The states where people get the most money from Social Security, ranked

retired couple
Social Security retirement benefits are essential for many retirees in the US. Flickr/jennie-o
  • Social Security retirement benefits average about $1,400 a month across the US.
  • Florida has a lot of retired people — over 3 million — but the average Social Security check in the sunshine state is lower than the national average.
  • Delaware, Connecticut, and New Jersey are the only states where the average Social Security retirement benefit is above $1,500.
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Millions of Americans rely on Social Security retirement benefits.

Data released by the Social Security Administration in April revealed that throughout the US, over 42 million retirees receive Social Security checks totaling $59.6 billion every month. That averages out to a monthly payment of about $1,400 per person.

But not everyone takes home the same amount in Social Security benefits. In 24 states, the average retiree receives a monthly Social Security check worth less than $1,400. Three states have an average Social Security retirement benefit above $1,500, but none surpass $1,600. 

The differences between some states are stark. For instance, Montana has about 15,000 more retirees than Delaware, but Delaware's total Social Security retirement benefits exceed Montana's by about $7 million. The average retiree gets roughly $125 more each month in Delaware than in Montana. Delaware has the third highest average Social Security retirement benefit amount, while Montana is in the bottom five states.

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Below, see the average Social Security retirement benefit in every state and Washington DC, ranked from the lowest to the highest.

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51. Louisiana

louisiana us route 65
Geotab / Henryk Sadura / Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,311.72

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $687,058,000

Number of retirees: 523,785

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50. Maine

Midcoast Maine
BW Folsom / Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,314.22

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $298,898,000

Number of retirees: 227,434

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49. Mississippi

Mississippi
CrackerClips Stock Media/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,319.06

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $534,016,000

Number of retirees: 404,846

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48. New Mexico

cabazon peak new mexico
Cabezon Peak, near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Flickr / John Fowler

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,323.16

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $379,272,000

Number of retirees: 286,641

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47. Montana

Glacier National Park Montana
Lance Fisher/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,331.30

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $220,407,000

Number of retirees: 165,558

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46. Arkansas

little rock arkansas
Jonathannsegal/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,333.93

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $572,567,000

Number of retirees: 429,232

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45. South Dakota

Badlands South Dakota
Wikimedia

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,336.28

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $171,864,000

Number of retirees: 128,614

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44. Kentucky

Louisville Kentucky
Jillian Cain/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,340.30

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $781,117,000

Number of retirees: 582,792

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43. Washington, DC

Washington DC
Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,342.98

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $75,195,000

Number of retirees: 55,991

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42. Alaska

alaska state route
Geotab / FloridaStock / Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,343.39

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $91,993,000

Number of retirees: 68,478

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41. North Dakota

painted canyon north dakota
Svetlana Foote/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,344.48

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $125,553,000

Number of retirees: 93,384

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40. Oklahoma

Oklahoma City
Henryk Sadura/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,368.52

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $697,731,000

Number of retirees: 509,843

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39. Idaho

idaho
Loren Kerns / Getty Images

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,370.97

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $324,297,000

Number of retirees: 236,546

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38. Texas

Dallas Texas
f11photo/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,375.08

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $3,744,490,000

Number of retirees: 2,723,111

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37. California

Vineyard California
Carolin Sunshine/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,377.54

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $5,756,641,000

Number of retirees: 4,178,940

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36. Nevada

Las Vegas Nevada
f11photo/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,378.14

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $524,556,000

Number of retirees: 380,627

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35. Alabama

Alabama
Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,379.92

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $298,898,000

Number of retirees: 227,434

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34. Georgia

Atlanta Georgia
ESB Professional/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,382.27

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $1,657,080,000

Number of retirees: 1,198,814

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33. Missouri

brentwood missouri
Flickr/Savage Freedom

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,384.10

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $1,180,196,000

Number of retirees: 852,684

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32. West Virginia

Harper's Ferry West Virginia
Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Shutterstock/Jon Bilous

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,384.50

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $387,400,000

Number of retirees: 279,813

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31. Ohio

columbus ohio
f11photo/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,385.60

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $2,141,095,000

Number of retirees: 1,545,251

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30. Hawaii

Na Pali coast Kauai hawaii travel cheap flights
maximkabb/iStock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,391.79

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $286,915,000

Number of retirees: 206,148

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29. Tennessee

chattanooga tennessee
Jeff Gunn/Flickr

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,393.61

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $1,304,601,000

Number of retirees: 936,131

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28. Florida

Little Haiti — Miami, Florida
Marc Averette/ Wikimedia Commons

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,395.31

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $4,584,847,000

Number of retirees: 3,285,889

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27. North Carolina

asheville north carolina
Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,404.91

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $2,006,817,000

Number of retirees: 1,428,433

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26. Oregon

mount hood oregon
Shutterstock/Josemaria Toscano

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,406.20

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $870,663,000

Number of retirees: 619,159

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25. Nebraska

omaha nebraska
Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,406.96

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $342,240,000

Number of retirees: 243,248

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24. Colorado

Colorado Mountain
Matt Grimaldi/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,407.59

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $864,527,000

Number of retirees: 614,191

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23. Iowa

Davenport Iowa
Downtown Davenport, Iowa/Facebook

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,408.79

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $646,782,000

Number of retirees: 459,104

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22. South Carolina

Columbia south carolina
Akhenaton06/Wikimedia Commons

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,416.91

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $1,084,791,000

Number of retirees: 765,602

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21. Vermont

Quechee Gorge, Vermont
Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,419.44

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $145,855,000

Number of retirees: 102,755

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20. Wyoming

Jackson Wyoming Jackson Hole Mountain
JMcQ/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,426.58

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $112,941,000

Number of retirees: 79,169

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19. Rhode Island

Newport Rhode Island
James Kirkikis/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,430.63

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $218,741,000

Number of retirees: 152,898

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18. Arizona

arizona us route 160
Geotab / Gnaphron / Flickr

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,432.72

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $1,364,812,000

Number of retirees: 952,601

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17. Illinois

Chicago Illinois
Lucky-photographer/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,434.34

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $2,230,232,000

Number of retirees: 1,554,889

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16. Utah

Utah Salt Lake City
f11photo/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,437.30

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $393,114,000

Number of retirees: 273,509

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15. Wisconsin

Milwaukee Wisconsin
Rudy Balasko/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,443.26

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $1,255,634,000

Number of retirees: 869,996

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14. Virginia

Richmond, Virginia
Xavier Ascanio / Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,444.06

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $1,507,902,000

Number of retirees: 1,044,208

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13. Massachusetts

Massachusetts
Joe Bilous/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,444.36

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $1,237,920,000

Number of retirees: 857,073

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12. Kansas

Kansas sunflower
TommyBrison/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $$1,450.99

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $552,283,000

Number of retirees: 380,624

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11. Pennsylvania

philadelphia pennsylvania
Philadelphia in 2016. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,454.99

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $2,797,604,000

Number of retirees: 1,922,759

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10. Minnesota

Carlson Towers Minnetonka Minnesota
nikitsin.smugmug.com/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,314.22

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $1,076,049,000

Number of retirees: 738,425

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9. New York

subway new york city
pio3/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,458.19

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $3,634,258,000

Number of retirees: 2,492,314

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8. Indiana

Indianapolis Indiana Circle
Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,464.61

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $1,315,383,000

Number of retirees: 898,109

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7. Washington

seattle washington skyline
emperorcosar/Shutterstock.com

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,472.50

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $1,378,527,000

Number of retirees: 936,179

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6. Maryland

oceancity maryland
m01229/Flickr

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,482.87

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $1,038,224,000

Number of retirees: 700,145

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5. Michigan

Michigan windmill
Craig Sterken/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,493.77

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $2,183,277,000

Number of retirees: 1,461,584

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4. New Hampshire

Kancamagus highway new hampshire
Wikimedia Commons

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,498.01

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $310,068,000

Number of retirees: 206,986

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3. Delaware

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Flickr/rpongsaj

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,517.11

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $227,384,000

Number of retirees: 149,880

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2. Connecticut

Downtown Stamford, Connecticut
Flickr/Daniel Torres Bonatto

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,546.67

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $760,385,000

Number of retirees: 491,627

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1. New Jersey

Hudson New Jersey
f11photo/Shutterstock

Average Social Security retirement benefit: $1,553.63

Total Social Security retirement benefits: $1,801,850,000

Number of retirees: 1,159,770

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