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Monthly Statistical Snapshot, December 2015

(released January 2016)

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Table of Contents

Table 1. Number of people receiving Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or both, December 2015 (in thousands)
Type of beneficiary Total Social Security only SSI only Both Social Security and SSI
All beneficiaries 65,132 56,823 5,578 2,732
Aged 65 or older 44,123 41,969 960 1,194
Disabled, under age 65 a 14,218 8,063 4,618 1,538
Other b 6,791 6,791 . . . . . .
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 2015
Type of beneficiary Beneficiaries Total monthly benefits (millions of dollars) Average monthly benefit (dollars)
Number (thousands) Percent
Total 59,963 100.0 73,642 1,228.12
Old-Age and Survivors Insurance 49,157 82.0 62,595 1,273.36
Retirement benefits 43,073 71.8 55,825 1,296.04
Retired workers 40,089 66.9 53,790 1,341.77
Spouses of retired workers 2,336 3.9 1,612 690.30
Children of retired workers 649 1.1 422 651.00
Survivor benefits 6,084 10.1 6,770 1,112.80
Children of deceased workers 1,893 3.2 1,575 832.14
Widowed mothers and fathers 140 0.2 131 939.94
Nondisabled widow(er)s 3,790 6.3 4,875 1,286.26
Disabled widow(er)s 259 0.4 186 719.11
Parents of deceased workers 1 (L) 1 1,133.46
Disability Insurance 10,806 18.0 11,047 1,022.29
Disabled workers 8,909 14.9 10,386 1,165.79
Spouses of disabled workers 142 0.2 45 318.43
Children of disabled workers 1,755 2.9 616 350.77
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 2015
Age Recipients Total payments a (millions of dollars) Average monthly payment b (dollars)
Number (thousands) Percent
All recipients 8,310 100.0 4,722 541.28
Under 18 1,267 15.2 850 643.06
18–64 4,889 58.8 2,933 561.60
65 or older 2,154 25.9 939 435.47
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.