Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) vs Washington State Department of Retirement Systems
Side-by-side pension health comparison from DOL and public plan data
Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) (A) and Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (A) are close on the LakeQuality rubric. Funding ratios sit at 98% 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
Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 86/100 (A) compared to Washington State Department of Retirement Systems at 82/100 (A). Funding ratios differ by 10.6 percentage points (98.4% vs 87.8%). Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) covers 665,000 participants.
| Metric | Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) | Washington State Department of Retirement Systems |
|---|---|---|
| Health Score Composite of funding ratio, trend, and PBGC risk | 86/100 (A)* | 82/100 (A) |
| Funding Ratio Assets as % of liabilities (100%+ is fully funded) | 98.4%* | 87.8% |
| Total Assets | $122.0B | $108.0B |
| Total Liabilities | $124.0B | $123.0B* |
| Unfunded Liability | $2.0B* | $15.0B |
| Participants | 665,000 | 528,000 |
| 1-Year Investment Return | 7.2%* | 6.7% |
| Plan Type | public | public |
| PBGC Risk Level | low | low |
| Sponsor | State of Wisconsin | State of Washington |
Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) has a stronger Pension Health Score of 86/100 (A) compared to Washington State Department of Retirement Systems at 82/100 (A). Funding ratios differ by 10.6 percentage points (98.4% vs 87.8%). Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) covers 665,000 participants.