Actuarial Unfunded Liability
$16.38B
Very large unfunded liability · source-reported UAAL
FY2024 source-reconciled actuarial data · Public Plans Database
North Carolina Retirement Systems
Funded ratio, unfunded liability, member counts, and 23-year financial history for North Carolina Retirement Systems, sourced from the Public Plans Database (Boston College CRR) and cross-checked against actuarial valuations.
By PlainPension · · North Carolina · General State Plan · Data through FY2024
- Actuarial funded ratio
- 88.2%
- Health grade
- CReported funded ratio below full funding
- Actuarial assets
- $122.95B
- Members
- 1,162,901
According to the Public Plans Database, compiled by the Boston College Center for Retirement Research, North Carolina Retirement Systems 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.
Larger membership book
North Carolina Retirement Systems ranks #4 of 190 by reported members (1,162,901), top-third membership book among plans with a count.
North Carolina Retirement Systems in the larger-membership third
According to the Public Plans Database, North Carolina Retirement Systems carries a top-third membership book (1,162,901, #4 of 190) with a 88.2% actuarial funded ratio (grade C).
- 88.2%
- Funded · #91 of 192
- C
- Health grade
- 1,162,901
- Members · #4 of 190
- -21.6pp
- FY2001→FY2024
Total Members
1,162,901
active + retired + vested
1-Year Return
9.3%
Above assumed rate · net investment return
-0.9pp vs 5-yr avg
5-Year Avg Return
10.2%
Strong return year · annualized, net of fees
B
Composite Health Score
74/100
North Carolina Retirement Systems
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 B+
88.2%
Actuarial assets as a share of liabilities
Contribution Discipline C-
100.6%
Share of the actuarially required contribution actually paid
Investment Returns A+
10.2%
5-year annualized investment return
Unfunded Burden B+
12.0%
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
Funded ratio, 2001 to 2024
Assets as a share of the benefits already promised, one point per reported year. Down 21.6 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.
What changed, FY2023 to FY2024
0.1 pts funded ratioNorth Carolina Retirement Systems's funded ratio was effectively unchanged from FY2023 to FY2024, moving 0.1 points, with assets and accrued liability growing at a similar pace.
Funded ratio
88.3% → 88.2%
Actuarial assets
$118.11B → $122.95B (+4.1%)
Accrued liability
$133.76B → $139.33B (+4.2%)
Where the 0.1-point move came from
- Assets
- +3.6 pts
- Accrued liability
- -3.7 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 | 88.2% |
| 2023 | 88.3% |
| 2022 | 90.2% |
| 2021 | 87.0% |
| 2020 | 87.2% |
| 2019 | 87.4% |
| 2018 | 88.9% |
| 2017 | 91.6% |
| 2016 | 93.7% |
| 2015 | 96.7% |
| 2014 | 96.0% |
| 2013 | 95.5% |
| 2012 | 95.4% |
| 2011 | 96.4% |
| 2010 | 96.8% |
| 2009 | 99.4% |
| 2008 | 103.4% |
| 2007 | 104.5% |
| 2006 | 104.8% |
| 2005 | 106.1% |
What the Data Says About North Carolina Retirement Systems
North Carolina Retirement Systems ranks among the better-funded plans in the database, 13 points above the 75.5% national average across tracked plans. A 5-year average investment return of 10.2% factors into the plan's overall trajectory.
For North Carolina taxpayers and plan members, the $16.38B 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
492,670
Active Members
350,784
Retirees
1,162,901
Total Members
Plan Details
- Plan Type
- General State
- State
- North Carolina
- Market Assets
- $119.93B
Source: Public Plans Database (PPD)
Boston College CRR / NASRA
Boston College CRR / NASRA
Plans With a Similar Funded Ratio
The closest plans nationwide to North Carolina Retirement Systems's 75.2% funded ratio.
Showing 5 of 191 plans nationwide with a reported funded ratio.
Other North Carolina Plans
All North Carolina plans →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. North Carolina Retirement Systems ranks #91 of 192 by funded ratio and #4 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.