About Our Agency
Our Mission
The Wyoming Retirement System (WRS) is dedicated to providing expert administration and responsible investment of Wyoming’s public retirement and supplemental savings programs. Our mission is simple: safeguard Wyoming’s retirement promises and support the long-term financial well-being of those who serve our state and communities.
A strong retirement benefit helps employers attract and retain a skilled public workforce, and WRS plans also provide important disability and death protections. We remain committed to responsibly managing Wyoming’s retirement programs, honoring the promises made to our members, and supporting the financial well-being of public servants across the state.
Who We Are
Since 1953, WRS has been a trusted partner in helping public employees prepare for retirement. Today, we manage more than $11.5 billion in assets and serve over 82,000 members, including active employees, retirees, beneficiaries, and former employees who maintain contributions on deposit.
WRS administers eight pension plans and a 457(b) supplemental retirement savings plan. While the Public Employee Pension Plan encompasses the majority of the WRS members, WRS also offers specialized plans for Wyoming judges, public safety professionals, volunteer firefighters, volunteer emergency medical technicians, and volunteer search and rescue personnel.
Because so many employers in Wyoming participate in our pension plans, members have some pension portability. For example, a member could move from employment with a school district to a state agency without interrupting the accumulation of pension benefits. Overall, WRS services 112,000+ accounts.
Our Members
WRS membership includes active members, retirees, and their surviving beneficiaries, as well as terminated members who have left their contributions on deposit. More than eighty-six percent (86%) of the more than 41,400 active members are in the large Public Employee Plan. The remaining 14% are in one of the seven smaller judicial and public safety plans.
WRS members work in various public service occupations, including teachers, police officers, firefighters, public health professionals, game wardens, accountants, professors, and mechanics. WRS active members provide essential public services upon which we all depend.
The State of Wyoming is the single largest employer in the pension system, with about 18% of the active membership across all plans. However, pre-K-12 education is the single largest membership category, and their 18,109 active members are more than twice the number of state employees.
Economic Impact
In 2024, WRS paid more than $829 million in regular benefits, refunds and death benefits. About 78% of these payments remain in Wyoming. The ripple effect of these payments helps to stimulate and stabilize both the state and local economies. Pension payments also offer excellent retirement security and reduce economic hardship among the elderly.
Funding Status
The WRS Board closely monitors funding status and has a valuation report done every year. The funding ratio is an important measure of a plan’s health, but equally important is the direction in which the plan is heading. WRS’ largest plan, the Public Employee Pension Plan, is nearly 80% funded.
Retirement News& Updates
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