See How Social Security Benefits Differ in Your State Versus the National Average

The average retired worker received $2,012 in monthly Social Security benefits in 2025.
Retirees in Connecticut have the highest monthly Social Security checks, averaging $2,196, while those in Mississippi have the lowest at $1,814.

About 75 million Americans collect Social Security, averaging just over $2,000 each in benefits. The bulk of these Americans are retirees. The amount you get is largely based on your work history and age when you first claimed benefits.

This year, recipients received a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment, which should bump up these average figures.

Your location doesn’t directly affect your benefit amount, but average payments vary by state, largely because of income differences. The bigger question: Are these benefits enough to support retirement anywhere?

The states with the highest monthly Social Security benefits check for retired workers are all in the Northeast or mid-Atlantic:

Connecticut: $2,196
Delaware: $2,171
Maryland: $2,140
New Jersey: $2,190
New Hampshire: $2,184

All of these states have above-average household incomes, as well as above-average costs of living.

For example, Connecticut’s average Social Security payment for a retiree is only $221 more per month than the national average. Looking at the average rent alone, the average in Connecticut ($2,121), which is $384 more than the national average, consumes almost the entire average Social Security benefit in the state.

Other notable states that have very high costs of living but relatively low Social Security benefits include New York, which ranks 21st with an average benefit of $2,018, and California, which ranks 34th with an average benefit of $1,935.

Even for couples combining checks, additional costs like utilities, groceries, and health care can be hard to manage.

States with the biggest checks are often the hardest places to retire, thanks to higher costs of living that the extra amount in Social Security doesn’t come close to covering.

The states with the lowest average monthly Social Security benefits include the following:

Arkansas: $1,852
Louisiana: $1,818
Mississippi: $1,814
Kentucky: $1,866
New Mexico: $1,865

All five states have below-average household incomes, but they also have below-average costs of living.

For example, the average Social Security benefit for retired workers in Mississippi is only $198 below the national average, while the average rent is $1,305, about $432 below the national average. In other words, your Social Security check here goes much further proportionally than it does in high-cost states like Connecticut.