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U.S. Census Bureau Quarterly Survey of Public Pensions: Online Time Series and Trend Charts

"The Quarterly Survey of Public Pensions ... is a quarterly survey that provides national summary data on the revenues, expenditures, and composition of assets of the largest defined benefit public employee retirement systems for state and local governments. The survey consists of a panel of 100 retirement systems, which comprise 89.4 percent of financial activity among such entities, based on the 2007 Census of Governments." [The linked page allows selection of survey results by date range (1968-2013), by type of investment, and with or without seasonal adjustments.]

Quarterly U.S. Census Bureau Summary of the Finances of Selected State and Local Government Employee Retirement Systems (PDF)

"For the 100 largest public-employee retirement systems in the country, cash and security holdings totaled $2,836.0 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012, reaching the highest level in 5 years when they peaked at $2,928.9 billion in the fourth quarter of 2007. Cash and security holdings had a quarter-to-quarter increase of 1.7 percent from $2,789.1 billion last quarter, and a year-to-year increase of 8.6 percent from $2,612.0 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011. Earnings on investments totaled $67.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012."

U.S. Census Bureau Projections Show a Slower Growing, Older, More Diverse Nation a Half Century from Now

"According to the projections, the population age 65 and older is expected to more than double between 2012 and 2060, from 43.1 million to 92.0 million. The older population would represent just over one in five U.S. residents by the end of the period, up from one in seven today. The increase in the number of the 'oldest old' would be even more dramatic -- those 85 and older are projected to more than triple from 5.9 million to 18.2 million, reaching 4.3 percent of the total population."

Quarterly U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Public Pensions, 2Q 2012 (PDF)

"For the 100 largest public-employee retirement systems in the country, total holdings and investments totaled $2.7 trillion in the second quarter of 2012, a decrease of 1.7 percent from $2.8 trillion last quarter.... Federal government securities ... reached the highest level in over 10 years, since the first quarter of 2001, with a quarter-to-quarter increase of 8.8 percent, from $224.5 billion to $244.2 billion in the second quarter of 2012."

Text of U.S. Census Bureau Summary Report on State and Locally Administered Pensions, 2010 (PDF)

"This survey covers the following retirement system activities: revenues by state (earnings on investments, employee contributions, government contributions); expenditures by state (benefits, withdrawals, other payments); cash and investment holdings by state (governmental securities, corporate stocks and bonds, foreign and international securities, etc.); and membership information by state (number of retirement systems, total members, beneficiaries receiving periodic payments)."

U.S. Census Bureau Report: Finances of Selected State and Local Government Employee Retirement Systems (PDF)

Excerpt: Finances of Selected Public Employee Retirement Systems is a quarterly survey that provides national summary data on the revenues, expenditures, and composition of assets of the largest public employee retirement systems. This survey currently consists of a panel of 100 retirement systems, which comprise 89.4 percent of financial activity among such entities. After a census has been taken, it is considered best practice to reselect the largest 100 retirement systems.

Statement by Consumers Union On New U.S. Census Bureau Numbers on Americans Without Health Insurance

"But the new census figures are also a reminder that Congress has important, unfinished business as lawmakers head toward adjournment. It is simply shameful that this country, at a time of unprecedented prosperity and record budget surpluses, leaves well over forty million Americans -- including ten million children -- without health insurance."

Census Bureau Reports Increase of 13.2 Percent for State and Local Government Pension Funds in 2011

"The nation's state and local public-employee retirement systems had $3.0 trillion in total cash and investment holdings in 2011, a $351.9 billion or 13.2 percent increase from $2.7 trillion in 2010, according to new statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau. This follows a $288.7 billion gain from 2009 to 2010."

Statement by Census Bureau Director on Improved Health Insurance Questions in the Current Population Survey

Summary of the Census Bureau Quarterly Survey of Public Pensions, Second Quarter 2013 (PDF)

"For the 100 largest public-employee retirement systems in the country, cash and security holdings totaled $2,943.5 billion in the second quarter of 2013, reaching the highest level since the survey began collecting data in 1968. Cash and security holdings had a quarter-to-quarter increase of 0.4 percent, from $2,931.8 billion last quarter, and a year-to-year increase of 8.4 percent, from $2,715.4 billion in the second quarter of 2012." [Editor's note: General information about the Quarterly Survey, including cumulative historical data, is available here.]