Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) vs School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS)
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) (B) and School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) (B) are close on the LakeQuality rubric. Funding ratios sit at 79% 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
Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 71/100 (B) compared to School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) at 66/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 11.2 percentage points (79.1% vs 67.9%). Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) covers 378,000 participants.
| Metric | Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) | School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 71/100 (B)* | 66/100 (B) |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 79.1%* | 67.9% |
| Total Assets | $35.0B | $16.2B |
| Total Liabilities | $44.2B | $23.9B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $9.2B | $7.7B* |
| Participants | 378,000 | 218,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 5.9%* | 5.3% |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | moderate | moderate |
| Sponsor | State of Minnesota | State of Ohio |
Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 71/100 (B) compared to School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (SERS) at 66/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 11.2 percentage points (79.1% vs 67.9%). Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) covers 378,000 participants.