FY2024 source-reconciled actuarial data · Public Plans Database

Dallas ERS

Funded ratio, unfunded liability, member counts, and 23-year financial history for Dallas ERS, sourced from the Public Plans Database (Boston College CRR) and cross-checked against actuarial valuations.

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By · · Texas · General State Plan · Data through FY2024

Funded Ratio: 68.4% (Under-funded) Dallas ERS funded ratio compared to national public pension benchmark. FUNDED RATIO 68.4% Under-funded Nat'l avg 75.49869791666667% 0% 60 70 80 100% Healthy > 80% · At-risk 70-80% · Critical < 60%
Dallas ERS funded ratio is 68.4 percent, classified as Under-funded. National public-pension benchmark is 75.49869791666667 percent.
Actuarial funded ratio
68.4%
Health grade
CReported funded ratio below full funding
Actuarial assets
$3.84B
Members
16,903

According to the Public Plans Database, compiled by the Boston College Center for Retirement Research, Dallas 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.

Sliding funded-ratio path

Dallas ERS lost 20.2 points from FY2001 (88.6%) to FY2024 (68.4%) on the reconciled series.

Dallas ERS on a sliding funded path

According to the Public Plans Database, Dallas ERS lost 20.2 points on the reconciled series from FY2001 to FY2024, and now reports 68.4% (grade C).

68.4%
Funded · #95 of 192
C
Health grade
$1.77B
Actuarial unfunded liability
-20.2pp
FY2001→FY2024
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Actuarial Unfunded Liability

$1.77B

Above-median unfunded liability · source-reported UAAL

Total Members

16,903

active + retired + vested

1-Year Return

9.2%

Above assumed rate · net investment return

1.5pp vs 5-yr avg

5-Year Avg Return

7.7%

Above assumed rate · annualized, net of fees

F
Composite Health Score
24/100
Dallas 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
68.4%
Actuarial assets as a share of liabilities
Contribution Discipline F
66.1%
Share of the actuarially required contribution actually paid
Investment Returns F
7.7%
5-year annualized investment return
Unfunded Burden F
32.1%
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

Participants: 7.9K active, 7.9K retired, 0 separated Plan participant breakdown showing active workers, retirees, and separated-vested members. PARTICIPANT MIX 16.9K total members 47% 47% Active 7.9K Retired 7.9K Separated 0 Active-to-Retiree 1.00 · Mature / At Risk
Plan participant breakdown: 7.9K active workers, 7.9K retirees, 0 separated-vested members. Sustainability rating: Mature / At Risk.

Investment Policy Mix

Asset Allocation: 55% equity, 25% fixed income, 17% alternatives Dallas ERS investment policy mix as reported in its CAFR and actuarial valuation. ASSET ALLOCATION $3.8B 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%
Dallas ERS asset allocation: 55% equity, 25% fixed income, 17% alternatives, 3% cash. Investment stance: Growth-Tilted.

Funded ratio, 2001 to 2024

Assets as a share of the benefits already promised, one point per reported year. Down 20.2 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.

60%70%80%90%100%110%120% 200120042007201020132016201920222024 68.4%

What changed, FY2023 to FY2024

1.7 pts funded ratio

Dallas ERS's funded ratio fell 1.7 points from FY2023 to FY2024, driven by the liability side: the accrued liability moved +2.4% while assets moved -0.1%.

Funded ratio
70.1% → 68.4%
Actuarial assets
$3.84B → $3.84B (-0.1%)
Accrued liability
$5.48B → $5.61B (+2.4%)
Where the 1.7-point move came from
Assets
-0.1 pts
Accrued liability
-1.6 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
2024 68.4%
2023 70.1%
2022 73.3%
2021 76.0%
2020 76.0%
2019 75.7%
2018 80.0%
2017 82.3%
2016 80.4%
2015 80.4%
2014 80.9%
2013 85.1%
2012 80.9%
2011 86.0%
2010 92.2%
2009 95.0%
2008 96.2%
2007 109.2%
2006 108.6%
2005 105.1%

What the Data Says About Dallas ERS

Dallas ERS is funded above the midpoint but still carries a real shortfall, 7 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 Texas taxpayers and plan members, the $1.77B 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

7,894
Active Members
7,914
Retirees
16,903
Total Members

Plan Details

Plan Type
General State
State
Texas
Market Assets
$3.76B
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. Dallas ERS ranks #95 of 192 by funded ratio and #125 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.