State Retiree Benefits Fact Sheet – Tennessee

Fact Sheet Read time:
State Retiree Benefits Fact Sheet – Tennessee

Tennessee stands out nationally for the strength of its pension system—but it has not set aside any money to address the bill coming due for its retiree health benefits. The state is exceedingly close to achieving full funding for its pension funds, in part because it has a strong record of paying the full annual required contribution each year. The state also has been extremely stable in its funding ratio, probably because it has one of the highest percentages of fixed income investments and a smaller investment in stocks than other states. On the non-pension side, retiree health care and other benefits are modest relative to most other states, amounting to $382 per capita compared with a median unfunded liability of $774 per capita. Even so, Tennessee's $2.3 billion unfunded obligation for its non-pension benefits for state employees is more than six times its small, unfunded liability for pensions.

America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up

MORE FROM PEW

An aerial view of a vast wetland, with scattered vegetation visible on sandy islands. In Western Australia, a Conservation Model for the World
A presentation being given by a businesswoman to a group of participants at a business conference. Four Plan Features Can Boost 'Retirement Readiness'
A large group of people in formal or traditional attire stands together on a stage, with a digital background depicting marine life and the large text “WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies.” WTO Needs to Redouble Its Effort on Fishing Subsidies
A man in a winter hat and sunglasses kneels on a rocky shoreline in front of a campfire, holding a metal mug with gloved hands. Behind him, in the water, a motorboat is moored to the shore. Cliffs rise on both sides of the water. Why Newfoundland’s South Coast Fjords Are Sacred
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?

Pills illustration
Pills illustration

What Is Antibiotic Resistance—and How Can We Fight It?

Sign up for our four-week email series The Race Against Resistance.
Quick View
Pills illustration

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as “superbugs,” are a major threat to modern medicine. But how does resistance work, and what can we do to slow the spread? Read personal stories, expert accounts, and more for the answers to those questions in our four-week email series: Slowing Superbugs.