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Public Pensions ​

Understanding public pensions is one of the most compelling reasons to consider a government career. This section covers pension systems state by state — how benefits are calculated, what formulas exist, and the history and labor agreements that shape your retirement.

FAQs ​

Pensions FAQ & 101 — The most common pension questions with short answers and links to every deep dive

50-State Rankings ​

50-State Pension Power Rankings — All 50 states and D.C. ranked 1–51 by employee value — multiplier, COLA, employee cost, retirement age, legal protections, and retiree health. Interactive tier list with per-state grade breakdowns.

Rankings Methodology & Analysis — How we scored every state, what separates each tier, and deep dives on California, New York, D.C./Federal, Texas, and Florida

California ​

California has over 80 public pension systems covering 4.6 million members.

New York ​

New York has seven major retirement systems across two tiers — statewide (NYSLRS, NYSTRS) and NYC (NYCERS, TRS, Police, Fire, BERS) — with six benefit tiers dating back to 1973.

  • New York Pension Systems — All seven systems, the Taylor Law, bargaining units, how benefits are set by state legislation, Tier 1–6 overview, COLA, and the Fix Tier 6 movement
  • New York Pension Formulas — Every ERS, PFRS, NYSTRS, NYCERS, and NYC Police/Fire formula by tier, with worked example calculations

D.C. & Federal ​

Washington, D.C. sits at the intersection of two pension universes — federal civil service systems (FERS, CSRS, Foreign Service) covering 2.8 million employees, and D.C. local systems (DCRB) for police, firefighters, and teachers. Unlike state systems, federal pension formulas are set by Congress, not bargaining.

  • D.C. & Federal Pension Systems — All eight federal and D.C. retirement systems, FERS three-legged stool, TSP, bargaining units, the FLRA, how formulas are set by statute, and the 2025–2026 labor upheaval
  • D.C. & Federal Pension Formulas — Every FERS, CSRS, Foreign Service, and D.C. local formula, COLA rules, and worked example calculations

Texas ​

Texas has 93+ public retirement systems — 7 statewide and 86+ local — making it one of the most fragmented pension landscapes in the country. The two largest systems (TRS and ERS) use traditional defined benefit formulas, but TMRS (cities) and TCDRS (counties) use cash balance plans, and ERS shifted new hires to cash balance in 2022.

  • Texas Pension Systems — All 93+ systems, TRS, ERS, TMRS, TCDRS, the Dallas crisis, cash balance vs traditional DB, no collective bargaining, retiree health, and the SB 321 reform
  • Texas Pension Formulas — Every TRS, ERS (Groups 1–4), TMRS, and TCDRS formula, contribution rates, COLA (ad hoc only), and worked example calculations

Florida ​

Florida has one dominant statewide system — the Florida Retirement System (FRS) — covering ~1.15 million members, plus over 500 locally administered police and fire pension funds. Unique among major states, FRS gives every employee a choice between a traditional Pension Plan (DB) and an Investment Plan (DC).

  • Florida Pension Systems — FRS structure, Pension Plan vs Investment Plan, five membership classes, DROP, 500+ local police/fire plans, the 2011 SB 2100 reform, COLA freeze, retiree health (HIS), and the Investment Plan default debate
  • Florida Pension Formulas — Every FRS formula by membership class (Regular, Special Risk, SMSC, EOC), contribution rates, COLA mechanics, DROP calculations, and worked example calculations

Retirement Tools — User Guides ​

PenPublic's retirement suite has three interactive tools. These guides explain every feature, input, and result:

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