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How Much Americans Rely on Social Security in Every State

April 17, 2025

9 min Read

Written by Heather Taylor

Edited by Chris Cluff

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In West Virginia, retirees depend on receiving Social Security more than any other U.S. state.

GOBankingRates determined how much American retirees rely on Social Security by analyzing each state’s households with Social Security income. The percent of households that receive Social Security income was calculated and the states were sorted to show the places with the highest percent of households receiving Social Security checks.

Key Findings

West Virginia had the highest percentage of households, 41.2%, that depend on Social Security. West Virginia has previously ranked in several GOBankingRates studies as one of the most affordable states to retire in. It is one of nine states that does not tax Social Security income.
Of the 10 states where Americans rely on Social Security most, more than 35% of households are dependent on this income. Besides West Virginia, the remaining nine states include Maine (37.3%), Hawaii (37.2%), Florida (36.7%), Vermont (36.3%), Delaware (36%), New Mexico (35.8%), Mississippi (35.5%), Alabama (35.2%) and South Carolina (35.1%).
California is home to the largest number of households (3,779,490) that depend on Social Security.
More than 1 million households depend on Social Security in 11 U.S. states. Ranked from the most to least number of households, these states are California, Florida, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia and New Jersey.

See how many Americans rely on Social Security in every state.

Today’s Top Offers

1. West Virginia

# of households with Social Security: 297,356
% of households with Social Security: 41.2%
Average Social Security income: $22,747
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $48,271

2. Maine

# of households with Social Security: 219,575
% of households with Social Security: 37.3%
Average Social Security income: $22,925
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $53,089

3. Hawaii

# of households with Social Security: 181,793
% of households with Social Security: 37.2%
Average Social Security income: $24,692
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $63,436

4. Florida

# of households with Social Security: 3,139,979
% of households with Social Security: 36.7%
Average Social Security income: $24,048
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $59,497

5. Vermont

# of households with Social Security: 97,757
% of households with Social Security: 36.3%
Average Social Security income: $24,531
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $54,417

6. Delaware

# of households with Social Security: 142,636
% of households with Social Security: 36%
Average Social Security income: $26,580
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $63,029

7. New Mexico

# of households with Social Security: 294,954
% of households with Social Security: 35.8%
Average Social Security income: $21,968
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $55,960

8. Mississippi

# of households with Social Security: 401,361
% of households with Social Security: 35.5%
Average Social Security income: $21,322
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $48,189

9. Alabama

# of households with Social Security: 692,939
% of households with Social Security: 35.2%
Average Social Security income: $22,851
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $51,811

10. South Carolina

# of households with Social Security: 726,710
% of households with Social Security: 35.1%
Average Social Security income: $23,985
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $54,434

Today’s Top Offers

11. Pennsylvania

# of households with Social Security: 1,829,023
% of households with Social Security: 34.9%
Average Social Security income: $23,989
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $52,802

12. Arkansas

# of households with Social Security: 415,445
% of households with Social Security: 34.9%
Average Social Security income: $22,351
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $47,962

13. Kentucky

# of households with Social Security: 623,010
% of households with Social Security: 34.8%
Average Social Security income: $21,889
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $50,026

14. Michigan

# of households with Social Security: 1,402,046
% of households with Social Security: 34.7%
Average Social Security income: $24,503
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $53,044

15. Montana

# of households with Social Security: 156,515
% of households with Social Security: 34.6%
Average Social Security income: $22,829
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $53,421

16. New Hampshire

# of households with Social Security: 189,215
% of households with Social Security: 34.3%
Average Social Security income: $25,215
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $57,026

17. Arizona

# of households with Social Security: 948,066
% of households with Social Security: 33.9%
Average Social Security income: $25,049
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $58,315

18. Rhode Island

# of households with Social Security: 146,426
% of households with Social Security: 33.5%
Average Social Security income: $23,167
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $55,035

19. Oregon

# of households with Social Security: 559,258
% of households with Social Security: 32.9%
Average Social Security income: $24,371
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $58,012

20. Missouri

# of households with Social Security: 812,042
% of households with Social Security: 32.7%
Average Social Security income: $23,050
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $51,254

Today’s Top Offers

21. Wyoming

# of households with Social Security: 77,791
% of households with Social Security: 32.7%
Average Social Security income: $24,111
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $55,608

22. Tennessee

# of households with Social Security: 902,742
% of households with Social Security: 32.6%
Average Social Security income: $23,430
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $51,309

23. Idaho

# of households with Social Security: 225,457
% of households with Social Security: 32.5%
Average Social Security income: $24,285
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $54,973

24. Wisconsin

# of households with Social Security: 792,438
% of households with Social Security: 32.4%
Average Social Security income: $24,879
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $54,640

25. North Carolina

# of households with Social Security: 1,343,673
% of households with Social Security: 32.1%
Average Social Security income: $23,610
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $53,599

26. New York

# of households with Social Security: 2,445,342
% of households with Social Security: 31.9%
Average Social Security income: $23,330
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $58,287

27. Oklahoma

# of households with Social Security: 491,901
% of households with Social Security: 31.9%
Average Social Security income: $22,888
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $50,928

28. Ohio

# of households with Social Security: 1,538,984
% of households with Social Security: 31.9%
Average Social Security income: $22,438
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $52,764

29. Connecticut

# of households with Social Security: 452,109
% of households with Social Security: 31.8%
Average Social Security income: $25,261
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $62,087

30. Indiana

# of households with Social Security: 849,961
% of households with Social Security: 31.7%
Average Social Security income: $24,097
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $48,250

Today’s Top Offers

31. Louisiana

# of households with Social Security: 564,018
% of households with Social Security: 31.6%
Average Social Security income: $20,579
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $49,919

32. Iowa

# of households with Social Security: 410,713
% of households with Social Security: 31.5%
Average Social Security income: $24,059
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $50,815

33. New Jersey

# of households with Social Security: 1,085,771
% of households with Social Security: 31.2%
Average Social Security income: $25,318
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $60,967

34. South Dakota

# of households with Social Security: 111,389
% of households with Social Security: 31.1%
Average Social Security income: $22,427
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $50,275

35. Nevada

# of households with Social Security: 366,637
% of households with Social Security: 31%
Average Social Security income: $22,935
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $58,696

36. Kansas

# of households with Social Security: 356,641
% of households with Social Security: 30.7%
Average Social Security income: $24,581
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $52,786

37. Massachusetts

# of households with Social Security: 822,955
% of households with Social Security: 29.8%
Average Social Security income: $23,593
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $59,811

38. Virginia

# of households with Social Security: 987,821
% of households with Social Security: 29.7%
Average Social Security income: $24,256
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $62,888

39. Minnesota

# of households with Social Security: 677,328
% of households with Social Security: 29.7%
Average Social Security income: $25,048
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $55,845

40. Georgia

# of households with Social Security: 1,170,920
% of households with Social Security: 29.2%
Average Social Security income: $22,934
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $54,503

Today’s Top Offers

41. Nebraska

# of households with Social Security: 228,930
% of households with Social Security: 29.1%
Average Social Security income: $24,210
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $52,115

42. Illinois

# of households with Social Security: 1,453,430
% of households with Social Security: 29.1%
Average Social Security income: $23,429
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $59,360

43. Washington

# of households with Social Security: 876,259
% of households with Social Security: 29%
Average Social Security income: $25,031
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $59,771

44. Maryland

# of households with Social Security: 662,592
% of households with Social Security: 28.3%
Average Social Security income: $24,201
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $65,387

45. California

# of households with Social Security: 3,779,490
% of households with Social Security: 28.1%
Average Social Security income: $23,022
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $62,843

46. North Dakota

# of households with Social Security: 89,908
% of households with Social Security: 27.7%
Average Social Security income: $22,853
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $51,180

47. Colorado

# of households with Social Security: 592,740
% of households with Social Security: 25.5%
Average Social Security income: $23,887
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $61,460

48. Texas

# of households with Social Security: 2,720,364
% of households with Social Security: 25.3%
Average Social Security income: $22,536
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $54,424

49. Alaska

# of households with Social Security: 67,621
% of households with Social Security: 25.2%
Average Social Security income: $21,286
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $65,008

50. Utah

# of households with Social Security: 261,238
% of households with Social Security: 23.9%
Average Social Security income: $25,269
Total income from retirement and Social Security income: $58,416

Methodology: For this study, GOBankingRates analyzed states to find out where retirees depend on Social Security benefits the most. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. All data was collected on and is up to date as of April 3, 2025.

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