How many public pension plans does Illinois have?

Illinois has 10 public pension plans tracked by the Public Plans Database, covering 1,461,318 total members (#5 of 51 by membership book). Types on this roster include teachers, police and fire, municipal, and general state systems where present.

Is Illinois's pension system in crisis?

Illinois's public pension plans have an average funded ratio of 75.7% and a total unfunded liability of $63.44B. An average funded ratio in the 60-80% range indicates moderate underfunding that requires attention but is not yet at crisis levels. Data is sourced from the Boston College Center for Retirement Research.

What is the average funded ratio in Illinois?

The average funded ratio across all 10 public pension plans in Illinois is 75.7% (#26 of 51 among states), based on the most recent Public Plans Database data. A funded ratio of 100% means a plan has sufficient assets to meet all projected obligations. The national average for public pensions is approximately 75.5%. Individual plan ratios in Illinois vary; browse the table above to compare specific plans.

Public Plans Database

Illinois Public Pension Plans

Name: Illinois Public Pension Plans
Creator: Boston College Center for Retirement Research
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-copyright

10 plans · top-third membership book (#5 of 51)

Larger membership book. Illinois ranks #5 of 51 by tracked members (1,461,318), top-third membership book among states.

Avg funded ratio: 75.7%
Total unfunded: $63.44B
Total members: 1,461,318
Plans tracked: 10

According to the Public Plans Database, compiled by the Boston College Center for Retirement Research, Illinois’s 10 tracked plans carry a combined unfunded liability of $63.44B at an average funded ratio of 75.7%. Plan cards report FY2023 valuations; this site’s database copy was last loaded in July 2026. See our methodology for the full source and update cadence.

PPD actuarial excerpt

State roster IL Illinois

Illinois: avg 75.7% funded (0.2 points above the national average) · 3 D/F grades · unfunded $63.44B

AVG 75.7%
UNF $63.44B
MEM 1,461,318
N 10
DF 3
VS +0.2pt
BEST 97.3%
LOW 33.5%

Funded-ratio peers

Nearest funded-ratio peer: Minnesota (75.9%)

Average funded ratio neighbourhood vs Illinois (FY2023 plan cards)

2 of 9 published-ratio plans sit under 60% actuarial assets; 3 of 10 carry a D or F health grade. How this roster is sourced →

Illinois grade mix on a larger membership book

Health grades across 10 plans (1,461,318 members, #5 of 51) use the same FY2023 plan-card snapshot as the hero KPIs and the table below.

Health-grade counts from the same state plan rows as the roster table

Source: Public Plans Database (Boston College CRR / NASRA) As of FY2023 plan cards; history through FY2024

Average actuarial funded ratio across 10 Illinois plans (FY2023 plan cards)

Plan types in Illinois

Aggregates from the same FY2023 plan-card rows as the roster below. Averages include only plans that report a funded ratio.

Type	Plans	Avg funded	Members	Assets	Unfunded
Municipal	3	79.7%	642,239	$70.07B	$32.17B
General State	3	75.8%	399,261	$47.73B	$3.84B
Police & Fire	2	82.0%	38,000	$5.45B	$942M
Teachers	2	65.5%	381,818	$78.62B	$26.49B

Every tracked plan in Illinois

FY2023 plan-card snapshot from the Public Plans Database. ARC is the actuarially required contribution as a share of payroll where reported.

Plan	Type	Funded	Grade	Assets	Unfunded	Members	ARC	1yr return
Chicago Municipal Employees	Municipal	97.3%	B	$4.48B	$126M	65,241	76.7%	5.2%
Illinois State Retirement Systems	General State	97.2%	B	$23.35B	$684M	143,675	84.1%	4.2%
Illinois State Universities Retirement System	General State	96.6%	B	$23.19B	$810M	247,963	90.1%	13.4%
Chicago Police	Police & Fire	92.5%	B	$3.87B	$313M	27,774	100.0%	5.2%
Illinois Teachers Retirement System	Teachers	83.7%	B	$66.50B	$12.95B	315,573	66.6%	9.6%
Chicago Fire	Police & Fire	71.6%	C	$1.58B	$629M	10,226	88.4%	7.5%
Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund	Municipal	62.2%	C	$52.63B	$32.05B	519,512	n/a	2.4%
Chicago Public School Teachers Pension and Retirement Fund	Teachers	47.2%	D	$12.12B	$13.53B	66,245	65.9%	9.1%
Chicago Laborers	General State	33.5%	F	$1.18B	$2.35B	7,623	80.7%	8.4%
Cook County Employees	Municipal	n/a	F	$12.95B	n/a	57,486	88.9%	n/a

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Compare inside Illinois’s larger membership roster

Data sourced from official Public Plans Database and actuarial valuations from federal and state pension systems. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPension · Illinois roster FY2023

Compiled by PlainPension, Pension Fund Health Editorial Process · July 23, 2026