These 10 States Have the Highest Average Social Security Benefits

Seniors in all 50 states collect Social Security checks. But while some rake in more than $24,000 per year, others have to contend with significantly less.

Though the size of your Social Security benefit is based on individual factors, there are some noticeable differences between states. Below, we'll look at the states with the 10 largest average benefits and what you can do to boost yours.

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The 10 states with the highest average Social Security checks

Seniors in the following 10 states had the largest average Social Security checks as of December 2022. The table below also shows their estimated average 2024 benefits after adding in the 2023 and 2024 cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs).

Data source: Social Security Administration.

There are a few things worth noting here. The first is that these are only averages. Many seniors within these states receive more or less than the amounts shown. There are also many seniors in other states that earn as much or more.

Second, moving to one of these states will not increase your Social Security benefit. The government calculates each person's benefit individually based on their income throughout their working years and the Social Security benefits formula. We'll look at how you can leverage this information to grow your own benefit in the next section.

How to increase your Social Security checks

There are three key things you can do to maximize your Social Security benefits:

Work at least 35 years

The Social Security Administration considers your income from your 35 highest-earning years, adjusted for inflation, when calculating your Social Security benefit. If you haven't worked this long, it'll include zero-income years in your calculation. Even one of these will drop your monthly benefit by several dollars.

You're free to work longer than 35 years if you'd like. Should you do this, the government will drop your lowest-earning years from your benefit calculation. This could result in larger checks if you're earning more later in your career than you did starting out.

Earn as much as possible

The more money you've paid Social Security taxes on throughout your career, the larger your checks will be. Knowing this, it makes sense why many of the states above have the largest average benefits. Six of them are also among the top 10 states with the highest median household income, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Anything you can do today to boost your income will likely help your Social Security checks in the future, as long as you earn less than the maximum income subject to Social Security tax. That's $168,600 in 2024. Earning more than this is great, but it won't boost your monthly benefit in retirement.

Choose the right claiming age for you

The Social Security Administration assigns everyone a full retirement age (FRA) based on their birth year. It's 66 to 67 for today's workers. Claiming under this age is considered early claiming, and it shrinks the size of your checks by up to 30%. You can also delay benefits as late as 70 and you'll grow your benefits by up to 32% for doing so.

The right claiming age for you depends on your finances and life expectancy. Those with terminal illnesses, poor health histories, or immediate financial need are often better off signing up for Social Security as soon as they can. But those who can afford to cover their expenses in other ways and expect to live into their 80s or beyond will likely get more from the program by delaying benefits until their FRA or later.

The above steps can help you grow your Social Security benefit regardless of where you live. But it's important to stay up to date on any changes to the program as well, especially if you're a long way off from retirement. Be prepared to adapt your claiming strategy as necessary so you can receive as much as possible.