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Monthly Statistical Snapshot, December 2020

(released January 2021)

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Table of Contents

Table 1. Number of people receiving Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or both, December 2020 (in thousands)
Type of beneficiary Total Social Security only SSI only Both Social Security and SSI
All beneficiaries 69,768 61,808 5,319 2,641
Aged 65 or older 50,741 48,446 1,002 1,293
Disabled, under age 65 a 13,126 7,462 4,317 1,348
Other b 5,900 5,900 . . . . . .
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 2020
Type of beneficiary Beneficiaries Total monthly benefits (millions of dollars) Average monthly benefit (dollars)
Number (thousands) Percent
Total 64,851 100.0 92,197 1,421.68
Old-Age and Survivors Insurance 55,232 85.2 81,206 1,470.26
Retirement benefits 49,358 76.1 73,906 1,497.35
Retired workers 46,330 71.4 71,540 1,544.15
Spouses of retired workers 2,324 3.6 1,852 796.87
Children of retired workers 704 1.1 514 729.89
Survivor benefits 5,875 9.1 7,300 1,242.71
Children of deceased workers 1,936 3.0 1,777 917.61
Widowed mothers and fathers 115 0.2 121 1,054.04
Nondisabled widow(er)s 3,586 5.5 5,219 1,455.46
Disabled widow(er)s 237 0.4 183 770.57
Parents of deceased workers 1 (L) 1 1,299.22
Disability Insurance 9,618 14.8 10,991 1,142.68
Disabled workers 8,151 12.6 10,409 1,277.05
Spouses of disabled workers 104 0.2 37 360.51
Children of disabled workers 1,363 2.1 544 399.00
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 2020
Age Recipients Total payments a (millions of dollars) Average monthly payment b (dollars)
Number (thousands) Percent
All recipients 7,960 100.0 4,798 575.73
Under 18 1,109 13.9 782 675.47
18–64 4,556 57.2 2,939 605.75
65 or older 2,295 28.8 1,077 468.09
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.