Income of the Population 55 or Older, 2012

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 2013. 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, 2012
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 0.5 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0
500–999 0.2 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0
1,000–1,499 0.7 1.5 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.4
1,500–1,999 1.4 0.7 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.3
2,000–2,499 0.3 1.2 0.5 0.7 0.3 0.4 0.6
2,500–2,999 0.3 1.2 0.6 0.8 0.4 0.4 0.8
3,000–3,499 0.7 1.3 0.3 0.6 0.1 0.2 0.3
3,500–3,999 0.8 0.7 0.5 0.6 0.2 0.3 0.6
4,000–4,499 0.9 1.3 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.5
4,500–4,999 1.0 1.1 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.8
5,000–5,999 3.7 2.6 1.3 1.4 1.2 1.0 1.6
6,000–6,999 4.1 3.2 1.5 2.1 1.2 1.0 1.4
7,000–7,999 3.8 4.6 2.3 2.8 2.1 1.7 2.2
8,000–8,999 5.1 4.3 3.1 3.1 2.5 3.0 3.6
9,000–9,999 9.1 6.2 4.0 3.9 4.0 3.6 4.3
10,000–10,999 7.2 6.3 4.4 4.5 3.8 3.9 4.9
11,000–11,999 5.7 4.3 4.0 4.1 3.4 4.6 4.0
12,000–12,999 5.0 4.5 3.6 3.3 3.3 3.8 3.9
13,000–13,999 8.0 5.4 6.1 4.9 4.7 6.9 7.8
14,000–14,999 5.5 4.6 5.9 5.3 4.4 6.7 7.0
15,000–19,999 18.1 21.6 23.0 21.9 21.8 21.2 25.9
20,000–24,999 9.8 12.9 14.0 14.5 14.9 14.8 12.4
25,000 or more 7.9 9.5 22.8 22.8 30.1 24.5 16.4
Median Social Security benefits (dollars) 12,779 13,451 16,799 16,799 18,900 16,799 15,599
Number (thousands) 2,732 2,797 28,096 7,807 6,542 5,062 8,684
Social Security Income of Aged Units Table 5.A2 Percentage distribution of beneficiary units, by marital status and age, 2012
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 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.9 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.1
500–999 0.3 1.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0
1,000–1,499 0.9 1.6 0.2 0.5 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.5 1.4 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.6
1,500–1,999 1.4 0.8 0.3 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.2 1.3 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.6 0.4
2,000–2,499 0.2 1.4 0.3 0.7 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.9 0.7 0.8 0.4 0.6 0.7
2,500–2,999 0.1 1.5 0.3 0.8 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.4 1.0 0.8 0.8 0.6 0.7 1.0
3,000–3,499 0.7 1.8 0.3 0.6 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.6 0.2 0.3 0.3
3,500–3,999 0.7 1.0 0.3 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.9 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.7
4,000–4,499 0.8 2.1 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.3 1.1 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.5 0.6 0.6
4,500–4,999 1.1 1.0 0.5 0.8 0.5 0.4 0.2 1.0 1.2 1.0 0.7 0.9 1.3 1.1
5,000–5,999 3.7 1.8 0.5 0.8 0.4 0.4 0.4 3.8 3.4 1.9 2.0 2.0 1.4 2.1
6,000–6,999 3.9 1.9 0.7 1.4 0.7 0.1 0.3 4.3 4.5 2.1 3.0 1.7 1.7 1.9
7,000–7,999 4.9 5.0 0.8 1.1 0.8 0.8 0.2 2.8 4.2 3.4 4.6 3.4 2.5 3.0
8,000–8,999 4.2 4.0 1.3 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.3 6.0 4.6 4.4 4.9 3.6 4.3 4.5
9,000–9,999 6.4 3.2 1.7 2.4 1.3 1.2 1.8 11.7 9.3 5.7 5.6 6.6 5.6 5.3
10,000–10,999 6.3 3.9 1.4 2.5 1.0 0.8 0.7 8.1 8.6 6.6 6.7 6.5 6.4 6.6
11,000–11,999 4.1 4.3 1.8 2.7 1.4 1.2 1.3 7.3 4.4 5.7 5.6 5.3 7.4 5.1
12,000–12,999 3.3 2.1 1.6 2.2 0.5 1.6 1.8 6.5 7.0 5.1 4.4 6.1 5.7 4.8
13,000–13,999 6.2 3.9 2.4 2.9 2.3 2.1 2.0 9.7 7.0 8.9 7.0 7.1 10.8 10.1
14,000–14,999 5.4 4.2 2.8 3.1 2.2 3.2 2.9 5.6 5.0 8.2 7.8 6.6 9.5 8.7
15,000–19,999 21.0 21.3 15.1 17.7 14.4 12.3 14.2 15.4 22.0 28.9 26.4 29.0 28.4 30.5
20,000–24,999 12.1 15.4 19.6 17.1 16.7 21.9 25.1 7.7 10.3 9.8 11.8 13.0 9.0 7.4
25,000 or more 12.2 16.5 47.7 39.9 55.3 51.8 46.4 3.8 2.5 4.3 4.6 5.2 2.2 4.5
Median Social Security benefits (dollars) 14,147 15,695 24,346 22,199 26,398 25,198 24,118 11,975 12,599 14,207 14,096 14,400 13,895 14,199
Number (thousands) 1,323 1,404 12,030 4,028 3,254 2,274 2,474 1,410 1,393 16,066 3,780 3,288 2,789 6,210
Social Security Income of Units 65 or Older Table 5.A3 Percentage distribution of beneficiary units, by race, Hispanic origin, and marital status, 2012
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 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.1
500–999 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.1 0.7
1,000–1,499 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.9 0.0 1.3 0.3 0.0 0.7 0.5 0.3 0.6
1,500–1,999 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.0 0.4 0.9 0.4 1.3 0.9 0.9 0.8
2,000–2,499 0.5 0.3 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.2 1.0 0.5 1.3
2,500–2,999 0.6 0.3 0.7 1.3 0.2 1.8 0.4 0.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.8
3,000–3,499 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.5 1.1 0.6 0.5 0.6
3,500–3,999 0.4 0.3 0.4 1.0 0.4 1.2 1.2 0.7 1.7 0.4 0.2 0.6
4,000–4,499 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.0 0.8 1.6 0.9 2.3 1.2 1.3 1.1
4,500–4,999 0.7 0.5 0.8 1.4 0.5 1.7 0.9 0.6 1.2 1.6 1.2 2.0
5,000–5,999 1.3 0.5 1.9 1.3 0.6 1.6 1.4 0.8 1.9 2.9 0.7 4.4
6,000–6,999 1.3 0.7 1.9 1.8 0.5 2.4 4.1 3.2 4.9 3.1 2.3 3.6
7,000–7,999 2.1 0.8 3.1 3.7 0.7 5.0 3.1 0.9 5.2 4.1 2.1 5.5
8,000–8,999 2.8 1.3 4.0 4.4 2.4 5.2 5.8 1.8 9.5 7.3 4.9 8.9
9,000–9,999 3.4 1.6 4.9 8.1 2.5 10.3 7.2 4.2 10.0 6.6 1.7 10.1
10,000–10,999 4.0 1.3 6.1 7.3 2.0 9.5 5.2 2.6 7.6 6.5 1.7 9.9
11,000–11,999 3.9 1.7 5.6 5.0 2.1 6.2 3.5 3.1 3.9 6.4 3.9 8.2
12,000–12,999 3.4 1.4 4.9 5.2 2.5 6.3 3.7 3.2 4.1 4.8 3.3 5.8
13,000–13,999 6.0 2.3 9.0 7.3 4.0 8.7 6.2 2.1 9.9 5.2 4.3 5.8
14,000–14,999 6.1 2.7 8.8 4.8 4.1 5.1 3.7 2.3 5.1 6.0 5.1 6.6
15,000–19,999 23.4 14.7 30.3 21.2 18.4 22.4 17.3 17.3 17.2 17.9 20.7 15.9
20,000–24,999 14.5 19.6 10.5 10.4 21.2 5.9 11.7 16.3 7.5 10.5 18.1 5.1
25,000 or more 24.1 48.8 4.5 12.8 36.8 3.0 20.4 39.0 3.4 11.5 25.8 1.4
Median Social Security benefits (dollars) 17,122 24,599 14,399 13,757 21,808 12,000 14,513 21,599 11,519 13,199 18,598 10,800
Number (thousands) 24,175 10,711 13,464 2,620 761 1,859 842 403 439 1,880 781 1,098
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, 2012
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 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0
500–999 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1
1,000–1,499 1.2 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.3 2.0 0.3 0.0 0.2 0.5
1,500–1,999 0.8 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.4 1.1 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.6
2,000–2,499 1.4 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.6 2.5 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.6
2,500–2,999 1.6 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.9 2.4 0.6 0.4 0.6 0.7
3,000–3,499 0.8 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.3 1.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.4
3,500–3,999 1.2 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.4 0.8 2.0 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.3
4,000–4,499 1.3 0.5 0.2 0.5 0.2 0.9 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.3 2.1 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.6
4,500–4,999 2.2 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.9 0.1 0.2 0.7 0.6 3.6 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.7
5,000–5,999 4.6 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.6 7.9 0.5 0.7 0.8 1.6
6,000–6,999 4.7 0.8 0.9 0.7 1.0 1.5 0.4 0.5 0.5 1.0 7.4 1.0 0.8 1.3 1.5
7,000–7,999 8.2 1.2 1.0 1.0 0.9 1.7 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.6 13.3 2.2 0.9 1.6 1.9
8,000–8,999 11.1 1.5 1.2 1.5 1.7 2.4 0.9 1.3 0.7 1.6 18.2 2.2 1.7 1.2 2.8
9,000–9,999 14.7 2.0 1.9 1.4 1.8 2.9 1.2 0.9 2.3 1.6 24.0 3.3 2.0 2.6 1.7
10,000–10,999 15.0 3.3 2.2 1.3 1.8 2.7 0.5 0.7 1.9 1.6 11.5 13.2 3.5 3.6 2.1
11,000–11,999 11.3 3.2 3.1 1.7 1.8 3.1 1.7 0.9 1.9 1.4 0.1 16.1 3.3 4.5 2.4
12,000–12,999 9.7 3.2 2.6 2.3 1.1 3.4 1.0 1.3 1.2 1.0 0.0 14.6 2.5 4.1 2.6
13,000–13,999 9.7 10.1 4.7 3.0 3.3 3.6 1.8 1.4 2.6 2.9 0.0 21.9 6.8 7.0 5.7
14,000–14,999 0.0 15.9 5.6 3.3 2.6 6.5 1.8 1.7 2.2 2.2 0.0 16.6 7.6 8.7 5.2
15,000–19,999 0.1 47.3 23.5 20.8 17.2 26.3 9.8 12.3 14.9 13.4 0.1 5.8 59.3 34.6 34.4
20,000–24,999 0.0 8.8 26.0 15.9 16.8 31.9 20.2 15.9 16.7 13.7 0.0 0.1 9.1 20.0 18.4
25,000 or more 0.0 0.0 24.3 43.7 45.5 9.5 58.6 60.2 51.9 54.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 6.7 15.1
Median Social Security benefits (dollars) 9,647 15,599 20,039 23,000 23,998 18,398 26,398 27,178 25,199 25,799 8,361 12,491 16,079 16,577 17,339
Number (thousands) 4,779 6,158 6,051 5,788 5,319 2,231 2,619 2,552 2,446 2,182 2,418 3,475 3,723 3,441 3,009
NOTE: Quintile limits are $13,292, $22,021, $35,493, and $63,648 for all units; $26,818, $39,798, $59,252, and $94,000 for married couples; and $10,799, $15,599, $21,941, and $36,797 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, 2012
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 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1
500–999 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1
1,000–1,499 0.7 0.4 1.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.6
1,500–1,999 0.8 0.4 1.3 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2
2,000–2,499 0.9 0.7 1.3 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.4 0.0 0.6 0.5 0.0 0.7
2,500–2,999 1.4 0.6 2.5 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.4
3,000–3,499 0.8 0.6 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.3
3,500–3,999 0.8 0.7 1.0 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.3 0.5 0.1 0.6
4,000–4,499 1.0 0.7 1.5 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.0 0.6
4,500–4,999 1.3 0.9 1.8 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.7 0.0 1.0 0.7 0.6 0.8
5,000–5,999 1.7 0.8 2.7 1.1 0.2 1.8 0.4 0.0 0.5 1.7 0.7 2.0
6,000–6,999 2.0 1.2 3.2 0.8 0.3 1.3 0.8 0.0 1.2 1.9 0.6 2.3
7,000–7,999 2.3 1.2 3.8 1.8 0.4 3.0 1.5 0.0 2.2 3.3 0.9 4.0
8,000–8,999 2.9 2.2 3.9 2.1 0.3 3.6 2.7 0.6 3.7 4.8 1.4 5.8
9,000–9,999 3.4 2.8 4.1 2.3 0.5 3.8 4.7 0.9 6.4 6.6 1.4 8.1
10,000–10,999 3.2 2.1 4.7 3.2 0.8 5.3 3.8 0.3 5.4 7.8 1.0 9.8
11,000–11,999 3.6 2.7 4.7 3.1 0.6 5.2 3.9 0.5 5.5 5.8 2.1 6.9
12,000–12,999 2.9 2.0 4.2 2.8 0.9 4.4 4.4 1.0 6.0 5.1 1.8 6.1
13,000–13,999 5.1 3.6 7.1 5.4 1.0 9.1 7.0 0.7 9.9 8.1 2.6 9.6
14,000–14,999 4.8 3.3 6.8 5.8 1.3 9.6 6.2 2.5 7.9 7.4 4.4 8.3
15,000–19,999 22.1 18.5 27.0 23.1 9.5 34.7 26.2 11.8 32.8 22.4 18.6 23.6
20,000–24,999 14.2 16.8 10.7 16.3 21.6 11.7 15.9 24.0 12.2 10.0 22.3 6.5
25,000 or more 24.0 37.7 5.3 31.4 62.4 5.3 20.8 57.5 4.0 11.3 41.2 2.7
Median Social Security benefits (dollars) 16,908 21,599 13,967 19,199 27,118 15,443 16,800 26,398 14,759 14,207 23,146 13,067
Number (thousands) 9,880 5,685 4,195 7,985 3,660 4,325 3,459 1,088 2,371 6,616 1,483 5,133
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, 2012
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 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.6 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.1
500–999 0.2 0.6 0.0 0.4 0.8 0.0 0.1 0.5 0.1
1,000–1,499 0.6 1.3 0.2 0.3 1.4 0.2 0.8 1.3 0.3
1,500–1,999 0.9 1.0 0.3 0.9 0.8 0.3 1.0 1.1 0.3
2,000–2,499 0.5 0.9 0.4 0.3 1.3 0.4 0.7 0.6 0.4
2,500–2,999 0.6 0.9 0.5 0.6 1.2 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.6
3,000–3,499 0.8 1.2 0.3 0.5 1.4 0.4 1.0 1.0 0.2
3,500–3,999 1.1 0.6 0.4 1.0 0.9 0.3 1.1 0.5 0.4
4,000–4,499 0.8 1.0 0.5 0.8 1.4 0.4 0.8 0.7 0.5
4,500–4,999 0.9 0.9 0.6 0.9 0.8 0.5 0.9 1.0 0.7
5,000–5,999 2.6 2.0 1.1 3.0 2.5 0.8 2.4 1.7 1.3
6,000–6,999 2.7 2.9 1.2 3.2 2.6 0.9 2.4 3.0 1.5
7,000–7,999 3.8 3.6 1.8 4.1 4.5 1.2 3.6 3.0 2.3
8,000–8,999 4.1 3.5 2.4 4.4 3.9 1.7 3.9 3.3 3.0
9,000–9,999 6.5 4.7 3.2 7.3 4.6 2.2 5.9 4.7 4.0
10,000–10,999 5.6 5.1 3.2 5.8 5.1 2.4 5.5 5.2 3.8
11,000–11,999 4.8 3.7 3.1 4.8 4.1 2.5 4.9 3.4 3.6
12,000–12,999 3.8 3.7 2.9 4.4 2.4 2.2 3.5 4.5 3.4
13,000–13,999 6.8 4.2 4.7 6.8 4.8 3.6 6.8 3.7 5.6
14,000–14,999 5.4 4.5 4.8 5.7 4.4 4.4 5.1 4.5 5.1
15,000–19,999 21.7 19.9 19.7 20.7 22.2 19.5 22.3 18.3 19.8
20,000–24,999 12.3 14.4 15.5 11.2 13.5 17.5 12.9 14.9 14.0
25,000 or more 13.2 19.3 33.1 12.4 15.2 38.1 13.8 22.1 29.1
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 14,399 15,600 19,222 14,000 15,384 21,599 14,400 16,199 18,000
Number (thousands) 5,928 5,094 37,897 2,354 2,067 16,649 3,574 3,027 21,249
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, 2012
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 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1
500–999 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0
1,000–1,499 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3
1,500–1,999 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.3
2,000–2,499 0.6 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.8 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.4 0.2 0.4 0.6
2,500–2,999 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.6 0.7 0.3 0.1 0.5 0.6 0.3 0.5 0.8
3,000–3,499 0.5 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.8 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.3
3,500–3,999 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.6
4,000–4,499 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.5
4,500–4,999 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.7 0.8 0.8
5,000–5,999 1.1 0.8 0.8 1.5 1.1 0.6 0.4 0.8 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.9
6,000–6,999 1.7 1.0 0.8 1.2 1.5 0.7 0.4 0.4 1.8 1.2 1.0 1.7
7,000–7,999 2.3 1.6 1.4 1.8 1.5 1.3 0.9 0.9 3.0 1.9 1.8 2.4
8,000–8,999 2.5 1.8 2.5 2.8 2.1 1.3 1.2 1.8 2.8 2.3 3.4 3.5
9,000–9,999 3.3 2.9 2.9 3.7 2.6 1.9 1.8 2.2 3.9 3.7 3.7 4.7
10,000–10,999 3.1 2.8 3.0 3.8 3.0 2.0 2.0 2.1 3.2 3.4 3.7 4.9
11,000–11,999 3.2 2.5 3.6 3.3 3.0 2.1 2.2 2.5 3.4 2.8 4.6 3.9
12,000–12,999 2.6 2.6 3.1 3.3 2.6 1.2 3.0 2.2 2.7 3.7 3.1 4.0
13,000–13,999 3.9 3.4 5.5 6.4 3.4 2.8 3.6 4.8 4.3 3.9 7.0 7.4
14,000–14,999 4.1 3.6 5.7 6.0 4.4 2.8 4.8 5.6 3.8 4.3 6.4 6.2
15,000–19,999 18.4 19.0 17.6 23.1 19.5 19.0 16.7 22.2 17.5 19.1 18.3 23.7
20,000–24,999 15.3 15.8 16.7 14.8 16.8 15.9 19.4 18.8 13.9 15.7 14.7 12.0
25,000 or more 34.4 39.8 33.7 24.8 33.5 46.2 42.1 32.9 35.3 34.4 27.5 19.3
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 19,799 21,684 20,206 17,279 20,000 23,998 22,997 20,399 19,595 20,027 17,399 15,599
Number (thousands) 11,607 9,254 6,936 10,100 5,396 4,224 2,965 4,064 6,211 5,030 3,971 6,037
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, 2012
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 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 1.1
500–999 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.2
1,000–1,499 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.9 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.2 1.4
1,500–1,999 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.2 1.4 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.0 1.3 0.1 0.5 0.4 0.4 1.4
2,000–2,499 0.3 0.6 0.6 0.9 0.1 0.3 0.8 0.6 1.2 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.1
2,500–2,999 0.3 0.8 0.9 0.5 1.2 0.3 0.7 0.8 0.4 0.6 0.2 0.8 0.9 0.6 1.6
3,000–3,499 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.7 0.3 0.6 0.1 0.6 1.3 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.2
3,500–3,999 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.8 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.6 0.5 0.3 1.3
4,000–4,499 0.4 0.6 0.7 0.2 1.2 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.9 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.1 1.4
4,500–4,999 0.5 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.4 0.6 0.4 1.0 0.9 1.1 0.9
5,000–5,999 0.5 1.8 1.7 2.0 2.3 0.5 1.5 2.0 1.4 1.0 0.5 2.0 1.7 2.3 3.4
6,000–6,999 0.7 1.9 1.8 2.1 2.7 0.7 1.2 1.1 0.9 2.8 0.6 2.2 1.9 2.8 2.5
7,000–7,999 0.9 3.1 2.8 3.8 2.5 0.8 2.2 1.9 2.3 2.5 1.0 3.5 3.0 4.7 2.4
8,000–8,999 1.2 4.1 3.6 4.8 3.6 1.2 3.0 3.2 3.3 1.6 1.2 4.5 3.7 5.7 5.4
9,000–9,999 1.7 5.2 4.6 5.5 6.4 1.7 3.5 2.0 2.9 7.4 1.8 5.9 5.3 7.0 5.6
10,000–10,999 1.2 5.8 5.2 6.6 7.3 1.4 4.9 4.1 4.0 8.1 0.9 6.2 5.5 8.2 6.5
11,000–11,999 1.5 5.3 4.9 6.4 5.2 1.7 4.6 3.9 5.2 5.9 1.3 5.6 5.1 7.1 4.7
12,000–12,999 1.5 4.7 4.8 5.0 4.4 1.6 4.0 4.4 3.1 5.6 1.4 5.0 4.9 6.2 3.4
13,000–13,999 2.2 8.1 9.0 7.6 5.3 2.3 7.1 8.7 6.9 4.0 2.0 8.6 9.1 8.1 6.4
14,000–14,999 2.6 7.7 7.5 7.8 10.1 2.7 8.8 8.1 9.0 12.1 2.4 7.3 7.3 7.0 8.4
15,000–19,999 13.5 27.8 30.1 26.0 22.0 14.7 32.0 35.3 33.5 22.9 12.1 26.2 28.7 21.3 21.1
20,000–24,999 19.1 10.7 11.1 10.2 9.9 19.2 13.3 13.3 13.7 9.9 19.1 9.7 10.5 7.9 9.8
25,000 or more 51.2 8.8 8.6 8.5 10.5 49.0 9.8 9.0 10.2 10.4 54.0 8.3 8.5 7.5 10.6
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 25,198 14,400 14,999 14,399 14,199 24,657 15,599 15,599 15,695 14,253 25,799 14,351 14,400 13,199 13,655
Number (thousands) 21,671 16,226 10,080 3,954 1,441 12,015 4,634 2,073 1528 664 9,656 11,593 8,006 2,426 777
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, 2012
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 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.1
500–999 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.3
1,000–1,499 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.7 0.3 0.9 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3
1,500–1,999 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.0 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.8
2,000–2,499 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.7 1.3 0.3
2,500–2,999 0.4 0.4 0.5 1.1 0.5 1.6 0.2 0.0 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.5
3,000–3,499 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.3 1.1 1.2 1.0 0.5 0.6 0.4
3,500–3,999 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.9 0.7 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.3 0.2 0.4
4,000–4,499 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.6 1.0 1.9 0.3 1.1 0.9 1.2
4,500–4,999 0.6 0.5 0.6 1.1 0.5 1.6 1.0 0.8 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.2
5,000–5,999 1.0 0.7 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 2.2 2.0 2.4
6,000–6,999 1.1 0.8 1.3 1.4 0.5 2.0 3.6 3.5 3.6 2.5 2.1 2.8
7,000–7,999 1.7 1.1 2.2 2.8 1.9 3.4 2.5 1.5 3.1 3.3 3.0 3.5
8,000–8,999 2.2 1.5 2.7 3.8 2.9 4.4 4.0 2.3 5.2 6.2 5.8 6.5
9,000–9,999 2.8 1.9 3.6 6.3 4.6 7.5 5.9 5.0 6.6 5.2 2.9 6.9
10,000–10,999 2.9 2.1 3.5 5.8 4.3 6.8 3.6 3.3 3.8 4.8 2.8 6.4
11,000–11,999 3.0 2.4 3.5 3.9 3.2 4.4 3.3 2.9 3.6 5.1 4.5 5.6
12,000–12,999 2.7 2.1 3.2 4.1 3.1 4.8 3.3 3.1 3.4 4.2 4.3 4.1
13,000–13,999 4.6 3.4 5.5 6.3 6.4 6.3 4.1 2.4 5.4 4.1 3.6 4.5
14,000–14,999 4.9 4.4 5.3 4.3 5.0 3.9 3.0 3.0 3.0 5.4 6.2 4.8
15,000–19,999 19.8 19.3 20.2 20.1 22.3 18.6 15.4 15.9 15.0 18.3 20.4 16.7
20,000–24,999 15.9 18.0 14.3 12.6 14.5 11.2 13.4 14.8 12.4 13.6 14.6 12.9
25,000 or more 34.4 39.3 30.4 21.7 26.8 18.1 31.3 35.5 28.3 19.3 21.6 17.5
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 20,059 22,198 18,479 15,659 17,999 14,399 18,000 20,000 16,799 15,483 16,799 14,399
Number (thousands) 32,936 14,586 18,350 3,184 1,308 1,876 1,201 498 703 2,506 1,085 1,421
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, 2012
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 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0
500–999 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1
1,000–1,499 0.2 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3
1,500–1,999 0.3 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.5
2,000–2,499 0.4 1.0 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.4
2,500–2,999 0.5 1.0 0.4 0.2 0.4 0.6
3,000–3,499 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2
3,500–3,999 0.4 0.8 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.6
4,000–4,499 0.5 1.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4
4,500–4,999 0.6 1.5 0.5 0.3 0.5 0.6
5,000–5,999 1.1 3.0 0.4 0.7 0.8 0.8
6,000–6,999 1.2 2.8 0.7 0.7 0.9 1.1
7,000–7,999 1.8 5.2 1.1 1.2 0.9 1.2
8,000–8,999 2.4 6.0 1.9 1.4 1.4 1.8
9,000–9,999 3.2 9.5 1.9 1.6 2.0 2.1
10,000–10,999 3.2 8.3 2.3 2.0 2.0 1.9
11,000–11,999 3.1 7.1 2.7 2.9 1.9 1.5
12,000–12,999 2.9 4.0 4.4 2.4 2.2 1.3
13,000–13,999 4.7 3.1 8.8 3.2 3.8 4.2
14,000–14,999 4.8 4.4 7.7 4.4 4.4 2.7
15,000–19,999 19.7 18.2 17.1 22.9 20.7 19.1
20,000–24,999 15.5 16.8 15.0 16.3 14.6 15.1
25,000 or more 33.1 4.2 34.1 38.5 41.6 43.7
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 19,222 12,000 19,199 21,575 21,983 22,799
Number (thousands) 37,897 6,779 8,106 8,078 7,782 7,153
NOTE: Per-capita family total money income quintile limits are $12,159, $17,750, $25,835, and $41,479.
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, 2012
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 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0
500–999 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2
1,000–1,499 0.4 1.2 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.5
1,500–1,999 0.5 0.9 0.3 0.1 0.5 0.6
2,000–2,499 0.8 2.2 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.7
2,500–2,999 0.8 2.0 0.6 0.2 1.0 0.6
3,000–3,499 0.4 1.2 0.1 0.1 0.5 0.4
3,500–3,999 0.4 1.1 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.3
4,000–4,499 0.7 1.6 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.9
4,500–4,999 0.8 2.2 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.6
5,000–5,999 1.9 5.8 0.3 1.0 1.4 1.3
6,000–6,999 1.8 5.1 0.8 0.8 1.3 1.6
7,000–7,999 3.0 9.5 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.7
8,000–8,999 3.9 12.0 2.5 1.0 1.4 2.9
9,000–9,999 5.2 18.6 2.4 1.7 1.9 2.1
10,000–10,999 6.3 18.1 4.7 3.8 2.6 2.4
11,000–11,999 5.5 13.3 4.9 3.8 3.6 2.0
12,000–12,999 5.0 4.7 10.3 3.5 3.5 2.0
13,000–13,999 8.4 0.0 21.0 6.4 6.1 5.7
14,000–14,999 8.5 0.0 18.3 8.1 9.3 4.4
15,000–19,999 30.4 0.1 30.7 45.7 40.4 33.3
20,000–24,999 10.4 0.0 0.1 18.6 15.0 20.2
25,000 or more 4.7 0.0 0.0 2.4 7.9 15.9
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 14,399 9,497 13,919 17,399 16,500 17,795
Number (thousands) 11,942 2,287 2,784 2,686 2,066 2,120
  Persons in 2-person beneficiary families
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–499 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
500–999 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
1,000–1,499 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2
1,500–1,999 0.2 0.4 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.4
2,000–2,499 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.4
2,500–2,999 0.4 0.7 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.8
3,000–3,499 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
3,500–3,999 0.3 0.7 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.7
4,000–4,499 0.3 0.9 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2
4,500–4,999 0.4 0.8 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.5
5,000–5,999 0.5 1.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.4
6,000–6,999 0.8 1.3 0.6 0.4 0.8 0.9
7,000–7,999 1.0 2.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7
8,000–8,999 1.3 2.4 0.8 1.0 1.1 1.3
9,000–9,999 2.0 4.8 1.4 1.0 1.5 2.2
10,000–10,999 1.5 3.5 0.5 0.9 1.4 1.6
11,000–11,999 1.8 3.8 1.4 2.0 1.2 1.0
12,000–12,999 1.8 3.6 1.2 1.8 1.8 1.0
13,000–13,999 2.8 4.9 2.3 1.3 2.7 3.3
14,000–14,999 3.0 7.5 2.1 2.4 2.4 1.9
15,000–19,999 14.5 31.3 9.4 10.3 13.4 13.0
20,000–24,999 18.6 28.8 24.4 15.3 14.9 12.7
25,000 or more 48.3 0.0 53.4 61.1 56.0 56.7
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 24,418 16,848 25,199 27,046 26,558 26,646
Number (thousands) 20,445 3,048 4,222 4,296 4,552 4,328
  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 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0
500–999 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
1,000–1,499 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.5
1,500–1,999 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.8
2,000–2,499 0.2 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0
2,500–2,999 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.0 0.5 0.0
3,000–3,499 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.0 0.1
3,500–3,999 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.8 0.5
4,000–4,499 0.5 1.2 0.1 0.8 0.2 0.0
4,500–4,999 1.1 1.7 1.2 0.6 0.9 0.5
5,000–5,999 1.4 1.8 0.7 1.1 1.4 1.7
6,000–6,999 1.4 2.4 1.1 1.4 0.8 0.9
7,000–7,999 2.3 3.7 1.5 2.6 0.8 2.8
8,000–8,999 3.5 4.3 4.6 3.8 2.6 1.4
9,000–9,999 3.6 5.1 2.3 3.6 4.2 1.3
10,000–10,999 2.8 3.0 3.1 2.3 3.5 1.7
11,000–11,999 3.1 4.2 1.6 4.6 1.9 2.8
12,000–12,999 2.3 3.7 1.3 2.3 1.9 1.4
13,000–13,999 4.0 4.2 3.4 3.1 4.2 5.5
14,000–14,999 3.4 5.0 2.1 3.2 3.7 2.5
15,000–19,999 15.6 19.2 12.2 16.5 14.2 14.2
20,000–24,999 15.4 18.1 16.5 14.5 12.7 14.5
25,000 or more 37.7 19.5 46.9 38.5 45.4 47.0
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 21,000 16,522 23,999 21,466 22,200 24,619
Number (thousands) 5,510 1,444 1,101 1,096 1,164 705
NOTE: Per-capita family total money income quintile limits are $12,159, $17,750, $25,835, and $41,479.
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, 2012
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 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
500–999 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1
1,000–1,499 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.4
1,500–1,999 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2
2,000–2,499 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.5
2,500–2,999 1.0 0.7 1.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.3 0.2 0.3
3,000–3,499 0.5 0.7 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.3
3,500–3,999 0.7 0.6 0.8 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.4
4,000–4,499 0.8 0.7 1.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.5
4,500–4,999 1.1 0.9 1.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.8 0.5 0.6 0.5
5,000–5,999 1.5 1.3 1.7 0.6 0.3 0.9 0.3 0.2 0.4 1.2 0.7 1.5
6,000–6,999 1.9 1.4 2.3 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.4 0.0 0.6 1.1 0.4 1.5
7,000–7,999 2.3 1.6 3.0 1.2 0.6 1.6 0.9 0.4 1.2 2.4 1.8 2.7
8,000–8,999 3.1 2.5 3.8 1.3 0.7 1.8 1.8 0.8 2.4 2.9 1.8 3.5
9,000–9,999 3.5 2.8 4.2 1.7 0.7 2.5 3.7 1.9 4.8 5.0 3.7 5.8
10,000–10,999 3.1 2.9 3.3 2.2 1.4 2.9 2.3 1.4 2.9 5.7 3.3 7.1
11,000–11,999 3.2 2.8 3.7 2.2 1.4 2.7 2.8 2.6 2.9 4.9 3.9 5.5
12,000–12,999 2.8 2.3 3.2 2.0 1.2 2.6 3.6 2.4 4.3 4.4 4.0 4.6
13,000–13,999 4.9 4.0 5.8 3.5 2.5 4.3 5.1 3.0 6.5 6.1 5.2 6.7
14,000–14,999 4.4 4.1 4.7 4.2 3.7 4.6 4.9 4.3 5.3 6.6 6.7 6.5
15,000–19,999 19.6 20.7 18.5 17.8 16.2 19.1 23.0 20.5 24.6 21.3 22.0 20.8
20,000–24,999 14.4 16.1 12.8 17.4 19.2 16.0 17.6 21.4 15.2 14.0 16.7 12.4
25,000 or more 29.3 32.4 26.6 44.8 51.4 39.7 32.4 40.5 27.2 21.6 27.4 18.1
Median family Social Security benefits (dollars) 18,000 19,199 16,799 23,602 25,198 21,600 19,955 22,899 18,300 16,198 18,599 15,359
Number (thousands) 16,598 7,920 8,678 10,977 4,798 6,179 3,979 1,551 2,428 6,086 2,258 3,827
NOTE: Persons in families with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.