Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) vs UPS Retirement Plan
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) (A) and UPS Retirement Plan (A) are close on the LakeQuality rubric. Funding ratios sit at 85% and 91% 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
UPS Retirement Plan has a stronger Pension Health Score of 95/100 (A) compared to Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) at 80/100 (A). Funding ratios differ by 5.9 percentage points (90.7% vs 84.8%). UPS Retirement Plan covers 243,932 participants.
| Metric | Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) | UPS Retirement Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 80/100 (A) | 95/100 (A)* |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 84.8% | 90.7%* |
| Total Assets | $35.5B | $9.7B |
| Total Liabilities | $41.9B | $10.7B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $6.4B | $993.0M* |
| Participants | 372,000 | 243,932 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 6.4% | 6.7%* |
| Plan Type | public | corporate |
| PBGC Risk Level | low | low |
| Sponsor | State of Iowa | United Parcel Service |
UPS Retirement Plan has a stronger Pension Health Score of 95/100 (A) compared to Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) at 80/100 (A). Funding ratios differ by 5.9 percentage points (90.7% vs 84.8%). UPS Retirement Plan covers 243,932 participants.