Ema Alice: The amount of a retiree’s Social Security payments is based on numerous factors, including that person’s previous earnings, the number of years they worked, and their age at retirement. This means that retirees, even if they’re the same age and held similar jobs, could be collecting vastly different monthly payments.
But despite these inconsistencies, the Social Security Administration still has a pretty good idea about where they generally send the biggest checks, on average.
The Social Security Administration’s latest Annual Statistical Supplement, released in 2025, outlines the total benefits that were paid out to Social Security recipients in 2024. Within the report, the SSA specifies the number of recipients and total benefits paid in each state, federal district and territory — factors they use to calculate the average monthly benefits for retired workers living in each area.
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It should be noted that the figures from the latest Annual Statistical Supplement do not take into account the 2025 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 2.5%, which was provided to Social Security recipients receiving retirement benefits.
Still, the 2024 data gives a good idea of which states’ retired residents are reaping the biggest benefits.
Which states’ residents get the biggest average Social Security checks?
Monthly benefits for retired workers were highest on average in the state of Connecticut, at $2196,15. The New England state also had a fairly high percentage of retirees receiving benefits of more than $3,000 per month (19.5%), tying with New Jersey and coming in second only to Washington, D.C. (20.8%).
Other states where the average retiree receives the biggest Social Security checks in 2024 were determined to be New Jersey ($2,190.05), New Hampshire ($2,183.82), Delaware ($2,170.63) and Maryland ($2,139.54). A complete list of the average monthly benefits provided to retirees in all 50 states and D.C. (based on 2024 data) is below:
Connecticut $2,196.15
New Jersey $2,190.05
New Hampshire $2,183.82
Delaware $2,170.63
Maryland $2,139.54
Washington $2,099.38
Minnesota $2,095.13
Massachusetts $2,084.32
Michigan $2,066.03
Utah $2,065.18
Virginia $2,063.95
Kansas $2,055.17
Pennsylvania $2,052.30
Rhode Island $2,049.82
Vermont $2,039.64
Colorado $2,036.79
Indiana $2,033.94
Wisconsin $2,027.60
Wyoming $2,023.54
Arizona $2,019.52
New York $2,018.22
Nebraska $2,010.80
Illinois $2,004.98
District of Columbia $2,000.39
South Carolina $1,996.30
Iowa $1,992.07
Oregon $1,989.74
Hawaii $1,980.89
North Carolina $1,980.01
Florida $1,961.58
Tennessee $1,958.01
Idaho $1,951.43
Missouri $1,936.50
California $1,935.16
Texas $1,932.02
North Dakota $1,928.53
Georgia $1,924.43
Ohio $1,922.91
Oklahoma $1,921.69
Alabama $1,920.20
South Dakota $1,919.29
Alaska $1,906.99
Nevada $1,906.36
West Virginia $1,898.05
Maine $1,888.67
Montana $1,886.95
Kentucky $1,865.76
New Mexico $1,865.12
Arkansas $1,852.07
Louisiana $1,818.40
Mississippi $1,814.24
Monthly benefits for retirees living in U.S. territories including American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands were lower, on average, than those provided to residents in the 50 states and D.C., ranging from around $1,100 to $1,660 in 2024.
Social Security COLA: When will my benefits increase?
While each state’s averages were fairly accurate as of last year, they have likely risen thanks to this year’s COLA increase. Other factors, too, may have caused the figures to fluctuate significantly since December 2024. For instance, the number of beneficiaries is constantly changing: In addition to deceased beneficiaries who stop receiving payments, new beneficiaries are added to the system every month. And retirement applications are currently surging, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, bringing an influx of new beneficiaries with varying work history and earnings.
The Social Security Fairness Act also went into effect this year, providing payments to retirees or recipients who were previously ineligible for full benefits. (The Social Security Administration estimated that approximately 3.2 million people became eligible for benefits in 2025 under the act.)
And, even if the Social Security Administration could somehow calculate the current average payment amount, it would have no bearing on what a particular resident of a given state should expect. In that case, it might be more helpful to use the agency’s benefits calculator for an estimate of what to expect.
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