Yahoo Finance What the Average Social Security Check Would Be in Every State With the Most Recent COLA Estimates
Almost every year, Social Security checks increase due to inflation. That increase, known as the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), is set by the Social Security Administration by calculating the annual percentage increase, if any, of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) in the third quarter of a given year.
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This year, the CPI-W from July-September 2024 vs. Q3 2023 will determine the COLA increase. But with inflation decelerating, the increase might not be that much this year.
Two years ago, the COLA was set at 8.7%, and last year it came in at 3.2%. Now, The Senior Citizens League is projecting that the COLA will be 2.63%, meaning that Social Security checks in 2025 would go up by that percentage.
While the exact COLA depends on what inflation ends up being for Q3 2024, the estimates below reflect what the average Social Security check could look like if the 2.63% projection comes to fruition.
Estimated Average Social Security Check in 2025 by State
In 2025, the average Social Security check — blending retirement, survivors, and disability benefits — in each state, plus Washington, D.C., is projected to be the following. Keep in mind that benefits and COLA increases are not determined based on what state you live in, but the averages differ, considering factors like the work history of residents.
Also note that the calculations reflect the most recent state-level data from the Social Security Administration from 2022, with COLAs for the past two years plus the 2.63% projection added on.
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Alabama — Florida
Alabama: $1,861
Alaska: $1,884
Arizona: $2,015
Arkansas: $1,800
California: $1,922
Colorado: $2,024
Connecticut: $2,169
Delaware: $2,159
District of Columbia: $1,913
Florida: $1,960
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Georgia — Maine
Georgia: $1,896
Hawaii: $1,990
Idaho: $1,936
Illinois: $1,991
Indiana: $2,000
Iowa: $1,975
Kansas: $2,019
Kentucky: $1,808
Louisiana: $1,764
Maine: $1,851
Maryland — New Hampshire
Maryland: $2,100
Massachusetts: $2,030
Michigan: $2,032
Minnesota: $2070
Mississippi: $1,766
Missouri: $1,902
Montana: $1,885
Nebraska: $1,978
Nevada: $1,932
New Hampshire: $2,122
New Jersey — Rhode Island
New Jersey: $2,171
New Mexico: $1,830
New York: $1,998
North Carolina: $1,955
North Dakota: $1,911
Ohio: $1,894
Oklahoma: $1,878
Oregon: $1,986
Pennsylvania: $2,020
Rhode Island: $2,002
South Carolina — Wyoming
South Carolina: $1,972
South Dakota: $1,908
Tennessee: $1,909
Texas: $1,891
Utah: $2,017
Vermont: $1,989
Virginia: $2,023
Washington: $2,077
West Virginia: $1,843
Wisconsin: $2,019
Wyoming: $2,021
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COLA Increases Might Not Be Enough
As these averages show, relying on Social Security alone can make it hard to cover all of your bills. Even with COLA increases, that doesn’t always mean that retirees’ and others who rely on Social Security can keep up with the rising cost of living. That’s because the COLA sometimes comes in below the annual inflation rate, and depending on what you’re buying, you might find that some items are increasing in price faster than average.
As an analysis by The Senior Citizens League finds, Social Security retirement benefit recipients have lost 20% of their buying power since 2010. So, even though Social Security checks might increase a bit in 2025, you might need to find other sources of income or cut back on expenses to keep up.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: What the Average Social Security Check Would Be in Every State With the Most Recent COLA Estimates
