The Average Social Security Check in Every State

The typical Social Security check tops out at $2,308.36 in one New England state. Where you live can affect the amount you receive.

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Last updated In Features
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The average Social Security check varies significantly by state. However, state averages can be misleading because they can be influenced by more than general economic conditions and opportunities in a particular state. While the cost of living can drive wages up, the bigger number doesn't correlate with increased buying power or disposable income.

Retiree migration also skews Social Security check averages in certain states. For example, New Jersey, California, New York and Massachusetts see a net exodus of retirees. However, states preferred by retirees, such as Tennessee, Texas, Arizona and the Carolinas, see a net inflow, according to The New Retirement Map: Where Retirement-Age Americans Moved in 2025 and Why, from Hire a Helper.

The South accounts for eight of the top 10 states for net migration interest. This contrasts with the West and Northeast, where most of the top 10 states that Americans are looking to leave are concentrated.

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Although most retirees who move seek 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.

The highest average check, found in the Nutmeg State of Connecticut, is just $10.66 more than the second-highest state — but a whopping $237.06 higher than the 2025 national average of $2071.30.

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, the Social Security benefits formula determines how much you receive.

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 is 66 to 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% (for those born in 1960 or later). However, taking Social Security at full retirement age (FRA) gives you 100% of your benefits. Delaying Social Security after your FRA earns you an extra two-thirds of 1% for each month after your birthday month, adding up to 8% for each full year you wait until age 70.

In July 2026, the average monthly Social Security check for retired workers was $2,085.98. Let's look at the average Social Security checks across the country, according to Table 5.J6 (PDF) in the Annual Statistical Supplement, 2026.

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Average and median retiree benefit by state — from Alabama to Mississippi (12/2025)

State

Total number of beneficiaries

Average

Median

Total

53,624,664

$2,071.30

$1,991.90

Alabama

844,517

$2,003.04

$1,923.90

Alaska

95,859

$2,054.50

$1,912.90

Arizona

1,255,039

$2,111.91

$2,052.90

Arkansas

513,912

$1,932.29

$1,841.90

California

5,341,103

$2,037.83

$1,904.00

Colorado

831,752

$2,163.50

$2,061.90

Connecticut

606,612

$2,308.36

$2,248.90

Delaware

206,680

$2,273.77

$2,224.90

District of Columbia

66,920

$2,139.24

$1,881.00

Florida

4,191,491

$2,048.91

$1,971.90

Georgia

1,559,957

$2,018.18

$1,922.90

Hawaii

258,046

$2,080.31

$2,001.90

Idaho

330,415

$2,042.45

$1,967.80

Illinois

1,886,306

$2,107.68

$2,047.00

Indiana

1,102,704

$2,117.87

$2,087.90

Iowa

565,146

$2,077.98

$2,022.90

Kansas

476,959

$2,147.63

$2,075.90

Kentucky

719,046

$1,953.13

$1,875.90

Louisiana

661,928

$1,927.15

$1,807.90

Maine

294,438

$2,001.83

$1,892.90

Maryland

892,917

$2,257.51

$2,180.90

Massachusetts

1,076,890

$2,220.49

$2,120.90

Michigan

1,786,475

$2,149.20

$2,138.90

Minnesota

954,855

$2,191.44

$2,134.90

Mississippi

493,663

$1,889.72

$1,790.90
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Average and median retiree benefit by state — from Missouri to Wyoming (12/2025)

State

Total

Average

Median

Total

53,624,664

$2,071.30

$1,991.90

Missouri

1,049,942

$2,030.22

$1,955.90

Montana

217,470

$1,975.96

$1,888.20

Nebraska

306,643

$2,101.34

$2,023.90

Nevada

497,960

$2,015.72

$1,922.90

New Hampshire

277,320

$2,297.70

$2,214.90

New Jersey

1,406,793

$2,287.75

$2,255.90

New Mexico

366,403

$1,954.67

$1,825.90

New York

3,000,986

$2,099.59

$2,045.00

North Carolina

1,827,895

$2,067.94

$1,968.90

North Dakota

121,375

$2,016.71

$1,937.10

Ohio

1,900,292

$2,035.70

$1,989.00

Oklahoma

626,946

$2,008.69

$1,926.00

Oregon

768,868

$2,082.53

$2,008.90

Pennsylvania

2,319,503

$2,142.22

$2,089.90

Rhode Island

190,326

$2,154.96

$2,080.90

South Carolina

1,021,012

$2,084.98

$2,006.00

South Dakota

166,111

$2,007.81

$1,919.90

Tennessee

1,169,095

$2,045.22

$1,955.90

Texas

3,710,457

$2,034.33

$1,910.00

Utah

373,883

$2,168.28

$2,089.90

Vermont

131,909

$2,136.94

$2,037.00

Virginia

1,339,580

$2,168.06

$2,066.90

Washington

1,216,514

$2,199.17

$2,143.90

West Virginia

325,414

$1,974.30

$1,925.90

Wisconsin

1,114,607

$2,112.40

$2,069.90

Wyoming

105,473

$2,115.21

$2,052.90

Connecticut wins for biggest check, but not by much

Connecticut road sign

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The states that receive the largest number of Social Security checks come as no surprise: California (5,341,103); Florida (4,191,491); Texas (3,710,457); New York (3,000,986); and Pennsylvania (2,319,503), accounting for 18,563,540 million of the 53,624,664 million retired-worker beneficiaries receiving benefits, or 34.6% of all retired workers collecting checks.

Those in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic have the highest average benefits. Which states get the biggest average checks? Connecticut ($2,308.36), New Hampshire ($2,297.70), New Jersey ($2,287.75), Delaware ($2,273.77) and Maryland ($2,257.51) have the five highest average Social Security monthly checks.

When you look at the biggest check by median, the list is a bit different. New Jersey comes in first at $2,255.90, followed by Connecticut ($2,248.90), Delaware ($2,224.90), New Hampshire ($2,214.90) and Maryland ($2,180.90.)

Southern states make up the majority of those with the smallest average benefit checks. Mississippi ($1,889.72), Louisiana ($1,927.15), Arkansas ($1,932.29), Kentucky ($1,953.13) and New Mexico ($1,825.90) have the five lowest average monthly benefits. In this case, Mississippi also has the lowest median benefit at $1,790.90.

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Donna LeValley
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.