Highlights and Trends
Social Security (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance)
Employment and Earnings
| Workers in OASDI covered employment, 2016 |
170.8 million |
| Average earnings, 2016 |
$47,750 |
| Earnings required in 2017 for— |
|
| 1 quarter of coverage |
$1,300 |
| Maximum of 4 quarters of coverage |
$5,200 |
| Earnings test exempt amounts for 2017 |
|
| Under full retirement age for entire year |
$16,920 |
| For months before reaching full retirement age in 2017 |
$44,880 |
| Beginning with month of reaching full retirement age in 2017 |
Test eliminated |
Program Data
| Cost-of-living adjustment for December 2016 |
0.3 percent |
| Average monthly benefit, December 2016 |
|
| Retired workers |
$1,360 |
| Widows and widowers, nondisabled |
$1,301 |
| Disabled workers |
$1,171 |
| Number of beneficiaries, December 2016 |
|
| Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance |
60.9 million |
| Old-Age Insurance |
|
| Total |
44.3 million |
| Retired workers |
41.2 million |
| Survivors Insurance |
|
| Total |
6.0 million |
| Widows and widowers, nondisabled |
3.7 million |
| Disability Insurance |
|
| Total |
10.6 million |
| Disabled workers |
8.8 million |
| Benefit payments, 2016 |
|
| Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance |
$911.4 billion |
| Old-Age and Survivors Insurance |
$768.6 billion |
| Disability Insurance |
$142.8 billion |
| Administrative expenses, 2016 |
|
| Old-Age and Survivors Insurance |
|
| Amount |
$3.5 billion |
| As a percentage of total benefits paid |
0.5 percent |
| Disability Insurance |
|
| Amount |
$2.8 billion |
| As a percentage of total benefits paid |
1.9 percent |
Program Trends
- About 60.9 million persons received Social Security benefits for December 2016, an increase of 943,882 (1.6 percent) since December 2015. Seventy-three percent were retired workers and their spouses and children, 10 percent were survivors of deceased workers, and 17 percent were disabled workers and their spouses and children.
- Seventy-one percent of the 41.2 million retired workers received reduced benefits because of entitlement prior to full retirement age. Relatively more women (73.4 percent) than men (67.9 percent) received reduced benefits.
- The number of beneficiaries aged 65 or older rose from about 38.2 million in 2011 to about 44.4 million in 2016 (16.2 percent). The number of beneficiaries aged 85 or older increased by about 7.0 percent during the 5-year period, from about 5.3 million in 2011 to about 5.7 million in 2016. In 2016, about 64,000 centenarians were Social Security beneficiaries.
- About 24.7 million women aged 65 or older received benefits for December 2016. About 12.7 million (51.3 percent) were entitled solely to a retired-worker benefit. About 6.7 million (26.9 percent) were dually entitled to a retired-worker benefit and a wife's or widow's benefit, and about 5.4 million (21.7 percent) were receiving wife's or widow's benefits only.
- About 3.0 million children under age 18 received benefits, including 1,179,370 children of deceased workers, 1,493,476 children of disabled workers, and 333,993 children of retired workers.
- About 10.2 million persons received benefits based on disability—8,808,736 disabled workers, 1,085,262 disabled adult children, and 259,207 disabled widows and widowers. In addition, 134,680 spouses and 1,544,452 minor and student children of disabled workers received benefits.
- Average monthly benefits for December 2016, including the 0.3 percent cost-of-living adjustment, were $1,360 for retired workers, $1,171 for disabled workers, and $1,301 for nondisabled widows and widowers. Among retired workers, monthly benefits averaged $1,519 for men and $1,202 for women. For disabled workers, average monthly benefits were $1,293 for men and $1,043 for women.
- Average monthly family benefits for December 2016 were $2,361 for a widowed mother or father and children; $2,033 for a disabled worker, wife, and children; and $2,820 for a retired worker, wife, and children.
- Total OASDI benefit payments for calendar year 2016 were $911.4 billion. Payments from the OASI trust fund were $768.6 billion—an increase of 3.5 percent from the $742.9 billion paid in 2015.
- Benefit payments from the DI trust fund, from which benefits are paid to disabled workers, their spouses, and children, decreased by 0.4 percent from $143.4 billion in 2015 to $142.8 billion in 2016.
- OASDI benefit awards in calendar year 2016 totaled 5,455,639, including 2,910,752 to retired workers, 575,560 to their spouses and children, and 876,814 to survivors of insured workers. Benefits were awarded to 706,448 disabled workers and to 386,065 of their spouses and children.
Supplemental Security Income
Annual Payment Adjustments
| Monthly federal benefit rate, effective January 2017 |
|
| Individual living in his or her own household |
$735 |
| Couple with both members eligible |
$1,103 |
| Cost-of-living adjustment |
0.3 percent |
Program Data
| Federally administered payments |
|
| Benefits paid in 2016 |
$54.8 billion |
| Number of recipients, December 2016 |
8.3 million |
| Average benefit, December 2016 |
$542.38 |
| Federal SSI payments |
|
| Benefits paid in 2016 |
$52.2 billion |
| Number of recipients, December 2016 |
8.1 million |
| Average benefit, December 2016 |
$526.74 |
| Federally administered state supplementation |
|
| Benefits paid in 2016 |
$2.6 billion |
| Number of recipients, December 2016 |
a 1.5 million |
| Average benefit, December 2016 |
$141.99 |
| 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 2016, 8,251,161 persons received federally administered SSI payments—58,403 fewer than the previous year. Of the total, 2,192,347 (26.6 percent) were aged 65 or older; 4,845,735 (58.7 percent) were blind or disabled aged 18–64; and 1,213,079 (14.7 percent) were blind or disabled under age 18.
- The number of blind or disabled aged 18–64 declined by 42,820 (0.9 percent) between December 2015 and December 2016, and the number under age 18 decreased by 54,081 (4.3 percent).
- During 2016, 764,216 persons were awarded federally administered payments, a decrease of 28,509 from the previous year. Of the 2016 awards, 490,120 went to blind or disabled recipients aged 18–64, 164,681 to those blind or disabled under age 18, and 109,415 to recipients aged 65 or older.
- Total federally administered SSI payments were $54.8 billion in 2016, down 0.3 percent from 2015. Federal SSI payments in 2016 were $52.2 billion (a decrease of 0.3 percent over the previous year). Federally administered state supplementation totaled $2.6 billion.
Other Social Insurance Programs and Veterans' Benefits
Unemployment Insurance
NOTE: Unemployment Insurance data formerly contained in this section of the Annual Statistical Supplement are provided by the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration at its “Most Frequently Requested Statistics” website (https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/frs.asp).
Workers' Compensation
| Benefit payments, 2015 |
$61.9 billion |
| Compensation payments |
$30.7 billion |
| Medical and hospitalization |
$31.1 billion |
| Benefits paid by— |
|
| Private insurance carriers |
$34.0 billion |
| State and federal funds |
$12.7 billion |
| Employers' self-insurance |
$15.1 billion |
| Covered workers per month |
135.6 million |
| Costs as a percentage of covered payroll |
1.32 percent |
Temporary Disability Insurance
NOTE: Coverage of the Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) data formerly contained in this section of the Annual Statistical Supplement has been discontinued. Agencies in two of the five states that operate a TDI program (New York and Hawaii) and in Puerto Rico no longer collect or report the data formerly presented in the Supplement. Users seeking information on TDI for the other states (California, New Jersey, and Rhode Island) and the railroad industry may contact the administering agencies or the Railroad Retirement Board.
Black Lung Benefits
NOTE: Black Lung Benefit data formerly contained in this section of the Annual Statistical Supplement are provided by the Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, Division of Coal Mine Workers' Compensation, at its “Black Lung Program Statistics” web pages (https://www.dol.gov/owcp/dcmwc/statistics/PartsBandCBeneficiaries.htm and https://www.dol.gov/owcp/dcmwc/statistics/TotalBenefitsPayment.htm).
Veterans' Benefits
NOTE: Veterans' Benefit data formerly contained in this section of the Annual Statistical Supplement are provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs at its “National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics” website (https://www.va.gov/vetdata/report.asp; select “Utilization of VA Benefits and Services” and “Compensation and Pension by County”).
Poverty Data
| Weighted average poverty thresholds, 2016 |
|
| Individual, aged 65 or older |
$11,511 |
| Couple, householder aged 65 or older |
$14,522 |
| Family of four |
$24,563 |
| Percentage of population with income below poverty level, 2016 |
|
| All ages |
12.7 percent |
| Children under age 18 living in families |
17.6 percent |
| Persons aged 65 or older |
9.3 percent |