Disclaimer: General educational research only — not legal, tax or benefits advice. Social Security rules are set by federal law; check ssa.gov or call SSA about your situation.
Estate Planning Data & Research → Social Security’s Share of Every State’s Income
Every October, the Social Security Administration announces the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for the coming year. The 2027 COLA is expected on Oct. 14, 2026, after the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases September inflation data.
The official 2027 COLA has not been announced. As of Oct. 8, 2026, SSA’s COLA page still lists the 2026 adjustment of 2.8% and does not show a 2027 figure. SSA is expected to announce the 2027 COLA on Oct. 14, 2026, after the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases September inflation data. This page will be updated when that figure is published.
The COLA is national news, but its local effect depends on how much each state’s economy runs on Social Security checks. We used the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s new 2025 state income data to measure that for all 50 states and D.C. Then we added Census data on how many households get Social Security income.
There’s also a family-planning angle that rarely makes the COLA stories. When a married beneficiary dies, the household usually loses a check. Social Security doesn’t follow your will.
If your household relies on two Social Security checks, the plan for the first death matters as much as the plan for the second. See whether you need a will, a living trust or both.
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Cite this page URL when reusing findings. Not a substitute for official sources or professional advice.
Key findings
- Social Security paid $1.570 trillion in benefits in 2025, 5.96% of all personal income in the U.S. That’s up from 5.19% in 2021.
- West Virginia depends on it most. Social Security was 10.3% of West Virginians’ total personal income in 2025, followed by Mississippi (9.2%), Delaware (8.8%), South Carolina (8.6%) and Alabama (8.6%).
- The share is lowest in D.C. (2.4%), then California (4.2%), Alaska (4.6%), Utah (4.6%) and Colorado (4.7%).
- In 27 states, Social Security tops 7% of personal income.
- 31.6% of U.S. households received Social Security income in the 2024 American Community Survey (±0.1). The share is highest in West Virginia at 40.6% (±0.6), then Hawaii, Maine and Delaware (38.3% to 38.7%).
- Benefits grew 8.4% from 2024 to 2025 nationally. That year includes the 2.5% COLA for 2025 and the Social Security Fairness Act, signed Jan. 5, 2025. SSA says it paid more than $17 billion in retroactive benefits under that law by July 2025.
- California, Florida and Texas lead in dollars: $150.8 billion, $119.8 billion and $110.3 billion in benefits.
- Add Medicare and it’s more than 10%. Social Security plus Medicare benefits came to 10.5% of U.S. personal income in 2025.
State-by-state table
Benefits and personal income are 2025 BEA estimates (released 2026). “Per resident” divides benefits by BEA’s 2025 population for all residents, not only beneficiaries. Household share is from the 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (latest available); MOE = 90% margin of error.
| State | Social Security benefits, 2025 | Share of personal income | Per resident | Households with Social Security income (±MOE) | Growth in benefits, 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $26.6B | 8.6% | $5,116 | 34.8% (±0.4) | +35.1% |
| Alaska | $2.7B | 4.6% | $3,684 | 26.5% (±0.8) | +48.4% |
| Arizona | $36.7B | 7.0% | $4,810 | 34.2% (±0.3) | +42.1% |
| Arkansas | $15.6B | 8.1% | $5,022 | 34.8% (±0.5) | +35.4% |
| California | $150.8B | 4.2% | $3,833 | 28.8% (±0.2) | +42.9% |
| Colorado | $24.3B | 4.7% | $4,037 | 26.0% (±0.3) | +47.5% |
| Connecticut | $19.2B | 5.1% | $5,194 | 32.5% (±0.4) | +42.8% |
| Delaware | $6.4B | 8.8% | $6,043 | 38.3% (±0.8) | +48.1% |
| District of Columbia | $2.0B | 2.4% | $2,874 | 16.7% (±0.8) | +41.6% |
| Florida | $119.8B | 6.5% | $5,106 | 36.6% (±0.2) | +40.9% |
| Georgia | $46.0B | 6.2% | $4,071 | 29.6% (±0.2) | +41.1% |
| Hawaii | $7.1B | 6.5% | $4,970 | 38.7% (±0.8) | +42.6% |
| Idaho | $9.4B | 7.2% | $4,646 | 32.8% (±0.5) | +46.6% |
| Illinois | $56.5B | 5.6% | $4,442 | 29.7% (±0.2) | +39.2% |
| Indiana | $34.4B | 7.4% | $4,933 | 32.1% (±0.3) | +37.8% |
| Iowa | $16.4B | 7.5% | $5,078 | 31.5% (±0.4) | +40.2% |
| Kansas | $14.4B | 7.0% | $4,842 | 30.9% (±0.5) | +40.2% |
| Kentucky | $22.7B | 8.1% | $4,917 | 34.4% (±0.4) | +36.2% |
| Louisiana | $20.8B | 7.0% | $4,508 | 32.6% (±0.4) | +38.6% |
| Maine | $8.4B | 8.3% | $5,940 | 38.4% (±0.6) | +43.1% |
| Maryland | $27.7B | 5.4% | $4,426 | 29.1% (±0.4) | +43.9% |
| Massachusetts | $33.3B | 4.7% | $4,657 | 30.8% (±0.4) | +43.1% |
| Michigan | $56.3B | 8.3% | $5,561 | 35.3% (±0.2) | +36.8% |
| Minnesota | $28.4B | 6.2% | $4,872 | 30.4% (±0.3) | +44.7% |
| Mississippi | $14.8B | 9.2% | $5,005 | 35.5% (±0.5) | +34.7% |
| Missouri | $31.4B | 7.2% | $5,015 | 33.0% (±0.3) | +38.7% |
| Montana | $5.9B | 7.2% | $5,186 | 35.5% (±0.7) | +43.6% |
| Nebraska | $8.9B | 5.8% | $4,430 | 29.8% (±0.5) | +41.8% |
| Nevada | $14.0B | 5.8% | $4,264 | 31.3% (±0.6) | +42.5% |
| New Hampshire | $8.8B | 7.0% | $6,191 | 35.7% (±0.7) | +46.9% |
| New Jersey | $44.7B | 5.2% | $4,687 | 32.2% (±0.3) | +40.2% |
| New Mexico | $10.4B | 7.9% | $4,899 | 35.7% (±0.7) | +39.9% |
| New York | $90.4B | 4.9% | $4,521 | 32.5% (±0.2) | +37.3% |
| North Carolina | $54.1B | 7.1% | $4,834 | 31.7% (±0.2) | +41.6% |
| North Dakota | $3.4B | 5.5% | $4,297 | 28.0% (±0.8) | +44.2% |
| Ohio | $57.7B | 7.2% | $4,850 | 32.4% (±0.2) | +39.9% |
| Oklahoma | $19.2B | 7.0% | $4,652 | 31.3% (±0.3) | +39.1% |
| Oregon | $22.2B | 7.1% | $5,189 | 33.2% (±0.4) | +38.6% |
| Pennsylvania | $71.6B | 7.3% | $5,483 | 35.3% (±0.2) | +37.7% |
| Rhode Island | $5.8B | 6.9% | $5,183 | 34.9% (±0.8) | +41.2% |
| South Carolina | $30.5B | 8.6% | $5,479 | 35.2% (±0.3) | +43.6% |
| South Dakota | $4.6B | 6.2% | $4,880 | 30.7% (±0.7) | +44.2% |
| Tennessee | $35.7B | 7.0% | $4,880 | 32.3% (±0.4) | +38.7% |
| Texas | $110.3B | 4.8% | $3,480 | 25.8% (±0.2) | +45.5% |
| Utah | $11.5B | 4.6% | $3,247 | 24.1% (±0.4) | +47.4% |
| Vermont | $3.9B | 8.0% | $6,047 | 36.6% (±0.9) | +41.7% |
| Virginia | $41.0B | 5.7% | $4,614 | 30.3% (±0.3) | +43.0% |
| Washington | $36.7B | 5.2% | $4,592 | 28.9% (±0.3) | +42.1% |
| West Virginia | $10.6B | 10.3% | $5,991 | 40.6% (±0.6) | +31.0% |
| Wisconsin | $32.5B | 7.7% | $5,450 | 33.1% (±0.3) | +41.5% |
| Wyoming | $3.1B | 5.8% | $5,296 | 33.5% (±1.0) | +44.8% |
Why the numbers differ from state to state
Age. States with older populations, like Maine, Vermont, Delaware and West Virginia, have more retirees drawing benefits.
Income levels. The share is a ratio. In a high-income place like D.C. or Massachusetts, even large benefit totals are a small slice of total income. In lower-income states, the same check is a bigger slice of the economy.
Disability and survivor benefits. BEA’s line includes retirement, survivor and disability benefits, so the share reflects more than retirees.
Retirement migration. Florida gets the second-largest dollar total, but its share (6.5%) is moderate because its overall income is also large.
We don’t compare benefits with the cost of living or rank states as “better” or “worse.” The table shows how much of each state’s income comes from these payments.
The part of Social Security your will can’t touch
Social Security benefits are paid under federal law to the people the law names, no matter what a will or trust says. Here’s what families typically run into:
- A two-check household usually becomes a one-check household. A surviving spouse who qualifies for survivor benefits and their own retirement benefit doesn’t get both. SSA says, “The payments won’t be added together.” The survivor gets the higher one.
- The month-of-death payment goes back. SSA can’t pay benefits for the month a beneficiary dies. If the person dies in July, the payment that arrives in August (which is July’s benefit) must be returned.
- The death benefit is $255. The one-time lump-sum death payment goes to a surviving spouse or certain children, not to the estate.
- Unpaid benefits follow a federal order. If benefits were owed but unpaid at death, the Social Security Act sets who gets them (42 U.S.C. 404(d)). It starts with a surviving spouse, then children and parents entitled on the same record. The estate’s legal representative is last.
For a retired couple, the first death can cut the household’s Social Security income by a third or more, depending on the two benefit amounts. Meanwhile, rent, property taxes and utilities stay about the same. That’s why survivor planning matters so much in states where Social Security is a big share of income.
What this means for your family
The money that does follow your plan is everything else: your home, bank accounts, retirement accounts and life insurance. Three steps help a surviving spouse:
- Make sure the survivor can reach cash quickly. Joint accounts, payable-on-death designations or a funded living trust avoid a freeze while an estate is opened. See money that skips the will.
- Plan for the house. If the household can’t afford it on one check, the will or trust should make it easy to sell or transfer. See avoiding probate.
- Name a backup. If both spouses die, a will names who handles everything and who inherits.
Related: Home care cost vs. retirement income, by state · Older adults living alone · Life events that outdate a will
Related research: children getting survivor benefits by state shows how many children receive Social Security after a parent dies, per 1,000 residents under 18.
Methodology
Benefits. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts, table SAINC35 (Personal current transfer receipts), line 2110 “Social Security benefits” (old-age, survivors and disability insurance), thousands of dollars, 2021–2025. Medicare is line 2210. Pulled from the BEA API on Oct. 8, 2026.
Personal income and population. BEA table SAINC1, line 1 (personal income, millions of dollars) and line 2 (population). BEA’s state figures are by place of residence. 2025 values are the latest annual estimates and may be revised.
Households. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, table B19055 (Social Security income in the past 12 months for households). Share = households with Social Security income ÷ all households. We derived MOEs with the Census Bureau’s formula for proportions.
Social Security rules. SSA survivor benefit pages and publications. The Social Security Act’s order of payment for underpayments at death is 42 U.S.C. 404(d), as described in SSA’s POMS.
What this doesn’t measure. BEA dollars are benefits paid, not the number of beneficiaries. SSA’s beneficiaries-by-state files weren’t reachable from our data server, so we didn’t use them. Benefits paid to residents of Puerto Rico and abroad aren’t in the state rows.
Frequently asked questions
What share of U.S. income is Social Security?
5.96% of all personal income in 2025, or $1.570 trillion, per BEA.
Which state relies most on Social Security?
West Virginia, where benefits were 10.3% of personal income in 2025 and 40.6% of households received Social Security income in 2024.
Can I leave my Social Security benefits to my children in my will?
No. Monthly benefits end at death. Eligible family members may get survivor benefits based on your work record, but federal law decides who qualifies, not your will.
What happens to Social Security when a spouse dies?
The surviving spouse can generally switch to a survivor benefit if it’s higher than their own, but they won’t get both. SSA also pays a one-time $255 death payment to an eligible spouse or child.
When is the 2027 COLA announced?
It’s expected on Oct. 14, 2026, after the September Consumer Price Index release. It applies to benefits paid starting in January 2027.
Sources
U.S. government public-domain data and official agency pages only.
Data (pulled 2026-10-08)
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional data, SAINC35 Personal current transfer receipts — line 2110 Social Security benefits; 2210 Medicare; 2221 Medicaid; 2500 Veterans’ benefits; 1000 total transfers; 2100/2120 retirement & disability subtotals. API: https://apps.bea.gov/api/data/?method=GetData&datasetname=Regional&TableName=SAINC35&LineCode=2110&GeoFips=STATE&Year=2021,…,2025 .
- BEA SAINC1 — line 1 Personal income (millions $), line 2 Population.
- BEA interactive tables (for readers): https://apps.bea.gov/itable/?ReqID=70
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year, B19055 (Social Security income in the past 12 months for households) and B01001 (age, for 65+ denominator in CSV): https://api.census.gov/data/2024/acs/acs1 .
Rules and context (checked 2026-10-08)
- SSA, What you could get from Survivor benefits (“The payments won’t be added together”; $255 lump sum): https://www.ssa.gov/survivor/amount
- SSA, Who can get Survivor benefits: https://www.ssa.gov/survivor/eligibility
- SSA publication EN-05-10008, How Social Security Can Help You When a Family Member Dies (month-of-death benefit must be returned): https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10008.pdf
- SSA publication EN-05-10077 (month-of-death example): https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10077.pdf
- SSA POMS NL 00711.115 (order of priority for underpayments; 42 U.S.C. 404(d)): https://secure.ssa.gov/POMS.nsf/lnx/0900711115
- SSA, Social Security Fairness Act page (3.1 million payments totaling $17 billion as of July 7, 2025): https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/social-security-fairness-act.html
- 2025 COLA 2.5%: https://www.ssa.gov/cola/
- 2027 COLA timing (Oct 14, 2026 after BLS September CPI): BLS release schedule https://www.bls.gov/schedule/news_release/cpi.htm ; news context USA Today 2026-08-25 https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personal-finance/retirement/2026/08/25/social-security-cola-2027-announcement-date/91454199007/
Cite this data
Family Estate Guide, “How Much of Your State’s Income Is Social Security? A 50-State Look for COLA Season,” October 2026. https://familyestateguide.com/estate-planning-data/social-security-share-of-state-income/
You’re welcome to reuse the table or map with a link back to this page. BEA and Census data are public domain.
Published October 8, 2026 by Family Estate Guide. Data vintage: BEA state personal income and transfer receipts for 2025 (pulled Oct. 8, 2026); ACS 2024 1-year estimates. Editorial standards.