Pension Plans in California, Ranked by Health Score
California has 12 pension plans covering 3,799,000 participants. The average funding ratio is 72.1%, ranking #29 among all states. 8 plans are underfunded.
California has 12 pension plans in our dataset, ranked below by the LakeQuality pension-health composite. The score combines current funding ratio (50%), multi-year funding trend (30%), and PBGC risk classification (20%) into a 0-100 grade.
Top-of-list plans usually combine funded ratios at or above 90% with stable multi-year trajectories and low PBGC risk. Public-sector teacher and employee retirement systems dominate the top rankings in many states because their large asset bases support institutional investment management. Each plan below links to its full profile — multi-year funding history, participant demographics, sponsor financials where available, and the underlying factors driving the composite grade.
12
Total Plans
3,799,000
Participants
72.1%
Avg Funding
$1088.1B
Total Assets
| # | Plan Name | Participants | Funding Ratio | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) | 2,050,000 | 67.3% | C |
| 2 | California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) | 985,000 | 72.9% | B |
| 3 | University of California Retirement Plan | 305,000 | 83.5% | B |
| 4 | Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA) | 186,000 | 75.2% | B |
| 5 | San Francisco Employees Retirement System | 68,000 | 87.3% | A |
| 6 | Los Angeles City Employees Retirement System (LACERS) | 49,000 | 75.8% | B |
| 7 | Orange County Employees Retirement System (OCERS) | 46,000 | 76.2% | B |
| 8 | Los Angeles Fire & Police Pensions (LAFPP) | 27,500 | 89.5% | A |
| 9 | Sacramento County Employees Retirement System (SCERS) | 27,000 | 80.2% | B |
| 10 | Contra Costa County Employees Retirement Association | 23,000 | 78.3% | B |
| 11 | San Diego City Employees Retirement System (SDCERS) | 20,500 | 73.3% | B |
| 12 | San Jose Federated City Employees Retirement System | 12,000 | 74.2% | B |
Frequently Asked Questions
California has 12 pension plans covering 3,799,000 participants, with combined assets of $1088.1B against $1508.8B in liabilities.
The average funding ratio across California pension plans is 72.1%. 8 of 12 plans (67%) are considered underfunded.
California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) is the top-rated plan in California with a funding ratio of 67.3% and a Pension Health Grade of C.
Plans ranked by Pension Health Score: 50% funding ratio, 30% 3-year funding trend, 20% PBGC risk level.