Last verified 2026-10-01

Illinois SERS — assets, returns and funding

Q: How much does Illinois SERS have in assets?

Illinois SERS reported $27.6bn in total assets for fiscal year 2025, as compiled by the Public Plans Database.

Q: What return did Illinois SERS make on its investments?

Illinois SERS reported a 9.8% one-year investment return for fiscal year 2025, and 7.3% a year over the past ten years, per the Public Plans Database.

Q: Is Illinois SERS fully funded?

Illinois SERS was 46.9% funded for fiscal year 2025 — in the strained range, near 60% or below. US public plans face no federal funding minimum, and actuaries add that the trend matters more than any single line (Public Plans Database).

Q: How is Illinois SERS's money invested?

Illinois SERS held 51.0% of its assets in public equities and 16.0% in fixed income (bonds), its largest sleeves for fiscal year 2025 (Public Plans Database).

Pensions: all tracked plans · Australian super in numbers · Private market performance · the PE statistics · what plans disclose · where they diverge

Newest reported year for this plan: fiscal year 2025 — public plans publish audited figures 6–12 months after year end, and the database compiles them in batches, so this is the current public record, not a stale copy.

Illinois SERS (Illinois) reported $27.6bn of assets for fiscal year 2025, a one-year investment return of 9.8%, and was 46.9% funded — in the strained sub-60% range.

Total assets (FY 2025)	$27.6bn
1-year return	9.8%
5-year return (annualised)	8.5%
10-year return (annualised)	7.3%
Funded ratio (GASB)	46.9%

How the money is invested (asset allocation)

Illinois SERS held 51.0% of its assets in public equities and 16.0% in fixed income (bonds) for fiscal year 2025 — the largest of 7 sleeves it reports, with the rest below:

Public equities	51.0%
Fixed income (bonds)	16.0%
Real estate	10.0%
Private equity	10.0%
Hedge funds	9.0%
Commodities	3.0%
Cash	1.0%

The plans most worth reading Illinois SERS 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 Universities	$25.2bn	6.4%	47.1%	Same state — Illinois
Cook County (IL) ERS	$13.7bn	9.6%	65.9%	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 Illinois SERS have in assets?

Illinois SERS reported $27.6bn in total assets for fiscal year 2025, as compiled by the Public Plans Database.

What return did Illinois SERS make on its investments?

Illinois SERS reported a 9.8% one-year investment return for fiscal year 2025, and 7.3% a year over the past ten years, per the Public Plans Database.

Is Illinois SERS fully funded?

Illinois SERS was 46.9% funded for fiscal year 2025 — in the strained range, near 60% or below. 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 Illinois SERS's money invested?

Illinois SERS held 51.0% of its assets in public equities and 16.0% in fixed income (bonds), its largest sleeves for fiscal year 2025 (Public Plans Database).

Figures as reported for fiscal year 2025 · Data: Public Plans Database (Center for Retirement Research at Boston College / MissionSquare Research Institute / NASRA) — used with attribution under its non-commercial terms · Refresh: quarterly pull, annual figures · Limitations: public plans report with a lag — FY figures arrive months after year end; returns are as reported by the plan, net/gross basis varies by plan

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.