EMBARGOED UNTIL: 12:01 A.M. EST, DECEMBER 14, 1998 (MONDAY) Public Information Office CB98-229 301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax) 301-456-4067 (TDD) e-mail: pio@census.gov David Kellerman 301-457-1502 Membership in State and Local Government Retirement Systems Topped 15 Million in 1997 Census Bureau Reports Membership in state and local government employee-retirement systems reached an all-time high of 15 million people in 1997, according to statistics released today by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. The Internet tables show data on state and local government employee-retirement systems summarized for the nation and each state, for fiscal year 1996-1997: Table 1. The National Summary of State and Local Government Employee- Retirement System Finances. Shows U.S. data for receipts, payments, cash and short-time investments, governmental and nongovernmental securities and other investments. Table 2. Revenues of State and Local Government Employee-Retirement Systems by State and Level of Government. Includes employee contributions, government contributions (by state and local government) and earnings on investments. Table 3. Expenditures of State and Local Government Employee-Retirement Systems by State and Level of Government. Includes information on total payments, benefits, withdrawals and other payments. Table 4. Cash and Investment Holdings of State and Local Government Employee-Retirement Systems by State and Level of Government. Shows cash and deposits, governmental securities and nongovernmental securities, including corporate bonds and stocks, mortgages and funds held in trust. Table 5. Number and Membership of State and Local Government Employee- Retirement Systems by State. Shows the number of retirement systems, active and inactive members and beneficiaries receiving periodic benefit payments. These statistics are from the 1997 Census of Governments. A printed report will be available in early 1999. The data are not subject to sampling variability, but are subject to response errors, data processing errors and nonresponse.-X-The U.S. Census Bureau, pre-eminent collector and disseminator of timely, relevant and quality data about the people and the economy of the United States, conducts a population and housing census every 10 years, an economic census every five years and more than 100 demographic and economic surveys every year, all of them evolving from the first census in 1790.
