Annual Statistical Supplement, 2025
Highlights and Trends
Social Security (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance)
Employment and Earnings
| Workers in OASDI covered employment, 2024 | 183.9 million |
|---|---|
| Average earnings, 2024 | $66,908 |
| Earnings required in 2025 for— | |
| 1 quarter of coverage | $1,810 |
| Maximum of 4 quarters of coverage | $7,240 |
| Earnings test exempt amounts for 2025 | |
| Under full retirement age for entire year | $23,400 |
| For months before reaching full retirement age in 2025 | $62,160 |
| Beginning with month of reaching full retirement age in 2025 | Test eliminated |
Program Data
| Cost-of-living adjustment for December 2024 | 2.5 percent |
|---|---|
| Average monthly benefit, December 2024 | |
| Retired workers | $1,975 |
| Widows and widowers, nondisabled | $1,832 |
| Disabled workers | $1,581 |
| Number of beneficiaries, December 2024 | |
| Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance | 68.5 million |
| Old-Age Insurance | |
| Total | 54.3 million |
| Retired workers | 51.8 million |
| Survivors Insurance | |
| Total | 5.8 million |
| Widows and widowers, nondisabled | 3.4 million |
| Disability Insurance | |
| Total | 8.3 million |
| Disabled workers | 7.2 million |
| Benefit payments, 2024 | |
| Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance | $1,471.4 billion |
| Old-Age and Survivors Insurance | $1,316.4 billion |
| Disability Insurance | $155.0 billion |
| Administrative expenses, 2024 | |
| Old-Age and Survivors Insurance | |
| Amount | $4.9 billion |
| As a percentage of total benefits paid | 0.4 percent |
| Disability Insurance | |
| Amount | $2.5 billion |
| As a percentage of total benefits paid | 1.6 percent |
Program Trends
- About 68.5 million persons received Social Security benefits for December 2024, an increase of 1,379,007 (2.1 percent) since December 2023. Approximately 79 percent were retired workers and their spouses and children, 8 percent were survivors of deceased workers, and 12 percent were disabled workers and their spouses and children.
- Sixty-two percent of the 51.8 million retired workers received reduced benefits because of entitlement prior to full retirement age. Relatively more women (64.9 percent) than men (59.1 percent) received reduced benefits.
- The number of beneficiaries aged 65 or older rose from about 48.7 million in 2019 to about 55.1 million in 2024 (13.3 percent). The number of beneficiaries aged 85 or older increased by about 5.1 percent during that period, from 5.82 million in 2019 to 6.11 million in 2024. In 2024, 75,522 centenarians were Social Security beneficiaries.
- About 30.3 million women aged 65 or older received benefits for December 2024. About 18.4 million (60.8 percent) were entitled solely to a retired-worker benefit. About 7.3 million (24.0 percent) were dually entitled to a retired-worker benefit and a wife's or widow's benefit, and about 4.6 million (15.2 percent) were receiving wife's or widow's benefits only.
- About 2.5 million children under age 18 received benefits, including 1,297,545 children of deceased workers, 869,165 children of disabled workers, and 322,596 children of retired workers.
- About 8.6 million persons received benefits based on disability—7,231,147 disabled workers, 1,187,404 disabled adult children, and 196,108 disabled widows and widowers. In addition, 85,960 spouses and 896,059 minor and student children of disabled workers received benefits.
- Average monthly benefits for December 2024, including the 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment, were $1,975 for retired workers, $1,581 for disabled workers, and $1,832 for nondisabled widows and widowers. Among retired workers, monthly benefits averaged $2,181 for men and $1,780 for women. For disabled workers, average monthly benefits were $1,731 for men and $1,430 for women.
- Average monthly family benefits for December 2024 were $3,275 for a widowed mother or father and children; $2,880 for a disabled worker, wife, and children; and $3,932 for a retired worker, wife, and children.
- Total OASDI benefit payments for calendar year 2024 were $1,471.4 billion. Payments from the OASI Trust Fund were $1,316.4 billion—an increase of 7.3 percent from the $1,227.4 billion paid in 2023.
- Benefit payments from the DI Trust Fund, from which benefits are paid to disabled workers, their spouses, and children, increased by 2.0 percent from $151.9 billion in 2023 to $155.0 billion in 2024.
- OASDI benefit awards in calendar year 2024 totaled 6,015,086, including 3,713,055 to retired workers, 537,927 to their spouses and children, and 933,153 to survivors of insured workers. Benefits were awarded to 594,749 disabled workers and to 236,202 of their spouses and children.
Supplemental Security Income
Annual Payment Adjustments
| Monthly federal benefit rate, effective January 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Individual living in his or her own household | $967 |
| Couple with both members eligible | $1,450 |
| Cost-of-living adjustment | 2.5 percent |
Program Data
| Federally administered payments | |
|---|---|
| Benefits paid in 2024 | $63.1 billion |
| Number of recipients, December 2024 | 7.4 million |
| Average benefit, December 2024 | $696.70 |
| Federal SSI payments | |
| Benefits paid in 2024 | $59.7 billion |
| Number of recipients, December 2024 | 7.3 million |
| Average benefit, December 2024 | $670.65 |
| Federally administered state supplementation | |
| Benefits paid in 2024 | $3.4 billion |
| Number of recipients, December 2024 | a 1.3 million |
| Average benefit, December 2024 | $212.86 |
| a. Includes approximately 1.2 million persons receiving federal SSI and state supplementation and 134,013 persons receiving state supplementation only. | |
Program Trends
- In December 2024, 7,423,856 persons received federally administered SSI payments—1,475 fewer than the previous year. Of the total, 2,469,103 (33.3 percent) were aged 65 or older; 3,951,866 (53.2 percent) were blind or disabled aged 18–64; and 1,002,887 (13.5 percent) were blind or disabled under age 18.
- The number of blind or disabled recipients aged 18–64 declined by 87,453 (2.2 percent) between December 2023 and December 2024, and the number under age 18 increased by 19,718 (2.0 percent).
- During 2024, 651,500 persons were awarded federally administered payments, an increase of 88,842 from the previous year. Of the 2024 awards, 359,360 went to blind or disabled recipients aged 18–64, 163,466 to those blind or disabled under age 18, and 128,674 to recipients aged 65 or older.
- Total federally administered SSI payments were $63.1 billion in 2024, up 2.8 percent from 2023. Federal SSI payments in 2024 were $59.7 billion (an increase of 2.5 percent from the previous year). Federally administered state supplementation totaled $3.4 billion.