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PensionWatch

Virginia Retirement System (VRS) vs Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS)

Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data

Verdict

Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 80/100 (A) compared to Virginia Retirement System (VRS) at 70/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 9.7 percentage points (84.8% vs 75.1%). Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) covers 372,000 participants.

MetricVirginia Retirement System (VRS)Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS)
Health Score
Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk
70/100 (B)80/100 (A)*
Funding Ratio
Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded)
75.1%84.8%*
Total Assets$87.0B$35.5B
Total Liabilities$115.8B$41.9B*
Unfunded Liability$28.8B$6.4B*
Participants740,000372,000
1-Year Investment Return6.0%6.4%*
Plan Typepublicpublic
PBGC Risk Levelmoderatelow
SponsorState of VirginiaState of Iowa

Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 80/100 (A) compared to Virginia Retirement System (VRS) at 70/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 9.7 percentage points (84.8% vs 75.1%). Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS) covers 372,000 participants.

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