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
California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) (B) and Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) (A) are close on the PensionRisk rubric. Funding ratios sit at 73% 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 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.
| Metric | California 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* |
| Participants | 985,000 | 372,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 6.2% | 6.4%* |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | moderate | low |
| Sponsor | State of California | State 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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