Over 50 million retired workers across the country are cashing in Social Security checks — but, depending on where they’re spending their golden years, some might deposit higher monthly payments than their fellow retirees.
Recipients in states across the East Coast, for instance, receive higher median monthly payments than their peers in some Southern states — although they may end up paying some of that back in taxes. Even so, recipients in New Jersey and Connecticut are the most likely to be cashing in heftier checks, according to 2024 data collected in the Social Security Administration’s 2025 Annual Statistical Supplement.
Retirees in New Jersey receive a median $2,172 monthly, the highest across states; compare that to $1,726 in Louisiana and Mississippi, the states where recipients see the lowest median payments. As of November 2025, retired workers nationally were receiving an average monthly benefit of around $1,960, according to the Social Security Administration. They’re also slated to see their benefits increase further in the new year, as a 2.8% cost-of-living increase kicks in. For retirees in states like Connecticut and New Jersey, that might be a larger boon.
Of course, monthly payments don’t paint the whole picture of retirees’ finances. Many rely on Social Security as their main source of income, or simultaneously find themselves working well into retirement to stay afloat. And the cost of essentials — which are still being weighed down by inflation — can make a big dent in how far monthly checks stretch.
The AARP conducted its own analysis of the University of Massachusetts Boston’s Elder Index, which tracks how much older adults need to comfortably survive while accounting for things like food, housing, healthcare, and location. Per that analysis, Social Security benefits fall short of covering older Americans’ basic expenses in every state, but they stretch the furthest in states like Indiana, West Virginia, and Alabama. While New Jerseyians receive an average of $2,190 monthly, AARP found the monthly basic expenses for a retired worker who owns their home and still has a mortgage come in at $4,149.
Do you rely on Social Security, or are you struggling to get by while receiving checks? Contact this reporter at [email protected].
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