California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) vs South Carolina Retirement System
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) and South Carolina Retirement System are meaningfully apart on the LakeQuality pension-health rubric: California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) grades B while South Carolina Retirement System grades C. Funding ratios: 73% vs 55%.
California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) 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
California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 73/100 (B) compared to South Carolina Retirement System at 52/100 (C). Funding ratios differ by 17.8 percentage points (72.9% vs 55.1%). California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) covers 985,000 participants.
| Metric | California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) | South Carolina Retirement System |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 73/100 (B)* | 52/100 (C) |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 72.9%* | 55.1% |
| Total Assets | $318.0B | $35.5B |
| Total Liabilities | $436.0B | $64.4B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $118.0B | $28.9B* |
| Participants | 985,000 | 575,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 6.2%* | 5.2% |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | moderate | high |
| Sponsor | State of California | State of South Carolina |
California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 73/100 (B) compared to South Carolina Retirement System at 52/100 (C). Funding ratios differ by 17.8 percentage points (72.9% vs 55.1%). California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) covers 985,000 participants.