Highlights and Trends
Social Security (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance)
Employment and Earnings
| Workers in OASDI covered employment, 2017 |
173.5 million |
| Average earnings, 2017 |
$48,255 |
| Earnings required in 2018 for— |
|
| 1 quarter of coverage |
$1,320 |
| Maximum of 4 quarters of coverage |
$5,280 |
| Earnings test exempt amounts for 2018 |
|
| Under full retirement age for entire year |
$17,040 |
| For months before reaching full retirement age in 2018 |
$45,360 |
| Beginning with month of reaching full retirement age in 2018 |
Test eliminated |
Program Data
| Cost-of-living adjustment for December 2017 |
2.0 percent |
| Average monthly benefit, December 2017 |
|
| Retired workers |
$1,404 |
| Widows and widowers, nondisabled |
$1,338 |
| Disabled workers |
$1,197 |
| Number of beneficiaries, December 2017 |
|
| Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance |
61.9 million |
| Old-Age Insurance |
|
| Total |
45.5 million |
| Retired workers |
42.4 million |
| Survivors Insurance |
|
| Total |
6.0 million |
| Widows and widowers, nondisabled |
3.7 million |
| Disability Insurance |
|
| Total |
10.4 million |
| Disabled workers |
8.7 million |
| Benefit payments, 2017 |
|
| Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance |
$941.5 billion |
| Old-Age and Survivors Insurance |
$798.7 billion |
| Disability Insurance |
$142.8 billion |
| Administrative expenses, 2017 |
|
| Old-Age and Survivors Insurance |
|
| Amount |
$3.7 billion |
| As a percentage of total benefits paid |
0.5 percent |
| Disability Insurance |
|
| Amount |
$2.8 billion |
| As a percentage of total benefits paid |
2.0 percent |
Program Trends
- About 61.9 million persons received Social Security benefits for December 2017, an increase of 996,053 (1.6 percent) since December 2016. Seventy-three percent were retired workers and their spouses and children, 10 percent were survivors of deceased workers, and 17 percent were disabled workers and their spouses and children.
- Seventy percent of the 42.4 million retired workers received reduced benefits because of entitlement prior to full retirement age. Relatively more women (72.5 percent) than men (66.8 percent) received reduced benefits.
- The number of beneficiaries aged 65 or older rose from about 39.5 million in 2012 to about 45.7 million in 2017 (15.6 percent). The number of beneficiaries aged 85 or older increased by about 5.7 percent during the 5-year period, from about 5.4 million in 2012 to about 5.8 million in 2017. In 2017, about 66,000 centenarians were Social Security beneficiaries.
- About 25.4 million women aged 65 or older received benefits for December 2017. About 13.3 million (52.5 percent) were entitled solely to a retired-worker benefit. About 6.7 million (26.5 percent) were dually entitled to a retired-worker benefit and a wife's or widow's benefit, and about 5.3 million (21.0 percent) were receiving wife's or widow's benefits only.
- About 2.9 million children under age 18 received benefits, including 1,182,696 children of deceased workers, 1,418,446 children of disabled workers, and 336,703 children of retired workers.
- About 10.1 million persons received benefits based on disability—8,695,475 disabled workers, 1,105,405 disabled adult children, and 258,286 disabled widows and widowers. In addition, 126,154 spouses and 1,589,623 minor and student children of disabled workers received benefits.
- Average monthly benefits for December 2017, including the 2.0 percent cost-of-living adjustment, were $1,404 for retired workers, $1,197 for disabled workers, and $1,338 for nondisabled widows and widowers. Among retired workers, monthly benefits averaged $1,565 for men and $1,244 for women. For disabled workers, average monthly benefits were $1,320 for men and $1,069 for women.
- Average monthly family benefits for December 2017 were $2,426 for a widowed mother or father and children; $2,090 for a disabled worker, wife, and children; and $2,911 for a retired worker, wife, and children.
- Total OASDI benefit payments for calendar year 2017 were $941.5 billion. Payments from the OASI trust fund were $798.7 billion—an increase of 3.9 percent from the $768.6 billion paid in 2016.
- Benefit payments from the DI trust fund, from which benefits are paid to disabled workers, their spouses, and children, increased by 0.02 percent from $142.78 billion in 2016 to $142.81 billion in 2017.
- OASDI benefit awards in calendar year 2017 totaled 5,520,169, including 2,974,639 to retired workers, 555,437 to their spouses and children, and 896,943 to survivors of insured workers. Benefits were awarded to 715,921 disabled workers and to 377,229 of their spouses and children.
Supplemental Security Income
Annual Payment Adjustments
| Monthly federal benefit rate, effective January 2018 |
|
| Individual living in his or her own household |
$750 |
| Couple with both members eligible |
$1,125 |
| Cost-of-living adjustment |
2.0 percent |
Program Data
| Federally administered payments |
|
| Benefits paid in 2017 |
$54.5 billion |
| Number of recipients, December 2017 |
8.2 million |
| Average benefit, December 2017 |
$541.63 |
| Federal SSI payments |
|
| Benefits paid in 2017 |
$51.9 billion |
| Number of recipients, December 2017 |
8.1 million |
| Average benefit, December 2017 |
$525.31 |
| Federally administered state supplementation |
|
| Benefits paid in 2017 |
$2.6 billion |
| Number of recipients, December 2017 |
a 1.5 million |
| Average benefit, December 2017 |
$145.88 |
| a. Includes about 1.3 million persons receiving federal SSI and state supplementation and almost 0.2 million persons receiving state supplementation only. |
Program Trends
- In December 2017, 8,227,676 persons received federally administered SSI payments—23,485 fewer than the previous year. Of the total, 2,239,971 (27.2 percent) were aged 65 or older; 4,805,112 (58.4 percent) were blind or disabled aged 18–64; and 1,182,593 (14.4 percent) were blind or disabled under age 18.
- The number of blind or disabled aged 18–64 declined by 40,623 (0.8 percent) between December 2016 and December 2017, and the number under age 18 decreased by 30,486 (2.5 percent).
- During 2017, 766,044 persons were awarded federally administered payments, an increase of 1,828 from the previous year. Of the 2017 awards, 491,703 went to blind or disabled recipients aged 18–64, 163,613 went to those blind or disabled under age 18, and 110,728 went to recipients aged 65 or older.
- Total federally administered SSI payments were $54.5 billion in 2017, down 0.5 percent from 2016. Federal SSI payments in 2017 were $51.9 billion (a decrease of 0.6 percent from the previous year). Federally administered state supplementation totaled $2.6 billion.
Other Social Insurance Program
Workers' Compensation
NOTE: Workers' Compensation data formerly contained in this section of the Annual Statistical Supplement are provided by the National Academy of Social Insurance in Workers' Compensation Benefits, Costs, and Coverage (https://www.nasi.org/research/workers-compensation).
Poverty Data
| Weighted average poverty thresholds, 2017 |
|
| Individual, aged 65 or older |
$11,756 |
| Couple, householder aged 65 or older |
$14,831 |
| Family of four |
$25,086 |