State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS Ohio) vs Illinois Teachers Retirement System (TRS)
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS Ohio) and Illinois Teachers Retirement System (TRS) are meaningfully apart on the LakeQuality pension-health rubric: State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS Ohio) grades A while Illinois Teachers Retirement System (TRS) grades D. Funding ratios: 80% vs 45%.
State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS Ohio) 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
State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS Ohio) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 80/100 (A) compared to Illinois Teachers Retirement System (TRS) at 44/100 (D). Funding ratios differ by 35.5 percentage points (80.2% vs 44.7%). State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS Ohio) covers 507,000 participants.
| Metric | State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS Ohio) | Illinois Teachers Retirement System (TRS) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 80/100 (A)* | 44/100 (D) |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 80.2%* | 44.7% |
| Total Assets | $90.0B | $62.8B |
| Total Liabilities | $112.2B* | $140.5B |
| Unfunded Liability | $22.2B* | $77.7B |
| Participants | 507,000 | 424,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 6.0%* | 4.8% |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | low | critical |
| Sponsor | State of Ohio | State of Illinois |
State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS Ohio) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 80/100 (A) compared to Illinois Teachers Retirement System (TRS) at 44/100 (D). Funding ratios differ by 35.5 percentage points (80.2% vs 44.7%). State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS Ohio) covers 507,000 participants.