FY2020 source-reconciled actuarial data · Public Plans Database

Birmingham Police and Fire

A full financial snapshot of Birmingham Police and Fire: funded ratio, unfunded liability, member counts, and investment returns, drawn from 23 years of history in the Public Plans Database (Boston College CRR) and verified against actuarial valuations.

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By · · Alabama · Police & Fire Plan · Data through FY2020

Funded Ratio: 27.8% (Critical) Birmingham Police and Fire funded ratio compared to national public pension benchmark. FUNDED RATIO 27.8% Critical Nat'l avg 75.49869791666667% 0% 60 70 80 100% Healthy > 80% · At-risk 70-80% · Critical < 60%
Birmingham Police and Fire funded ratio is 27.8 percent, classified as Critical. National public-pension benchmark is 75.49869791666667 percent.
Actuarial funded ratio
27.8%
Health grade
CReported funded ratio below full funding
Actuarial assets
$28M
Members
N/A

According to the Public Plans Database, compiled by the Boston College Center for Retirement Research, Birmingham Police and Fire is one of 197 public pension plans tracked nationwide. The plan card reports source-reconciled actuarial figures through FY2020; the multi-year table includes only years whose reported ratio ties to its actuarial dollars. This site’s database copy was last loaded in July 2026. See our methodology for the full source and update cadence.

Sliding funded-ratio path

Birmingham Police and Fire lost 26.4 points from FY2001 (54.2%) to FY2020 (27.8%) on the reconciled series.

Birmingham Police and Fire on a sliding funded path

According to the Public Plans Database, Birmingham Police and Fire lost 26.4 points on the reconciled series from FY2001 to FY2020, and now reports 27.8% (grade C).

27.8%
Funded · #94 of 192
C
Health grade
$74M
Actuarial unfunded liability
-26.4pp
FY2001→FY2020
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Actuarial Unfunded Liability

$74M

Modest unfunded liability · source-reported UAAL

Total Members

N/A

active + retired + vested

1-Year Return

7.7%

Above assumed rate · net investment return

0.0pp vs 5-yr avg

5-Year Avg Return

7.7%

Above assumed rate · annualized, net of fees

F
Composite Health Score
14/100
Birmingham Police and Fire

Transparent derived index from public pension-plan filings, not an official rating. A 4-dimension composite (funded ratio, contribution discipline, 5-year investment return, unfunded burden), each scored against this dataset's own percentile distribution across 197 reporting plans. Not the same as the plan's headline funded-ratio grade above. See the exact dimensions, weights, and formula.

Funded Ratio F
27.8%
Actuarial assets as a share of liabilities
Contribution Discipline F
100.0%
Share of the actuarially required contribution actually paid
Investment Returns F
7.7%
5-year annualized investment return
Unfunded Burden F
73.9%
Unfunded liability as a share of total obligations
How this score is calculated (benchmark table)
Dimension P10 P25 P50 P75 P90 Weight
Funded ratio (higher = better) 57.6% 67.2% 75.0% 87.0% 97.6% 0.35
Contribution discipline (ARC) (higher = better) 88.4% 100.0% 100.0% 104.1% 122.1% 0.25
5yr investment return (higher = better) 6.4% 7.5% 8.3% 9.1% 9.9% 0.20
Unfunded burden (lower = better) 2.0% 12.7% 25.0% 33.1% 42.4% 0.20

Percentiles computed across all 197 plans in this database with a reported value for that metric (2026-09-09). A dimension a plan does not report drops out of its composite, and that weight redistributes across the dimensions it does report, so thin reporting never silently lowers a score relative to a fully-reported peer.

Investment Policy Mix

Asset Allocation: 55% equity, 25% fixed income, 17% alternatives Birmingham Police and Fire investment policy mix as reported in its CAFR and actuarial valuation. ASSET ALLOCATION $26M market assets · CAFR / actuarial valuation 55% 25% 17% Equity 55.0% Fixed Inc. 25.0% Alternatives 17.0% Cash 3.0% Investment Stance: Growth-Tilted · Equity + Alts 72%
Birmingham Police and Fire asset allocation: 55% equity, 25% fixed income, 17% alternatives, 3% cash. Investment stance: Growth-Tilted.

Funded ratio, 2001 to 2020

Assets as a share of the benefits already promised, one point per reported year. Down 26.4 points across the series. This is the multi-year table's series, so its last point can be a later year than the plan card above, which reports the plan's own latest valuation.

20%30%40%50%60%70% 20012004200720102013201620192020 27.8%

What changed, FY2019 to FY2020

8.2 pts funded ratio

Birmingham Police and Fire's funded ratio fell 8.2 points from FY2019 to FY2020, driven by its assets, which shrank 21.0% while the accrued liability moved +2.3%.

Funded ratio
36.0% → 27.8%
Actuarial assets
$36M → $28M (-21.0%)
Accrued liability
$100M → $102M (+2.3%)
Where the 8.2-point move came from
Assets
-7.6 pts
Accrued liability
-0.6 pts

Accrued liability is the source-reported value for benefits already promised. The two contributions are the move the ratio would have made on the prior year’s liability (assets) and the remainder (liability); they sum to the total by construction. Both years shown provide source-reconciled actuarial assets and liability, so neither figure rests on a ratio published on its own. Source: Public Plans Database (Boston College CRR / NASRA), loaded July 2026. See our funding-change board for how this plan’s move compares with the rest of the dataset.

Historical Actuarial Funding

Year Actuarial Ratio
2020 27.8%
2019 36.0%
2018 44.1%
2017 44.9%
2016 47.5%
2015 50.0%
2014 45.0%
2013 44.1%
2012 45.1%
2011 43.5%
2010 43.0%
2009 44.4%
2008 47.3%
2007 59.7%
2006 60.8%
2005 63.5%
2004 60.1%
2003 58.9%
2002 55.8%
2001 54.2%

What the Data Says About Birmingham Police and Fire

Birmingham Police and Fire reports assets covering only a small share of its projected obligations, 48 points below the 75.5% national average across tracked plans. A 5-year average investment return of 7.7% factors into the plan's overall trajectory.

For Alabama taxpayers and plan members, the $74M source-reported actuarial unfunded liability is the shortfall this plan must close over time.

Where this data comes from + how funding gaps get resolved

These figures come from the Public Plans Database, a collaboration between the Boston College Center for Retirement Research and NASRA that compiles them from each plan's Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFRs) and actuarial valuations. The relationship between contribution adequacy and investment performance determines whether an unfunded liability narrows or expands year over year, and the gap itself is typically closed through some combination of higher contributions, investment returns, or benefit modifications. See our methodology for how public-pension funding differs from ERISA-backed private plans, and our disclaimer below before acting on this data.

Plan Details

Plan Type
Police & Fire
State
Alabama
Market Assets
$26M
Source: Public Plans Database (PPD)
Boston College CRR / NASRA

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Read with this plan

Every figure on PlainPension is rendered directly from the Public Plans Database (Boston College Center for Retirement Research), no number is typed in by an editor. Birmingham Police and Fire ranks #94 of 192 by funded ratio. This information is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice, consult a qualified professional before acting on it. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the typed corrections pathway, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.