Cook County (IL) ERS — assets, returns and funding
Pensions: all tracked plans · Australian super in numbers · Private market performance · the PE statistics · what plans disclose · where they diverge
Cook County (IL) ERS (Illinois) reported $13.7bn of assets for fiscal year 2024, a one-year investment return of 9.6%, and was 65.9% funded — below the ~80% mark the industry reads as sound.
| Total assets (FY 2024) | $13.7bn |
| 1-year return | 9.6% |
| 5-year return (annualised) | 7.2% |
| 10-year return (annualised) | 7.2% |
| Funded ratio (GASB) | 65.9% |
How the money is invested (asset allocation)
Cook County (IL) ERS held 57.0% of its assets in public equities and 22.9% in fixed income (bonds) for fiscal year 2024 — the largest of 7 sleeves it reports, with the rest below:
| Public equities | 57.0% |
| Fixed income (bonds) | 22.9% |
| Real estate | 7.8% |
| Private equity | 5.7% |
| Hedge funds | 4.7% |
| Cash | 1.1% |
| Commodities | 0.8% |
Compare Cook County (IL) ERS with similar plans
The plans most worth reading Cook County (IL) ERS against — similar in size, or invested in the same managers — side by side, each with its own page for the detail:
| Plan | Assets | 1-yr return | Funded ratio | Why comparable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois Teachers | $77.3bn | 9.7% | 47.8% | Same state — Illinois |
| Illinois Municipal | $62.4bn | 14.8% | 97.4% | Same state — Illinois |
| Illinois SERS | $27.6bn | 9.8% | 46.9% | Same state — Illinois |
| Illinois Universities | $25.2bn | 6.4% | 47.1% | Same state — Illinois |
| Chicago (IL) Teachers | $13.7bn | 12.1% | 47.9% | Same state — Illinois |
| Chicago (IL) Municipal | $5.1bn | 9.8% | 25.8% | Same state — Illinois |
Questions this page answers
How much does Cook County (IL) ERS have in assets?
Cook County (IL) ERS reported $13.7bn in total assets for fiscal year 2024, as compiled by the Public Plans Database.
What return did Cook County (IL) ERS make on its investments?
Cook County (IL) ERS reported a 9.6% one-year investment return for fiscal year 2024, and 7.2% a year over the past ten years, per the Public Plans Database.
Is Cook County (IL) ERS fully funded?
Cook County (IL) ERS was 65.9% funded for fiscal year 2024 — below the ~80% mark many treat as reasonably sound. US public plans face no federal funding minimum, and actuaries add that the trend matters more than any single line (Public Plans Database).
How is Cook County (IL) ERS's money invested?
Cook County (IL) ERS held 57.0% of its assets in public equities and 22.9% in fixed income (bonds), its largest sleeves for fiscal year 2024 (Public Plans Database).
See also: all tracked plans · how the private-equity funds these plans invest in have actually performed, from the plans' own disclosures: private market performance, and where plans' numbers diverge on the same fund.