Income of the Population 55 or Older, 2010

Income from Social Security

Social Security Income of Aged Units

Social Security Income of Units 65 or Older

Family Social Security Income of Aged Persons

Family Social Security Income of Persons 65 or Older

Key Terms and Concepts for Section 5 1

Age. Age classification is based on the age of the person at his or her last birthday as of March 2011. A married couple's age is defined as the age of the husband—unless he is under age 55 and the wife is 55 or older, in which case it is the age of the wife.

Aged unit. With age 55 as the cutoff, aged units are defined as married couples living together—at least one of whom is 55 or older—and nonmarried persons 55 or older.

Marital status. Married persons are married and living with their spouse. Nonmarried persons may be divorced, widowed, never married, separated, or married but living apart from their spouse.

Race. The categories White alone, Black alone, and Asian alone reflect respondents who reported only one race. Because of changes to the race category, data on race are not directly comparable to editions prior to 2002. A person's race is his or her reported race. A married couple's race is defined as the race of the husband.

Hispanic origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race. A married couple is of Hispanic origin if the husband is of Hispanic origin.

Family. A family is a group of two or more people (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage, or adoption and residing together; all such people (including related subfamily members) are considered as members of one family.

Social Security beneficiary. A beneficiary may be receiving retired-worker benefits, dependents' or survivor benefits, disability benefits, or transitionally insured benefits.

The ratio of Social Security income to total income. This ratio is defined as Social Security income divided by total income. Units and persons in families with less than $1 of total income or negative earnings or asset income are excluded from these tables.

Notes

 1 For more information, consult the Glossary for this report.

Tables

Social Security Income of Aged Units Table 5.A1 Percentage distribution of beneficiary units, by age, 2010
Aged unit Social Security benefits (dollars) Aged 55–61 Aged 62–64 Aged 65 or older
Total 65–69 70–74 75–79 80 or older
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–499 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 0.1 0
500–999 0 0.4 0 0.2 0 0 0
1,000–1,499 0.5 1.6 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.3 0.3
1,500–1,999 0.5 1.2 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3
2,000–2,499 0.8 1.4 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.7 0.3
2,500–2,999 0.7 1.1 0.5 0.7 0.4 0.3 0.5
3,000–3,499 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.4
3,500–3,999 1.7 2.6 0.4 0.7 0.4 0.2 0.4
4,000–4,499 0.7 0.7 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.4
4,500–4,999 0.9 1.6 0.8 1.0 0.5 0.7 0.8
5,000–5,999 2.7 3.5 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.4 1.2
6,000–6,999 2.6 4.1 1.6 1.8 1.2 1.4 1.7
7,000–7,999 5.0 4.8 2.9 3.3 2.2 2.9 3.1
8,000–8,999 7.7 4.7 4.2 3.8 4.0 4.2 4.7
9,000–9,999 8.4 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.5 3.7 4.8
10,000–10,999 6.9 5.4 4.7 4.0 4.9 4.4 5.4
11,000–11,999 5.3 6.1 5.0 5.1 3.8 5.4 5.6
12,000–12,999 3.8 4.9 4.5 4.3 3.4 4.2 5.5
13,000–13,999 6.3 5.7 7.0 5.6 6.0 6.4 9.0
14,000–14,999 5.8 4.3 5.4 4.2 4.7 5.9 6.6
15,000–19,999 18.9 24.1 23.1 22.1 21.9 23.6 24.3
20,000–24,999 12.1 7.9 13.8 13.8 14.1 16.2 12.2
25,000 or more 7.9 8.7 18.3 20.1 25.0 17.4 12.6
Median Social Security benefits (dollars) 13,157 13,157 15,701 16,109 17,232 15,905 14,765
Number (thousands) 2,504 3,094 25,576 6,462 5,912 4,829 8,373
 
Social Security Income of Aged Units Table 5.A2 Percentage distribution of beneficiary units, by marital status and age, 2010
Aged unit Social Security benefits (dollars) Married couples Nonmarried persons
Aged 55–61 Aged 62–64 Aged 65 or older Aged 55–61 Aged 62–64 Aged 65 or older
Total 65–69 70–74 75–79 80 or older Total 65–69 70–74 75–79 80 or older
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–499 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0 0.1 0 0 0.1
500–999 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0 0 0 0.6 0.1 0.2 0 0 0
1,000–1,499 0.4 1.3 0.2 0.6 0.2 0 0 0.5 2.0 0.4 0.6 0.2 0.5 0.4
1,500–1,999 0.9 0.7 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.1 0 1.8 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.3
2,000–2,499 0.5 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.2 1.0 2.4 0.5 0.8 0.4 0.9 0.3
2,500–2,999 0.9 1.2 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.5 0 0.4 1.0 0.6 0.8 0.6 0.2 0.7
3,000–3,499 0.9 0.9 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.6 0.4 0.5 1.1 0.6 0.3 0.4
3,500–3,999 2.0 1.1 0.4 1.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 1.4 4.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.5
4,000–4,499 0.1 0.9 0.3 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.3 1.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.2 0.4
4,500–4,999 0.8 2.1 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.6 0.7 1.1 1.0
5,000–5,999 2.2 3.0 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.4 3.2 4.1 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.3 1.6
6,000–6,999 2.0 3.8 0.8 1.3 0.7 0.7 0.4 3.3 4.5 2.1 2.4 1.8 1.9 2.3
7,000–7,999 3.4 4.7 1.3 2.3 0.6 0.5 1.7 6.7 4.8 4.0 4.3 3.7 4.8 3.6
8,000–8,999 5.0 3.4 1.3 1.7 1.4 1.4 0.8 10.3 6.1 6.3 6.1 6.5 6.4 6.2
9,000–9,999 5.6 3.5 1.7 1.8 1.5 1.7 1.8 11.2 5.4 6.5 7.6 7.4 5.3 6.1
10,000–10,999 4.7 4.7 1.8 2.1 2.4 1.3 1.0 9.1 6.3 6.9 5.9 7.2 6.8 7.2
11,000–11,999 6.0 4.4 1.8 2.9 1.3 1.5 1.0 4.6 7.9 7.4 7.3 6.3 8.4 7.5
12,000–12,999 3.8 4.1 2.1 2.9 1.8 1.9 1.7 3.8 5.7 6.1 5.8 5.0 5.9 6.9
13,000–13,999 6.6 3.9 2.6 3.0 2.3 2.5 2.3 6.0 7.8 10.1 8.3 9.5 9.5 11.7
14,000–14,999 4.6 3.6 2.6 3.2 2.5 2.9 1.8 6.9 5.2 7.4 5.3 6.7 8.4 8.5
15,000–19,999 19.0 26.0 17.7 18.5 16.4 17.4 18.4 18.7 21.9 26.9 25.8 27.1 28.5 26.6
20,000–24,999 16.2 10.2 23.0 18.1 19.4 28.5 29.1 8.0 5.3 7.3 9.5 9.1 6.5 5.4
25,000 or more 14.0 15.8 40.2 36.9 47.7 37.4 38.2 1.8 0.7 2.6 3.1 3.4 1.6 2.4
Median Social Security benefits (dollars) 14,957 15,557 22,757 21,383 24,394 22,931 22,714 10,925 11,645 13,157 13,157 13,277 13,157 13,157
Number (thousands) 1,246 1,640 10,675 3,259 2,882 2,133 2,401 1,258 1,454 14,902 3,203 3,030 2,696 5,972
 
Social Security Income of Units 65 or Older Table 5.A3 Percentage distribution of beneficiary units, by race, Hispanic origin, and marital status, 2010
Aged unit Social Security benefits (dollars) White alone Black alone Asian alone Hispanic origin
All units Married couples Nonmarried persons All units Married couples Nonmarried persons All units Married couples Nonmarried persons All units Married couples Nonmarried persons
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–499 0 0.1 0 0.2 0.2 0.3 0 0 0 0 0 0
500–999 0 0 0 0.3 0.3 0.3 0 0 0 0 0.1 0
1,000–1,499 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.6 0.2 0 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.3
1,500–1,999 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.5 0 0 0
2,000–2,499 0.4 0.2 0.6 0.5 0.2 0.6 0 0 0 0.7 0.1 1.0
2,500–2,999 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.6 1.0 0.2 0.6 0.3 0.8
3,000–3,499 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.7 0.3 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.5 0.2 0.7
3,500–3,999 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.9 0.3 1.1 1.5 3.1 0 2.0 1.1 2.5
4,000–4,499 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.8 0.1 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.4 0 0.6
4,500–4,999 0.6 0.2 0.9 1.5 0.5 1.9 3.1 2.4 3.7 0.9 0.2 1.2
5,000–5,999 1.3 0.5 1.9 1.9 0.6 2.3 3.1 3.4 2.9 3.3 1.3 4.3
6,000–6,999 1.4 0.7 1.9 2.6 0.3 3.5 4.5 3.7 5.3 2.7 1.3 3.5
7,000–7,999 2.6 1.3 3.6 5.0 2.4 5.9 2.5 0.8 4.3 7.4 4.3 9.0
8,000–8,999 4.0 1.3 6.0 6.2 1.5 7.9 5.1 3.1 7.0 10.8 3.9 14.6
9,000–9,999 4.0 1.6 5.7 8.4 1.7 10.9 7.1 3.3 10.9 8.3 1.9 11.8
10,000–10,999 4.2 1.7 6.2 9.1 1.6 11.9 5.5 2.8 8.2 6.7 3.5 8.4
11,000–11,999 4.9 1.7 7.4 6.2 2.4 7.6 5.1 3.1 7.1 6.3 4.3 7.4
12,000–12,999 4.2 1.9 6.0 6.3 3.8 7.3 3.5 2.5 4.4 4.7 3.6 5.2
13,000–13,999 7.1 2.5 10.5 6.9 3.0 8.3 5.1 3.5 6.8 6.2 4.9 6.8
14,000–14,999 5.5 2.5 7.8 5.4 4.3 5.8 3.7 3.4 4.0 4.4 2.6 5.3
15,000–19,999 23.7 17.4 28.5 18.6 23.3 16.8 19.5 16.6 22.4 16.7 23.3 13.2
20,000–24,999 14.4 23.0 7.8 9.4 25.2 3.5 12.1 19.5 4.7 7.3 16.6 2.3
25,000 or more 19.5 41.8 2.7 8.1 25.8 1.4 15.8 26.1 5.6 9.7 26.1 0.9
Median Social Security benefits (dollars) 16,157 23,194 13,421 12,612 20,314 11,201 14,317 19,153 11,957 11,957 18,677 9,929
Number (thousands) 22,185 9,547 12,638 2,333 635 1,698 668 332 336 1,641 573 1,067
 
Social Security Income of Units 65 or Older Table 5.A4 Percentage distribution of beneficiary units, by marital status and quintile of total money income, 2010
Aged unit Social Security benefits (dollars) All units Married couples Nonmarried persons
First Second Third Fourth Fifth First Second Third Fourth Fifth First Second Third Fourth Fifth
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–499 0.2 0 0 0 0.1 0.1 0 0 0.1 0.2 0.2 0 0 0 0
500–999 0.2 0 0 0 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0.1 0.3 0.1 0 0 0
1,000–1,499 0.8 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.6 0.1 0 0.1 0.3 0.8 1.4 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.4
1,500–1,999 0.6 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.4 0 0.6 0.3 0 0.6 0.6
2,000–2,499 0.9 0.2 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.6 0 0.3 0.1 0.2 1.2 0.1 0.2 0.4 1.0
2,500–2,999 1.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.2 0.5 0.1 0.4 2.1 0.3 0.1 0.5 0.6
3,000–3,499 1.0 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0 0.5 1.7 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.4
3,500–3,999 1.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.7 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.6 1.9 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2
4,000–4,499 0.7 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.9 0.2 0 0.4 0.2 1.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4
4,500–4,999 2.3 0.4 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 3.5 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.9
5,000–5,999 4.7 0.6 0.7 0.9 0.7 1.2 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.9 7.1 1.0 0.8 1.2 1.4
6,000–6,999 5.6 0.7 0.4 0.8 1.1 1.3 0.1 0.8 1.3 0.7 8.7 1.1 0.6 0.7 1.4
7,000–7,999 11.0 1.6 1.2 1.2 1.0 3.5 0.9 0.7 1.1 0.8 17.5 1.7 1.6 1.2 2.0
8,000–8,999 16.2 2.0 2.1 1.6 1.4 2.3 0.7 1.0 1.1 1.8 26.6 2.7 2.9 3.0 1.9
9,000–9,999 17.0 2.1 2.3 1.6 1.8 3.1 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.9 25.3 4.4 2.3 3.5 2.4
10,000–10,999 15.3 3.1 3.1 2.0 2.0 2.1 1.5 1.3 2.3 1.6 0.8 21.1 2.6 4.5 2.6
11,000–11,999 14.3 4.9 3.2 2.5 1.9 3.6 0.8 1.4 1.7 1.4 0.1 20.4 4.6 4.8 3.9
12,000–12,999 6.5 7.6 3.2 3.0 2.0 3.5 1.7 1.8 1.6 2.3 0 15.4 4.5 4.5 3.9
13,000–13,999 0 18.8 6.6 3.8 3.4 5.3 0.8 2.0 2.4 2.6 0 19.8 9.6 10.5 6.9
14,000–14,999 0.1 13.9 4.7 3.8 3.1 5.0 1.3 1.9 3.2 2.1 0.1 10.3 10.5 7.5 6.1
15,000–19,999 0 42.2 26.5 21.9 18.9 34.6 13.2 12.4 16.3 13.4 0 0 55.6 36.3 35.4
20,000–24,999 0.1 0.7 27.9 20.3 18.2 30.3 26.4 24.7 16.6 16.6 0 0.2 2.5 15.5 17.7
25,000 or more 0 0 15.6 33.7 41.8 0.1 49.6 48.5 49.0 51.1 0 0 0 3.5 9.8
Median Social Security benefits (dollars) 9,228 14,357 18,670 20,957 22,481 17,422 24,862 24,634 24,754 25,157 8,157 11,957 15,557 15,557 16,757
Number (thousands) 4,312 5,590 5,505 5,284 4,885 2,007 2,286 2,256 2,177 1,948 2,254 3,323 3,335 3,205 2,784
NOTE: Quintile limits are $12,554, $20,145, $32,602, and $57,957 for all units; $24,970, $36,967, $54,360, and $86,754 for married couples; and $10,037, $14,525, $20,433, and $34,417 for nonmarried persons.
Social Security Income of Units 65 or Older Table 5.A5 Percentage distribution of Social Security beneficiary units, by proportion of aged unit income from Social Security and marital status, 2010
Aged unit Social Security benefits (dollars) Proportion of aged unit income from Social Security
Less than 50 percent 50–89 percent 90–99 percent 100 percent
All units Married couples Nonmarried persons All units Married couples Nonmarried persons All units Married couples Nonmarried persons All units Married couples Nonmarried persons
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–499 0.1 0.2 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
500–999 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 0 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0
1,000–1,499 0.8 0.5 1.1 0 0 0 0.2 0 0.2 0.3 0 0.3
1,500–1,999 0.8 0.4 1.2 0 0 0 0 0.1 0 0.2 0.3 0.2
2,000–2,499 1.0 0.4 1.7 0.1 0.2 0 0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2
2,500–2,999 1.0 0.7 1.5 0 0 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.6 0.2 0.6
3,000–3,499 0.8 0.4 1.3 0.2 0 0.3 0.2 0 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2
3,500–3,999 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.3 0 0.3
4,000–4,499 0.7 0.6 0.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.4 0.3 0.4
4,500–4,999 1.3 0.5 2.3 0.2 0 0.4 0.4 0 0.5 0.8 0.4 1.0
5,000–5,999 1.9 1.0 3.1 1.1 0.2 1.8 0.7 0.4 0.8 1.5 0.4 1.8
6,000–6,999 1.8 1.4 2.3 1.2 0.1 2.1 1.4 0.5 1.8 1.8 0.5 2.2
7,000–7,999 2.6 1.7 3.8 2.3 0.8 3.4 2.4 0.4 3.5 4.2 1.7 4.9
8,000–8,999 3.6 2.1 5.5 2.5 0.5 4.0 3.6 0.6 5.2 7.6 1.0 9.5
9,000–9,999 3.5 2.5 4.8 2.7 0.5 4.5 4.4 1.4 5.9 8.2 1.9 10.0
10,000–10,999 4.0 2.9 5.4 3.3 0.4 5.6 3.9 0.3 5.8 7.9 1.6 9.6
11,000–11,999 3.8 2.4 5.6 4.3 0.9 6.9 6.0 0.8 8.7 7.2 1.9 8.7
12,000–12,999 3.9 3.2 4.8 3.7 0.9 5.8 4.6 0.8 6.5 6.2 2.1 7.3
13,000–13,999 5.5 3.2 8.4 7.4 1.5 11.9 6.9 1.9 9.4 8.7 3.2 10.2
14,000–14,999 4.8 3.6 6.5 5.0 1.1 8.0 6.0 1.8 8.2 6.6 3.8 7.3
15,000–19,999 21.8 18.7 25.7 24.3 12.1 33.7 27.7 17.8 32.7 21.0 27.3 19.2
20,000–24,999 14.6 18.6 9.4 16.9 27.8 8.5 13.1 24.4 7.3 9.1 27.0 4.2
25,000 or more 20.9 34.0 4.0 24.4 53.0 2.3 17.9 48.5 2.3 7.0 25.9 1.7
Median Social Security benefits (dollars) 16,373 20,400 13,157 17,945 25,200 14,357 16,157 24,557 14,009 13,157 20,314 12,000
Number (thousands) 8,803 4,960 3,843 7,384 3,227 4,158 3,197 1,078 2,119 6,011 1,300 4,711
NOTE: Units with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.
Family Social Security Income of Aged Persons Table 5.B1 Percentage distribution of persons in Social Security beneficiary families, by sex and age, 2010
Family Social Security benefits (dollars) All persons Men Women
55–61 62–64 65 or older 55–61 62–64 65 or older 55–61 62–64 65 or older
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–499 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1
500–999 0.2 0.2 0 0.2 0.1 0 0.2 0.2 0
1,000–1,499 0.6 1.3 0.3 0.6 1.4 0.3 0.6 1.3 0.3
1,500–1,999 0.6 0.9 0.3 0.4 0.9 0.2 0.7 0.9 0.3
2,000–2,499 0.5 0.9 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.3 0.5 1.0 0.4
2,500–2,999 0.7 1.1 0.4 0.6 1.0 0.4 0.8 1.1 0.4
3,000–3,499 0.6 0.7 0.3 0.4 0.8 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.3
3,500–3,999 1.2 2.0 0.4 1.2 2.2 0.4 1.2 1.8 0.4
4,000–4,499 0.7 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.7 0.2 1.0 0.5 0.4
4,500–4,999 1.0 1.3 0.6 0.6 1.7 0.5 1.3 1.0 0.7
5,000–5,999 2.3 2.6 1.2 1.8 3.2 0.8 2.6 2.1 1.4
6,000–6,999 2.5 3.3 1.3 1.9 3.2 1.1 2.9 3.4 1.4
7,000–7,999 4.3 3.9 2.3 3.7 4.6 1.8 4.7 3.4 2.7
8,000–8,999 6.0 3.6 3.3 7.0 4.2 2.3 5.3 3.2 4.0
9,000–9,999 5.6 3.5 3.6 5.9 3.6 2.7 5.4 3.5 4.3
10,000–10,999 5.4 4.8 3.8 5.5 5.3 3.0 5.3 4.3 4.3
11,000–11,999 5.2 4.7 3.9 5.6 5.1 3.0 5.0 4.4 4.6
12,000–12,999 3.8 4.7 3.6 4.2 4.4 2.6 3.5 4.9 4.3
13,000–13,999 7.0 4.6 5.6 7.1 4.6 4.1 6.8 4.7 6.7
14,000–14,999 5.2 3.8 4.3 5.4 2.6 4.0 5.0 4.6 4.5
15,000–19,999 24.0 22.9 20.8 21.7 24.9 20.9 25.5 21.3 20.6
20,000–24,999 12.2 10.9 16.7 13.5 10.3 19.4 11.3 11.4 14.6
25,000 or more 10.5 17.6 26.7 11.8 14.3 31.5 9.6 20.2 23.1
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 14,357 15,540 18,125 14,400 14,818 20,208 14,357 15,557 16,714
Number (thousands) 5,584 5,231 34,493 2,180 2,263 14,932 3,404 2,968 19,561
 
Family Social Security Income of Persons 65 or Older Table 5.B2 Percentage distribution of persons in Social Security beneficiary families, by sex and age, 2010
Family Social Security benefits (dollars) All persons Men Women
65–69 70–74 75–79 80 or older 65–69 70–74 75–79 80 or older 65–69 70–74 75–79 80 or older
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–499 0.1 0 0 0 0.2 0 0.1 0 0.1 0.1 0 0.1
500–999 0.1 0 0 0 0.1 0 0 0 0.1 0 0 0
1,000–1,499 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.7 0.2 0.2 0 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.3
1,500–1,999 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.3
2,000–2,499 0.4 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.5 0 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.2
2,500–2,999 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.6 0.2 0.5 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.5
3,000–3,499 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.2 0.3 0.3
3,500–3,999 0.7 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.7 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.6 0.5 0.2 0.4
4,000–4,499 0.5 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.3
4,500–4,999 0.7 0.4 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.8 0.4 0.6 0.8
5,000–5,999 1.3 1.1 1.3 1.1 1.0 0.7 0.6 0.9 1.5 1.4 1.8 1.2
6,000–6,999 1.4 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.1 1.0 0.9 1.3 1.0 1.4 1.7
7,000–7,999 2.4 1.8 2.3 2.6 2.5 1.1 1.0 2.2 2.4 2.4 3.4 2.9
8,000–8,999 3.1 3.0 3.3 3.8 2.5 2.1 2.6 2.3 3.6 3.7 3.8 4.7
9,000–9,999 3.7 3.6 3.1 3.9 2.8 2.6 2.3 2.8 4.5 4.4 3.7 4.6
10,000–10,999 3.3 3.8 3.4 4.3 3.1 3.4 2.9 2.5 3.4 4.2 3.9 5.5
11,000–11,999 3.8 3.3 4.0 4.5 3.2 2.1 3.1 3.5 4.3 4.2 4.8 5.2
12,000–12,999 3.3 2.7 3.5 4.6 2.9 1.8 2.5 3.1 3.6 3.4 4.2 5.5
13,000–13,999 4.5 4.8 5.2 7.5 3.9 4.4 3.5 4.6 5.0 5.1 6.6 9.4
14,000–14,999 3.4 3.7 4.8 5.5 3.8 3.6 4.6 4.2 2.9 3.8 5.0 6.3
15,000–19,999 19.6 19.3 21.0 23.0 21.4 19.0 20.2 22.9 18.1 19.6 21.6 23.1
20,000–24,999 15.2 17.2 19.6 15.7 16.7 17.9 23.2 21.1 14.0 16.7 16.9 12.3
25,000 or more 30.7 32.4 24.7 19.3 30.1 38.7 30.1 27.0 31.2 27.1 20.4 14.5
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 19,085 19,889 18,298 16,325 19,157 21,869 20,494 19,200 18,557 18,281 16,649 14,945
Number (thousands) 9,780 8,355 6,478 9,879 4,460 3,793 2,828 3,851 5,319 4,563 3,650 6,028
 
Family Social Security Income of Persons 65 or Older Table 5.B3 Percentage distribution of persons in Social Security beneficiary families, by sex and marital status, 2010
Family Social Security benefits (dollars) All persons Men Women
Married Nonmarried Married Nonmarried Married Nonmarried
Total Widowed Divorced Never married Total Widowed Divorced Never married Total Widowed Divorced Never married
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–499 0.1 0.1 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0
500–999 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.1 0 0.2 0
1,000–1,499 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.8 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.7 0 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.8 0.5
1,500–1,999 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.7 0.2 0.2 0.1 0 0.8 0.1 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.6
2,000–2,499 0.2 0.5 0.3 1.0 1.1 0.2 0.6 0.2 1.1 0.5 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.9 1.5
2,500–2,999 0.3 0.6 0.8 0.3 0.9 0.3 0.6 1.0 0.1 0.7 0.2 0.6 0.7 0.3 1.0
3,000–3,499 0.2 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.7 0.9 0.3 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.9 0
3,500–3,999 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.6 0.4 0.2 0 0.1 0.8 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.5
4,000–4,499 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.1 0 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5
4,500–4,999 0.3 1.0 0.9 1.0 1.1 0.3 1.1 1.0 1.5 0.1 0.3 1.0 0.9 0.7 1.9
5,000–5,999 0.6 1.9 1.5 2.1 3.0 0.6 1.5 0.8 1.3 3.2 0.6 2.1 1.7 2.7 2.9
6,000–6,999 0.7 2.0 1.4 2.9 3.2 0.8 1.9 1.8 2.1 2.7 0.6 2.0 1.3 3.4 3.6
7,000–7,999 1.2 3.8 3.6 3.5 3.7 1.2 3.2 3.1 3.6 4.1 1.2 4.0 3.7 3.5 3.4
8,000–8,999 1.4 5.8 5.4 6.0 6.1 1.3 4.9 4.5 4.0 6.4 1.4 6.1 5.6 7.4 5.9
9,000–9,999 1.8 6.0 5.2 7.5 7.7 1.8 4.9 4.6 4.5 6.8 1.8 6.4 5.3 9.5 8.5
10,000–10,999 1.7 6.4 6.3 6.6 6.5 1.7 6.1 5.6 7.0 5.6 1.6 6.6 6.5 6.3 7.3
11,000–11,999 1.7 6.8 6.5 7.4 6.5 1.7 6.1 6.3 5.1 4.7 1.6 7.1 6.5 9.0 8.0
12,000–12,999 1.9 5.7 6.6 3.9 4.3 2.1 4.0 4.9 2.2 5.1 1.7 6.3 7.0 5.1 3.7
13,000–13,999 2.4 9.6 10.6 8.4 7.4 2.6 8.0 8.0 8.4 6.0 2.2 10.3 11.3 8.4 8.6
14,000–14,999 2.3 6.9 7.6 6.2 5.0 2.6 7.5 8.5 7.0 7.3 2.0 6.6 7.4 5.7 3.0
15,000–19,999 16.3 26.5 27.6 26.3 21.2 17.6 29.4 31.4 30.3 21.6 14.8 25.3 26.6 23.6 20.9
20,000–24,999 23.1 8.5 7.9 9.9 9.2 22.6 11.3 9.7 14.5 10.3 23.7 7.3 7.5 6.8 8.3
25,000 or more 42.8 6.1 6.0 4.4 10.8 41.1 7.4 7.1 5.9 12.5 44.8 5.5 5.8 3.4 9.4
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 23,554 13,589 13,841 13,200 13,157 22,985 14,573 14,741 15,157 14,357 23,914 13,157 13,529 12,408 13,000
Number (thousands) 19,395 15,097 9,645 3,471 1,266 10,663 4,269 1,906 1,398 580 8,732 10,829 7,739 2,074 686
 
Family Social Security Income of Persons 65 or Older Table 5.B4 Percentage distribution of persons in Social Security beneficiary families, by race, Hispanic origin, and sex, 2010
Family Social Security benefits (dollars) White alone Black alone Asian alone Hispanic origin
All persons Men Women All persons Men Women All persons Men Women All persons Men Women
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–499 0 0.1 0 0.2 0.1 0.2 0 0 0 0.1 0 0.1
500–999 0 0 0 0.3 0.1 0.4 0 0 0 0 0.1 0
1,000–1,499 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.2 0 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.3
1,500–1,999 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.1 0 0.1
2,000–2,499 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.5 0 0 0 0.6 0.2 0.8
2,500–2,999 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.8 0.3 0.6 0.4 0.7
3,000–3,499 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.9 1.4 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.6
3,500–3,999 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.8 0.4 1.1 1.4 2.1 0.9 1.5 1.2 1.8
4,000–4,499 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.7 0.5 0.8 0.3 0 0.5
4,500–4,999 0.5 0.4 0.5 1.3 0.8 1.6 2.0 2.0 2.0 0.7 0.5 0.8
5,000–5,999 1.1 0.8 1.4 1.4 0.6 2.0 2.3 3.8 1.3 3.0 2.7 3.1
6,000–6,999 1.1 1.0 1.2 2.1 1.8 2.2 3.5 4.0 3.2 2.1 1.4 2.6
7,000–7,999 2.1 1.6 2.5 4.4 3.8 4.8 1.7 0.5 2.6 5.9 4.2 7.1
8,000–8,999 3.1 2.2 3.8 5.2 4.1 5.8 4.6 3.2 5.5 8.6 6.5 10.1
9,000–9,999 3.2 2.3 3.8 6.8 5.2 7.8 6.2 5.0 7.0 6.0 4.6 7.0
10,000–10,999 3.4 2.9 3.8 7.4 3.8 9.6 4.3 3.1 5.1 5.4 5.6 5.2
11,000–11,999 3.8 2.9 4.5 5.1 4.4 5.6 4.3 3.2 5.0 5.1 5.4 4.8
12,000–12,999 3.3 2.4 4.1 5.4 4.6 5.8 3.0 2.6 3.3 4.3 4.9 3.9
13,000–13,999 5.6 4.1 6.7 6.1 4.9 6.9 4.5 3.0 5.7 5.3 4.8 5.6
14,000–14,999 4.3 4.0 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.7 3.5 4.0 3.2 3.4 4.6 2.5
15,000–19,999 21.1 21.0 21.2 18.5 21.4 16.8 18.1 18.9 17.5 19.7 20.7 19.0
20,000–24,999 17.1 19.5 15.3 12.8 18.0 9.4 14.7 17.6 12.7 11.1 12.5 10.0
25,000 or more 28.1 32.9 24.3 14.9 18.4 12.6 23.1 24.2 22.3 15.6 18.8 13.3
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 18,833 20,400 16,992 14,357 16,174 13,157 16,841 18,557 15,600 13,942 15,557 13,097
Number (thousands) 30,197 13,212 16,985 2,830 1,097 1,733 974 405 569 2,191 936 1,256
 
Family Social Security Income of Persons 65 or Older Table 5.B5 Percentage distribution of persons in Social Security beneficiary families, by quintile of per-capita total family money income, 2010
Family Social Security benefits (dollars) Total First Second Third Fourth Fifth
  All persons in beneficiary families
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–499 0.1 0.2 0 0 0 0.1
500–999 0 0.2 0 0 0 0
1,000–1,499 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.5
1,500–1,999 0.3 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.3
2,000–2,499 0.4 0.8 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.4
2,500–2,999 0.4 0.9 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.5
3,000–3,499 0.3 0.8 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.4
3,500–3,999 0.4 0.9 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.4
4,000–4,499 0.3 0.7 0 0.2 0.4 0.2
4,500–4,999 0.6 1.4 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.4
5,000–5,999 1.2 2.8 0.6 0.7 1.0 0.9
6,000–6,999 1.3 3.5 0.8 0.4 1.1 0.9
7,000–7,999 2.3 6.7 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4
8,000–8,999 3.3 8.7 2.3 1.9 2.3 1.9
9,000–9,999 3.6 9.9 2.8 1.7 2.5 1.9
10,000–10,999 3.8 8.7 2.7 3.1 2.8 2.0
11,000–11,999 3.9 5.1 6.6 3.0 2.6 2.2
12,000–12,999 3.6 2.9 6.6 3.0 2.8 2.2
13,000–13,999 5.6 4.4 9.1 4.8 5.0 4.2
14,000–14,999 4.3 3.7 6.5 3.4 4.6 3.1
15,000–19,999 20.8 21.8 15.2 25.9 20.4 20.7
20,000–24,999 16.7 12.0 19.5 18.4 16.3 16.4
25,000 or more 26.7 3.0 24.2 30.5 34.9 39.0
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 18,125 11,381 16,932 19,558 20,334 21,315
Number (thousands) 34,493 6,232 7,332 7,345 7,086 6,499
NOTE: Per-capita family total money income quintile limits are $11,417, $16,710, $24,007, and $38,237.
Family Social Security Income of Persons 65 or Older Table 5.B6 Percentage distribution of persons in Social Security beneficiary families, by number of persons in family and quintile of per-capita total family money income, 2010
Family Social Security benefits (dollars) Total First Second Third Fourth Fifth
  Persons in 1-person beneficiary families
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–499 0.1 0.2 0.1 0 0 0
500–999 0 0.3 0 0 0 0
1,000–1,499 0.4 0.9 0.2 0.2 0 0.5
1,500–1,999 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.7
2,000–2,499 0.5 0.5 0.1 0.4 0.5 0.9
2,500–2,999 0.7 1.8 0.4 0.1 0.4 0.9
3,000–3,499 0.5 1.3 0.1 0.5 0.3 0.5
3,500–3,999 0.4 1.6 0.3 0 0.1 0.2
4,000–4,499 0.3 0.7 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.3
4,500–4,999 1.0 2.6 0.3 0.4 0.8 0.9
5,000–5,999 1.8 5.4 0.5 0.9 1.7 1.2
6,000–6,999 2.1 7.3 1.2 0.4 0.6 1.3
7,000–7,999 3.5 11.9 1.9 1.1 1.5 2.0
8,000–8,999 5.5 18.4 2.7 2.6 3.2 1.6
9,000–9,999 6.3 21.3 3.7 2.2 3.5 2.2
10,000–10,999 6.6 19.2 5.0 3.7 3.5 2.3
11,000–11,999 7.2 5.8 15.1 4.9 4.6 3.5
12,000–12,999 5.9 0 14.8 4.8 4.7 2.6
13,000–13,999 10.1 0 21.2 8.9 9.8 7.4
14,000–14,999 7.6 0.1 14.8 6.6 9.0 5.5
15,000–19,999 28.2 0 16.9 51.9 36.9 34.9
20,000–24,999 8.1 0 0.2 10.1 12.8 19.8
25,000 or more 2.8 0 0 0 5.2 10.7
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 13,380 8,777 13,157 16,157 15,557 17,117
Number (thousands) 11,024 2,041 2,623 2,394 2,008 1,959
  Persons in 2-person beneficiary families
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–499 0 0.2 0 0 0 0.1
500–999 0 0.2 0 0.1 0 0
1,000–1,499 0.1 0.1 0 0.2 0.2 0.2
1,500–1,999 0.2 0.4 0 0.1 0.4 0.1
2,000–2,499 0.3 1.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.2
2,500–2,999 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.1 0.4
3,000–3,499 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.4
3,500–3,999 0.4 0.7 0.6 0.3 0.1 0.4
4,000–4,499 0.3 0.9 0 0.3 0.3 0.2
4,500–4,999 0.3 0.8 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.2
5,000–5,999 0.7 1.4 0.6 0.4 0.6 0.7
6,000–6,999 0.7 1.4 0.1 0.5 1.1 0.4
7,000–7,999 1.4 3.2 0.9 1.1 1.2 0.9
8,000–8,999 1.9 3.5 1.6 1.2 1.6 1.9
9,000–9,999 1.9 3.8 1.7 1.2 1.7 1.7
10,000–10,999 2.2 4.0 1.2 2.4 2.4 1.6
11,000–11,999 2.2 5.3 1.4 1.8 1.7 1.6
12,000–12,999 2.2 3.8 1.6 1.9 2.0 2.0
13,000–13,999 3.1 7.2 2.0 2.1 2.9 2.0
14,000–14,999 2.6 5.8 1.4 1.8 3.0 1.9
15,000–19,999 17.1 36.9 13.7 12.4 13.5 14.1
20,000–24,999 21.8 18.5 34.3 23.1 18.1 15.0
25,000 or more 39.9 0 38.0 48.6 48.3 54.1
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 22,714 15,814 23,554 24,694 24,557 26,157
Number (thousands) 18,623 2,945 3,726 3,934 4,048 3,970
  Persons in families of 3 or more
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–499 0.1 0.2 0 0 0.1 0.3
500–999 0 0 0 0 0 0.2
1,000–1,499 0.5 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.4 2.2
1,500–1,999 0.1 0.3 0 0.1 0 0
2,000–2,499 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3
2,500–2,999 0.2 0.3 0 0.3 0.2 0
3,000–3,499 0.6 1.1 0.9 0.3 0 0.3
3,500–3,999 0.4 0.4 0.1 0.5 0.6 0.7
4,000–4,499 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 0.9 0.3
4,500–4,999 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.7 0.8
5,000–5,999 1.3 1.8 1.0 1.6 1.0 1.3
6,000–6,999 1.8 2.1 2.0 0.2 2.1 2.8
7,000–7,999 3.1 6.2 0.9 2.9 2.1 2.0
8,000–8,999 3.7 5.3 4.1 2.8 3.0 2.5
9,000–9,999 3.9 5.5 4.2 2.7 3.9 2.0
10,000–10,999 3.1 2.8 2.4 4.4 2.8 3.5
11,000–11,999 3.2 3.5 3.8 3.5 2.2 2.7
12,000–12,999 3.5 5.5 3.7 2.8 2.1 2.7
13,000–13,999 5.0 5.2 3.6 5.4 3.8 8.7
14,000–14,999 3.3 4.7 3.7 2.3 2.6 3.0
15,000–19,999 17.8 21.9 16.5 16.6 15.1 18.1
20,000–24,999 16.4 16.0 14.9 19.9 15.9 14.7
25,000 or more 30.5 15.2 36.9 32.5 40.4 31.1
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 19,102 15,557 20,585 20,340 22,474 17,957
Number (thousands) 4,846 1,246 983 1,017 1,030 570
NOTE: Per-capita family total money income quintile limits are $11,417, $16,710, $24,007, and $38,237.
Family Social Security Income of Persons 65 or Older Table 5.B7 Percentage distribution of persons in Social Security beneficiary families, by proportion of family income from Social Security and sex, 2010
Family Social Security benefits (dollars) Proportion of family income from Social Security
Less than 50 percent 50–89 percent 90–99 percent 100 percent
All persons Men Women All persons Men Women All persons Men Women All persons Men Women
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–499 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.1
500–999 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 0 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0
1,000–1,499 0.5 0.5 0.5 0 0 0 0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.1
1,500–1,999 0.5 0.4 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 0.1 0.3
2,000–2,499 0.7 0.6 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2
2,500–2,999 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.1 0.1 0 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.5
3,000–3,499 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1
3,500–3,999 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0 0.3
4,000–4,499 0.6 0.5 0.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 0.1 0.3
4,500–4,999 1.0 0.7 1.3 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.5 0.6 0.5
5,000–5,999 1.8 1.4 2.1 0.7 0.2 0.9 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.9 0.3 1.3
6,000–6,999 1.6 1.5 1.6 0.8 0.6 1.0 1.1 1.5 0.9 1.3 0.8 1.6
7,000–7,999 2.7 2.0 3.4 1.6 1.4 1.7 1.6 0.3 2.3 3.0 2.7 3.1
8,000–8,999 3.8 2.7 4.8 1.8 1.3 2.2 2.2 1.4 2.7 5.4 4.0 6.2
9,000–9,999 3.7 3.0 4.3 2.1 1.3 2.7 3.3 2.1 4.1 6.6 4.8 7.7
10,000–10,999 3.9 3.3 4.4 2.4 1.3 3.2 3.0 1.7 3.7 6.4 6.1 6.6
11,000–11,999 3.7 2.8 4.5 3.3 2.4 3.9 4.1 2.3 5.2 5.5 5.1 5.7
12,000–12,999 3.7 3.0 4.4 2.7 1.6 3.6 3.3 2.8 3.6 4.9 3.5 5.7
13,000–13,999 5.2 4.3 6.0 5.4 3.7 6.7 5.0 2.5 6.6 7.5 5.7 8.5
14,000–14,999 4.1 4.0 4.1 3.6 3.3 3.9 5.1 4.9 5.3 5.9 5.3 6.2
15,000–19,999 19.6 21.6 17.8 19.5 17.2 21.2 24.7 22.7 25.9 23.4 25.0 22.6
20,000–24,999 15.3 17.2 13.5 20.0 23.2 17.7 17.6 20.9 15.6 13.6 17.6 11.2
25,000 or more 25.5 28.4 23.0 35.4 42.2 30.5 27.4 36.0 22.3 13.5 17.4 11.1
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 17,300 19,109 15,801 21,461 23,230 19,200 18,934 21,665 17,069 15,084 17,114 14,201
Number (thousands) 15,290 7,239 8,050 9,816 4,158 5,658 3,815 1,439 2,376 5,271 1,949 3,323
NOTE: Persons in families with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.