Washington State Department of Retirement Systems vs Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS)
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (A) and Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) (B) are close on the LakeQuality rubric. Funding ratios sit at 88% and 70% 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
Washington State Department of Retirement Systems has a stronger Pension Health Score of 82/100 (A) compared to Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) at 66/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 17.7 percentage points (87.8% vs 70.1%). Washington State Department of Retirement Systems covers 528,000 participants.
| Metric | Washington State Department of Retirement Systems | Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 82/100 (A)* | 66/100 (B) |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 87.8%* | 70.1% |
| Total Assets | $108.0B | $31.5B |
| Total Liabilities | $123.0B | $44.9B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $15.0B | $13.4B* |
| Participants | 528,000 | 327,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 6.7%* | 5.5% |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | low | moderate |
| Sponsor | State of Washington | State of Texas |
Washington State Department of Retirement Systems has a stronger Pension Health Score of 82/100 (A) compared to Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) at 66/100 (B). Funding ratios differ by 17.7 percentage points (87.8% vs 70.1%). Washington State Department of Retirement Systems covers 528,000 participants.