funding ratio — within the actuarially acceptable range. Worst single-plan grade is A.
Texas Cities's pension obligations span 1 plans serving 218,000 participants, with $36.8B in assets backing $41.9B in projected liabilities. Average funding sits at 88% — within typical corporate-pension range but not without ongoing funding obligations.
The plans on file for Texas Cities 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 A — a useful flag for which specific plan to examine most closely. Texas Cities 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 Texas Cities
Texas Cities's combined pension footprint reports $36.8B in plan assets against $41.9B in accrued benefit obligations, producing an aggregate funding ratio of 87.8%. The unfunded gap of $5.1B 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.
Texas Cities's weakest plan still earns an A — every plan it sponsors sits in the healthiest tier of the Pension Health Score. 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.
Texas Cities 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 Texas Cities
| Plan Name | Type | Participants | Funding Ratio | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS) | public | 218,000 | 87.8% | 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 Texas Cities's pension plans?
Texas Cities's 1 pension plan is on average 87.8% funded. Well funded status means the plans hold within the actuarially acceptable range. Total assets stand at $36.8B against $41.9B in accrued liabilities, leaving an unfunded gap of $5.1B.
Is Texas Cities's pension protected by PBGC?
Corporate single-employer defined-benefit plans like the ones Texas Cities 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 A grade mean for Texas Cities?
Texas Cities's weakest plan still earns an A — every plan it sponsors sits in the healthiest tier of the Pension Health Score.
How many of Texas Cities's plans are underfunded?
Of 1 plan sponsored by Texas Cities, 0 are fully funded (100%+) and 0 fall 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. Texas Cities is classified in Government.
Texas Cities sponsors a single defined-benefit plan covering 218,000 active and retired participants, placing the sponsor among the larger U.S. private pension liability holders. The combined plans are well funded at 87.8% average funding ratio — within the actuarially acceptable range. Worst single-plan grade is A.