How Far a Retired Couple’s Social Security Check Goes in Every State

Many Americans rely on Social Security as their primary — and sometimes only — source of income in retirement. How far this income goes varies greatly depending on where you live, as living costs range drastically from state to state.

To determine how far a couple’s Social Security checks will go in every state, GOBankingRates assumed an annual Social Security income of $44,689, the average amount for two people. GOBankingRates then looked at the costs of necessities in each state, including rent, groceries, utilities, transportation and healthcare, to see how much of these costs a couple’s Social Security income would cover.

Here’s a look at how far a couple’s Social Security income would go in every state, ranked from the state where it goes the furthest to the state where it covers the smallest percentage of essential costs.

• Annual necessities cost: $31,910
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 140%
• Social Security income left over: $12,779

• Annual necessities cost: $32,115
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 139.2%
• Social Security income left over: $12,573

• Annual necessities cost: $33,816
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 132.2%
• Social Security income left over: $10,873

• Annual necessities cost: $34,260
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 130.4%
• Social Security income left over: $10,429

• Annual necessities cost: $34,566
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 129.3%
• Social Security income left over: $10,123

• Annual necessities cost: $34,657
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 129%
• Social Security income left over: $10,032

• Annual necessities cost: $34,756
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 128.6%
• Social Security income left over: $9,932

• Annual necessities cost: $34,840
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 128.3%
• Social Security income left over: $9,849

• Annual necessities cost: $35,008
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 127.7%
• Social Security income left over: $9,681

• Annual necessities cost: $35,040
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 127.5%
• Social Security income left over: $9,649

• Annual necessities cost: $35,130
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 127.2%
• Social Security income left over: $9,558

• Annual necessities cost: $35,156
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 127.1%
• Social Security income left over: $9,533

• Annual necessities cost: $35,182
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 127%
• Social Security income left over: $9,507

• Annual necessities cost: $35,656
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 125.3%
• Social Security income left over: $9,033

• Annual necessities cost: $36,037
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 124%
• Social Security income left over: $8,652

• Annual necessities cost: $36,039
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 124%
• Social Security income left over: $8,650

• Annual necessities cost: $36,197
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 123.5%
• Social Security income left over: $8,492

• Annual necessities cost: $36,840
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 121.3%
• Social Security income left over: $7,848

• Annual necessities cost: $37,276
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 119.9%
• Social Security income left over: $7,412

• Annual necessities cost: $38,026
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 117.5%
• Social Security income left over: $6,663

• Annual necessities cost: $39,544
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 113%
• Social Security income left over: $5,145

• Annual necessities cost: $39,709
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 112.5%
• Social Security income left over: $4,979

• Annual necessities cost: $39,753
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 112.4%
• Social Security income left over: $4,935

• Annual necessities cost: $39,800
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 112.3%
• Social Security income left over: $4,889

• Annual necessities cost: $39,816
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 112.2%
• Social Security income left over: $4,872

• Annual necessities cost: $39,844
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 112.2%
• Social Security income left over: $4,845

• Annual necessities cost: $39,938
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 111.9%
• Social Security income left over: $4,750

• Annual necessities cost: $40,172
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 111.2%
• Social Security income left over: $4,517

• Annual necessities cost: $40,322
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 110.8%
• Social Security income left over: $4,366

• Annual necessities cost: $40,420
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 110.6%
• Social Security income left over: $4,268

• Annual necessities cost: $41,092
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 108.8%
• Social Security income left over: $3,597

• Annual necessities cost: $41,568
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 107.5%
• Social Security income left over: $3,120

• Annual necessities cost: $43,100
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 103.7%
• Social Security income left over: $1,588

• Annual necessities cost: $43,517
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover:102.7%
• Social Security income left over: $1,172

• Annual necessities cost: $43,716
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 102.2%
• Social Security income left over: $973

• Annual necessities cost: $44,136
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 101.3%
• Social Security income left over: $553

• Annual necessities cost: $44,146
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 101.2%
• Social Security income left over: $543

• Annual necessities cost: $44,287
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 100.9%
• Social Security income left over: $402

• Annual necessities cost: $44,762
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 99.8%
• Social Security income left over: $0

• Annual necessities cost: $46,237
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 96.7%
• Social Security income left over: $0

• Annual necessities cost: $46,653
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 95.8%
• Social Security income left over: $0

• Annual necessities cost: $46,673
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 95.8%
• Social Security income left over: $0

• Annual necessities cost: $47,119
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 94.8%
• Social Security income left over: $0

• Annual necessities cost: $48,110
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 92.9%
• Social Security income left over: $0

• Annual necessities cost: $48,137
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 92.8%
• Social Security income left over: $0

• Annual necessities cost: $49,004
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 91.2%
• Social Security income left over: $0

• Annual necessities cost: $54,248
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 82.4%
• Social Security income left over: $0

• Annual necessities cost: $55,505
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 80.5%
• Social Security income left over: $0

• Annual necessities cost: $57,612
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 77.6%
• Social Security income left over: $0

• Annual necessities cost: $58,106
• Percent of necessities a couple’s Social Security income would cover: 76.9%
• Social Security income left over: $0

Methodology: For this piece, GOBankingRates first found the average Social Security payment for a retiree ($1,862.03) as sourced from the Social Security Administration‘s February 2024 snapshot. This figure was then factored out for an annual amount ($22,344.36) and then the annual Social Security for a couple ($44,688.72). With these figures in mind, GOBankingRates was able to find the following for each state: (1) annual rent, as sourced from RentCafe; (2) annual cost of groceries, (3) annual cost of utilities, (4) annual cost of transportation and (5) annual cost of healthcare, as sourced from the 2022 Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2022 Consumer Expenditure Survey for those 65+ and then factored by each state’s cost of living indices as sourced from the 2023 Cost of Living data series from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. Figures (1) – (5) were combined to calculate each state’s (6) annual necessities cost, which was then compared to the Social Security income for a couple ($44,688.72) to find each state’s (7) percent of annual necessities a couple on Social Security could cover and (8) Social Security income left over after necessities. All data was collected and up to date as of June 14, 2024.