As of December 2023, 3.8 million individuals in New York received Social Security benefits totaling more than $6.8 billion for the month and approximately $79.3 billion for the calendar year. New York's share of the $1.38 trillion in benefits paid by the United States in 2023 was 5.7 percent.
More than 80 percent of New York recipients were 65 or older. Nearly 3 million New Yorkers received retirement benefits and more than 488,000 received disability benefits. Retired worker beneficiaries in New York received a median monthly benefit of $1,913.70 and disabled beneficiaries a median monthly benefit of $1,425.00.
In December 2023, over $500 million in benefits were paid in each of the following counties: Suffolk ($641.6 million), Queens ($583.2 million), Nassau ($575.8 million) and Kings ($541.5 million). There were over 300,000 beneficiaries in each of three counties: Queens, Kings and Suffolk.
Social Security Benefits Paid and Number of Beneficiaries: New York, CY 2023 (benefits in millions of dollars)
| Total Benefits | Retirement | Survivors | Disability | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Benefits | $79,266 | $62,139 | $8,074 | $9,053 |
| Monthly Benefits, December | $6,822 | $5,656 | $456 | $710 |
| Number of Recipients, December | 3,764,852 | 2,986,698 | 289,985 | 488,169 |
Note: Annual benefits are estimated.
Total Social Security Benefits Paid: New York, CY 2014 – CY 2023
Source (both figures): Social Security Administration, Annual Statistical Supplement, OASDI, Benefits in Current-Payment Status, Geographic Data (5.J) at https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/supplement/2024/index.html.
Social Security: New York and Counties, December 2023
(in current-payment status, benefits in thousands of dollars)
| Total Beneficiaries | Total Benefits | |
|---|---|---|
| Total, New York | 3,764,852 | $6,821,859 |
| Albany | 64,670 | $123,459 |
| Allegany | 11,840 | $19,448 |
| Bronx | 211,145 | $299,022 |
| Broome | 47,690 | $83,064 |
| Cattaraugus | 20,430 | $33,501 |
| Cayuga | 18,580 | $32,736 |
| Chautauqua | 34,180 | $57,510 |
| Chemung | 21,750 | $36,805 |
| Chenango | 13,475 | $22,069 |
| Clinton | 21,565 | $35,851 |
| Columbia | 16,790 | $31,899 |
| Cortland | 10,265 | $17,630 |
| Delaware | 12,555 | $21,571 |
| Dutchess | 64,505 | $129,960 |
| Erie | 212,845 | $390,823 |
| Essex | 10,415 | $18,266 |
| Franklin | 12,880 | $20,438 |
| Fulton | 14,660 | $24,074 |
| Genesee | 14,915 | $26,361 |
| Greene | 13,010 | $23,392 |
| Hamilton | 1,670 | $3,043 |
| Herkimer | 16,170 | $26,717 |
| Jefferson | 23,655 | $38,786 |
| Kings | 358,150 | $541,472 |
| Lewis | 6,410 | $10,381 |
| Livingston | 15,570 | $28,402 |
| Madison | 16,310 | $29,298 |
| Monroe | 169,910 | $323,449 |
| Montgomery | 13,560 | $22,330 |
| Nassau | 270,745 | $575,837 |
| New York | 261,110 | $494,646 |
| Niagara | 55,530 | $99,225 |
| Oneida | 56,740 | $95,785 |
| Onondaga | 102,590 | $192,386 |
| Ontario | 29,460 | $55,509 |
| Orange | 70,165 | $134,867 |
| Orleans | 10,445 | $18,075 |
| Oswego | 29,740 | $51,642 |
| Otsego | 15,405 | $26,417 |
| Putnam | 20,590 | $44,420 |
| Queens | 365,555 | $583,194 |
| Rensselaer | 35,795 | $65,693 |
| Richmond | 93,295 | $173,922 |
| Rockland | 55,725 | $114,667 |
| Saratoga | 55,410 | $108,700 |
| Schenectady | 34,305 | $61,863 |
| Schoharie | 8,400 | $14,425 |
| Schuyler | 5,325 | $9,225 |
| Seneca | 8,635 | $14,793 |
| St. Lawrence | 26,875 | $44,010 |
| Steuben | 24,660 | $41,411 |
| Suffolk | 312,015 | $641,557 |
| Sullivan | 18,755 | $32,633 |
| Tioga | 13,160 | $22,815 |
| Tompkins | 17,775 | $34,747 |
| Ulster | 43,680 | $82,615 |
| Warren | 19,985 | $36,481 |
| Washington | 16,000 | $27,197 |
| Wayne | 24,750 | $44,232 |
| Westchester | 176,205 | $378,271 |
| Wyoming | 10,010 | $17,405 |
| Yates | 6,445 | $11,435 |
Source: Social Security Administration, Master Beneficiary Record, https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/oasdi_sc/index.html.