State-administered defined benefit retirement systems saw a 14.6 percent increase in cash and investment holdings from 2010 to 2011. The nation's 222 state public employee retirement systems had $2.5 trillion in assets in 2011, compared to $2.2 trillion in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's "2011 Annual Survey of Public Pensions: State-Administered Defined Benefit Data."

Corporate stocks increased 13.8 percent, from $767.1 billion in 2010 to $873.2 billion in 2011, and comprised 34.3 percent of total holdings in 2011. Corporate bonds decreased 2.1 percent from $357 billion in 2010 to $349.7 billion in 2011, and comprised 13.8 percent of total holdings in 2011.

Among the cash and security holdings for public pensions, foreign and international securities increased 24.1 percent, from $359.4 billion in 2010 to $446 billion in 2011, and comprised 17.5 percent of total holdings in 2011. Federal government securities increased 7.4 percent, from $192.3 billion in 2010 to $206.6 billion in 2011, and comprised 8.1 percent of total holdings in 2011.