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Monthly Statistical Snapshot, December 2017

(released January 2018)

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Table of Contents

Table 1. Number of people receiving Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or both, December 2017 (in thousands)
Type of beneficiary Total Social Security only SSI only Both Social Security and SSI
All beneficiaries 66,983 58,755 5,489 2,739
Aged 65 or older 46,714 44,474 987 1,253
Disabled, under age 65 a 13,871 7,883 4,502 1,486
Other b 6,398 6,398 . . . . . .
SOURCES: Social Security Administration, Master Beneficiary Record and Supplemental Security Record, 100 percent data.
NOTES: Social Security beneficiaries who are entitled to a primary and a secondary benefit (dual entitlement) are counted only once in this table. SSI counts include recipients of federal SSI, federally administered state supplementation, or both.
. . . = not applicable.
a. Includes children receiving SSI based on their own disability.
b. Social Security beneficiaries who are neither aged nor disabled (for example, early retirees, young survivors).
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.

For detailed annual and time series program data, see our Annual Statistical Supplement.

Table 2. Social Security benefits, December 2017
Type of beneficiary Beneficiaries Total monthly benefits (millions of dollars) Average monthly benefit (dollars)
Number (thousands) Percent
Total 61,903 100.0 79,733 1,288.02
Old-Age and Survivors Insurance 51,492 83.2 68,700 1,334.19
Retirement benefits 45,498 73.5 61,797 1,358.24
Retired workers 42,447 68.6 59,602 1,404.15
Spouses of retired workers 2,376 3.8 1,739 732.13
Children of retired workers 675 1.1 456 674.56
Survivor benefits 5,994 9.7 6,904 1,151.71
Children of deceased workers 1,904 3.1 1,633 857.59
Widowed mothers and fathers 128 0.2 125 975.34
Nondisabled widow(er)s 3,703 6.0 4,956 1,338.48
Disabled widow(er)s 258 0.4 188 729.44
Parents of deceased workers 1 (L) 1 1,186.43
Disability Insurance 10,411 16.8 11,032 1,059.63
Disabled workers 8,695 14.0 10,407 1,196.87
Spouses of disabled workers 126 0.2 42 335.42
Children of disabled workers 1,590 2.6 582 366.40
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Master Beneficiary Record, 100 percent data.
NOTE: (L) = less than 0.05 percent.
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.

For more detailed monthly OASDI information, visit the Actuary's website for Beneficiary Data.

Table 3. Supplemental Security Income recipients, December 2017
Age Recipients Total payments a (millions of dollars) Average monthly payment b (dollars)
Number (thousands) Percent
All recipients 8,228 100.0 4,754 541.63
Under 18 1,183 14.4 811 647.48
18–64 4,805 58.4 2,960 564.34
65 or older 2,240 27.2 984 437.37
SOURCE: Social Security Administration, Supplemental Security Record, 100 percent data.
a. Includes retroactive payments.
b. Excludes retroactive payments.
CONTACT: (410) 965-0090 or statistics@ssa.gov.

For more detailed monthly SSI information, see SSI Monthly Statistics.