Facts & Research

2020 PAFR – An abbreviated version of NYSTRS' annual report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020.

The Pension Dollar – A hypothetical NYSTRS pension dollar shows how the System is funded and the impact pensions have on the economy.

Benefits Paid by County – See the total payments and number of benefit recipients by New York State county.

NYSTRS by the Numbers – A statistical overview of NYSTRS, one of the nation's largest public pension systems.

Pensionomics 2021: Measuring the Economic Impact of Defined Benefit Pension Expenditures – Defined benefit pensions provide a huge boost to economic output, jobs and tax revenue in all levels of the U.S. economy, according to a new study by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS). Retiree spending of pension benefits in 2018 – the most recent year studied – generated $1.3 trillion in total economic output, supporting about 6.9 million jobs across the country and adding $192 billion in tax revenue to government coffers, the report said.

NCPERS Study Finds Public Pension Funding Levels Rose – Despite the use of more conservative actuarial assumptions, the average public pension plan funding level increased to 72.6% in 2018. (NYSTRS is virtually 100% funded.) Among other findings in the 2018 National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS) Public Retirement Systems Study is that public pensions remain among the most cost-effective plans nationally.

Stability in Overall Pension Plan Funding Masks a Growing Divide – Big gaps in funding status exist among public pension plans across the country, according to a recent study of 180 plans by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. The top plans – including NYSTRS with a funded ratio of virtually 100% – were stronger due to higher investment returns and more consistent employer contributions, the study found.

Retirement in America: Out of Reach for Working Americans? – Public policy changes, including strengthening Social Security, are needed to address a growing retirement crisis in which the typical working American has no retirement savings, according to an analysis by the National Institute on Retirement Security.

How Much Income Do Retirees Actually Have? – Five separate income surveys conclude that between 42% and 60% of U.S. households are at risk of not having enough financial resources in retirement, according to a review by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.