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Social Security Beneficiary Statistics
Number of …
Beneficiaries by broad groups
Retired workers & dependents
Survivors
Disabled workers & dependents

The table below provides unedited data from our Master Beneficiary Record. See the links at left for other beneficiary data.
Number of retired workers and their dependents receiving benefits on December 31, 1970-2008
Year Total Retired workers1 Spouses2 Children3
Total Male Female Total Hus-
bands		 Wives Total Minor Disabled Student
1970 16,566,674 13,352,145 7,690,135 5,662,010 2,668,716 8,351 2,660,365 545,813 354,456 101,353 90,004
1971 17,188,035 13,925,444 7,950,322 5,975,122 2,697,350 8,132 2,689,218 565,241 362,090 104,585 98,566
1972 17,870,175 14,555,475 8,230,847 6,324,628 2,734,699 7,967 2,726,732 580,001 367,794 106,782 105,425
1973 18,793,039 15,364,044 8,608,469 6,755,575 2,808,395 7,902 2,800,493 620,600 393,473 112,006 115,121
1974 19,409,560 15,958,492 8,832,455 7,126,037 2,826,022 7,521 2,818,501 625,046 389,518 116,467 119,061
1975 20,140,731 16,588,174 9,163,776 7,424,398 2,867,421 7,263 2,860,158 685,136 412,650 124,328 148,158
1976 20,715,021 17,165,415 9,420,659 7,744,756 2,896,290 6,996 2,889,294 653,316 385,568 123,134 144,614
1977 21,476,517 17,832,484 9,723,815 8,108,669 2,964,287 33,006 2,931,281 679,746 399,553 127,961 152,232
1978 22,006,468 18,357,985 9,928,463 8,429,522 2,979,959 38,291 2,941,668 668,524 381,841 134,726 151,957
1979 22,617,898 18,970,172 10,192,475 8,777,697 2,991,340 39,176 2,952,164 656,386 368,610 138,756 149,020
1980 23,243,078 19,582,625 10,470,788 9,111,837 3,018,008 39,221 2,978,787 642,445 356,669 142,204 143,572
1981 23,859,047 20,195,362 10,766,981 9,428,381 3,030,815 38,559 2,992,256 632,870 340,356 143,633 148,881
1982 24,362,481 20,763,742 11,030,037 9,733,705 3,039,359 37,903 3,001,456 559,380 323,066 145,539 90,775
1983 24,971,472 21,418,860 11,358,411 10,060,449 3,039,186 37,357 3,001,829 513,426 310,598 149,555 53,273
1984 25,435,753 21,906,651 11,573,021 10,333,630 3,050,836 36,529 3,014,307 478,266 295,688 153,724 28,854
1985 25,958,585 22,432,103 11,817,087 10,615,016 3,069,074 35,753 3,033,321 457,408 284,610 157,989 14,809
1986 26,524,806 22,986,678 12,085,191 10,901,487 3,087,843 34,706 3,053,137 450,285 274,463 162,803 13,019
1987 26,970,080 23,439,839 12,295,151 11,144,688 3,089,987 33,742 3,056,245 440,254 261,828 166,567 11,859
1988 27,375,814 23,858,226 12,486,962 11,371,264 3,086,022 32,589 3,053,433 431,566 249,214 168,798 13,554
1989 27,842,330 24,326,604 12,718,425 11,608,179 3,093,075 31,796 3,061,279 422,651 239,100 170,960 12,591
1990 28,361,385 24,838,100 12,983,832 11,854,268 3,101,085 31,126 3,069,959 422,200 236,051 173,941 12,208
1991 28,818,483 25,288,719 13,222,776 12,065,943 3,104,235 30,578 3,073,657 425,529 235,792 177,395 12,342
1992 29,301,178 25,757,727 13,470,502 12,287,225 3,111,515 30,206 3,081,309 431,936 238,469 181,795 11,672
1993 29,635,117 26,104,305 13,645,386 12,458,919 3,094,447 30,025 3,064,422 436,365 239,620 185,154 11,591
1994 29,914,265 26,407,756 13,790,997 12,616,759 3,066,430 29,836 3,036,594 440,079 241,121 187,519 11,439
1995 30,140,418 26,672,806 13,913,531 12,759,275 3,026,012 29,741 2,996,271 441,600 241,756 188,965 10,879
1996 30,310,865 26,898,072 14,010,875 12,887,197 2,970,226 29,600 2,940,626 442,567 241,911 189,788 10,868
1997 30,637,863 27,274,572 14,116,818 13,157,754 2,922,170 29,786 2,892,384 441,121 240,031 189,780 11,310
1998 30,813,491 27,510,535 14,200,826 13,309,709 2,864,230 30,013 2,834,217 438,726 238,455 189,637 10,634
1999 31,027,701 27,774,677 14,321,468 13,453,209 2,811,008 30,535 2,780,473 442,016 240,899 189,815 11,302
2000 31,756,099 28,498,945 14,767,170 13,731,775 2,798,203 32,343 2,765,860 458,951 255,908 191,584 11,459
2001 32,045,800 28,836,774 14,930,081 13,906,693 2,741,962 33,678 2,708,284 467,064 262,509 191,809 12,746
2002 32,347,974 29,190,137 15,100,473 14,089,664 2,681,153 35,134 2,646,019 476,684 270,231 192,085 14,368
2003 32,633,335 29,531,611 15,247,841 14,283,770 2,621,691 36,523 2,585,168 480,033 273,646 191,704 14,683
2004 33,004,844 29,953,081 15,430,725 14,522,356 2,568,869 38,247 2,530,622 482,894 276,427 191,286 15,181
2005 33,467,225 30,455,298 15,646,409 14,808,889 2,523,750 40,051 2,483,699 488,177 281,485 191,871 14,821
2006 33,937,576 30,971,472 15,865,660 15,105,812 2,476,411 42,033 2,434,378 489,693 282,137 192,009 15,547
2007 34,450,034 31,525,098 16,109,553 15,415,545 2,430,763 44,231 2,386,532 494,173 281,770 195,975 16,428
2008 35,168,515 32,273,145 16,455,508 15,817,637 2,370,314 47,020 2,323,294 525,056 285,856 221,873 17,327
1 Beneficiary who worked in covered employment long enough to be insured and who is at least 62 years old.
2Spouse of retired worker must either (1) have a child under age 16 or a disabled child in his or her care, or (2) be at least 62 years old; applies also to divorced spouse if the marriage lasted at least 10 years.
3A minor child is one under age 18. A disabled child is a person disabled before the age of 22. A student child is a high school student under age 19. (Prior to 1982, the student-child category also included college students; beginning in 1982, payments to college students were gradually phased out.)
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Last reviewed or modified Friday Dec 19, 2008
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