Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) vs State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS)
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) and State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS) are meaningfully apart on the PensionRisk pension-health rubric: Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) grades B while State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS) grades D. Funding ratios: 78% vs 44%.
Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) 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
Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 72/100 (B) compared to State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS) at 42/100 (D). Funding ratios differ by 34.0 percentage points (78.1% vs 44.1%). Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) covers 1,730,000 participants.
| Metric | Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) | State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 72/100 (B)* | 42/100 (D) |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 78.1%* | 44.1% |
| Total Assets | $193.0B | $22.5B |
| Total Liabilities | $247.0B | $51.0B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $54.0B | $28.5B* |
| Participants | 1,730,000 | 218,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 6.1%* | 5.1% |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | moderate | critical |
| Sponsor | State of Texas | State of Illinois |
Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 72/100 (B) compared to State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS) at 42/100 (D). Funding ratios differ by 34.0 percentage points (78.1% vs 44.1%). Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) covers 1,730,000 participants.
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