How Much the Average Upper Class Retiree Receives in Social Security Benefits at Age 83
Written by
Jake Safane
Edited by
Amen Oyiboke
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Living on Social Security alone can be challenging for most people, with the average monthly benefit being just $1,937 for a retired worker as of 2024. However, those with higher incomes during their working years, along with those who wait until age 70 to start claiming, end up with higher Social Security benefits.
At the 90th percentile, the monthly Social Security benefit for retired workers is about $3,050. On its own, that still may not be enough to support a truly comfortable lifestyle. But for married couples or partners with similar earnings histories, the math changes quickly.
If two retirees each receive roughly $3,000 per month, that’s about $6,000 in guaranteed income before touching retirement savings. According to an Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) survey, only 3% of retirees spend $7,000 or more per month. That means a couple in this income range would only need to withdraw modestly from their savings to land among the highest-spending retirees.
Spending and benefit levels, however, tend to shift as retirees age. Here’s a closer look at what Social Security benefits and overall income might look like for an upper-class retiree at age 83.
Calculating Average Upper Class Social Security Benefits at Age 83
The Social Security Administration (SSA) shares data on average retired worker benefits by age, as well as separate data on benefit distribution at the 10th percentile, median, and 90th percentile. By combining these two datasets, we can approximate the average upper-class Social Security benefits at age 83.
First, compare the median Social Security benefit for people ages 80 to 89 — $1,939 — with the benefit received by those in the 90th percentile, which averages $2,849 per month. While this figure includes a mix of benefit types, such as spousal benefits, it is close enough to the $3,050 monthly benefit received by retired workers at the 90th percentile across all ages to serve as a reasonable proxy for high-end retirement benefits.
At that level, the 90th-percentile benefit is about 46.9% higher than the median benefit for retirees in the 80-to-89 age range, illustrating just how wide the gap can be between typical and upper-tier Social Security income later in life.
From there, we can look at separate SSA data that breaks down the average retired worker benefit by age, which shows that an 83-year-old gets about $2,006 per month. So, by applying that same 46.9% increase over the median benefit, that results in an upper-class retiree getting around $2,947 per month.
That also tracks with the $2,849 average for those in the 90th percentile from ages 80-89 in the sense that average benefits peak for those in their 70s and then decrease. So, an 83-year-old might earn a little more than this average across 80-89, since those closer to 80 would likely receive a bit more than those closer to 90. That’s not because Social Security benefits shrink with age — in fact, they increase just about every year due to cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) — but rather that average incomes have increased over time.
So, those in their 70s now claiming Social Security may have had higher salaries during their peak working years compared to those in their 80s or 90s. In other words, the later you were born, the higher your Social Security check will likely be, assuming you wait until age 70 to claim benefits, as that maximizes what Social Security pays. There’s no advantage to waiting until after age 70 to claim, however, as there’s no associated increase to your core benefit.
Making the Most of Your Social Security Benefits
Even if you’re in a higher percentile of Social Security recipients, it’s important to still carefully plan for retirement and determine how to best use this income. And consider how Social Security benefits and other aspects of retirement planning can support whatever a fulfilling life looks like for you, rather than getting too caught up in income amounts.
Research from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College has found that traditional financial measures — such as income and net worth — are surprisingly poor predictors of how satisfied older adults feel with their lives.
That doesn’t mean Social Security benefits and other retirement income are unimportant. Rather, what matters most is how those resources support a meaningful, fulfilling retirement — not just how large the numbers look on paper.
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