The WRS administers pension and other benefits for substantially all public employees in the state except those working for the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County, which maintain their own retirement plans. WRS assets are managed by the State of Wisconsin Investment Board.
Wisconsin Retirement System Basics, by Plan
| Plan |
Assets (millions) |
Total Members |
| Wisconsin RS |
134,541.2 |
700,522 |
| Other Plans |
0 |
0 |
| Total |
134,541.2 |
700,522 |
Source: Public Plans Database (as of 2024)
Note: Wisconsin Retirement System has 0 other plans.
Assets
Assets at Year-End
Wisconsin Retirement System
2001-2024
| Fiscal Year |
Net Assets (billions) |
| 2001 |
59.2 |
| 2002 |
51.7 |
| 2003 |
62.1 |
| 2004 |
67.9 |
| 2005 |
71.5 |
| 2006 |
80.4 |
| 2007 |
84.7 |
| 2008 |
59.4 |
| 2009 |
70.0 |
| 2010 |
75.9 |
| 2011 |
73.9 |
| 2012 |
81.1 |
| 2013 |
89.9 |
| 2014 |
92.1 |
| 2015 |
88.5 |
| 2016 |
92.6 |
| 2017 |
104.4 |
| 2018 |
96.7 |
| 2019 |
112.1 |
| 2020 |
125.0 |
| 2021 |
141.8 |
| 2022 |
118.4 |
| 2023 |
127.7 |
| 2024 |
134.5 |
Membership
Ratio of Actives to Beneficiaries, 2001-2024
| Fiscal Year |
Wisconsin Retirement System |
US State and Local Pensions |
| 2001 |
2.3 |
2.4 |
| 2002 |
2.3 |
2.3 |
| 2003 |
2.2 |
2.2 |
| 2004 |
2.1 |
2.1 |
| 2005 |
2.0 |
2.1 |
| 2006 |
1.9 |
2.0 |
| 2007 |
1.8 |
2.0 |
| 2008 |
1.8 |
1.9 |
| 2009 |
1.8 |
1.9 |
| 2010 |
1.7 |
1.8 |
| 2011 |
1.5 |
1.7 |
| 2012 |
1.5 |
1.6 |
| 2013 |
1.4 |
1.5 |
| 2014 |
1.4 |
1.5 |
| 2015 |
1.3 |
1.5 |
| 2016 |
1.3 |
1.4 |
| 2017 |
1.3 |
1.4 |
| 2018 |
1.2 |
1.4 |
| 2019 |
1.2 |
1.3 |
| 2020 |
1.2 |
1.3 |
| 2021 |
1.1 |
1.2 |
| 2022 |
1.1 |
1.2 |
| 2023 |
1.1 |
1.2 |
| 2024 |
1.1 |
1.2 |
2024 Membership for Wisconsin Retirement System
| Actives |
Beneficiaries |
Inactive Vested |
Total Membership |
# of Participating Employers |
| 268,245 |
242,226 |
190,051 |
700,522 |
1,480 |
Cash Flows
Cash Flow vs. Total Assets (Millions)
Wisconsin Retirement System
2001-2024
| Fiscal Year |
Cash Flow |
Assets |
| 2001 |
-1,621.3 |
59,233.1 |
| 2002 |
-1,745.5 |
51,741.1 |
| 2003 |
-1,697.9 |
62,126.4 |
| 2004 |
-1,787.4 |
67,883.0 |
| 2005 |
-1,932.4 |
71,470.5 |
| 2006 |
-2,067.1 |
80,390.8 |
| 2007 |
-2,252.9 |
84,656.4 |
| 2008 |
-2,502.1 |
59,430.1 |
| 2009 |
-2,473.9 |
69,996.3 |
| 2010 |
-2,452.2 |
75,872.1 |
| 2011 |
-2,635.7 |
73,908.0 |
| 2012 |
-2,699.8 |
81,072.3 |
| 2013 |
-2,494.9 |
89,924.7 |
| 2014 |
-2,669.0 |
92,146.8 |
| 2015 |
-2,969.0 |
88,504.7 |
| 2016 |
-3,197.6 |
92,580.1 |
| 2017 |
-3,292.7 |
104,396.5 |
| 2018 |
-3,584.6 |
96,737.1 |
| 2019 |
-3,693.9 |
112,092.8 |
| 2020 |
-3,824.9 |
124,966.4 |
| 2021 |
-4,175.3 |
141,847.7 |
| 2022 |
-4,777.2 |
118,368.2 |
| 2023 |
-4,746.6 |
127,697.8 |
| 2024 |
-4,890.3 |
134,541.2 |
2024 Cash Flows for Wisconsin Retirement System (millions)
| Inflows |
Outflows |
Investment Gains (losses) |
Change in Net Assets |
| 2,769.1 |
7,659.4 |
11,733.7 |
6,843.4 |
Cash Flow as a Percentage of Assets
Wisconsin Retirement System
2001-2024
| Fiscal Year |
Wisconsin Retirement System |
National Average |
| 2001 |
-2.7 |
-2.1 |
| 2002 |
-3.4 |
-2.2 |
| 2003 |
-2.7 |
-2.5 |
| 2004 |
-2.6 |
-2.0 |
| 2005 |
-2.7 |
-2.4 |
| 2006 |
-2.6 |
-2.5 |
| 2007 |
-2.7 |
-2.1 |
| 2008 |
-4.2 |
-2.4 |
| 2009 |
-3.5 |
-3.2 |
| 2010 |
-3.2 |
-3.2 |
| 2011 |
-3.6 |
-3.1 |
| 2012 |
-3.3 |
-3.3 |
| 2013 |
-2.8 |
-3.2 |
| 2014 |
-2.9 |
-2.9 |
| 2015 |
-3.4 |
-2.8 |
| 2016 |
-3.5 |
-3.0 |
| 2017 |
-3.2 |
-2.9 |
| 2018 |
-3.7 |
-2.6 |
| 2019 |
-3.3 |
-2.6 |
| 2020 |
-3.1 |
-2.4 |
| 2021 |
-2.9 |
-2.1 |
| 2022 |
-4.0 |
-2.1 |
| 2023 |
-3.7 |
-2.1 |
| 2024 |
-3.6 |
-2.1 |
