Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) vs Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS)
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) (B) and Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS) (A) are close on the LakeQuality rubric. Funding ratios sit at 78% and 88% 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
Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 82/100 (A) compared to Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) at 72/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 9.7 percentage points (87.8% vs 78.1%). Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS) covers 218,000 participants.
| Metric | Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) | Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 72/100 (B) | 82/100 (A)* |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 78.1% | 87.8%* |
| Total Assets | $193.0B | $36.8B |
| Total Liabilities | $247.0B | $41.9B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $54.0B | $5.1B* |
| Participants | 1,730,000 | 218,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 6.1% | 6.3%* |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | moderate | low |
| Sponsor | State of Texas | Texas Cities |
Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 82/100 (A) compared to Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) at 72/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 9.7 percentage points (87.8% vs 78.1%). Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS) covers 218,000 participants.