What the Average Social Security Check Would Be in Every State With the Most Recent COLA Estimates
By Jake Safane,
2024-07-31
Almost every year, Social Security checks increase due to inflation . That increase, known as the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), is set by the Social Security Administration by calculating the annual percentage increase, if any, of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) in the third quarter of a given year.
This year, the CPI-W from July-September 2024 vs. Q3 2023 will determine the COLA increase. But with inflation decelerating, the increase might not be that much this year.
While the exact COLA depends on what inflation ends up being for Q3 2024, the estimates below reflect what the average Social Security check could look like if the 2.63% projection comes to fruition.
Estimated Average Social Security Check in 2025 by State
In 2025, the average Social Security check — blending retirement, survivors, and disability benefits — in each state, plus Washington, D.C., is projected to be the following. Keep in mind that benefits and COLA increases are not determined based on what state you live in, but the averages differ, considering factors like the work history of residents.
Also note that the calculations reflect the most recent state-level data from the Social Security Administration from 2022 , with COLAs for the past two years plus the 2.63% projection added on.
As these averages show, relying on Social Security alone can make it hard to cover all of your bills. Even with COLA increases, that doesn’t always mean that retirees’ and others who rely on Social Security can keep up with the rising cost of living. That’s because the COLA sometimes comes in below the annual inflation rate, and depending on what you’re buying, you might find that some items are increasing in price faster than average.
As an analysis by The Senior Citizens League find s, Social Security retirement benefit recipients have lost 20% of their buying power since 2010. So, even though Social Security checks might increase a bit in 2025, you might need to find other sources of income or cut back on expenses to keep up.
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