Retirees across the U.S. lead very different lifestyles, but nearly all of them depend upon Social Security to pay for at least part of their monthly expenses. You may already know that the size of your benefit depends on several factors, including how much you earned throughout your career. But you may not have thought about how where you live factors into that.
The average Social Security benefit varies quite a bit by state. We'll look at how much the average retiree gets per check in each state, and what may account for the variation.
Image source: Getty Images.
Here's the average Social Security check in every state
The average Social Security check varies by state, from about $1,816 per month in Mississippi to $2,405 per month in New Hampshire. The table gives the average monthly benefit as of December 2023, per Social Security data, along with the estimated 2025 benefit. This includes the 3.2% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2024 and the 2.5% COLA for 2025.
|
State |
2023 Average Monthly Social Security Benefit |
2025 Average Monthly Social Security Benefit (Estimated) |
|---|---|---|
|
Alabama |
$1,843.23 |
$1,949.77 |
|
Alaska |
$1,939.02 |
$2,051.10 |
|
Arizona |
$2,003.66 |
$2,119.47 |
|
Arkansas |
$1,766.28 |
$1,868.37 |
|
California |
$1,950.85 |
$2,063.61 |
|
Colorado |
$2,083.93 |
$2,204.38 |
|
Connecticut |
$2,257.72 |
$2,388.22 |
|
Delaware |
$2,176.57 |
$2,302.38 |
|
Florida |
$1,913.80 |
$2,024.42 |
|
Georgia |
$1,877.22 |
$1,985.72 |
|
Hawaii |
$2,022.39 |
$2,139.28 |
|
Idaho |
$1,935.73 |
$2,047.62 |
|
Illinois |
$2,001.58 |
$2,117.27 |
|
Indiana |
$1,988.45 |
$2,103.38 |
|
Iowa |
$1,995.13 |
$2,110.45 |
|
Kansas |
$2,056.62 |
$2,175.49 |
|
Kentucky |
$1,797.55 |
$1,901.45 |
|
Louisiana |
$1,730.33 |
$1,830.34 |
|
Maine |
$1,904.87 |
$2,014.97 |
|
Maryland |
$2,211.74 |
$2,339.58 |
|
Massachusetts |
$2,161.26 |
$2,286.18 |
|
Michigan |
$2,023.11 |
$2,140.05 |
|
Minnesota |
$2,173.44 |
$2,299.06 |
|
Mississippi |
$1,717.20 |
$1,816.45 |
|
Missouri |
$1,910.22 |
$2,020.63 |
|
Montana |
$1,880.04 |
$1,988.71 |
|
Nebraska |
$2,050.07 |
$2,168.56 |
|
Nevada |
$1,846.30 |
$1,953.02 |
|
New Hampshire |
$2,273.59 |
$2,405.00 |
|
New Jersey |
$2,214.55 |
$2,342.55 |
|
New Mexico |
$1,851.15 |
$1,958.15 |
|
New York |
$2,002.21 |
$2,117.94 |
|
North Carolina |
$1,952.20 |
$2,065.04 |
|
North Dakota |
$1,954.33 |
$2,067.29 |
|
Ohio |
$1,882.58 |
$1,991.39 |
|
Oklahoma |
$1,847.51 |
$1,954.30 |
|
Oregon |
$2,017.46 |
$2,134.07 |
|
Pennsylvania |
$2,060.14 |
$2,179.22 |
|
Rhode Island |
$2,084.00 |
$2,204.46 |
|
South Carolina |
$1,935.23 |
$2,047.09 |
|
South Dakota |
$1,951.98 |
$2,064.80 |
|
Tennessee |
$1,911.95 |
$2,022.46 |
|
Texas |
$1,894.10 |
$2,003.58 |
|
Utah |
$2,078.50 |
$2,198.64 |
|
Vermont |
$2,090.19 |
$2,211.00 |
|
Virginia |
$2,106.18 |
$2,227.92 |
|
Washington |
$2,143.11 |
$2,266.98 |
|
West Virginia |
$1,788.18 |
$1,891.54 |
|
Wisconsin |
$2,036.02 |
$2,153.70 |
|
Wyoming |
$2,003.15 |
$2,118.93 |
Data source: Social Security Administration and author's calculations.
Several factors affect each state's average Social Security benefit, but average income likely plays a role. The more money you earn from your job, the more you pay in Social Security payroll taxes -- at least until you exceed the $176,100 cap on this tax for 2025. More money paid into Social Security means larger checks for you in retirement.
Mississippi is known for having a low average income compared to the rest of the country, so it makes sense that its average Social Security benefit would be among the lowest. On the other hand, New Hampshire's average annual income is among the highest in the nation, so it's not surprising that it also has the largest average Social Security checks.
A larger income might also enable residents of some of these wealthier states to delay their Social Security application until they're older. The longer you delay Social Security, the larger your monthly checks become until you qualify for your maximum benefit at 70.
How to increase your benefits in any state
These benefits are just averages, and no matter where you live, it's possible to earn more than this. These three steps can help you get as much from the program as possible:
- Work at least 35 years before applying if possible: This prevents the Social Security Administration from including zero-income years in your benefit calculation, which reduces your checks.
- Maximize your income today: Unless you're earning more than the $176,100 Social Security payroll tax cap for 2025, anything you do to increase your income today will boost your Social Security benefits in retirement.
- Choose your claiming age carefully: Claiming early might be wise if you have a short life expectancy or cannot afford to delay. However, those who can wait to claim could wind up with a larger lifetime benefit by doing so.
Keep in mind that the average checks should also increase over time due to COLAs, so even if you earn close to the average benefit today, you will be able to expect a little more in future years.
