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This article does not contain the most recently published data on this subject. If you would like to help our coverage grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia.

The historical Colorado pension information below applies to prior calendar years. The tabs below may contain information from several different fiscal years; for example, the tab labeled "As published 2015" contains information from fiscal years 2013 and 2012 (the most recent data available at the time of initial publication). For more current information regarding Colorado's pension system, click here.

=As published 2016

Colorado information (2015)

Total contributions: $2,255,088,000

Employee contributions: $781,756,000

Government contributions: $1,473,331,000

Total payments: $5,096,999,000

Total cash and investment holdings: $53,522,332,000

Number of state and local pension systems: 75

Active membership: 239,123

Inactive membership: 225,485

Key terms

Actuarial value of assets (AVA) • Unfunded actuarial accrued liability (UAAL) • Annual required contribution (ARC) • Discount rate • Funded ratio • Rate of return • Active member • Inactive member • OPEB

Hover over the above terms for definitions.

Note: This page utilizes information from a variety of sources. The information presented on this page reflects the most recent data available as of August 2016.

Colorado public pensions are the state mechanism by which state and many local government employees in Colorado receive retirement benefits.

According to the United States Census Bureau, there were 75 public pension systems in Colorado as of 2015. Of these, 10 were state-level programs, while the remaining 65 were administered at the local level. As of fiscal year 2015, membership in Colorado's various pension systems totaled 464,608. Of these, 239,123 were active members.^[1]

According to a 2013 report by Morningstar, an independent financial research group, most states' pension plans continued to be funded below the 80 percent level considered necessary for a healthy fund. Decreased funding and increasing liabilities since the 2008 recession continued to put pressure on local and state budgets, in some cases leading to bankruptcy. Higher pension costs can have the following consequences:^[2]

• higher taxes
• less intergovernmental aid for services
• lower credit ratings
• higher interest rates on state borrowing

State pension systems can vary in their organization, management, and accounting principles, making them difficult to compare. The basic information on this page comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, as reported by the states and pension funds themselves for fiscal year 2015.

General information[edit]

See also: Pension data, U.S. Census

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Colorado had 10 state pension plans as of 2015:

1. Colorado State Division Pension
2. Colorado School Division Pension
3. Colorado Judicial Division Pension
4. Colorado Local Government Division Pension
5. Colorado Denver Public Schools Division Pensions
6. Colorado Affiliated Local Plans System
7. Colorado Statewide Death and Disability Plan
8. Colorado Statewide Defined Benefit Plan
9. Colorado Statewide Hybrid Plan
10. Colorado Springs New Hire Pension Plans

In addition to the aforementioned state-level pension systems, there were 65 locally administered pension systems in Colorado.^[1]

The table below provides general pension system information for Colorado and surrounding states.

Contributions[edit]

See also: Pension contribution and payment data, U.S. Census

Pension contributions are the funds paid into pension systems. These contributions come from the employer (in the case of public pensions, the government) and employees. Investment earnings are the main source of increases in the fund and are listed separately in the rightmost column in the below table.

In fiscal year 2015, the most recent year for which information is available, total contributions of $2.3 billion were made to Colorado's state and local pension systems. Of this amount, $781.8 million came from employees. The remainder came from state and local governments. The table below provides information about pension contributions in Colorado and surrounding states in fiscal year 2015.^[1]

Payments[edit]

See also: Pension contribution and payment data, U.S. Census

Payments are the amounts paid to pension recipients by their pension plans. Pension payments include benefits and withdrawals. Benefits are the regular payments made by a pension plan to the plan's recipients. Pension beneficiaries may also withdraw funds before they are due to receive regular benefits.

In fiscal year 2015, Colorado's state and local pension systems made payments totaling $5.1 billion. The table below provides pension payment information for Colorado and surrounding states in fiscal year 2015. The columns labeled "Benefits," "Withdrawals," and "Other" are subsets of total payments. All dollar amounts displayed should be multiplied by 1,000 ($240,000 is equal to $240,000,000).^[1]

Other post-employment benefits[edit]

See also: Other post-employment benefits, data

In addition to standard pension payments, some plans may offer pensioners additional benefits. These benefits, sometimes referred to as "other post-employment benefits," or "OPEBs," consist of health insurance, life insurance or other benefits that the pensioner may have received while employed. The cost of these benefits can prove complicated for actuaries to calculate because of the changes in fields like medicine. This, coupled with the normal challenges in calculating and meeting pension requirements, can result in funding shortages for pension plans.

Unfunded liabilities totaled nearly $500 billion throughout the country for OPEBs. Colorado was reported to have about $1.3 billion in unfunded liabilities for OPEBs. This was equal to about 0.27 percent of the country's total unfunded liabilities for these other services.

The chart below displays the unfunded liabilities for Colorado and its surrounding states. All dollar amounts displayed should be multiplied by 1,000,000. For instance, $300 translates to $300,000,000.

Cash and investment holdings[edit]

See also: Pension data, U.S. Census

Investments are a crucial part of the pension process. The goal is that, by investing pension contributions, the pensioner will receive more money when he or she retires than he or she and the employer were able to contribute. These investments can come in the form of cash investments, short-term investments, securities, or other investments. Cash investments are usually low-risk, short-term investments that have a lower rate of return than other types of investments. Other short-term investments are riskier than cash investments, but have the potential for greater returns. Securities can refer to stocks, bonds, or other types of financial certificates that hold some sort of financial value. As the values of these securities change, they can be traded to make a profit. While there are other applications of securities investments, this represents one of the most common practices.^[3][4][5]

As of fiscal year 2015, Colorado's state and local pension systems held $53.5 billion in total cash and investment holdings. The table below summarizes pension system cash and investment holdings for Colorado and surrounding states. The columns labeled "Total cash and short-term investments," "Total securities," and "Total other investments" are subsets of the grand total. All dollar amounts displayed should be multiplied by 1,000 ($240,000 is equal to $240,000,000).^[1]

Pension fund management fees[edit]

See also: Public pension fund management fees

In July 2013, the Maryland Public Policy Institute (MPPI) and the Maryland Tax Education Foundation released a report detailing the fees paid for the management of state pension systems. According to MPPI, the 10 state pension funds that paid the most in management fees relative to net assets experienced lower returns over a five-year period than the 10 state pension funds that paid the least in management fees. For example, in fiscal year 2012, South Carolina's pension system paid approximately $296.1 million in total management fees (1.31 percent of total net assets at the beginning of the fiscal year) and its five-year rate of return was 1.46 percent. By contrast, Alabama's pension system paid roughly $13.3 million in management fees (0.05 percent of total net assets) and its five-year rate of return was 7.53 percent.^[6]

The table below presents the information collected by MPPI for Colorado and surrounding states. For each state's pension system, total net assets are listed (both for the beginning and end of the fiscal year in question), as well as the total amount paid in management fees. In addition, the rates of return for the pension systems are presented. Compared to surrounding states, Colorado had much higher total net assets, and matched Idaho's five-year rate of return for the pension fund.

As published 2015[edit]

Public pensions in Colorado

General information (2013)

Total contributions: $2,017,672,000

Employee contributions: $789,801,000

Government contributions: $1,227,871,000

Total payments: $4,443,341,000

Total cash and investment holdings: $46,530,078,000

Number of state and local pension systems: 67 (2 state systems, 65 local systems)

Active membership: 223,683

Inactive membership: 204,795

Pension health (2012)

Assets: $12,538,675,000

Actuarial accrued liability (AAL): $21,191,405,000

Unfunded actuarial accrued liability (UAAL): $8,652,730,000

Funded ratio: 59.2%

UAAL per capita: $1,771

Public pensions in the states

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Public pensions • State public pension plans • Colorado state budget and finances

Note: This page utilizes information from a variety of sources. As such, the currency of the information varies somewhat. The information presented on this page reflects the most recent data available as of March 2015.

Colorado public pensions are the state mechanism by which state and many local government employees in Colorado receive retirement benefits.

According to the United States Census Bureau, there were 67 public pension systems in Colorado as of 2013. Of these, two are state-level programs, while the remaining 65 are administered at the local level. As of 2013, membership in Colorado's various pension systems totaled 428,478. Of these, 223,683 were active members.^[1]

According to a 2013 report by Morningstar, an independent financial research group, most states' pension plans continued to be funded below the 80 percent level considered necessary for a healthy fund. Decreased funding and increasing liabilities since the 2008 recession continued to put pressure on local and state budgets, in some cases leading to bankruptcy. Higher pension costs can have the following consequences:^[2]

• higher taxes
• less intergovernmental aid for services
• lower credit ratings
• higher interest rates on state borrowing

Background[edit]

The basic information on this page comes from the U.S. Census Bureau, as reported by the states and pension funds themselves for fiscal year 2013. Also included are comparative data from three different reports, which looked at the states' Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFRs).

General information[edit]

See also: Pension data, U.S. Census

According to the U.S. Census, Colorado had two distinct state pension systems as of 2013:

1. Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association
2. Colorado Fire and Police Pension Association^[8]

In addition to the aforementioned state-level pension systems, there were 65 locally administered pension systems in Colorado.^[1]

The table below provides general pension system information for Colorado and surrounding states.

Contributions[edit]

See also: Pension contribution and payment data, U.S. Census

Pension contributions are the funds paid into pension systems. These contributions come from the employer (in the case of public pensions, the government) and employees. Investment earnings are the main source of increases in the fund and are listed separately in the rightmost column in the below table.

In fiscal year 2013, total contributions of $2 billion were made to Colorado's state and local pension systems. Of this amount, $789.8 million came from employees. The remainder came from state and local governments. The table below provides information about pension contributions in Colorado and surrounding states in fiscal year 2013.^[1]

Payments[edit]

See also: Pension contribution and payment data, U.S. Census

Payments are the amounts paid to pension recipients by their pension plans. Pension payments include benefits and withdrawals. Benefits are the regular payments made by a pension plan to the plan's recipients. Pension beneficiaries may also withdraw funds before they are due to receive regular benefits.

In fiscal year 2013, Colorado's state and local pension systems made payments totaling $4.4 billion. The table below provides pension payment information for Colorado and surrounding states in fiscal year 2013. The columns labeled "Benefits," "Withdrawals," and "Other" are subsets of total payments. All dollar amounts displayed should be multiplied by 1,000 ($240,000 is equal to $240,000,000).

Cash and investment holdings[edit]

See also: Pension data, U.S. Census

As of fiscal year 2013, Colorado's state and local pension systems held $46.5 billion in total cash and investment holdings. The table below summarizes pension system cash and investment holdings for Colorado and surrounding states. The columns labeled "Total cash and short-term investments," "Total securities," and "Total other investments" are subsets of the grand total. All dollar amounts displayed should be multiplied by 1,000 ($240,000 is equal to $240,000,000).^[1]

Pension health[edit]

Pension health is a term used to describe the overall state of pension systems. It can be difficult to gauge pension health in each state, but many studies use calculations to determine the average liabilities, unfunded liabilities, funded ratio and other data. Most experts believe that pension systems need to be funded at least 80 percent to be considered healthy. This information is then used to provide a snapshot of the state's overall pension health. This section provides information from three studies regarding the health of pensions in Colorado and neighboring states. They found the following:

• According to the Pew Charitable Trusts, Colorado paid 85 percent of its required contribution and its funded ratio was only 63 percent in fiscal year 2012.
• According to Morningstar, the state had a per capita pension debt of $1,771 and a funded ratio of 59.2 percent in fiscal year 2012.
• According to State Budget Solutions, which assumed a lower rate of return, Colorado had a per capita pension debt of $17,672 and a funded ratio of 32 percent in fiscal year 2013.

Pew research[edit]

See also: Pew Charitable Trusts pensions study, 2014

According to a 2014 report by the Pew Charitable Trusts, “Many states are seeing their pension debt continue to increase, despite reform efforts, because of missed contributions and the continued impact of investment losses.” The funding gap between what state pension systems have promised in benefits (liabilities) and current funding (assets) increased by $158 billion from 2010 to 2012 (14 percent), leaving state-run retirement systems with $915 billion in unfunded liabilities. Only 15 states made at least 95 percent of the annual required contributions (ARCs) for their pensions between 2010 and 2012; the aggregate shortfall in funding for all state plans was $21 billion. Data on these state pensions come from the Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFRs) that each state’s pension plan prepared for fiscal year 2012; these reports include actuarial valuations based on “the expected rate of return on investments and estimates of employee life spans, retirement ages, salary growth, retention rates, and other demographic characteristics.”^[9]

All dollar amounts displayed should be multiplied by 1,000,000 (e.g., $240,000 is equal to $240,000,000,000).

Morningstar report[edit]

See also: Pension data, 2013 Morningstar report

In 2013, independent investment research firm Morningstar released "The State of State Pension Plans 2013," a report detailing various metrics of pension system health in all 50 states. Morningstar found a $1.2 trillion gap in 2012 for the largest 100 U.S. public pension plans (according to the actuarial firm Milliman). Based on two key drivers in Morningstar’s analysis--the funded ratio and the unfunded actuarial accrued liability (UAAL) per capita--the fiscal solvency and management of these plans varied greatly. Overall, the firm found that "more than half of all states [fell] below Morningstar’s fiscally sound threshold of a 70 percent funded ratio" and all state plans combined were "72.6 percent funded with a UAAL per capita of roughly $2,600.”^[2]

According to Morningstar's research, Colorado's state pension plans were funded at a rate of 59.2 percent in fiscal year 2012. The table below provides state pension system health metrics for Colorado and surrounding states in fiscal year 2012. Figures in the columns labeled "Assets," "AAL," and "UAAL" are rendered in thousands of dollars (for example, $2,400,000 translates to $2,400,000,000). Figures in the remaining columns have not been abbreviated. To view the full report, click here.

State Budget Solutions report[edit]

See also: Pension data, State Budget Solutions report

State Budget Solutions is "a nonpartisan, nonprofit, national public policy organization with the mission to change the way state and local governments do business."^[10] It should be noted that although the organization is technically nonpartisan, its ideology and mission have conservative leanings. In November 2014, the organization released a research report that used a fair market valuation based on a discount rate of 2.743 percent to determine the unfunded liabilities of public pension plans. The group concluded that "state public pension plans were underfunded by $4.7 trillion in 2014, up from $4.1 trillion in 2013. Overall, the combined plans' funded status ... dipped 3 percentage points to 36 percent. Split among all Americans, the unfunded liability [was] over $15,000 per person."^[11]

According to the State Budget Solutions report, Colorado's pension plans were funded at a rate of 32 percent. This was lower than the Morningstar report's data, and below the Pew Center's recommended level of 80 percent.

To read the full report, click here.

Note that all dollar amounts displayed (excluding those under the "Unfunded liability per capita" column) should be multiplied by 1,000 (e.g., $240,000 is equal to $240,000,000).

Other factors[edit]

Rate of return[edit]

According to a 2012 analysis by the Pew Center for the States, most state pension plans assumed an 8 percent rate of return on investments at that time. Proponents argued that an 8 percent rate of return would bear out over the long-term (15-30 years). Critics asserted that this assumption was unrealistic, citing changing market conditions and lower investment returns across the board in preceding years.^[12][13]

Assuming a lower rate of return to predict investment earnings increases current plan liabilities, thereby lowering the percent funded ratio and requiring increased employer contributions (ARCs). This is because future plan liabilities are discounted based on the rate of return, so smaller expected investment returns result in larger actuarially accrued liabilities.^[14] For example, on September 21, 2012, the Illinois Teachers Retirement System voted to lower its rate of return from 8.5 percent to 8.0 percent. This change increased the state's fiscal year 2014 ARC from $3.07 billion to $3.36 billion.^[15] Similarly, when California's CalPERS reduced its projected annual rate of return from 7.75 percent to 7.5 percent in March 2012, it cost the state an additional $303 million for fiscal year 2013.^[16]

Financial crisis[edit]

In the wake of the 2008 recession, proponents of a lower assumed rate of return argued that the standard 8 percent assumptions could cause pension fund managers to engage in more risky investments and imprudent stewardship of public funds. Jeffrey Friedman, a senior market strategist at MF Global, said, "To target 8 percent means some aggressive trading. Ten-year Treasury [bonds] are yielding around 2 percent, economists say we are headed for a double-dip, and house prices aren't getting back to 2007 levels for the next decade, maybe.".^{[17][18][19][20][21]}

Advocates of the 8 percent return rate argued that the dip following the 2008 financial crisis did not prove that there was a long-term downward trend in investment returns. According to Chris Hoene, executive director of the California Budget Project, "The problem with [the market rate] argument is there isn’t significant evidence other than the short term blip during the economic crisis that there’s been that shift. It’s a speculative argument coming out of a very deep recession."^[22]

The National Association of State Retirement Administrators researched the median annualized rate of return for public pensions for the 1-, 3-, 5-, 10-, 20- and 25-year periods ending in 2013 and found it was 7.9 percent over the 20-year period, and exceeded 8 percent for the 1-, 3- and 25-year periods. It is important to note that the NASRA data reported the median returns, which means that median annualized returns of investment portfolios for half of the examined public pension funds failed to meet an 8 percent assumed rate of return.^[23]

Studies and reports[edit]

Pension fund management fees[edit]

See also: Public pension fund management fees

In July 2013, the Maryland Public Policy Institute (MPPI) and the Maryland Tax Education Foundation released a report detailing the fees paid for the management of state pension systems. According to MPPI, the 10 state pension funds that paid the most in management fees relative to net assets experienced lower returns over a five-year period than the 10 state pension funds that paid the least in management fees. For example, in fiscal year 2012, South Carolina's pension system paid approximately $296.1 million in total management fees (1.31 percent of total net assets at the beginning of the fiscal year) and its five-year rate of return was 1.46 percent. By contrast, Alabama's pension system paid roughly $13.3 million in management fees (0.05 percent of total net assets) and its five-year rate of return was 7.53 percent.^[6]

The table below presents the information collected by MPPI for Colorado and surrounding states. For each state's pension system, total net assets are listed (both for the beginning and end of the fiscal year in question), as well as the total amount paid in management fees. In addition, the rates of return for the pension systems are presented.

Other post-employment benefits[edit]

See also: Other post-employment benefits, data

In addition to standard pension payments, some plans may offer pensioners additional benefits. These benefits, sometimes referred to as "other post-employment benefits," or "OPEBs," consist of health insurance, life insurance or other benefits that the pensioner may have received while employed. The cost of these benefits can prove complicated for actuaries to calculate because of the changes in fields like medicine. This, coupled with the normal challenges in calculating and meeting pension requirements, can result in funding shortages for pension plans.

Unfunded liabilities totaled nearly $500 billion throughout the country for OPEBs. Colorado was reported to have about $1.3 billion in unfunded liabilities for OPEBs. This was equal to about 0.27 percent of the country's total unfunded liabilities for these other services.

The chart below displays the unfunded liabilities for Colorado and its surrounding states. All dollar amounts displayed should be multiplied by 1,000,000. For instance, $300 translates to $300,000,000.

Public pensions in 2012[edit]

In fiscal year 2012, according to the Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports for the Public Employees' Retirement Association (PERA) and the Fire and Police Pension Association (FPPA), Colorado had a total of 214,788 active members in its retirement plans. Membership figures divide plan participants into two broad categories: active and other. Active members are current employees contributing to the pension system. Other members include retirees, beneficiaries, and other inactive plan participants (usually terminated employees entitled to benefits but not yet receiving them).^[24]

The following information was collected from the PERA and FPPA 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports, which measured fund status as of December 31, 2012.

The "percentage funded" was calculated by taking the current value of the fund and dividing by the estimated amount of total liabilities. The assumed rates of return used to calculate current fund value varied by system. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Pew Research Centers cited a percent funded ratio of 80 percent as the minimum threshold for a healthy fund, though the American Academy of Actuaries suggested that all pension systems "have a strategy in place to attain or maintain a funded status of 100 percent or greater."^[25][26] The column labeled "SBS figure" refers to a market liability calculation of the fund by the nonprofit organization State Budget Solutions. This analysis used a rate of return of 3.225 percent, which was based upon the 15-year Treasury bond yield. The organization called this a "risk-free" rate of return that would make it easier for states to achieve their pension funding requirements in the future. Beginning in 2006, all private sector corporate pension plans incorporated market costs into their funding schemes.^[27]

Public pensions in 2011[edit]

On June 27, 2013, Moody's Investor Service released its report on adjusted pension liabilities in the states. The Moody's report ranked states "based on ratios measuring the size of their adjusted net pension liabilities (ANPL) relative to several measures of economic capacity." In its calculations of net pension liabilities, Moody's employed market-determined discount rates (4.40 percent for Colorado) instead of the state-reported assumed rates of return (8 percent for Colorado's largest pension plan).^[32]

The report's authors found that adjusted net pension liabilities varied dramatically from state to state, from 6.8 percent (Nebraska) to 241 percent (Illinois) of governmental revenues in fiscal year 2011.^[32]

The adjusted net pension liability for PERA's State Division Trust Fund in fiscal year 2011 was ranked the 12th highest in the nation.^[32] The following table presents key state-specific findings from the Moody's report, as well as the state's national rank with respect to each indicator.

Historical pension plan data[edit]

Reforms[edit]

Proposed reforms[edit]

2013[edit]

While two bills relevant to the administration of the state pension system were proposed during the 2013 regular session of the Colorado General Assembly, neither made it past committee.^[33]

2012[edit]

Several bills relevant to the administration of the state's pension system were proposed during the 2012 regular session of the General Assembly, but none passed committee.^[34]

See also[edit]

• Public pensions in the United States
• Colorado state budget and finances
• Tax policy in Colorado
• Pension statistics
• Public pension health by state
• Public pensions

External links[edit]

• Pension Tsunami
• Pension Calculator from Public Sector Inc.
• Colorado Public Employees' Retirement System - Annual Report (2011)
• Fire and Police Pension Association of Colorado - Annual Report (2011)

Footnotes[edit]

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