Frequently Asked Questions

Ratio of Covered Workers to Beneficiaries

Ratio of
Social Security Covered Workers to Beneficiaries
Calendar Years 1940-2013 

Year

Covered
Workers
(in thousands)

Beneficiaries
(in thousands)

Ratio

1940

35,390

222

159.4

1945

46,390

1,106

41.9

1950

48,280

2,930

16.5

1955

65,200

7,563

8.6

1960

72,530

14,262

5.1

1965

80,680

20,157

4.0

1970

93,090

25,186

3.7

1975

100,200

31,123

3.2

1980

113,656

35,118

3.2

1985

120,565

36,650

3.3

1986

123,400

37,322

3.3

1987

126,287

37,951

3.3

1988

130,142

38,420

3.4

1989

132,478

38,859

3.4

1990
133,672
39,470
3.4
1991
132,969
40,172
3.3
1992
133,890
41,029
3.3
1993
136,117
41,840
3.3
1994
138,197
42,516
3.3
1995
141,446
43,107
3.3
1996
143,909
43,498
3.3
1997
146,736
43,792
3.3
1998
149,692
44,075
3.4
1999
152,453
44,366
3.4
2000
155,295
45,166
3.4
2001
155,546
45,668
3.4
2002
154,894
46,176
3.3
2003
154,954
46,752
3.3
2004
156,900
47,367
3.3
2005
159,081
48,133
3.3
2006
161,852
48,863
3.3
2007
163,057 49,603 3.3
2008
162,485
50,420
3.2
2009
156,021
51,860
3
2010
156,725
53,398
2.9
2011
158,988
54,816
2.9
2012
161,672
56,176
2.9
2013
163,221
57,471
2.8
Notes:

Data for 1945-1989 from Table II.F19 of the 2000 Trustees Report. Data for 1990-1994 from 2004 Trustees Report, Table IV.B2. Data for 1995-2009 from 2010 Trustees Report, Table IV.B2. Data for 2010 from 2011 Trustees Report.

The following footnotes apply to these data:

1. The numbers of beneficiaries do not include certain uninsured persons, most of whom both attained age 72 before 1968 and have fewer than 3 quarters of coverage, in which cases the costs are reimbursed by the general fund of the Treasury. The number of such uninsured persons was 179 as of June 30, 1999. Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components.

2. Historical covered worker data are subject to revision.

3. Covered Workers is defined as those who are paid at some time during the year for employment on which Social Security taxes are due.

4. Beneficiaries as defined as those with monthly benefits in current-payment status as of June 30.

Monthly Social Security benefits were first paid starting in January 1940. Data for 1940 computed from Tables 4.B.1 and 5.A.4 from the 1998 Annual Statistical Supplement to the Social Security Bulletin. The following footnotes apply to the 1940 data only:


1. Covered workers is defined as in the rest of the table.

2. Beneficiaries are defined as those with monthly benefits in current-payment status as of December 1940. This is a slightly different basis than that used in the rest of this table. Therefore the ratio for 1940 is only approximately comparable to the data for the subsequent years.