Highlights and Trends

Social Security (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance)

Employment and Earnings

Workers in OASDI covered employment, 2014	165.6 million
Average earnings, 2014	$45,017
Earnings required in 2015 for—
1 quarter of coverage	$1,220
Maximum of 4 quarters of coverage	$4,880
Earnings test exempt amounts for 2015
Under full retirement age for entire year	$15,720
For months before reaching full retirement age in 2015	$41,880
Beginning with month of reaching full retirement age in 2015	Test eliminated

Program Data

Cost-of-living adjustment for December 2014	1.7 percent
Average monthly benefit, December 2014
Retired workers	$1,329
Widows and widowers, nondisabled	$1,276
Disabled workers	$1,165
Number of beneficiaries, December 2014
Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance	59.0 million
Old-Age Insurance
Total	41.9 million
Retired workers	39.0 million
Survivors Insurance
Total	6.1 million
Widows and widowers, nondisabled	3.8 million
Disability Insurance
Total	10.9 million
Disabled workers	9.0 million
Benefit payments, 2014
Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance	$848.5 billion
Old-Age and Survivors Insurance	$706.8 billion
Disability Insurance	$141.7 billion
Administrative expenses, 2014
Old-Age and Survivors Insurance
Amount	$3.1 billion
As a percentage of total benefits paid	0.4 percent
Disability Insurance
Amount	$2.9 billion
As a percentage of total benefits paid	2.1 percent

Program Trends

• About 59.0 million persons received Social Security benefits for December 2014, an increase of 1,028,548 (1.8 percent) since December 2013. Seventy-one percent were retired workers and their spouses and children, 10 percent were survivors of deceased workers, and 19 percent were disabled workers and their spouses and children.
• Seventy-two percent of the 39.0 million retired workers received reduced benefits because of entitlement prior to full retirement age. Relatively more women (74.8 percent) than men (69.6 percent) received reduced benefits.
• The number of beneficiaries aged 65 or older rose from about 36.5 million in 2009 to almost 42.0 million in 2014 (15.0 percent). The number of beneficiaries aged 85 or older increased at a lesser rate during the 5-year period (9.5 percent), from about 5.1 million in 2009 to almost 5.6 million in 2014. In 2014, about 60,000 centenarians were receiving Social Security.
• About 23.4 million women aged 65 or older received benefits for December 2014. About 11.5 million (49.1 percent) were entitled solely to a retired-worker benefit. About 6.5 million (27.8 percent) were dually entitled to a retired-worker benefit and a wife's or widow's benefit, and about 5.4 million (23.2 percent) were receiving wife's or widow's benefits only.
• Almost 3.2 million children under age 18 received benefits, including 1,188,333 children of deceased workers, 1,650,364 children of disabled workers, and 327,665 children of retired workers.
• About 10.3 million persons received benefits based on disability—8,954,518 disabled workers, 1,048,879 disabled adult children, and 257,871 disabled widows and widowers. In addition, 148,955 spouses and 1,707,999 minor and student children of disabled workers received benefits.
• Average monthly benefits for December 2014, including the 1.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment, were $1,329 for retired workers, $1,165 for disabled workers, and $1,276 for nondisabled widows and widowers. Among retired workers, monthly benefits averaged $1,488 for men and $1,167 for women. For disabled workers, average monthly benefits were $1,290 for men and $1,032 for women.
• Average monthly family benefits for December 2014 were $2,340 for a widowed mother or father and children; $2,008 for a disabled worker, wife, and children; and $2,747 for a retired worker, wife, and children.
• Total OASDI benefit payments for calendar year 2014 were $848.5 billion. Payments from the OASI trust fund were $706.8 billion—an increase of 5.2 percent from the $672.1 billion paid in 2013.
• Benefit payments from the DI trust fund, from which benefits are paid to disabled workers, their spouses, and children, increased by 1.1 percent from $140.1 billion in 2013 to $141.7 billion in 2014.
• OASDI benefit awards in calendar year 2014 totaled 5,361,293, including 2,771,933 to retired workers, 519,464 to their spouses and children, and 854,978 to survivors of insured workers. Benefits were awarded to 778,796 disabled workers and to 436,122 of their spouses and children.

Supplemental Security Income

Annual Payment Adjustments

Monthly federal benefit rate, effective January 2015
Individual living in his or her own household	$733
Couple with both members eligible	$1,100
Cost-of-living adjustment	1.7 percent

Program Data

Federally administered payments
Benefits paid in 2014	$54.7 billion
Number of recipients, December 2014	8.3 million
Average benefit, December 2014	$532.08
Federal SSI payments
Benefits paid in 2014	$51.6 billion
Number of recipients, December 2014	8.2 million
Average benefit, December 2014	$516.62
Federally administered state supplementation
Benefits paid in 2014	$3.1 billion
Number of recipients, December 2014	a 1.5 million
Average benefit, December 2014	$141.55
a. Includes almost 1.4 million persons receiving federal SSI and state supplementation and almost 0.2 million persons receiving state supplementation only.

Program Trends

• In December 2014, 8,335,704 persons received federally administered SSI payments—27,773 fewer than the previous year. Of the total, 2,122,871 (25.5 percent) were aged 65 or older; 4,913,072 (58.9 percent) were blind or disabled aged 18–64; and 1,299,761 (15.6 percent) were blind or disabled under age 18.
• The number of blind or disabled aged 18–64 declined by 3,200 (0.1 percent) between December 2013 and December 2014, and the number under age 18 declined by 21,920 (1.7 percent).
• During 2014, 805,643 persons were awarded federally administered payments, a decrease of 106,600 from the previous year. Of the 2014 awards, 538,268 went to blind or disabled recipients aged 18–64, 157,310 to those blind or disabled under age 18, and 110,065 to recipients aged 65 or older.
• Total federally administered SSI payments were $54.7 billion in 2014, up 1.5 percent from 2013. Federal SSI payments in 2014 were $51.6 billion (an increase of 1.9 percent over the previous year). Federally administered state supplementation totaled $3.1 billion.

Health Care

Medicare

Total benefits paid in calendar year 2014
Hospital Insurance (Part A)	$264.9 billion
Supplementary Medical Insurance (Part B)	$339.6 billion
Number of enrollees in July 2014 (one or both of Parts A and B)	54.1 million
Aged	45.1 million
Disabled	9.0 million
Administrative costs, 2014
Hospital Insurance
Amount	$4.5 billion
As a percentage of total benefits paid	1.7 percent
Supplementary Medical Insurance
Amount	$4.4 billion
As a percentage of total benefits paid	1.3 percent

Medicaid

Medical service expenditures in fiscal year 2013	$381.8 billion
Number of unduplicated recipients, fiscal year 2013	73.7 million
Average 2013 vendor payment per unduplicated recipient
Persons aged 65 or older	$15,104
Permanently and totally disabled persons	$16,030
Dependent children under age 21	$3,498
Average 2013 vendor payment for medical services
Nursing facility services	$27,585
Inpatient general hospital care	$3,897
Prescribed drugs	$443
Physicians services	$222

Other Social Insurance Programs and Veterans' Benefits

Unemployment Insurance

Total payments, 2013	$38.8 billion
Average—
Weekly benefit amount (regular programs)	$309.87
Duration of benefits	16.9 weeks
Weekly insured unemployment	2.9 million
Covered employment	132.1 million

Workers' Compensation

Benefit payments, 2013	$63.6 billion
Compensation payments	$32.0 billion
Medical and hospitalization	$31.5 billion
Benefits paid by—
Private insurance carriers	$35.3 billion
State and federal funds	$13.3 billion
Employers' self-insurance	$15.0 billion
Covered workers per month	129.6 million
Costs as a percentage of covered payroll	1.37 percent

Temporary Disability Insurance

Average weekly benefit, 2012
California
State fund	$450
Private plans	$1,068
New York
Private plans	$209
NOTE: Programs in effect in California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Puerto Rico, and the railroad industry.

Black Lung Benefits

Basic monthly benefit to miner or widow	$638
Maximum monthly family benefit	$1,276
Part B (claims filed on or before December 31, 1973)
Number of monthly benefits to miners, widows, and dependents, December 2014	14,946
Total benefits paid, calendar year 2014	$117.6 million
Part C (claims filed after December 31, 1973)
Total benefits paid, fiscal year 2014
Disability and survivors benefits	$153.7 million
Medical benefits	$26.1 million

Veterans' Benefits

Number of veterans with disability compensation or pension, 2014
Service-connected disability	3,949,000
Nonservice-connected disability	305,000
Monthly payment in 2015 for—
Service-connected disability
10 percent disability	$133
Total disability	$2,907
Nonservice-connected disability (maximum payment)
Without dependent	$1,072
With one dependent and in need of aid and attendance	$2,198

Poverty Data

Weighted average poverty thresholds, 2014
Individual, aged 65 or older	$11,354
Couple, householder aged 65 or older	$14,326
Family of four	$24,230
Percentage of population with income below poverty level, 2014
All ages	14.8 percent
Children under age 18 living in families	20.7 percent
Persons aged 65 or older	10.0 percent