By Tim White

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) – Retirees in Warwick get the biggest average monthly pension checks in the state, with Cranston and Providence pensioners taking second and third place, a Target 12 comparison of town-by-town pension data reveals.

The average pension pays $2,979 a month in Warwick, $2,383 in Cranston and $2,373 in Providence, according to financial records obtained and analyzed by Target 12.

By comparison, the average monthly pension for a state employee is $2,157 – excluding judges and state police retirees – according to testimony before the Senate and House Finance Committees.

Target 12 compiled pension data from every city and town pension plan, including those managed the state – known as the Municipal Employee Retirement System, or MERS – to calculate each one’s average payment. The data includes police and fire retirees as well as city workers, but excludes teachers.

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• Interactive: Town-by-town map of pension payouts across Rhode Island (Nov. 15)