What Is the Average Social Security Benefit by Age?
The average retired worker received $2,071.30 a month in December 2025, ranging from $1,424.40 for 62-year-olds to $2,274.68 for 70-year-olds in Social Security’s annual statistics. By September 2026 the overall average had reached $2,088.79. The age you claim matters more than the age you are: people who started benefits in 2025 at 62 averaged $1,418, while those who started at 70 or later averaged $3,496.
Average benefit by age
Retired workers in December 2025, by their age at the time:
| Age | All retired workers | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | $1,424.40 | $1,572.83 | $1,285.50 |
| 63 | $1,435.81 | $1,580.81 | $1,300.20 |
| 64 | $1,478.00 | $1,624.93 | $1,342.07 |
| 65 | $1,607.27 | $1,772.00 | $1,457.40 |
| 66 | $1,807.28 | $1,998.75 | $1,629.09 |
| 67 | $2,016.48 | $2,234.41 | $1,801.82 |
| 68 | $2,052.64 | $2,272.40 | $1,836.58 |
| 69 | $2,096.95 | $2,321.96 | $1,876.96 |
| 70 | $2,274.68 | $2,529.62 | $2,024.08 |
| 75 | $2,144.88 | $2,358.96 | $1,937.42 |
| 80 | $2,106.29 | $2,309.85 | $1,912.67 |
| 85 | $2,077.11 | $2,268.34 | $1,908.09 |
| 90 to 94 | $1,902.18 | $1,992.75 | $1,834.95 |
| All ages | $2,071.30 | $2,282.28 | $1,872.43 |
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The averages climb through the 60s because everyone under full retirement age who’s collecting claimed early and took a permanent reduction, while the 66 to 70 group includes more people who waited. Averages peak at 70 and drift down after that. The oldest retirees’ benefits were set when average wages were lower and have grown only by cost-of-living increases since, and more of them are women, who make up 57% of retired workers aged 90 to 94.
Average benefit by the age you claim
New retirement benefits awarded in 2025, from Social Security’s award statistics, show the claiming-age effect directly:
| Age when benefits started | Average monthly benefit | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | $1,418.40 | $1,567.19 | $1,275.24 |
| 63 | $1,605.86 | $1,775.52 | $1,441.59 |
| 64 | $1,723.94 | $1,924.16 | $1,537.06 |
| 65 | $2,027.53 | $2,253.49 | $1,809.92 |
| 66 | $2,270.68 | $2,506.74 | $2,014.87 |
| 67 | $2,608.30 | $2,885.34 | $2,313.99 |
| 68 | $2,897.62 | $3,212.08 | $2,564.34 |
| 69 | $3,169.40 | $3,529.52 | $2,793.81 |
| 70 to 74 | $3,495.89 | $3,902.28 | $3,080.87 |
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About 22% of 2025’s 3.9 million new retired-worker awards went to 62-year-olds. Part of the gap between ages is the early claiming reduction or delayed credits, and part reflects differences in the earnings of the people who claim at each age.
What each full benefit pays at each age
Averages don’t tell you your own number. Your check depends on your full benefit at full retirement age, your primary insurance amount, and when you start. For anyone born in 1960 or later:
| Full benefit at 67 | At 62 (70%) | At 65 (86.7%) | At 67 (100%) | At 70 (124%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $700 | $866 | $1,000 | $1,240 |
| $1,500 | $1,050 | $1,300 | $1,500 | $1,860 |
| $2,000 | $1,400 | $1,733 | $2,000 | $2,480 |
| $2,500 | $1,750 | $2,166 | $2,500 | $3,100 |
| $3,000 | $2,100 | $2,600 | $3,000 | $3,720 |
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The maximum benefit in 2026, for someone who earned at or above the taxable maximum for 35 years, is $2,969 at 62, $4,207 at 67 and $5,181 at 70. Waiting from 62 to 70 raises the check by about 77%, and whether 62, 67 or 70 pays more in total depends on how long you live. Your own full benefit is on your Social Security statement, or you can estimate your Social Security from your earnings.
Other beneficiaries
Social Security’s monthly snapshot for September 2026 shows nondisabled widows and widowers averaged $1,935.32 a month and children of deceased workers averaged $1,181.89. These averages rise each January with the cost-of-living adjustment; the 3.6% increase for 2027 adds about $75 to the average retired worker’s check.