Massachusetts Teachers Retirement System vs Massachusetts State Employees Retirement System
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
Massachusetts Teachers Retirement System (C) and Massachusetts State Employees Retirement System (C) are close on the LakeQuality rubric. Funding ratios sit at 55% and 65% 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
Massachusetts State Employees Retirement System has a stronger Pension Health Score of 58/100 (C) compared to Massachusetts Teachers Retirement System at 52/100 (C). Funding ratios differ by 9.7 percentage points (64.9% vs 55.2%). Massachusetts State Employees Retirement System covers 98,000 participants.
| Metric | Massachusetts Teachers Retirement System | Massachusetts State Employees Retirement System |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 52/100 (C) | 58/100 (C)* |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 55.2% | 64.9%* |
| Total Assets | $23.0B | $9.5B |
| Total Liabilities | $41.7B | $14.6B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $18.7B | $5.1B* |
| Participants | 102,000 | 98,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 5.2% | 5.4%* |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | high | high |
| Sponsor | State of Massachusetts | State of Massachusetts |
Massachusetts State Employees Retirement System has a stronger Pension Health Score of 58/100 (C) compared to Massachusetts Teachers Retirement System at 52/100 (C). Funding ratios differ by 9.7 percentage points (64.9% vs 55.2%). Massachusetts State Employees Retirement System covers 98,000 participants.