Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) vs State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS)
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) and State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS) are meaningfully apart on the LakeQuality pension-health rubric: Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) grades B while State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS) grades D. Funding ratios: 72% vs 44%.
Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) comes out ahead on the composite rubric. For a participant in either plan, the spread is informative but not directly actionable — pension participation is not portable, so the relevant question is what each plan's funded-status trajectory means for that participant's benefit security.
Verdict
Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 68/100 (B) compared to State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS) at 42/100 (D). Funding ratios differ by 28.2 percentage points (72.3% vs 44.1%). Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) covers 588,000 participants.
| Metric | Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) | State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 68/100 (B)* | 42/100 (D) |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 72.3%* | 44.1% |
| Total Assets | $46.0B | $22.5B |
| Total Liabilities | $63.6B | $51.0B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $17.6B* | $28.5B |
| Participants | 588,000 | 218,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 5.8%* | 5.1% |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | moderate | critical |
| Sponsor | State of Arizona | State of Illinois |
Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 68/100 (B) compared to State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS) at 42/100 (D). Funding ratios differ by 28.2 percentage points (72.3% vs 44.1%). Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) covers 588,000 participants.