Frequently Asked Questions
Ratio of Covered Workers to Beneficiaries
Ratio
of |
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| Year |
Covered |
Beneficiaries |
Ratio |
| 1940 |
35,390 |
222 |
159.4 |
| 1945 |
46,390 |
1,106 |
41.9 |
| 1950 |
48,280 |
2,930 |
16.5 |
| 1955 |
65,200 |
7,563 |
8.6 |
| 1960 |
72,530 |
14,262 |
5.1 |
| 1965 |
80,680 |
20,157 |
4.0 |
| 1970 |
93,090 |
25,186 |
3.7 |
| 1975 |
100,200 |
31,123 |
3.2 |
| 1980 |
113,656 |
35,118 |
3.2 |
| 1985 |
120,565 |
36,650 |
3.3 |
| 1986 |
123,400 |
37,322 |
3.3 |
| 1987 |
126,287 |
37,951 |
3.3 |
| 1988 |
130,142 |
38,420 |
3.4 |
| 1989 |
132,478 |
38,859 |
3.4 |
| 1990 |
133,672 |
39,470 |
3.4 |
| 1991 |
132,969 |
40,172 |
3.3 |
| 1992 |
133,890 |
41,029 |
3.3 |
| 1993 |
136,117 |
41,840 |
3.3 |
| 1994 |
138,197 |
42,516 |
3.3 |
| 1995 |
141,446 |
43,107 |
3.3 |
| 1996 |
143,909 |
43,498 |
3.3 |
| 1997 |
146,736 |
43,792 |
3.3 |
| 1998 |
149,692 |
44,075 |
3.4 |
| 1999 |
152,453 |
44,366 |
3.4 |
| 2000 |
155,295 |
45,166 |
3.4 |
| 2001 |
155,546 |
45,668 |
3.4 |
| 2002 |
154,894 |
46,176 |
3.3 |
| 2003 |
154,954 |
46,752 |
3.3 |
2004 |
156,900 |
47,367 |
3.3 |
2005 |
159,081 |
48,133 |
3.3 |
2006 |
161,852 |
48,863 |
3.3 |
2007 |
163,057 | 49,603 | 3.3 |
2008 |
162,485 |
50,420 |
3.2 |
2009 |
156,021 |
51,860 |
3 |
2010 |
156,725
|
53,398
|
2.9 |
2011 |
158,988
|
54,816
|
2.9 |
2012 |
161,672
|
56,176
|
2.9 |
2013 |
163,221
|
57,471
|
2.8 |
| Notes: Data for 1945-1989 from Table II.F19 of the 2000 Trustees Report. Data for 1990-1994 from 2004 Trustees Report, Table IV.B2. Data for 1995-2009 from 2010 Trustees Report, Table IV.B2. Data for 2010 from 2011 Trustees Report. The following footnotes apply to these data: 1. The numbers of beneficiaries do not include certain uninsured persons, most of whom both attained age 72 before 1968 and have fewer than 3 quarters of coverage, in which cases the costs are reimbursed by the general fund of the Treasury. The number of such uninsured persons was 179 as of June 30, 1999. Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components. 2. Historical covered worker data are subject to revision. 3. Covered Workers is defined as those who are paid at some time during the year for employment on which Social Security taxes are due. 4. Beneficiaries as defined as those with monthly benefits in current-payment status as of June 30. Monthly Social Security benefits were first paid starting in January 1940. Data for 1940 computed from Tables 4.B.1 and 5.A.4 from the 1998 Annual Statistical Supplement to the Social Security Bulletin. The following footnotes apply to the 1940 data only: 1. Covered workers is defined as in the rest of the table. 2. Beneficiaries are defined as those with monthly benefits in current-payment status as of December 1940. This is a slightly different basis than that used in the rest of this table. Therefore the ratio for 1940 is only approximately comparable to the data for the subsequent years. |
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