Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) vs Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS)
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) (B) and Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) (A) are close on the LakeQuality rubric. Funding ratios sit at 72% and 85% respectively — within a few points of each other.
With grades this close, the comparison turns on plan-specific factors: status (active vs frozen), participant maturity, sponsor financial health, and multi-year trajectory rather than the headline composite.
Verdict
Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 80/100 (A) compared to Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) at 68/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 12.5 percentage points (84.8% vs 72.3%). Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) covers 372,000 participants.
| Metric | Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) | Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 68/100 (B) | 80/100 (A)* |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 72.3% | 84.8%* |
| Total Assets | $46.0B | $35.5B |
| Total Liabilities | $63.6B | $41.9B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $17.6B | $6.4B* |
| Participants | 588,000 | 372,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 5.8% | 6.4%* |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | moderate | low |
| Sponsor | State of Arizona | State of Iowa |
Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 80/100 (A) compared to Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) at 68/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 12.5 percentage points (84.8% vs 72.3%). Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) covers 372,000 participants.