New Jersey Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) vs Pennsylvania State Employees Retirement System (SERS)
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
New Jersey Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) (C) and Pennsylvania State Employees Retirement System (SERS) (C) are close on the PensionRisk rubric. Funding ratios sit at 52% and 63% 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
Pennsylvania State Employees Retirement System (SERS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 57/100 (C) compared to New Jersey Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) at 54/100 (C). Funding ratios differ by 10.8 percentage points (63.1% vs 52.3%). Pennsylvania State Employees Retirement System (SERS) covers 245,000 participants.
| Metric | New Jersey Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) | Pennsylvania State Employees Retirement System (SERS) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 54/100 (C) | 57/100 (C)* |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 52.3% | 63.1%* |
| Total Assets | $34.0B | $36.2B |
| Total Liabilities | $65.0B | $57.4B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $31.0B | $21.2B* |
| Participants | 425,000 | 245,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 5.1% | 5.4%* |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | high | high |
| Sponsor | State of New Jersey | State of Pennsylvania |
Pennsylvania State Employees Retirement System (SERS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 57/100 (C) compared to New Jersey Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) at 54/100 (C). Funding ratios differ by 10.8 percentage points (63.1% vs 52.3%). Pennsylvania State Employees Retirement System (SERS) covers 245,000 participants.
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