Virginia Retirement System (VRS) vs Illinois Teachers Retirement System (TRS)
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
Virginia Retirement System (VRS) and Illinois Teachers Retirement System (TRS) are meaningfully apart on the LakeQuality pension-health rubric: Virginia Retirement System (VRS) grades B while Illinois Teachers Retirement System (TRS) grades D. Funding ratios: 75% vs 45%.
Virginia Retirement System (VRS) 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
Virginia Retirement System (VRS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 70/100 (B) compared to Illinois Teachers Retirement System (TRS) at 44/100 (D). Funding ratios differ by 30.4 percentage points (75.1% vs 44.7%). Virginia Retirement System (VRS) covers 740,000 participants.
| Metric | Virginia Retirement System (VRS) | Illinois Teachers Retirement System (TRS) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 70/100 (B)* | 44/100 (D) |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 75.1%* | 44.7% |
| Total Assets | $87.0B | $62.8B |
| Total Liabilities | $115.8B* | $140.5B |
| Unfunded Liability | $28.8B* | $77.7B |
| Participants | 740,000 | 424,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 6.0%* | 4.8% |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | moderate | critical |
| Sponsor | State of Virginia | State of Illinois |
Virginia Retirement System (VRS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 70/100 (B) compared to Illinois Teachers Retirement System (TRS) at 44/100 (D). Funding ratios differ by 30.4 percentage points (75.1% vs 44.7%). Virginia Retirement System (VRS) covers 740,000 participants.