You are here: Social Security Administration > Research, Statistics & Policy Analysis > Population Profile: Veteran Beneficiaries, 2020

Population Profiles

  1. Child Beneficiaries
    & Poverty
  2. Fully Insured
    Workers
  3. Marital Status
    & Poverty
  4. Middle Class
    Beneficiaries
  5. Never
    Beneficiaries
  6. Taxable Maximum
    Earners
  7. Veteran
    Beneficiaries

Veteran Beneficiaries, 2020

Released: December 2020
Next expected update: 2021
  • In 2020, over 9.0 million veterans received Social Security benefits, accounting for 16.5 percent of all adult beneficiaries.
Chart. Title: Number of Veteran Beneficiaries, 2020. Bar chart with tabular version below.
Show as table
Table equivalent for chart: Number of Veteran Beneficiaries, 2020
Most recent period of military service Thousands
June 1950 or earlier 258
Korean War 657
February 1955–July 1964 1,583
Vietnam War 4,819
May 1975–July 1990 1,154
August 1990–August 2001 399
September 2001 or later 184
Chart. Title: Average Monthly Benefit, 2019: In 2019 dollars. Bar chart with tabular version below.
Show as table
Table equivalent for chart: Average Monthly Benefit, 2019 (in 2019 dollars)
Age group Veterans Male nonveterans
All ages 1,610 1,499
61 or younger 1,433 1,183
62–74 1,641 1,590
75 or older 1,597 1,535
Chart. Title: Poverty Rates of Beneficiaries, 2019: Percentage below 100% of poverty. Bar chart with tabular version below.
Show as table
Table equivalent for chart: Poverty Rates of Beneficiaries, 2019 (percentage below 100% of poverty)
Age group Veterans Male nonveterans
All ages 4.1 9.1
61 or younger 10.9 19.4
62–74 4.2 6.1
75 or older 3.4 7.8

SOURCE: March 2020 Current Population Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau, which reports 2019 income data and 2020 demographic data.