Social Security

• In 2023, 182.7 million workers had earnings taxable under the Social Security program. About 160.9 million had only wages, 12.4 million had only self-employment income, and 9.4 million had both.
• Social Security taxable earnings totaled $9.839 trillion, which includes earnings up to the taxable maximum of $160,200.
• Social Security taxes totaled about $1,220 billion.

Medicare

• In 2023, 186.6 million workers had earnings taxable under the Medicare program. About 163.7 million had only wages, 12.2 million had only self-employment income, and 10.8 million had both.
• Medicare taxable earnings totaled $12.111 trillion.
• Medicare taxes totaled about $351 billion.

This report presents 2023 earnings and employment statistics by state and county for persons covered under the Social Security and Medicare programs.

The statistics, shown by sex and age, include the number of wage and salary workers and self-employed persons, the amount of their taxable earnings, and the amount they paid in Social Security and Medicare contributions. The information in this publication is a rich data source for researchers and policymakers who are interested in studying the primary revenue source for the Social Security (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) and the Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) programs. When coupled with the Social Security Administration publication OASDI Beneficiaries by State and County, these statistics are valuable for studying the impact of the Social Security program and are used for this purpose in academia, private industry, and state governments.

Your suggestions and comments on this report are welcome and should be directed to statistics@ssa.gov.

Ben Gurga
Acting Executive Director for Analytics
January 2026