The result of this effort was the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) Act of 1986 ( P.L. In FY2016, 94.1% of federal employees were enrolled in FERS. Five states—California, Texas, Florida, Maryland, and Virginia—accounted for about one-third of all civil service annuitants in FY2016. Postal Service employees) retired. These workers were younger on average (54.3 years old for CSRS employees; 54.5 years old for FERS employees) than those who took normal retirement. Average Annuity Amounts Under CSRS and FERS

The average monthly annuity among civilian federal employees who retired under CSRS in FY2016 was $4,755, whereas new FERS annuitants received an average annuity of $1,714 per month. Employees enrolled in FERS who retire at the minimum retirement age or older with 30 years of federal service also receive a supplement to their FERS annuity between their retirement date and the age of 62. Total and Median Annuity Payments to Retirees and Survivors

The Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (CSRDF) paid annuities to 2,077,804 retired federal employees (also referred to as employee annuitants ) and 533,884 survivor annuitants in FY2016. Employee annuitants under CSRS received a median monthly annuity of $3,118. As was noted earlier, FERS benefits are smaller than those under CSRS both because employees retiring under FERS had fewer years of service than workers who retired under CSRS, and because FERS benefits are intended to be supplemented by Social Security and the TSP. The fund's end-of-FY2016 balance of $879.8 billion was more than 10 times the value of the CSRS and FERS annuities paid from the fund that year. Recent Trends in the Balance of the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund

Between FY1990 and FY2018 (estimated), the balance of the CSRDF rose from $238 billion to $972 billion, an increase of 308%. Number of Civil Service Annuitants and Total Annuity Payments

The number of people receiving civil service annuity payments has risen more than 175% since 1970, but the rate of increase has slowed since 1985. Throughout the 1930s, civilian federal employment (including postal employees) was less than 1 million. Between 1985 and 2016, the number of civil service annuitants rose from just under 2 million to just over 2.6 million. Total Civilian Federal Employment

Between FY1994 and FY2013, the number of civilian federal employees (including the U.S. The average age among all federal employees who retired in FY2016 was 61.3. Approximately 10% of CSRS employees and 33% of FERS employees were between the ages of 45 and 54. Although most CSRS employees (90%) were aged 55 or older, only 28% of FERS employees were aged 55 or older.
This report describes recent trends in the characteristics of annuitants and current employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) as well as the financial status of the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (CSRDF).
In FY2016, 94% of current civilian federal employees were enrolled in FERS, which covers employees hired since 1984. Six percent were enrolled in CSRS, which covers only employees hired before 1984. In FY2016, more than 2.6 million people received civil service annuity payments, including 2,077,804 employee annuitants and 533,884 survivor annuitants. Of these individuals, 72% received annuities earned under CSRS. About one-third of all federal employee annuitants and survivor annuitants reside in five states: California, Texas, Florida, Maryland, and Virginia. The average civilian federal employee who retired in FY2016 was 61.3 years old and had completed 25.6 years of federal service. The average monthly annuity payment to workers who retired under CSRS in FY2016 was $4,755. Workers who retired under FERS received an average monthly annuity of $1,714. Employees retiring under FERS had a shorter average length of service than those under CSRS. FERS annuities are supplemented by Social Security benefits and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). At the end of FY2016, the balance of the CSRDF was $879.8 billion, an amount equal to more than 10 times the amount of outlays from the fund that year. The trust fund balance is expected to reach $909 billion by the end of FY2018. From FY1970 to FY1985, the number of people receiving federal civil service annuities rose from fewer than 1 million to nearly 2 million, an increase of 105%. Between FY1985 and FY2016, the number of civil service annuitants rose by 680,000, an increase of about 35%. In FY2013, the number of civilian federal employees, including Postal Service employees, totaled 3.3 million workers. This was 254,000 less than the number of employees in FY2000, and 480,000 fewer than the number of employees in FY1994. In FY2016, all CSRS employees were aged 45 or older, compared with 61% of FERS employees who were aged 45 or older (38.6% of FERS employees were younger than 45). Fifty five percent of CSRS employees were aged 60 or older, whereas 13% of FERS employees were in this age range.
For a general overview of current benefits and financing under CSRS and FERS, see CRS Report 98-810, Federal Employees' Retirement System: Benefits and Financing.
For summary information on recent reform proposals related to CSRS and FERS, see CRS In Focus IF10243, Civilian Federal Retirement: Current Law, Recent Changes, and Reform Proposals.