North Carolina Retirement Systems vs University of California Retirement Plan
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
North Carolina Retirement Systems (A) and University of California Retirement Plan (B) are close on the LakeQuality rubric. Funding ratios sit at 87% and 84% 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
North Carolina Retirement Systems has a stronger Pension Health Score of 82/100 (A) compared to University of California Retirement Plan at 78/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 3.6 percentage points (87.1% vs 83.5%). North Carolina Retirement Systems covers 960,000 participants.
| Metric | North Carolina Retirement Systems | University of California Retirement Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 82/100 (A)* | 78/100 (B) |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 87.1%* | 83.5% |
| Total Assets | $112.0B | $82.0B |
| Total Liabilities | $128.6B | $98.2B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $16.6B | $16.2B* |
| Participants | 960,000 | 305,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 6.6% | 7.2%* |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | low | low |
| Sponsor | State of North Carolina | University of California |
North Carolina Retirement Systems has a stronger Pension Health Score of 82/100 (A) compared to University of California Retirement Plan at 78/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 3.6 percentage points (87.1% vs 83.5%). North Carolina Retirement Systems covers 960,000 participants.