Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) vs School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS)
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) (A) and School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) (B) are close on the LakeQuality rubric. Funding ratios sit at 85% 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
Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 80/100 (A) compared to School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) at 66/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 16.9 percentage points (84.8% vs 67.9%). Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) covers 372,000 participants.
| Metric | Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) | School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 80/100 (A)* | 66/100 (B) |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 84.8%* | 67.9% |
| Total Assets | $35.5B | $16.2B |
| Total Liabilities | $41.9B | $23.9B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $6.4B* | $7.7B |
| Participants | 372,000 | 218,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 6.4%* | 5.3% |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | low | moderate |
| Sponsor | State of Iowa | State of Ohio |
Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 80/100 (A) compared to School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) at 66/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 16.9 percentage points (84.8% vs 67.9%). Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) covers 372,000 participants.