FACT SHEET ON THE OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS, AND DISABILITY INSURANCE PROGRAM

D. MEASURES OF PROTECTION

1. Coverage

We estimate that about 182 million people will work in

OASDI-covered employment in 2024.

We estimate that about 94 percent of workers in paid employment and self-employment are covered under the OASDI program.

2. Benefit receipt among the elderly

As of December 31, 2023 we estimate that about 87 percent of

the population aged 65 and over were receiving benefits.

3. Protection for survivors of young workers

We estimate that about 96 percent of persons aged 20-49 who

worked in covered employment in 2023 have acquired survivorship protection for their children under age 18 (and surviving

spouses caring for children under age 16).

4. Disability protection

We estimate that about 90 percent of persons aged 21-64 who

worked in covered employment in 2023 can count on monthly

cash benefits if they suffer a severe and prolonged disability.

Note: Totals may not equal the sums of rounded components.

Social Security Administration

January 29, 2024

A. BENEFICIARIES IN CURRENT-PAYMENT STATUS, 

December 31, 2023

Type of benefit

Number of

beneficiaries

[In thousands]

Monthly 

ratea

[In millions]

a Benefit amounts represent the monthly amount due to beneficiaries in current payment

status for December 31, 2023. These amounts exclude any adjustments to benefits for retroactive payments and certain payment withholding that may be attributable to eligibility

in prior months. Therefore, these data do not represent total benefits from the trust funds.

Average

monthly

amounta

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67,077 $118,527 b/

b Because the benefit amounts for workers and for the various types of family members

and survivors are based on different proportions of the worker’s benefit, average monthly

amounts for groups of these different kinds of beneficiaries are not meaningful.

Retired workers and their family 

members, total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52,730 97,887 b/

Retired workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50,148 95,547 $1,905

Spouses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,896 1,730 912

Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 686 610 890

Survivors of deceased workers, total 5,833 8,759 b/

Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,037 2,247 1,103

Widowed mothers and fathers with 

child beneficiaries in their care . . . 108 138 1,278

Aged widow(er)s, and aged parents. 3,488 6,190 1,774

Disabled widow(er)s . . . . . . . . . . . . 201 186 926

Disabled workers and their family 

members, total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,514 11,881 b/

Disabled workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,366 11,322 1,537

Spouses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 37 420

Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,060 521 492

B. SELECTED CATEGORIES OF BENEFICIARIES 

(INCLUDED ABOVE) IN CURRENT-PAYMENT STATUS,

December 31, 2023

Type of benefit

Number of

beneficiaries

[In thousands]

Monthly ratea

[In millions]

a See footnote “a” in Table A.

Disabled beneficiaries (OASDI)—Workers, 

disabled children aged 18 and over, and

disabled widow(er)s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,709 $12,691

Children (OASDI). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,782 3,379

Student children. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 94

Disabled children aged 18 and over . . . . . . . 1,142 1,183

Children under age 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,548 2,101

Survivor children and widowed mothers and 

fathers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,144 2,384

Beneficiaries aged 62 and over (OASDI) . . . . . . 58,168 107,704

Beneficiaries aged 65 and over (OASDI) . . . . . . 53,508 100,863

C. AVERAGE MONTHLY FAMILY BENEFITS IN 

CURRENT-PAYMENT STATUS, December 31, 2023

Selected familya group

a A family means beneficiaries entitled on one worker’s account.

Number of

families

[In thousands]

Average

family

benefitb

b See footnote “a” in Table A

Average

number of

beneficiaries

per family

Retired worker alone. . . . . . . . . . 47,749 $1,897 1.000

Retired worker and spouse, aged 

62 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,790 3,027 2.000

Disabled worker, spouse under 

full retirement age, and 1 or 

more children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 2,726 3.876

Widowed parent and 2 children . 33 3,607 3.000

Children of deceased worker c . . 

c In most cases, the family includes a widowed parent whose benefits are withheld due

to earnings.

1,335 1,439 1.324

Aged widow(er) alone. . . . . . . . . 3,315 1,772 1.000

E. OPERATIONS OF OASI AND DI TRUST FUNDS, 

Combined, In 2023

[In billions]

Calendar

year

Fiscal

year

Income . . . . . . . . . . $1,350.7 $1,332.9

Payroll tax contributions 1,233.1 1,215.5

Reimbursement from general revenue a/

a Less than $50,000,000.

0.2

Taxation of benefits 50.7 50.8

Interest and other income 66.9 66.5

Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,392.1 1,354.6

Total benefit payments 1,379.3 1,341.8

OASI . . . . . . . . 1,227.4 1,192.1

DI . . . . . . . . . . . 151.9 149.6

Railroad retirement transfer 5.6 5.6

Administrative expenditures 7.2 7.1

Assets reserves, end of period 2,788.5 2,816.7