The Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund was created in 1939 by the Illinois General Assembly and began operating in 1941 with 5 original employers and $5,000 in assets. Today IMRF serves approximately 2,900 employers and has approximately $24 billion in assets.
Since 1941, IMRF has provided employees of local governments and school districts in Illinois (with the exception of the City of Chicago and Cook County) with a sound and efficient system for the payment of retirement, disability, and death benefits.
As of December 2007, IMRF counted 177,783 active members, 86,362 benefit recipients, and 2,926 local units of government in Illinois.