California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) vs School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS)
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) (C) and School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) (B) are close on the LakeQuality rubric. Funding ratios sit at 67% and 68% 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
School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 66/100 (B) compared to California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) at 58/100 (C). Funding ratios differ by 0.6 percentage points (67.9% vs 67.3%). School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) covers 218,000 participants.
| Metric | California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) | School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 58/100 (C) | 66/100 (B)* |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 67.3% | 67.9%* |
| Total Assets | $473.0B | $16.2B |
| Total Liabilities | $703.0B | $23.9B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $230.0B | $7.7B* |
| Participants | 2,050,000 | 218,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 5.8%* | 5.3% |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | moderate | moderate |
| Sponsor | State of California | State of Ohio |
School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 66/100 (B) compared to California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) at 58/100 (C). Funding ratios differ by 0.6 percentage points (67.9% vs 67.3%). School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) covers 218,000 participants.