This fall, NYSLRS published our Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), with the latest data from the State fiscal year ending March 31, 2018. It’s a publication full of details about NYSLRS members, retirees and beneficiaries, as well as information about NYSLRS investments.

In this post, let’s dive in and take a look at NYSLRS retirees and the places they call home.

NYSLRS Retirees by the Numbers

As of March 31, 2018 (the end of the State fiscal year), NYSLRS provides pension benefits to 470,596 retirees and beneficiaries.

Six hundred ninety-five of them live outside the United States, in places like England and the Philippines. However, the vast majority live here in the U.S. In fact, while 22 retirees and beneficiaries have found themselves in the Great Plains of North Dakota, and more than 37,000 now make the sunshine state of Florida home, nearly 79 percent of NYSLRS retirees and beneficiaries — some 370,329 — live right here in New York.

NYSLRS Pensions at Work

NYSLRS retirees live in our communities, in every county of the State. Their pension money flows right back into our neighborhoods, stimulating and growing local economies. In 2017 alone, NYSLRS retirees generated $12 billion in economic activity in New York State. They pay property taxes, state and local sales taxes, and they spend money at local businesses. In fact, in 2017, spending by NYSLRS retirees and their beneficiaries was responsible for the creation of an estimated 73,000 local jobs.

An Award-Winning Publication

NYSLRS has received a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the CAFR for the last 14 years. It’s a national award recognizing excellence in the preparation of state and local government financial reports.

There’s more to find out about retirees, members and NYSLRS’ investments. You can check out this year’s CAFR and CAFRs from years past on our website.