What the Average Social Security Check Would Be in Every State With the Most Recent COLA Estimates

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.

Two years ago, the COLA was set at 8.7%, and last year it came in at 3.2%. Now, The Senior Citizens League is projecting that the COLA will be 2.63%, meaning that Social Security checks in 2025 would go up by that percentage.

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.

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.

Alabama: $1,861

Alaska: $1,884

Arizona: $2,015

Arkansas: $1,800

California: $1,922

Colorado: $2,024

Connecticut: $2,169

Delaware: $2,159

District of Columbia: $1,913

Florida: $1,960

Georgia: $1,896

Hawaii: $1,990

Idaho: $1,936

Illinois: $1,991

Indiana: $2,000

Iowa: $1,975

Kansas: $2,019

Kentucky: $1,808

Louisiana: $1,764

Maine: $1,851

Maryland: $2,100

Massachusetts: $2,030

Michigan: $2,032

Minnesota: $2070

Mississippi: $1,766

Missouri: $1,902

Montana: $1,885

Nebraska: $1,978

Nevada: $1,932

New Hampshire: $2,122

New Jersey: $2,171

New Mexico: $1,830

New York: $1,998

North Carolina: $1,955

North Dakota: $1,911

Ohio: $1,894

Oklahoma: $1,878

Oregon: $1,986

Pennsylvania: $2,020

Rhode Island: $2,002

South Carolina: $1,972

South Dakota: $1,908

Tennessee: $1,909

Texas: $1,891

Utah: $2,017

Vermont: $1,989

Virginia: $2,023

Washington: $2,077

West Virginia: $1,843

Wisconsin: $2,019

Wyoming: $2,021

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 finds, 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.