The average retired worker received $2,071 a month from Social Security at the end of 2025, according to the Social Security Administration. That figure hides a lot. Where you live, what you earned over your career and, above all, the age you start collecting can move a monthly check by hundreds or thousands of dollars.
This guide shows the average benefit in every state, how claiming age changes your check, and how far a typical benefit goes against the cost of living where you live.
The national picture
| Measure (retired workers, December 2025) | Amount |
| Average monthly benefit | $2,071 |
| Median monthly benefit | $1,992 |
| Average benefit for a retired couple, both collecting (2026) | about $3,208 |
| Maximum benefit at 62 (2026) | $2,969 |
| Maximum benefit at full retirement age (2026) | $4,152 |
| Maximum benefit at 70 (2026) | $5,181 |
Sources: SSA Annual Statistical Supplement 2026, Table 5.J6; SSA 2026 COLA fact sheet; SSA maximum benefit FAQ.
The maximum benefits apply only to people who earned at or above the Social Security taxable maximum every year from age 22. Most people receive far less.
Average benefit by state
The table ranks states from highest to lowest average benefit. The last column compares the average benefit with our estimate of what a typical household headed by someone 65 or older spends each month in that state, based on BLS spending data adjusted for state price levels.
| Rank | State | Average monthly benefit | Median monthly benefit | Share of estimated 65+ household spending |
| 1 | Connecticut | $2,308 | $2,249 | 44% |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $2,298 | $2,215 | 42% |
| 3 | New Jersey | $2,288 | $2,256 | 38% |
| 4 | Delaware | $2,274 | $2,225 | 44% |
| 5 | Maryland | $2,258 | $2,181 | 38% |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $2,220 | $2,121 | 30% |
| 7 | Washington | $2,199 | $2,144 | 37% |
| 8 | Minnesota | $2,191 | $2,135 | 45% |
| 9 | Utah | $2,168 | $2,090 | 43% |
| 10 | Virginia | $2,168 | $2,067 | 43% |
| 11 | Colorado | $2,164 | $2,062 | 41% |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $2,155 | $2,081 | 39% |
| 13 | Michigan | $2,149 | $2,139 | 46% |
| 14 | Kansas | $2,148 | $2,076 | 48% |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $2,142 | $2,090 | 44% |
| 16 | Vermont | $2,137 | $2,037 | 37% |
| 17 | Indiana | $2,118 | $2,088 | 46% |
| 18 | Wyoming | $2,115 | $2,053 | 44% |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $2,112 | $2,070 | 43% |
| 20 | Arizona | $2,112 | $2,053 | 38% |
| 21 | Illinois | $2,108 | $2,047 | 43% |
| 22 | Nebraska | $2,101 | $2,024 | 45% |
| 23 | New York | $2,100 | $2,045 | 31% |
| 24 | South Carolina | $2,085 | $2,006 | 44% |
| 25 | Oregon | $2,083 | $2,009 | 36% |
| 26 | Hawaii | $2,080 | $2,002 | 23% |
| 27 | Iowa | $2,078 | $2,023 | 47% |
| 28 | North Carolina | $2,068 | $1,969 | 42% |
| 29 | Alaska | $2,054 | $1,913 | 33% |
| 30 | Florida | $2,049 | $1,972 | 40% |
| 31 | Tennessee | $2,045 | $1,956 | 45% |
| 32 | Idaho | $2,042 | $1,968 | 40% |
| 33 | California | $2,038 | $1,904 | 28% |
| 34 | Ohio | $2,036 | $1,989 | 43% |
| 35 | Texas | $2,034 | $1,910 | 43% |
| 36 | Missouri | $2,030 | $1,956 | 45% |
| 37 | Georgia | $2,018 | $1,923 | 44% |
| 38 | North Dakota | $2,017 | $1,937 | 43% |
| 39 | Nevada | $2,016 | $1,923 | 37% |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $2,009 | $1,926 | 47% |
| 41 | South Dakota | $2,008 | $1,920 | 42% |
| 42 | Alabama | $2,003 | $1,924 | 46% |
| 43 | Maine | $2,002 | $1,893 | 35% |
| 44 | Montana | $1,976 | $1,888 | 37% |
| 45 | West Virginia | $1,974 | $1,926 | 44% |
| 46 | New Mexico | $1,955 | $1,826 | 42% |
| 47 | Kentucky | $1,953 | $1,876 | 41% |
| 48 | Arkansas | $1,932 | $1,842 | 43% |
| 49 | Louisiana | $1,927 | $1,808 | 41% |
| 50 | Mississippi | $1,890 | $1,791 | 42% |
Sources: Social Security Administration, Annual Statistical Supplement 2026, Table 5.J6 (retired workers, December 2025). Share of spending is our calculation using the estimates in our cost of retirement by state guide.
What explains the differences between states?
State averages mainly reflect lifetime earnings. Social Security benefits are based on your highest 35 years of earnings, so states with higher wages, such as Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Delaware and Maryland, have higher average benefits. States with lower historical wages, such as Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas, have lower averages.
The gap between the highest and lowest states is about $420 a month, or around $5,000 a year.
Where the average check goes furthest
A higher benefit does not always mean a better standard of living. Costs matter just as much.
- In Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Michigan and Indiana, the average benefit covers roughly 46% to 48% of our estimated monthly spending for a 65+ household, among the highest shares in the country.
- In Hawaii, California, Massachusetts and New York, the average benefit covers only about 23% to 31%, mainly because housing is so expensive.
For a single retiree, who spends less than the average household, the share would be higher. For a couple collecting two checks, it would be higher still.
How claiming age changes your benefit
The single biggest decision most people control is when to start. Your benefit is based on your primary insurance amount, the amount you would receive at full retirement age. Claiming earlier reduces it permanently; claiming later raises it.
For someone whose full retirement age is 67 (born in 1960 or later):
| Age you start benefits | Share of full benefit | Example if full benefit is $2,000 |
| 62 | 70% | $1,400 |
| 63 | 75% | $1,500 |
| 64 | 80% | $1,600 |
| 65 | about 86.7% | about $1,733 |
| 66 | about 93.3% | about $1,867 |
| 67 | 100% | $2,000 |
| 68 | 108% | $2,160 |
| 69 | 116% | $2,320 |
| 70 | 124% | $2,480 |
Source: SSA benefit reduction and delayed retirement credit rules. Waiting past 70 adds nothing.
The difference between claiming at 62 and 70 is large: in this example, $1,400 versus $2,480 a month, and every future COLA is applied to the larger amount.
What about spousal benefits?
A spouse who earned little or nothing can receive a spousal benefit of up to 50% of the worker’s full retirement age benefit, if the spouse claims at their own full retirement age. Claiming earlier reduces it, down to about 32.5% at 62. Unlike the worker’s own benefit, the spousal benefit does not grow if the spouse waits past full retirement age.
Social Security pays the higher of your own benefit or the spousal benefit, not both. This is why a couple’s combined average, about $3,208 a month in 2026, is less than double the individual average. Divorced spouses married at least 10 years can also qualify.
Should you claim early or wait?
There is no single right answer, but these factors usually decide it:
- Health and family history. If you expect a long life, waiting usually pays off. The break-even point between claiming at 62 and 70 is often somewhere around your early 80s.
- Marriage. For couples, the higher earner’s claiming age sets the survivor benefit for whoever lives longer. That is a strong reason for the higher earner to delay.
- Other income. If you can cover expenses from savings or work for a few years, delaying buys a larger, inflation-adjusted income for life.
- Work plans. If you will keep earning a salary before full retirement age, the earnings test may withhold much of an early benefit anyway.
How to find your own numbers
- Create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov.
- Check your earnings record for missing or incorrect years. Errors lower your benefit.
- Look at your estimates at 62, full retirement age and 70.
- Use those figures, not the averages, in your retirement budget.
If you are in your 40s or 50s
Every year of earnings above your current lowest year in your top 35 raises your future benefit. If you had years out of the workforce, for example raising children or caring for a parent, working a few more years can replace zero or low years and lift your benefit noticeably.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average Social Security check in 2026? About $2,071 a month for retired workers, based on SSA data for December 2025.
Which state has the highest average Social Security benefit? Connecticut, at about $2,308 a month, followed by New Hampshire, New Jersey and Delaware.
Which state has the lowest average Social Security benefit? Mississippi, at about $1,890 a month, followed by Louisiana and Arkansas.
What is the maximum Social Security benefit in 2026? $2,969 at 62, $4,152 at full retirement age and $5,181 at 70, for someone who earned the taxable maximum throughout their career.
Sources
- Social Security Administration, Annual Statistical Supplement 2026, Table 5.J6, as compiled by Kiplinger
- Social Security Administration, “What is the maximum Social Security retirement benefit payable?” (2026)
- Social Security Administration, 2026 COLA fact sheet
- Social Security Administration, early retirement reduction and delayed retirement credit rules
- Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, Cost of Living Data Series, Q2 2026, and BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys 2024 (for spending estimates)
Figures are averages. Your benefit depends on your own earnings record and claiming age. This article is general information, not financial advice.
