Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Fund vs Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA)
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Fund and Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) are meaningfully apart on the LakeQuality pension-health rubric: Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Fund grades A while Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) grades C. Funding ratios: 94% vs 65%.
Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Fund 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
Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Fund has a stronger Pension Health Score of 97/100 (A) compared to Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) at 61/100 (C). Funding ratios differ by 29.3 percentage points (94.1% vs 64.8%). Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Fund covers 634,861 participants.
| Metric | Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Fund | Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 97/100 (A)* | 61/100 (C) |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 94.1%* | 64.8% |
| Total Assets | $55.6B | $58.0B |
| Total Liabilities | $59.1B* | $89.5B |
| Unfunded Liability | $3.5B* | $31.5B |
| Participants | 634,861 | 625,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 4.5% | 5.5%* |
| Plan Type | multiemployer | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | low | high |
| Sponsor | Teamsters Central States | State of Colorado |
Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Fund has a stronger Pension Health Score of 97/100 (A) compared to Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) at 61/100 (C). Funding ratios differ by 29.3 percentage points (94.1% vs 64.8%). Central States, Southeast & Southwest Areas Pension Fund covers 634,861 participants.