Is North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement fully funded?

North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement has a source-reconciled actuarial funded ratio of 71.6% as of FY2024, earning a health grade of C. A funded ratio measures reported actuarial assets relative to reported accrued liabilities. It is useful context, but it cannot on its own predict future contributions, benefits, or public-policy decisions.

What happens if North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement runs out of money?

Public plans are governed under state and local rules that differ by jurisdiction. The PPD figures shown here are financial data, not a finding about benefit security or taxpayer obligations.

What does a funded ratio of 71.6% mean?

A funded ratio of 71.6% means that North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement reported actuarial assets equal to 71.6% of its accrued liabilities at that valuation date. The source-reported actuarial unfunded liability stands at $1.35B. This represents a moderate funding gap that requires ongoing monitoring.

How does North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement compare to other public pensions?

North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement is a Teachers plan in North Dakota serving 23,391 members. Nationally, the average funded ratio for public pension plans tracked by the Public Plans Database is approximately 75.5%. North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement's source-reconciled actuarial funded ratio of 71.6% places it near the national average.

How many members does North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement have?

North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement covers 23,391 total members, including 11,766 active employees and 9,615 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

North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement

Everything the Public Plans Database tracks for North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement: funded ratio, unfunded liability, membership, and 23 years of financial history, compiled by Boston College CRR and checked against actuarial valuations.

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By PlainPension · July 2026 · North Dakota · Teachers Plan · Data through FY2024

Actuarial funded ratio: 71.6%
Health grade: CReported funded ratio below full funding
Actuarial assets: $3.41B
Members: 23,391

According to the Public Plans Database, compiled by the Boston College Center for Retirement Research, North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement 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

North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement lost 24.8 points from FY2001 (96.4%) to FY2024 (71.6%) on the reconciled series.

North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement on a sliding funded path

According to the Public Plans Database, North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement lost 24.8 points on the reconciled series from FY2001 to FY2024, and now reports 71.6% (grade C).

71.6%
Funded · #144 of 192: C
Health grade: $1.35B
Actuarial unfunded liability: -24.8pp
FY2001→FY2024

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Actuarial Unfunded Liability

$1.35B

Above-median unfunded liability · source-reported UAAL

Total Members

23,391

active + retired + vested

1-Year Return

8.2%

Above assumed rate · net investment return

-0.1pp vs 5-yr avg

5-Year Avg Return

8.3%

Above assumed rate · annualized, net of fees

C-

Composite Health Score

50/100

North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement

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

71.6%

Actuarial assets as a share of liabilities

Contribution Discipline B+

105.2%

Share of the actuarially required contribution actually paid

Investment Returns D

8.3%

5-year annualized investment return

Unfunded Burden F

28.7%

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

0.4 pts funded ratio

North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement's funded ratio was effectively unchanged from FY2023 to FY2024, moving 0.4 points, with assets and accrued liability growing at a similar pace.

Funded ratio

71.2% → 71.6%

Actuarial assets

$3.26B → $3.41B (+4.6%)

Accrued liability

$4.58B → $4.76B (+4.0%)

Where the 0.4-point move came from

Assets: +3.3 pts
Accrued liability: -2.8 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	71.6%	$3.41B	$4.76B	$1.35B	N/A	102.0%	8.8%
2023	71.2%	$3.26B	$4.58B	$1.32B	23,391	105.2%	8.2%
2022	69.9%	$3.13B	$4.48B	$1.35B	23,067	103.1%	-6.1%
2021	68.6%	$2.97B	$4.34B	$1.36B	22,643	96.7%	29.4%
2020	65.7%	$2.75B	$4.18B	$1.44B	22,098	99.3%	1.1%
2019	66.0%	$2.64B	$3.99B	$1.36B	21,750	98.5%	6.7%
2018	65.4%	$2.53B	$3.86B	$1.34B	21,247	98.2%	8.9%
2017	63.7%	$2.38B	$3.73B	$1.35B	20,975	96.4%	13.5%
2016	62.1%	$2.23B	$3.59B	$1.36B	20,663	97.8%	1.0%
2015	61.6%	$2.13B	$3.45B	$1.32B	20,146	110.2%	3.5%
2014	61.8%	$1.94B	$3.14B	$1.20B	19,561	104.8%	17.6%
2013	58.8%	$1.76B	$3.00B	$1.23B	19,127	113.3%	14.5%
2012	60.9%	$1.75B	$2.87B	$1.12B	18,648	66.5%	0.9%
2011	66.3%	$1.82B	$2.75B	$927M	18,400	68.4%	23.0%
2010	69.8%	$1.84B	$2.64B	$795M	18,051	76.5%	12.9%
2009	77.7%	$1.90B	$2.45B	$546M	17,663	89.3%	-18.1%
2008	81.9%	$1.91B	$2.33B	$421M	17,337	76.4%	-4.6%
2007	79.2%	$1.75B	$2.21B	$459M	17,115	63.1%	16.0%
2006	75.4%	$1.56B	$2.07B	$510M	16,887	63.9%	10.0%
2005	74.8%	$1.47B	$1.97B	$496M	16,764	68.3%	10.1%

What the Data Says About North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement

North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement shows a comfortably above-average funding position, 4 points below the 75.5% national average across tracked plans. A 5-year average investment return of 8.3% factors into the plan's overall trajectory.

For North Dakota taxpayers and plan members, the $1.35B 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

11,766

Active Members

9,615

Retirees

23,391

Total Members

Plan Details

Plan Type: Teachers
State: North Dakota
Market Assets: $3.35B

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

Plans With a Similar Funded Ratio

The closest plans nationwide to North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement's 67.2% funded ratio.

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

Other North Dakota Plans

North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System 75.5%
Bismarck Police Plan 69.0%
Bismarck Employees' Pension Plan 54.4%

All North Dakota plans →

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Cite this page

PlainPension, “North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement: 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/north-dakota-teachers-fund-for-retirement

Formal citation formats (APA / MLA)

APA: PlainPension. (2023). North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement: Funded Ratio, Assets, and Actuarial Data. Retrieved September 23, 2026, from https://plainpension.com/plan/north-dakota-teachers-fund-for-retirement

MLA: "North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement: Funded Ratio, Assets, and Actuarial Data." PlainPension, 2023, https://plainpension.com/plan/north-dakota-teachers-fund-for-retirement.

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. North Dakota Teachers Fund for Retirement ranks #144 of 192 by funded ratio and #108 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