Highlights and Trends
Social Security (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance)
Employment and Earnings
| Workers in OASDI covered employment, 2022 |
180.5 million |
| Average earnings, 2022 |
$61,638 |
| Earnings required in 2023 for— |
|
| 1 quarter of coverage |
$1,640 |
| Maximum of 4 quarters of coverage |
$6,560 |
| Earnings test exempt amounts for 2023 |
|
| Under full retirement age for entire year |
$21,240 |
| For months before reaching full retirement age in 2023 |
$56,520 |
| Beginning with month of reaching full retirement age in 2023 |
Test eliminated |
Program Data
| Cost-of-living adjustment for December 2022 |
8.7 percent |
| Average monthly benefit, December 2022 |
|
| Retired workers |
$1,825 |
| Widows and widowers, nondisabled |
$1,705 |
| Disabled workers |
$1,483 |
| Number of beneficiaries, December 2022 |
|
| Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance |
66.0 million |
| Old-Age Insurance |
|
| Total |
51.3 million |
| Retired workers |
48.6 million |
| Survivors Insurance |
|
| Total |
5.9 million |
| Widows and widowers, nondisabled |
3.5 million |
| Disability Insurance |
|
| Total |
8.8 million |
| Disabled workers |
7.6 million |
| Benefit payments, 2022 |
|
| Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance |
$1,231.7 billion |
| Old-Age and Survivors Insurance |
$1,088.1 billion |
| Disability Insurance |
$143.6 billion |
| Administrative expenses, 2022 |
|
| Old-Age and Survivors Insurance |
|
| Amount |
$4.0 billion |
| As a percentage of total benefits paid |
0.4 percent |
| Disability Insurance |
|
| Amount |
$2.7 billion |
| As a percentage of total benefits paid |
1.9 percent |
Program Trends
- About 66.0 million persons received Social Security benefits for December 2022, an increase of 766,219 (1.2 percent) since December 2021. Approximately 78 percent were retired workers and their spouses and children, 9 percent were survivors of deceased workers, and 13 percent were disabled workers and their spouses and children.
- Sixty-four percent of the 48.6 million retired workers received reduced benefits because of entitlement prior to full retirement age. Relatively more women (66.9 percent) than men (61.0 percent) received reduced benefits.
- The number of beneficiaries aged 65 or older rose from about 45.7 million in 2017 to about 51.9 million in 2022 (13.6 percent). The number of beneficiaries aged 85 or older increased by about 1.4 percent during the 5-year period from 5.75 million in 2017 to 5.83 million in 2022. In 2022, 72,126 centenarians were Social Security beneficiaries.
- About 28.7 million women aged 65 or older received benefits for December 2022. About 16.8 million (58.6 percent) were entitled solely to a retired-worker benefit. About 7.1 million (24.6 percent) were dually entitled to a retired-worker benefit and a wife's or widow's benefit, and about 4.8 million (16.8 percent) were receiving wife's or widow's benefits only.
- About 2.6 million children under age 18 received benefits, including 1,284,822 children of deceased workers, 1,006,838 children of disabled workers, and 322,005 children of retired workers.
- Almost 9.0 million persons received benefits based on disability—7,604,098 disabled workers, 1,139,775 disabled adult children, and 211,301 disabled widows and widowers. In addition, 90,972 spouses and 1,036,333 minor and student children of disabled workers received benefits.
- Average monthly benefits for December 2022, including the 8.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment, were $1,825 for retired workers, $1,483 for disabled workers, and $1,705 for nondisabled widows and widowers. Among retired workers, monthly benefits averaged $2,020 for men and $1,638 for women. For disabled workers, average monthly benefits were $1,628 for men and $1,338 for women.
- Average monthly family benefits for December 2022 were $3,072 for a widowed mother or father and children; $2,660 for a disabled worker, wife, and children; and $3,702 for a retired worker, wife, and children.
- Total OASDI benefit payments for calendar year 2022 were $1,231.7 billion. Payments from the OASI Trust Fund were $1,088.1 billion—an increase of 9.6 percent from the $993.1 billion paid in 2021.
- Benefit payments from the DI Trust Fund, from which benefits are paid to disabled workers, their spouses, and children, increased by 2.5 percent from $140.1 billion in 2021 to $143.6 billion in 2022.
- OASDI benefit awards in calendar year 2022 totaled 5,608,521, including 3,413,289 to retired workers, 481,243 to their spouses and children, and 982,321 to survivors of insured workers. Benefits were awarded to 509,272 disabled workers and to 222,396 of their spouses and children.
Supplemental Security Income
Annual Payment Adjustments
| Monthly federal benefit rate, effective January 2023 |
|
| Individual living in his or her own household |
$914 |
| Couple with both members eligible |
$1,371 |
| Cost-of-living adjustment |
8.7 percent |
Program Data
| Federally administered payments |
|
| Benefits paid in 2022 |
$55.8 billion |
| Number of recipients, December 2022 |
7.5 million |
| Average benefit, December 2022 |
$622.00 |
| Federal SSI payments |
|
| Benefits paid in 2022 |
$52.9 billion |
| Number of recipients, December 2022 |
7.4 million |
| Average benefit, December 2022 |
$600.74 |
| Federally administered state supplementation |
|
| Benefits paid in 2022 |
$2.9 billion |
| Number of recipients, December 2022 |
a 1.3 million |
| Average benefit, December 2022 |
$178.62 |
| a. Includes approximately 1.2 million persons receiving federal SSI and state supplementation and 134,492 persons receiving state supplementation only. |
Program Trends
- In December 2022, 7,542,222 persons received federally administered SSI payments—153,678 fewer than the previous year. Of the total, 2,349,324 (31.2 percent) were aged 65 or older; 4,195,789 (55.6 percent) were blind or disabled aged 18–64; and 997,109 (13.2 percent) were blind or disabled under age 18.
- The number of blind or disabled aged 18–64 declined by 168,109 (3.9 percent) between December 2021 and December 2022, and the number under age 18 decreased by 41,040 (4.0 percent).
- During 2022, 516,641 persons were awarded federally administered payments, a decrease of 9,686 from the previous year. Of the 2022 awards, 285,697 went to blind or disabled recipients aged 18–64, 109,872 to those blind or disabled under age 18, and 121,072 to recipients aged 65 or older.
- Total federally administered SSI payments were $55.8 billion in 2022, up 0.4 percent from 2021. Federal SSI payments in 2022 were $52.9 billion (a decrease of 0.5 percent from the previous year). Federally administered state supplementation totaled $2.9 billion.
Poverty Data
NOTE: Poverty statistics formerly contained in this section of the Annual Statistical Supplement are provided by the Census Bureau at its Income and Poverty Data Tables and Poverty Thresholds web pages, and by the Department of Health and Human Services at its Poverty Guidelines web page.