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Monthly Statistical Snapshot, December 2021

(released January 2022)

Table of Contents

Table 1. Number of people receiving Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or both, December 2021 (in thousands)
Type of beneficiaryTotalSocial Security onlySSI onlyBoth Social Security and SSI
All beneficiaries69,96562,2705,1352,561
Aged 65 or older51,69649,4029961,298
Disabled, under age 65 a12,5557,1534,1391,263
Other b5,7145,714. . .. . .
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 2021
Type of beneficiaryBeneficiariesTotal monthly benefits (millions of dollars)Average monthly benefit (dollars)
Number (thousands)Percent
Total65,228100.099,8051,530.09
Old-Age and Survivors Insurance56,01085.988,5361,580.72
Retirement benefits50,14676.980,7701,610.69
Retired workers47,29372.578,4131,658.03
Spouses of retired workers2,1663.31,819839.80
Children of retired workers6871.1538782.25
Survivor benefits5,8649.07,7661,324.42
Children of deceased workers1,9763.01,933978.48
Widowed mothers and fathers1140.21281,126.49
Nondisabled widow(er)s3,5495.45,5201,555.33
Disabled widow(er)s2240.3183817.88
Parents of deceased workers1(L)11,392.55
Disability Insurance9,21814.111,2691,222.45
Disabled workers7,87712.110,6991,358.30
Spouses of disabled workers960.136377.63
Children of disabled workers1,2451.9533428.04
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 2021
AgeRecipientsTotal payments a (millions of dollars)Average monthly payment b (dollars)
Number (thousands)Percent
All recipients7,696100.04,703584.11
Under 181,03813.5749687.17
18–644,36456.72,859617.16
65 or older2,29429.81,096474.79
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.