Nearly 75 million Americans depend on Social Security payments to make ends meet — and often times, Social Security benefits are their only form of income.

The Social Security Administration’s latest Annual Statistical Supplement report, which details benefits paid in 2024, reveals that payments vary widely depending on where beneficiaries live.

The data shows that some states receive hundreds of dollars more per month than others.

Nationally, average monthly payments range from less than $1,820 in some Southern states to more than $2,190 in parts of the Northeast.

The report does not yet include the 2025 Cost of Living Adjustment.

Below is a list of the top 10 states with the highest average monthly Social Security benefits:

  1. Connecticut – $2,196.15
  2. New Jersey – $2,190.05
  3. New Hampshire – $2,183.82
  4. Delaware- $2,170.63
  5. Maryland – $2,139.54
  6. Washington – $2,099.38
  7. Minnesota – $2,095.13
  8. Massachusetts – $2,084.32
  9. Michigan – $2,066.03
  10. Utah – $2,065.18

States with the lowest average monthly benefits are:

  1. Mississippi – $1,814.24
  2. Louisiana – $1,818.40
  3. Arkansas – $1,852.07
  4. New Mexico – $1,865.12
  5. Kentucky – $1,865.76
  6. Montana – $1886.95
  7. Maine – $1,888.67
  8. West Virginia – $1,898.05
  9. Nevada – $1,906.36
  10. Alaska – $1,906.99

Every year the Social Security Administration calculates how inflation affects the cost of living and then adjusts benefits for the near 75 million Americans depending on those benefits to survive.

According to the Social Security Administration, the actual COLA increase is determined by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from July to September of the calendar year.

In 2026, the COLA increase is up 2.8%.

“On average, Social Security retirement benefits will increase by about $56 per month starting in January,” the agency announced.

SSA Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said the increase is a “promise kept, and the annual cost-of-living adjustment is one way we are working to make sure benefits reflect today’s economic realities and continue to provide a foundation of security.”

However, advocates argue the COLA increases hardly keep up with inflation, and are largely offset by rising healthcare costs.

The standard premium for Medicare Part B will rise from $185 per month to $202.90 — nearly $18, in 2026.

But the Part B deductible, which is what you pay before benefits kick in, will also increase by $26.

Medicare premiums are typically deducted automatically from Social Security checks, which means the majority of the extra money from COLA will be largely offset by increased health care costs.

In fact, experts suggest that the bump many expect in their “take‑home” after deductions could be much smaller — or even zero, depending on income and circumstances.