If you're a Social Security enthusiast (there must be some!), you may know that as of July, the average monthly Social Security retirement benefit was $2,007, or about $24,000 for the year. But you might be wondering what retirees of various ages, such as age 62 or 72, are collecting.
Wonder no more. Here are the average monthly benefits for recipients of various ages:
|
Age |
Average benefit, all |
Average benefit, men |
Average benefit, women |
|---|---|---|---|
|
62 |
$1,377 |
$1,521 |
$1,242 |
|
65 |
$1,613 |
$1,782 |
$1,458 |
|
67 |
$1,963 |
$2,176 |
$1,752 |
|
70 |
$2,188 |
$2,431 |
$1,948 |
|
72 |
$2,139 |
$2,362 |
$1,919 |
|
75 |
$2,085 |
$2,296 |
$1,880 |
|
80 |
$2,038 |
$2,237 |
$1,850 |
|
85 |
$1,990 |
$2,170 |
$1,831 |
Data source: Social Security Administration, as of the end of June 2025.
Image source: Getty Images.
What the numbers mean
The numbers reflect a lot of things, and among them:
- Women receive less than men likely because they were paid less than men -- and, often, were out of the workforce for some years, caring for kids and/or parents.
- Some retirees collect smaller checks because they claimed their benefits early. (You can claim as early as age 62. Doing so means you'll collect smaller checks, but many more of them.)
- Some retirees collect bigger checks because they delayed retiring (which can be a financially powerful move).
Overall, the numbers are simply not that big. So don't expect Social Security to pay for even half of a comfortable retirement, as it may not.
It doesn't help that Social Security's cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) are arguably based on the wrong inflation measure -- the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) -- which is calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to track changes in the average prices of household expenses such as food, housing, and transportation.
The Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) would be a better measure as it weighs categories such as healthcare and housing more heavily.
