New Jersey’s Pension Fund Reports 14.82% Returns for FY2026

(TRENTON) – New Jersey’s Pension Fund generated a final, unaudited return of 14.82 percent for the 12-month period ended June 30, 2026, which is 7.82 percentage points above the long-term assumed rate of return, Treasury’s Division of Investment reported during Wednesday’s meeting of the State Investment Council.

This strong performance, coupled with the State’s record pension payment of $7.3 billion for FY2027, will further strengthen New Jersey’s Pension Funds. The full pension payment for FY2027 represents the sixth full payment in a row and the first under the administration of Gov. Mikie Sherrill.  The payment was cited by Kroll Bond Rating Agency as one reason for their recent credit rating upgrade of the State.

This is the third consecutive year the fund has seen double digit returns, leading to a three-year annualized return of 12.16 percent.

“The strong results over the past three years, along with the administration’s commitment to making the full payment, represent a huge step in returning the pension fund to solid ground, and helps protect the pensions of the hard-working men and women who rely on it in retirement,” said New Jersey State Treasurer Aaron Binder.

“For the third year in a row, the Pension Fund has reached double digit returns, which is a testament to the knowledge, dedication and professionalism of the staff at the Division of Investment,” said Shoaib Khan, Director of the Division of Investment. “I’d also like to thank the State Investment Council, which plays an integral role in the success of the pension fund, for its expertise in establishing asset allocation and other investment policies and for its trust in Division staff to implement those policies.”

The Pension Fund is managed through a diversified portfolio, and a number of asset classes contributed to generating the fiscal year’s strong performance. All asset classes in the Pension Fund’s portfolio generated positive returns in fiscal year 2026, with overall total public equities delivering the largest positive impact. Within the portfolio’s public equity asset class, Emerging Markets delivered the highest return at 39.53%, followed by U.S. Equity at 23.20% and International Developed Market Equity not far behind at 21.61%. Real Assets stood out well ahead of its benchmark, delivering 23.76%, while its benchmark closed the fiscal year at 13.33%, an outperformance of 10.43%.

The Division noted that performance numbers are unaudited pending completion of the Fiscal Year 2026 audit.