The number of retired workers receiving Social Security benefits increased from approximately ***** million in 2010 to ***** million in 2023. This figure has increased at the same rate year-on-year over the past decade and is likely to continue into the future. What is Social Security? Social Security benefits are payments, which are paid out by the U.S. government to qualified retirees and disabled people, as well as to their spouses, children and survivors. These payments are meant to provide them with partial replacement income. Social security expenditure is forecast to increase year-on-year over the next decade, as it has since the beginning of the 21st century. The impact of demographic change This is likely to the fact that the U.S. population is aging rapidly, which means that seniors will account for a greater proportion of the population in the future. This demographic change will put pressure on government resources, because the workforce whose tax dollars pay for social benefits will make up a smaller percentage of the population than now. Americans who are 65 years and older are the demographic group estimated to grow the most over the next 40 years, whereas the other groups will mostly remain the same.

Introduction

Social Security Statistics: Social Security is a government program that helps people in the U.S. with money when they retire, become disabled, or lose a family provider. It was made to give people and families a steady income, especially when they can’t work anymore or face tough times. In 2024, millions of Americans depend on Social Security to cover basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare.

Taxes from workers and employers pay for the program. Over time, people earn benefits based on how much they’ve worked and contributed to Social Security. This article includes several current trends and analyses from different insights that will explain the main parts of Social Security, how it works, and why it's so important in 2024.

The statistic represents the U.S. social security outlays from 2000 to 2023 with an additional forecast of 2024, 2025, and 2034 as a percentage of the gross domestic product. Social security outlays amounted to 1.35 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023, which is about five percent of the U.S. GDP. The forecast predicts an increase in social security outlays up to 2.47 trillion U.S. dollars in 2034, which would be about six percent of projected GDP. The GDP of the United States since 1990 can be accessed here.

In July 2024, 3.16 billion U.S. dollars were paid out in unemployment benefits in the United States. This is an increase from June 2024, when 2.62 billion U.S. dollars were paid in unemployment benefits. The large figures seen in 2020 are largely due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Welfare in the U.S. Unemployment benefits first started in 1935 during the Great Depression as a part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. The Social Security Act of 1935 ensured that Americans would not fall deeper into poverty. The United States was the only developed nation in the world at the time that did not offer any welfare benefits. This program created unemployment benefits, Medicare and Medicaid, and maternal and child welfare. The only major welfare program that the United States currently lacks is a paid maternity leave policy. Currently, the United States only offers 12 unpaid weeks of leave, under certain circumstances. However, the number of people without health insurance in the United States has greatly decreased since 2010. Unemployment benefits Current unemployment benefits in the United States vary from state to state due to unemployment being funded by both the state and the federal government. The average duration of people collecting unemployment benefits in the United States has fluctuated since January 2020, from as little as 4.55 weeks to as many as 50.32 weeks. The unemployment rate varies by ethnicity, gender, and education levels. For example, those aged 16 to 24 have faced the highest unemployment rates since 1990 during the pandemic. In February 2023, the Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV metropolitan area had the highest unemployment rate in the United States.

This statistic shows the total personal income in the United States from 1990 to 2023. The data are in current U.S. dollars not adjusted for inflation or deflation. According to the BEA, personal income is the income that is received by persons from all sources. It is calculated as the sum of wage and salary disbursements, supplements to wages and salaries, proprietors' income with inventory valuation and capital consumption adjustments, rental income of persons with capital consumption adjustment, personal dividend income, personal interest income, and personal current transfer receipts, less contributions for government social insurance. Personal income increased to about 23 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023.Personal income Personal income in the United States has risen steadily over the last decades from 5.07 trillion U.S. dollars in 1991 to 23 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023. Personal income includes all earnings including wages, investments, and other sources. Personal income also varied widely across the U.S., where those living in the District of Columbia, on the higher scale, earned an average of 96,873 U.S. dollars per capita and on the lower end of the spectrum, people in Mississippi earned 45,438 U.S. dollars per capita. In the District of Columbia, disposable income averaged some 81,193 U.S. dollars. In total, California earned the most personal income followed by Texas, receiving three trillion U.S. dollars and 1.76 trillion U.S. dollars, respectively. Income tends to vary widely between demographics in the United States. Those with higher education levels tend to earn more money. However, only 25.7 percent of persons with a disability that had a Bachelor's degree or higher were employed in 2020. The Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability programs provide monetary benefits to the disabled and certain family members.

In September 2024, the disposable personal income in the United States increased by 0.3 percent from the previous month. The data are in current U.S. dollars, seasonally adjusted at annual rates. Disposable personal income in the United States According to the BEA, personal income is the income that is received by persons from all sources. It is calculated as the sum of wage and salary disbursements, supplements to wages and salaries, proprietors' income with inventory valuation and capital consumption adjustments, rental income of persons with capital consumption adjustment, personal dividend income, personal interest income, and personal current transfer receipts, minus contributions for government social insurance. In simple terms, disposable personal income is the total remaining income after taxes paid; it is the income available to persons for spending or saving. It is useful to economists because it measures the amount of money available for spending in a specific area. Disposable personal income is a significant indicator of an economy’s health. Personal income determines an individual’s ability to consume goods and services, i.e. personal consumption expenditure, and industries producing consumer goods and services contribute heavily to United States gross domestic product. The retail trade industry, for example, contributed 1.38 trillion chained U.S. dollars to the GDP of the United States in 2021. Total real GDP amounted to about 22.99 trillion U.S. dollars that year. The arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services industry contributed 839.6 billion U.S. dollars to the GDP in 2021. Personal income in the United States was 21.06 trillion U.S. dollars in 2021, the highest value in over ten years.

In 2023, the U.S. states with the highest share of the population that had a disability were West Virginia, Arkansas, and Kentucky. At that time, around 19.7 percent of the population of West Virginia had some form of disability. The states with the lowest rates of disability were New Jersey, Utah, and Minnesota. Disability in the United States A disability is any condition, either physical or mental, that impairs one’s ability to do certain activities. Some examples of disabilities are those that affect one’s vision, hearing, movement, or learning. It is estimated that around 14 percent of the population in the United States suffers from some form of disability. The prevalence of disability increases with age, with 46 percent of those aged 75 years and older with a disability, compared to just six percent of those aged 5 to 15 years. Vision impairment One common form of disability comes from vision impairment. In 2023, around 3.6 percent of the population of West Virginia had a vision disability, meaning they were blind or had serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses. The leading causes of visual disability are age-related and include diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. This is clear when viewing the prevalence of vision disability by age. It is estimated that 8.3 percent of those aged 75 years and older in the United States have a vision disability, compared to 4.3 percent of those aged 65 to 74 and only 0.9 percent of those aged 5 to 15 years.

The rising preference for community and home care services has contributed significantly to industry growth and performance. Baby boomers entering the later phase of adulthood, increased life expectancy and the greater incidence of disabilities in individuals of advancing age have contributed to a higher demand for long-term care services such as adult day care and nonmedical home care services. Home aid has become the dominant sector in long-term care since it provides independence and comfort, and adult day care centers offer a place for community interaction. The growth in homecare services weathered the impact of the pandemic, and industry-wide revenue has been growing at a CAGR of 2.0% through 2025 to total $80.1 billion, when revenue will climb by an estimated 3.4%. The industry has faced challenges as a fragmented market. Out-of-market competition from residential care providers and the increased presence of franchises challenge industry pricing and high service offerings for many needing services. However, telemedicine and wearable technology have changed the scope and quality of services. They can abate the need for residential services by providing remote health monitoring, offering virtual consultations and ensuring continuous care, enabling seniors to receive support at home. Their adoption will depend on the costs of the technology and continued funding support by Medicaid and Medicare. The continued need and preference for nonmedical home aid services will be a significant future demand driver; however, with rising wages, industry revenue will be significantly impacted by the level of funding for older adults, children and individuals with disabilities. The changes to Medicaid, Medicare funding and, in particular, State Home and Community-Based Services waivers that help reduce costs of home services compared to residential facilities will impact future funding for services and industry revenue. A healthy economy will support the payment for services not covered by government programs, and forecasts for strong per capita disposable income growth will support out-of-pocket service payments. While government funding cutbacks and staff layoffs could hamper the sector's future growth and profitability, industry revenue is forecast to strengthen at a CAGR of 2.2% through 2030 to reach $89.4 billion, with profit remaining stable.

As of January 1, 2025, retirees in Russia received a gross pension of approximately ******** Russian rubles on average, or ****U.S. dollars per month at the exchange rate as of May 16, 2025. The reform of 2019 introduced a retirement age hike to gradually increase the retirement age to 60 years for women and 65 years for men until 2028. Pensions in Russia are guaranteed by the state, like in many European countries. Pension growth in Russia The amount of retirement benefits in Russia increased by roughly ******* Russian rubles, or *** percent, over the course of 2024. The pensions increased more significantly than prices in the country, as Russia's annual inflation rate stood at around *** percent in the same year. Pensioners in Russia Despite the increase in pension amounts, there has been a decrease in the number of individuals entitled to receive pensions until the start of 2024. As of January 1, 2025, the number of pensioners in Russia reached roughly **** million, more than a year prior. That corresponded to nearly *** pensioners per 1,000 population.

In October 2024, the public debt of the United States was around 35.46 trillion U.S. dollars, a slight decrease from the previous month. The U.S. public debt ceiling has become one of the most prominent political issues in the States in recent years, with debate over how to handle it causing political turmoil between Democrats and Republicans. The public debt The public debt of the United States has risen quickly since 2000, and in 2022 was more than five times higher than in 2000. The public debt is the total outstanding debt that is owed by the federal government. This figure comprises debt owed to the public (for example, through bonds) and intergovernmental debt (debt owed to various governmental departments), such as Social Security. Debt in Politics The debt issue has become a highly contentious topic within the U.S. government. Measures such as stimulus packages, social programs and tax cuts add to the public debt. Additionally, spending tends to peak during large global events, such as the Great Depression, the 2008 financial crisis, or the COVID-19 pandemic - all of which had a detrimental impact on the U.S. economy. Although both major political parties in the U.S. tend to blame one another for increases in the country's debt, a recent analysis found that both parties have contributed almost equally to national expenditure. Debate on raising the debt ceiling, or the amount of debt the federal government is allowed to have at any one time, was a leading topic in the government shutdown in October 2013. Despite plans from both Democrats and Republicans on how to lower the national debt, it is only expected to increase over the next decade.