Summary
The Ohio Public Employees Retirement System had more than 1.2 million members at the end of 2021. We categorize them among the following three groups:
- Active members, who currently work in OPERS-covered positions: 290,320
- Inactive members, who maintain accounts with us but aren’t working in OPERS-covered positions: 699,457
- Retirees: 219,062
Know the facts about OPERS' members:
Membership in OPERS is defined in Ohio Revised Code Chapter 145.01. All public employees, unless otherwise excluded or exempted, must become members regardless of the number of hours they work.
Members in our state-and-local division, which represents more than 97 percent of our overall membership, contribute 10 percent of their salary to OPERS. Their employers contribute 14 percent.
The rest of our active membership is composed of law enforcement and public safety workers. Law enforcement members contribute 13 percent of their salaries to OPERS, and public safety workers contribute 12 percent. Employers of both groups contribute 18.1 percent.
OPERS members can choose between a defined benefit plan and a defined contribution plan. More than 94 percent of active members are in the defined benefit plan.
A description of the benefits of OPERS membership can be found in our member handbook(PDF opens in new tab).