Is Burlington ERS fully funded?

Burlington ERS has a source-reconciled actuarial funded ratio of 66.3% as of FY2024, earning a health grade of C. This funded ratio is an actuarial snapshot, not a solvency prediction. Compare its valuation date, asset method, and actuarial assumptions before drawing conclusions about a plan.

What happens if Burlington ERS runs out of money?

Burlington ERS's reported financial data should be read with the plan's own actuarial valuation and governing documents. This page does not assess legal obligations or predict government action.

What does a funded ratio of 66.3% mean?

A funded ratio of 66.3% means that Burlington ERS reported actuarial assets equal to 66.3% of its accrued liabilities at that valuation date. The source-reported actuarial unfunded liability stands at $123M. This represents a moderate funding gap that requires ongoing monitoring.

How does Burlington ERS compare to other public pensions?

Burlington ERS is a General State plan in Vermont serving 2,187 members. Nationally, the average funded ratio for public pension plans tracked by the Public Plans Database is approximately 75.5%. Burlington ERS's source-reconciled actuarial funded ratio of 66.3% places it near the national average.

How many members does Burlington ERS have?

Burlington ERS covers 2,187 total members, including 923 active employees and 875 retirees currently receiving benefits. The ratio of active members to retirees is a key indicator of plan sustainability, when the number of retirees grows relative to active contributors, funding pressure increases.

FY2024 source-reconciled actuarial data · Public Plans Database

Burlington ERS

A full financial snapshot of Burlington ERS: 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 PlainPension · July 2026 · Vermont · General State Plan · Data through FY2024

Actuarial funded ratio: 66.3%
Health grade: CReported funded ratio below full funding
Actuarial assets: $242M
Members: 2,187

According to the Public Plans Database, compiled by the Boston College Center for Retirement Research, Burlington ERS is one of 197 public pension plans tracked nationwide. The plan card reports source-reconciled actuarial figures through FY2024; 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.

Smaller membership book

Burlington ERS ranks #173 of 190 by reported members (2,187), bottom-third membership book among plans with a count.

Burlington ERS in the smaller-membership third

According to the Public Plans Database, Burlington ERS carries a bottom-third membership book (2,187, #173 of 190) with a 66.3% actuarial funded ratio (grade C).

66.3%
Funded · #150 of 192: C
Health grade: 2,187
Members · #173 of 190: -46.0pp
FY2001→FY2024

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Actuarial Unfunded Liability

$123M

Modest unfunded liability · source-reported UAAL

Total Members

2,187

active + retired + vested

1-Year Return

8.6%

Above assumed rate · net investment return

1.7pp vs 5-yr avg

5-Year Avg Return

6.9%

Near assumed rate · annualized, net of fees

Composite Health Score

23/100

Burlington ERS

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

66.3%

Actuarial assets as a share of liabilities

Contribution Discipline F

100.0%

Share of the actuarially required contribution actually paid

Investment Returns F

6.9%

5-year annualized investment return

Unfunded Burden F

33.4%

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.

Participant Composition

Investment Policy Mix

What changed, FY2023 to FY2024

0.6 pts funded ratio

Burlington ERS's funded ratio fell 0.6 points from FY2023 to FY2024, with assets contributing +2.8 points and the accrued liability contributing -3.4.

Funded ratio

66.9% → 66.3%

Actuarial assets

$232M → $242M (+4.1%)

Accrued liability

$347M → $365M (+5.1%)

Where the 0.6-point move came from

Assets: +2.8 pts
Accrued liability: -3.4 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	Assets	Liabilities	UAAL	Members	ARC	1yr return
2024	66.3%	$242M	$365M	$123M	N/A	100.0%	7.7%
2023	66.9%	$232M	$347M	$115M	2,187	100.0%	8.6%
2022	69.7%	$227M	$326M	$99M	2,134	100.0%	-10.0%
2021	70.6%	$219M	$311M	$91M	2,073	100.0%	14.7%
2020	71.6%	$210M	$293M	$83M	2,040	100.0%	13.3%
2019	72.8%	$203M	$278M	$76M	2,054	100.0%	17.4%
2018	73.2%	$194M	$265M	$71M	1,999	100.0%	-5.4%
2017	72.8%	$184M	$252M	$69M	1,890	100.0%	16.7%
2016	71.5%	$176M	$246M	$70M	1,890	100.0%	8.6%
2015	73.3%	$169M	$230M	$61M	1,839	100.0%	-0.5%
2014	71.1%	$158M	$223M	$65M	1,877	n/a	5.3%
2013	69.4%	$144M	$208M	$64M	1,789	100.0%	15.7%
2012	70.2%	$138M	$196M	$59M	1,727	100.0%	13.9%
2011	71.0%	$135M	$190M	$55M	1,684	100.0%	-1.8%
2010	72.8%	$131M	$179M	$49M	1,669	100.4%	15.8%
2009	76.7%	$130M	$169M	$39M	1,627	101.3%	25.4%
2008	82.6%	$129M	$156M	$27M	1,582	95.7%	-28.5%
2007	79.9%	$120M	$150M	$30M	1,586	113.2%	4.3%
2006	77.0%	$108M	$141M	$32M	1,488	78.3%	15.2%
2005	81.7%	$105M	$129M	$24M	1,458	65.0%	9.2%

What the Data Says About Burlington ERS

Burlington ERS is funded above the midpoint but still carries a real shortfall, 9 points below the 75.5% national average across tracked plans. A 5-year average investment return of 6.9% factors into the plan's overall trajectory.

For Vermont taxpayers and plan members, the $123M 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.

Membership

923

Active Members

875

Retirees

2,187

Total Members

Plan Details

Plan Type: General State
State: Vermont
Market Assets: $245M

Source: Public Plans Database (PPD)
Boston College CRR / NASRA

Plans With a Similar Funded Ratio

The closest plans nationwide to Burlington ERS's 66.5% funded ratio.

Showing 5 of 191 plans nationwide with a reported funded ratio.

Other Vermont Plans

Vermont Teachers Retirement System 96.6%
Vermont State Employees Retirement System 76.3%
Vermont Municipal Employees N/A

All Vermont plans →

Read with this plan

Cite this page

PlainPension, “Burlington ERS: Funded Ratio, Assets, and Actuarial Data.” Compiled from the Public Plans Database (PPD), compiled by the Boston College Center for Retirement Research with MissionSquare Research Institute and NASRA; data as of FY2023 plan card; history through FY2024. https://plainpension.com/plan/burlington-ers

Formal citation formats (APA / MLA)

APA: PlainPension. (2023). Burlington ERS: Funded Ratio, Assets, and Actuarial Data. Retrieved September 23, 2026, from https://plainpension.com/plan/burlington-ers

MLA: "Burlington ERS: Funded Ratio, Assets, and Actuarial Data." PlainPension, 2023, https://plainpension.com/plan/burlington-ers.

You are welcome to quote these figures with attribution to PlainPension and the underlying source. The URL above is stable. See our Terms of Use for what reuse is permitted.

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. Burlington ERS ranks #150 of 192 by funded ratio and #173 of 190 by membership. 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.

Compiled by PlainPension · July 23, 2026