INTRODUCTION

Fiscal year 2021 saw the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board pay over $13 billion in benefit payments across the retirement/survivor and 

unemployment/sickness programs. In descending order, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania, California, New York, Ohio, Missouri, 

Nebraska, Georgia, and Virginia accounted for slightly over 50% of the total benefits (Figure 1). Annuitants in the same eleven states 

also received more than 50% of the total retirement and survivor benefits. Most of the unemployment and sickness benefits were paid 

in Texas, Illinois, California, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Nebraska, and Arkansas. For more information, see 

Statistical Table A6.

Figure 1. FY 2021 Benefit Payments by State
Awarded retirement annuities were near all-time lows over the twenty-year period from 2002 through 2021 across all categories with 

the exception of divorced widows which saw a sharp increase from 2020 to 2021 (Figures 2 and 3). While most award category trends 

have declined, some including aged widows, children, divorced widows, and widowed parents have seen increases in recent years. 

Employee, spouse, and aged widows are typically the most frequently awarded annuitant types. For more information, see Statistical 

Table B2.

Figure 2. Number of Retirement Annuities Awarded During Fiscal Years 2002 through 2021
Figure 3. Number of Survivor Annuities Awarded During Fiscal Years 2002 through 2021
While unemployment and sickness benefit totals in Figure 1 provide insight in the distribution of those benefit amounts across the 

United States, usage rates show the extent of unemployment and sickness claims across the country. The usage rate for both 

unemployment and sickness insurance is the number of railroad employees who applied for and received benefits within a state 

compared to the total number of eligible employees within the State. Unemployment insurance usage rates for benefit year 2020 (July 

2020 – June 2021) were higher in states in the middle part of the country (Figure 4). This occurred during a time when the COVID19 pandemic had affected the economy as well as extreme winter weather crippled the middle part of the country from the northern 

to the southern borders. For more information, see Statistical Tables C3 and C4. 

Figure 4. Unemployment Usage Rates for Benefit Year 2020 (July 2020 - June 2021)
Figure 5. Sickness Usage Rates for Benefit Year 2020 (July 2020 - June 2021)

The eastern half of the United States experienced the highest sickness insurance usage rates during benefit year 2020 with Midwest 

and Southern States dominating (Figure 5). COVID-19 associated applications far exceeded more traditional illnesses such as injuries 

and musculoskeletal issues as each successive wave of the virus moved through the general population during July 2020 through June 

2021. Continuing sickness claims were not affected as much by the virus due to its shorter duration when compared to more chronic 

illnesses. For more information, see Statistical Tables C3 and C4. 
Railroad employment trends varied by employer type from calendar years 2001 through 2020 (Figure 6). Freight railroads experienced 

the largest decline of 25% while labor organizations and commuters had smaller declines of 14% and 4.5%, respectively. Car loan 

companies showed a small increase of 2.9% with miscellaneous employers having an increase of 115%. Freight railroads have 

traditionally been the predominant employer in the rail industry comprising almost 75% of total employees in 2020 which is a small 

drop from nearly 80% back in 2001. For more information, see Statistical Table D5.

Figure 6. Railroad Employees by Employer Type (2001-2020)
The tables in this volume include data on the railroad retirement and railroad unemployment insurance programs for fiscal year 2021 

(October 2020-September 2021), calendar year 2020, unemployment and sickness benefit year 2020-2021 (July 2020-June 2021), 

and, in some tables, for earlier years.

The tables are presented in four sections: (A) financial statistics, (B) retirement and survivor benefits, (C) unemployment and sickness 

benefits, and (D) employment and compensation. Each section is introduced by a summary of the subject matter, including definitions 

of the major terms used in the tables and limitations of the data presented in the tables.

All the Statistical Tables are now available online. For current and historical versions, go to:

https://www.rrb.gov/FinancialReporting/FinancialActuarialStatistical/Annual
*This table is no longer available as of Fiscal Year 2019. 

FINANCIAL STATISTICS

A1. Beneficiaries and benefits paid under the Railroad Retirement Act and the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, by fiscal year, 

 2012-2021, cash basis

A2. Status of the Railroad Retirement Act accounts and trust funds, by fiscal year, 2012-2021, cash basis

A3. Status of the financial interchange between the Railroad Retirement Accounts and the Old-Age and Survivors, Disability, and 

Hospital Insurance Trust Funds, by fiscal year, 2012-2021, cash basis

A4. Status of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Account, by fiscal year, cash basis* 

A5. Status of the RUIA Administration Fund, by fiscal year, cash basis* 

 

A6. Retirement, survivor, unemployment and sickness benefit payments, by class of benefit and state of residence of beneficiary, fiscal 

year 2021, cash basis 

RETIREMENT AND SURVIVOR BENEFITS 

 B1. Number and average amount of retirement and survivor annuities in current-payment status at end of year, by type of annuitant 

and fiscal year, 2012-2021 

 B2. Number and average amount of retirement and survivor annuities awarded during year, by type of annuitant and fiscal year, 

2012-2021 

 B3. Retirement and survivor benefits paid, by type of benefit and fiscal year, 2012-2021, cash basis

 B4. Lump-sum death benefits and residual payments awarded, by status of employee at death and fiscal year, 2012-2021 

 B5. Number and average amount of retirement and survivor annuities in current-payment status on September 30, 2021, by type of 

annuity and status of annuitant under Social Security Act 

 B6. Regular employee annuities in current-payment status on September 30, 2021, and awarded in fiscal year 2021, by type and amount

 B7. Tier I and tier II components of employee annuities in current-payment status on December 31, 2020, and awarded in calendar 

year 2020, by amount
B8. Vested dual RR-SS benefit and supplemental components of employee annuities in current-payment status on December 31, 2020, 

and awarded in calendar year 2020, by amount

B9. Employee annuities in current-payment status on September 30, 2021, and awarded in fiscal year 2021, by type and component

B10. Regular employee annuities in current-payment status on September 30, 2021, and awarded in fiscal year 2021, by type of annuity 

and age of annuitant

B11. Regular employee annuities in current-payment status on September 30, 2021, and awarded in fiscal year 2021, by type of annuity 

and years of creditable service

B12. Employee annuities in current-payment status on December 31, 2020, and awarded in calendar year 2020, by last railroad employer

B13. Supplemental employee annuities in current-payment status on September 30, 2021, and awarded in fiscal year 2021, by type, 

supplemental amount, and combined amount

B14. Supplemental employee annuities in current-payment status on September 30, 2021, and awarded in fiscal year 2021, by age of 

annuitant

B15. Number and average amount of retired-employee family benefits in current-payment status on December 31, 2020, by type of 

employee annuity, family composition, and basis of computation

B16. Retired-employee family benefits in current-payment status on December 31, 2020, by family composition and amount

B17. Spouse and divorced spouse annuities in current-payment status on September 30, 2021, and awarded in fiscal year 2021, by type 

and amount

B18. Components of spouse and divorced spouse annuities in current-payment status on December 31, 2020, and awarded in calendar 

year 2020, by amount

B19. Spouse and divorced spouse annuities in current-payment status on September 30, 2021, and awarded in fiscal year 2021, by type 

and component

B20. Spouse and divorced spouse annuities in current-payment status on September 30, 2021, and awarded in fiscal year 2021, by type 

of annuity and age of annuitant

B21. Survivor annuities in current-payment status on September 30, 2021, and awarded in fiscal year 2021, by type of beneficiary and 

amount
 B22. Components of survivor annuities in current-payment status on December 31, 2020, and awarded in calendar year 2020, by type 

of beneficiary and amount 

 B23. Survivor annuities in current-payment status on September 30, 2021, and awarded in fiscal year 2021, by type of beneficiary and 

component 

 B24. Survivor annuities in current-payment status on September 30, 2021, and awarded in fiscal year 2021, by type and age of annuitant

 B25. Survivor family benefits in current-payment status on December 31, 2020, by family composition and amount 

 B26. Lump-sum death benefits and residual payments awarded in fiscal year 2021, by status of employee at death and amount 

 B27. Retirement and survivor benefits in current-payment status on September 30, 2021, by class and state (Figure B27 -- Number of 

RR Act Beneficiaries in Current-Payment Status by State on September 30, 2021) 

UNEMPLOYMENT AND SICKNESS BENEFITS 

 C1. Principal administrative data for the unemployment and sickness benefit programs, benefit years 2016-2017 through 2020-2021, 

cash basis (Figure C1 -- Net benefits under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, benefit years 2016-2017 through 2020-

2021, cash basis) 

 C2. Unemployment and sickness beneficiaries, benefit averages, and related data, by benefit year, 1991-1992 through 2020-2021 

 C3. Unemployment and sickness beneficiaries in benefit year 2020-2021 and selected data, by completed years of service

 C4. Unemployment and sickness beneficiaries, and total gross benefits for the year, by state, benefit year 2020-2021 

 C5. Beneficiaries and selected averages for benefit year 2020-2021 unemployment, by age and sex 

 C6. Beneficiaries and selected averages for benefit year 2020-2021 sickness, by age and sex 

 C7. Beneficiaries and average compensable days for benefit year 2020-2021 sickness, by type of sickness 

 C8. Unemployment and sickness beneficiaries by month for benefit year 2020-2021 

 C9. Experience rating distribution, 2021 
EMPLOYMENT AND COMPENSATION 

D1. Number of employees and their compensation, for all employers and class I railroads, 1937-2020 

D2. Employees, by employment status, 1991-2020 

D3. Employees and averages of months of service and creditable compensation, for all types of employers and for class I railroads, 

2011-2020 

D4. All employees and employees age 60 or older, by completed years of service, 2011-2020 

D5. Employees in 2020 and selected service and compensation data, by type of employer

D6. All employees, new entrants, employees qualified for RUIA benefits, and related data, by employer, 2020 

D7. Employees in 2020, by type of employer and amount of creditable compensation 

D8. Employees in 2020, by type of employer and months of service 

D9. Employees in 2020, by amount of creditable compensation and by sex or completed years of service 

 D10. Employees in 2020, by amount of creditable compensation or sex and by age 

 D11. Employees in 2020, by age or sex and by completed years of service 

 D12. Employees in 2020, by sex and completed years of service 

 D13. All employees, new entrants, employees qualified for RUIA benefits, and related data, by state, 2020

 

D14. Employers in 2020, by number of employees 

 D15. Number of employers in 2020, by type of employer