South Carolina Retirement System vs Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
South Carolina Retirement System and Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) are meaningfully apart on the LakeQuality pension-health rubric: South Carolina Retirement System grades C while Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) grades B. Funding ratios: 55% vs 77%.
Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) comes out ahead on the composite rubric. For a participant in either plan, the spread is informative but not directly actionable — pension participation is not portable, so the relevant question is what each plan's funded-status trajectory means for that participant's benefit security.
Verdict
Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 72/100 (B) compared to South Carolina Retirement System at 52/100 (C). Funding ratios differ by 22.2 percentage points (77.3% vs 55.1%). Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) covers 375,000 participants.
| Metric | South Carolina Retirement System | Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 52/100 (C) | 72/100 (B)* |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 55.1% | 77.3%* |
| Total Assets | $35.5B | $84.0B |
| Total Liabilities | $64.4B* | $108.7B |
| Unfunded Liability | $28.9B | $24.7B* |
| Participants | 575,000 | 375,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 5.2% | 5.7%* |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | high | moderate |
| Sponsor | State of South Carolina | State of Oregon |
Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 72/100 (B) compared to South Carolina Retirement System at 52/100 (C). Funding ratios differ by 22.2 percentage points (77.3% vs 55.1%). Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) covers 375,000 participants.