How much is the average Social Security benefit in every state?

SimplyWise social security

The average Social Security benefit across the country can vary pretty widely, and that variance has as much to do with the types of benefits being received as it does how much or for how long a worker may have worked. 

Some of the factors that impact a person’s benefits include:

  • Whether they are receiving disability, retirement or survivor benefits
  • How much the worker who earned those benefits earned
  • How much additional income they may have
 

Social Security benefits, also known as Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI), provides roughly a third of the income for most of the retired people who receive it. Without it, many people in the United States would struggle to survive. 

Yet as the coronavirus pandemic puts stress on Americans, some of the efforts implemented to help the economy could actually hurt Social Security beneficiaries. For example, cutting payroll taxes to 0% removes Social Security’s main revenue source and further defunds the program. 

In total, the Social Security Administration pays out benefits in the billions. In 2018, the last year for which data is available, Social Security beneficiaries received more than $84 billion in total benefits  More than two thirds of those were retired workers.

We took a look at Social Security data for 2018 and broke down the average monthly benefit received by beneficiaries in every state. These data include benefits for retirees, survivors and the disabled.

Here are the total number of recipients and the average monthly Social Security benefits in every U.S. state:

Alabama 

Total monthly recipients: 1,143,125 

Average monthly benefit: $1,286

 

Alaska

Total monthly recipients: 101,402

Average monthly benefit: $1,292

 

Arizona

Total monthly recipients: 1,349,458

Average monthly benefit: $1,386

 

Arkansas

Total monthly recipients: 696,936

Average monthly benefit: $1,250

 

California  

Total monthly recipients:  5,962,804

Average monthly benefit: $1,330

 

Connecticut

Total monthly recipients: 681,765

Average monthly benefit: $1,496

 

Colorado

Total monthly recipients: 874,819

Average monthly benefit: $1,372

 

Delaware

Total monthly recipients: 213,246

Average monthly benefit: $1,472

 

Florida

Total monthly recipients: 4,626,156

Average monthly benefit: $1,353

 

Georgia

Total monthly recipients: 1,830,266

Average monthly benefit: $1,317

 

Hawaii

Total monthly recipients: 271,236

Average monthly benefit: $1,368

 

Idaho

Total monthly recipients: 346,243

Average monthly benefit: $1,323

 

Illinois

Total monthly recipients: 2,243,286

Average monthly benefit: $1,377

 

Indiana

Total monthly recipients: 1,350,417

Average monthly benefit: $1,392

 

Iowa

Total monthly recipients: 647,462

Average monthly benefit: $1,362

 

Kansas 

Total monthly recipients: 552,973

Average monthly benefit: $1,389

 

Kentucky

Total monthly recipients: 989,575

Average monthly benefit: $1,253

 

Louisiana

Total monthly recipients: 907,733

Average monthly benefit: $1,212

 

Maine

Total monthly recipients: 344,482

Average monthly benefit: $1,260

 

Maryland

Total monthly recipients: 1,001,230

Average monthly benefit: $1,438

 

Massachusetts

Total monthly recipients: 1,273,360

Average monthly benefit: $1,382

 

Michigan

Total monthly recipients: 2,209,084

Average monthly benefit: $1,412

 

Minnesota

Total monthly recipients: 1,032,697

Average monthly benefit: $1,414

 

Mississippi

Total monthly recipients: 668,877

Average monthly benefit: $1,232

 

Missouri

Total monthly recipients: 1,293,897

Average monthly benefit: $1,322

 

Montana

Total monthly recipients: 233,801

Average monthly benefit: $1,296

 

Nebraska

Total monthly recipients: 345,725

Average monthly benefit: $1,357

 

Nevada

Total monthly recipients: 536,855

Average monthly benefit: $1,347

 

New Hampshire

Total monthly recipients: 305,855

Average monthly benefit: $1,432

 

New Jersey

Total monthly recipients: 1,625,600

Average monthly benefit: $1,501

 

New Mexico

Total monthly recipients: 436,551

Average monthly benefit: $1,258

 

New York

Total monthly recipients: 3,627,340

Average monthly benefit: $1,389

 

North Carolina

Total monthly recipients: 2,098,741

Average monthly benefit: $1,348

 

North Dakota

Total monthly recipients: 133,773

Average monthly benefit: $1,301

 

Ohio

Total monthly recipients: 2,356,367

Average monthly benefit: $1,320

 

Oklahoma

Total monthly recipients: 789,288

Average monthly benefit: $1,292

 

Oregon

Total monthly recipients: 871,988

Average monthly benefit: $1,365

 

Pennsylvania

Total monthly recipients: 2,825,178

Average monthly benefit: $1,391

 

Rhode Island

Total monthly recipients: 225,493

Average monthly benefit: $1,366

 

South Carolina

Total monthly recipients: 1,143,297

Average monthly benefit: $1,356

 

South Dakota

Total monthly recipients: 178,999

Average monthly benefit: $1,302

 

Tennessee

Total monthly recipients: 1,452,552

Average monthly benefit: $1,315

 

Texas

Total monthly recipients: 4,224,159

Average monthly benefit: $1,302

 

Utah

Total monthly recipients: 406,568

Average monthly benefit: $1,375

 

Vermont

Total monthly recipients: 150,319

Average monthly benefit: $1,357

 

Virginia

Total monthly recipients: 1,530,417

Average monthly benefit: $1,385

 

Washington

Total monthly recipients: 1,346,820

Average monthly benefit: $1,418

 

West Virginia

Total monthly recipients: 475,744

Average monthly benefit: $1,289

 

Wisconsin

Total monthly recipients: 1,233,379

Average monthly benefit: $1,395

 

Wyoming

Total monthly recipients: 112,386

Average monthly benefit: $1,388

What you need to know about Social Security

In 2019, an estimated 64 million Americans collected Social Security benefits, and 61% of Americans aged 60 to 70 view Social Security as an “extremely important” source of income. Nevertheless, a great deal of confusion exists around the rules and this often causes people to miss out on much needed money. Knowing how age impacts Social Security is important, but it is but a first step on a journey of education.

Increasingly, online Social Security blogs and free calculators are emerging to help people avoid costly mistakes (we believe the SimplyWise Calculator is the best). Hopefully, with better education around the topic, Americans can maximize what they’ve earned.