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PensionWatch

California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) vs Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS)

Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data

Verdict

Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 80/100 (A) compared to California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) at 73/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 11.9 percentage points (84.8% vs 72.9%). Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) covers 372,000 participants.

MetricCalifornia State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS)Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS)
Health Score
Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk
73/100 (B)80/100 (A)*
Funding Ratio
Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded)
72.9%84.8%*
Total Assets$318.0B$35.5B
Total Liabilities$436.0B$41.9B*
Unfunded Liability$118.0B$6.4B*
Participants985,000372,000
1-Year Investment Return6.2%6.4%*
Plan Typepublicpublic
PBGC Risk Levelmoderatelow
SponsorState of CaliforniaState of Iowa

Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 80/100 (A) compared to California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) at 73/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 11.9 percentage points (84.8% vs 72.9%). Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) covers 372,000 participants.

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