The amount you need in retirement depends on numerous factors, including where you live and what sort of expenses you have.
Some people have a lot of money in their golden years — thanks to pensions or well-aimed retirement investments — but many more have to scrape by. The median retirement savings balance is around $200,000 in 2025, according to the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finance.
To help you plan for your retirement, GOBankingRates set out to find out how long $250,000 will last in every state — both with and without Social Security (average annual Social Security across America is $23,150).
Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2023 Consumer Expenditure Survey and the Social Security Administration’s January 2025 data, GOBankingRates looked at the average annual cost of groceries, housing, utilities, transportation and healthcare for people 65 and older in every state.
Take a look at how long $250,000 will last in every state, ranked from the shortest amount of time to the longest.
Hawaii
- With Social Security: 2.8 years
- Without Social Security: 2.23 years
- Annual expenditure: $112,303
Massachusetts
- With Social Security: 3.87 years
- Without Social Security: 2.85 years
- Annual expenditure: $87,667
California
- With Social Security: 3.92 years
- Without Social Security: 2.87 years
- Annual expenditure: $87,006
Alaska
- With Social Security: 4.88 years
- Without Social Security: 3.36 years
- Annual expenditure: $74,388
New York
- With Social Security: 4.91years
- Without Social Security: 3.37 years
- Annual expenditure: $74,087
Maryland
- With Social Security: 5.42 years
- Without Social Security: 3.61 years
- Annual expenditure: $69,280
New Jersey
- With Social Security: 5.47 years
- Without Social Security: 3.63 years
- Annual expenditure: $68,860
Vermont
- With Social Security: 5.48 years
- Without Social Security: 3.64 years
- Annual expenditure: $68,740
Washington
- With Social Security: 5.50 years
- Without Social Security: 3.64 years
- Annual expenditure: $68,619
New Hampshire
- With Social Security: 5.62 years
- Without Social Security: 3.70 years
- Annual expenditure: $67,658
Connecticut
- With Social Security: 5.64 years
- Without Social Security: 3.70 years
- Annual expenditure: $67,478
Rhode Island
- With Social Security: 5.65 years
- Without Social Security: 3.71 years
- Annual expenditure: $67,418
Maine
- With Social Security: 5.66 years
- Without Social Security: 3.71 years
- Annual expenditure: $67,358
Oregon
- With Social Security: 5.66 years
- Without Social Security: 3.71 years
- Annual expenditure: $67,297
Arizona
- With Social Security: 5.70 years
- Without Social Security: 3.73 years
- Annual expenditure: $66,997
Utah
- With Social Security: 6.27 years
- Without Social Security: 3.97 years
- Annual expenditure: $63,031
Florida
- With Social Security: 6.47 years
- Without Social Security: 4.05 years
- Annual expenditure: $61,769
Colorado
- With Social Security: 6.56 years
- Without Social Security: 4.08 years
- Annual expenditure: $61,289
Idaho
- With Social Security: 6.56 years
- Without Social Security: 4.08 years
- Annual expenditure: $61,289
Nevada
- With Social Security: 6.63 years
- Without Social Security: 4.11 years
- Annual expenditure: $60,868
Delaware
- With Social Security: 6.68 years
- Without Social Security: 4.13 years
- Annual expenditure: $60,568
Virginia
- With Social Security: 6.69 years
- Without Social Security: 4.13 years
- Annual expenditure: $60,508
North Carolina
- With Social Security: 7.02 years
- Without Social Security: 4.25 years
- Annual expenditure: $58,765
Wisconsin
- With Social Security: 7.12 years
- Without Social Security: 4.29 years
- Annual expenditure: $58,284
South Carolina
- With Social Security: 7.25 years
- Without Social Security: 4.34 years
- Annual expenditure: $57,623
Wyoming
- With Social Security: 7.30 years
- Without Social Security: 4.36 years
- Annual expenditure: $57,383
Minnesota
- With Social Security: 7.35 years
- Without Social Security: 4.38 years
- Annual expenditure: $57,143
Pennsylvania
- With Social Security: 7.35 years
- Without Social Security: 4.38 years
- Annual expenditure: $57,143
Montana
- With Social Security: 7.38 years
- Without Social Security: 4.38 years
- Annual expenditure: $57,023
Illinois
- With Social Security: 7.45 years
- Without Social Security: 4.41 years
- Annual expenditure: $56,722
Ohio
- With Social Security: 7.47 years
- Without Social Security: 4.42 years
- Annual expenditure: $56,602
New Mexico
- With Social Security: 7.60 years
- Without Social Security: 4.46 years
- Annual expenditure: $56,061
Nebraska
- With Social Security: 7.62 years
- Without Social Security: 4.47 years
- Annual expenditure: $55,941
Kentucky
- With Social Security: 7.64 years
- Without Social Security: 4.47 years
- Annual expenditure: $55,881
Texas
- With Social Security: 7.68 years
- Without Social Security: 4.49 years
- Annual expenditure: $55,701
Louisiana
- With Social Security: 7.75 years
- Without Social Security: 4.51 years
- Annual expenditure: $55,400
South Dakota
- With Social Security: 7.75 years
- Without Social Security: 4.51 years
- Annual expenditure: $55,400
North Dakota
- With Social Security: 7.80 years
- Without Social Security: 4.53 years
- Annual expenditure: $55,220
Georgia
- With Social Security: 7.88 years
- Without Social Security: 4.56 years
- Annual expenditure: $54,859
Indiana
- With Social Security: 8.01 years
- Without Social Security: 4.60 years
- Annual expenditure: $54,379
Tennessee
- With Social Security: 8.01 years
- Without Social Security: 4.60 years
- Annual expenditure: $54,379
Michigan
- With Social Security: 8.02 years
- Without Social Security: 4.60 years
- Annual expenditure: $54,319
Iowa
- With Social Security: 8.13 years
- Without Social Security: 4.64 years
- Annual expenditure: $53,898
Arkansas
- With Social Security: 8.29 years
- Without Social Security: 4.69 years
- Annual expenditure: $53,297
Missouri
- With Social Security: 8.29 years
- Without Social Security: 4.69 years
- Annual expenditure: $53,297
Alabama
- With Social Security: 8.41 years
- Without Social Security: 4.73 years
- Annual expenditure: $52,877
Mississippi
- With Social Security: 8.43 years
- Without Social Security: 4.73 years
- Annual expenditure: $52,816
Kansas
- With Social Security: 8.58 years
- Without Social Security: 4.78 years
- Annual expenditure: $52,276
Oklahoma
- With Social Security: 8.82 years
- Without Social Security: 4.85 years
- Annual expenditure: $51,495
West Virginia
- With Social Security: 9.13 years
- Without Social Security: 4.95 years
- Annual expenditure: $50,533
Methodology: In order to find how long $250,000 will last across the country with AND without Social Security, GOBankingRates first found (1) the national average annual expenditures for people 65 and older, sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2023 Consumer Expenditure Survey data and (2) annual Social Security income as sourced from the Social Security Administration’s January 2025 data. Then, GOBankingRates created (2) state-level annual expenditure estimates by multiplying the national figure by each state’s overall cost-of-living index score for 2024 from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. Finally, GOBankingRates found (3) how many years $250,000 will last in each state by dividing $250,000 by each state’s average annual expenditures estimate and its annual expenditures estimate minus yearly Social Security income. All data was collected on and is up to date as of March 17, 2025.
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