The Average Social Security Check in Every State

The typical Social Security check by state tops out at $2,196.15 in one New England state. The amount you will receive can be affected by where you live.

Dollars over U.S contour map
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The typical Social Security check by state varies significantly from one state to the next; however, state averages can be a bit misleading. They may be impacted by more than the general economic conditions and opportunities available in a particular state.

Some states see their Social Security check averages skewed by an exodus of retirees. For example, California, New York and Illinois see more people leaving to retire than arriving. Meanwhile, states like Florida, Arizona, Texas and the Carolinas see more retirees move in than out, according to the National Movers Study.

Although most retirees are in pursuit of a lower cost of living, the well-heeled are more likely to have the income and assets to move and re-establish themselves somewhere new in retirement. This population shift can increase the average check amount in destination states and lower it in states that lose financially mobile retirees.

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Factors that impact the size of a Social Security check

Social Security benefits are based on your lifetime income and the age at which you claim your benefits. Ultimately, how much you get depends on the Social Security benefits formula. The amount of your Social Security check is based on a primary insurance amount (PIA); it determines your benefit amount at full retirement age (FRA), which falls between ages 66 and 67, depending on the year you were born.

The age at which you begin to take your benefits can significantly reduce or increase your monthly check. If you retire early at age 62, your benefit will be reduced by 30%. However, taking Social Security at full retirement age (FRA) gives you 100% of your benefits. Delay Social Security after your FRA, and you'll get an extra 2/3 of 1% for each month you delay after your birthday month, adding up to 8% for each full year you wait until age 70.

In May 2025, the average monthly Social Security check for retired workers was $2002.39. That is an increase of $2.42 over April's average amount of $1,999.97. Let's take a look at the average Social Security checks across the country, according to the data from Table 5.J6 included in the Annual Statistical Supplement, 2025.

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Average and median retiree benefit by state- from Alabama to Mississippi (12/2024)

State

Number of beneficiaries

Average benefit

Median benefit

All areas

51,772,651

$1,975.34

$1,915.00

Alabama

822,825

$1,920.20

$1,853.00

Alaska

91,481

$1,906.99

$1,795.00

Arizona

1,212,252

$2,019.52

$1,976.00

Arkansas

501,220

$1,852.07

$1,774.00

California

5,120,435

$1,935.16

$1,824.00

Colorado

791,895

$2,036.79

$1,969.00

Connecticut

582,671

$2,196.15

$2,159.00

Delaware

198,391

$2,170.63

$2,139.00

District of Columbia

64,753

$2,000.39

$1,764.90

Florida

4,063,202

$1,961.58

$1,899.00

Georgia

1,504,785

$1,924.43

$1,847.00

Hawaii

250,578

$1,980.89

$1,920.00

Idaho

316,826

$1,951.43

$1,892.10

Illinois

1,815,473

$2,004.98

$1,971.00

Indiana

1,071,434

$2,033.94

$2,016.00

Iowa

547,590

$1,992.07

$1,948.00

Kansas

461,786

$2,055.17

$1,997.00

Kentucky

698,981

$1,865.76

$1,806.00

Louisiana

636,891

$1,818.40

$1,726.00

Maine

283,387

$1,888.67

$1,809.00

Maryland

856,554

$2,139.54

$2,084.00

Massachusetts

1,031,409

$2,084.32

$2,021.90

Michigan

1,736,413

$2,066.03

$2,067.00

Minnesota

918,937

$2,095.13

$2,053.00

Mississippi

482,049

$1,814.24

$1,726.00

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Average and median retiree benefit by state- from Missouri to Wyoming (12/2024)

State

Number of beneficiaries

Average benefit

Median benefit

Missouri

1,014,276

$1,936.50

$1,883.00

Montana

210,371

$1,886.95

$1,815.00

Nebraska

295,551

$2,010.80

$1,947.00

Nevada

480,128

$1,906.36

$1,841.00

New Hampshire

265,404

$2,183.82

$2,121.00

New Jersey

1,358,286

$2,190.05

$2,172.00

New Mexico

355,954

$1,865.12

$1,753.00

New York

2,908,411

$2,018.22

$1,974.00

North Carolina

1,768,974

$1,980.01

$1,894.00

North Dakota

117,304

$1,928.53

$1,862.00

Ohio

1,833,512

$1,922.91

$1,912.00

Oklahoma

610,260

$1,921.69

$1,854.00

Oregon

747,785

$1,989.74

$1,931.00

Pennsylvania

2,255,780

$2,052.30

$2,012.00

Rhode Island

183,329

$2,049.82

$1,994.00

South Carolina

985,737

$1,996.30

$1,929.00

South Dakota

161,231

$1,919.29

$1,845.10

Tennessee

1,135,346

$1,958.01

$1,883.00

Texas

3,546,829

$1,932.02

$1,833.00

Utah

358,396

$2,065.18

$2,007.00

Vermont

127,704

$2,039.64

$1,954.$00

Virginia

1,290,319

$2,063.95

$1,978.00

Washington

1,173,685

$2,099.38

$2,061.00

West Virginia

319,489

$1,898.05

$1,861.00

Wisconsin

1,077,180

$2,027.60

$1,996.00

Wyoming

102,068

$2,023.54

$1,976.00

Connecticut wins for biggest check, but not by much

Connecticut, political map with capital Hartford. State of Connecticut, CT, the southernmost state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. English. Illustration. Vector

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The states that receive the largest number of Social Security checks come as no surprise; California (5,120,435), Florida (4,063,202), Texas (3,546,829), New York (2,908,411) and Pennsylvania (2,255,780) top that list, accounting for 17.9 million of the 51.8 million retired-worker beneficiaries receiving benefits or 33% of all retired-workers collecting checks.

But which states get the biggest average checks? States in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are home to the highest average benefits. Connecticut ($2,196.15), New Jersey ($2,190.05), New Hampshire ($2,183.82), Delaware ($2,170.63) and Maryland ($2,139.54) have the five highest average Social Security monthly checks.

Southern states make up the majority of the states with the smallest benefits. Mississippi ($1,814.24), Louisiana ($1,818.40), Arkansas ($1,852.07), New Mexico ($1,865.12) and Kentucky ($1,865.76) have the five lowest average monthly benefits.

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Donna LeValley
Retirement Writer

Donna joined Kiplinger as a personal finance writer in 2023. She spent more than a decade as the contributing editor of J.K.Lasser's Your Income Tax Guide and edited state specific legal treatises at ALM Media. She has shared her expertise as a guest on Bloomberg, CNN, Fox, NPR, CNBC and many other media outlets around the nation. She is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and the University at Buffalo.