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PensionWatch

Kentucky County Employees Retirement System

public plan · State of Kentucky · Lexington, KY

ACTIVE
D
Pension Health Score
45/100
Funding Status44% Funded
0%80% threshold100%
$9.4B
Total Assets
$21.4B
Total Liabilities
$12.0B
Unfunded Liability
175,988
Participants

Funding History

What This Means for You

Kentucky County Employees Retirement System is significantly underfunded at 44%, with $12.0B in unfunded liabilities affecting 175,988 participants. Plans at this funding level face difficult choices: raising contributions substantially, reducing future benefit accruals, or in extreme cases, applying for benefit suspensions. The PBGC has flagged this plan as critical status. Public plans cannot declare bankruptcy, but severe underfunding may lead to reduced cost-of-living adjustments or increased employee contributions. If you are a participant, it is important to understand your options and consider diversifying your retirement income sources.

Year-by-Year Funding

YearAssetsLiabilitiesFunding RatioContributions
2025$9.4B$21.4B44.0%$353.1M
2024$8.9B$20.6B43.1%$438.9M
2023$8.7B$21.0B41.2%$369.2M
2022$8.4B$25.2B33.4%$443.6M
2021$7.8B$20.2B38.7%$348.2M