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The Social Security Administration (SSA) just announced what it will pay as its cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for beneficiaries in 2025.

The most recent COLA estimates ranged from 2.5 percent to 3.1 percent, but it officially came in on the low end, at 2.5 percent. This low increase makes it the smallest COLA since 2021. As it turns out, geography plays a role in what the monthly payment will be because the average monthly median income in each state is the baseline on which the COLA is applied.

Here are the 10 states with the lowest monthly median income as of December 2023. The lowest is ranked first. People living here will take the hardest beating from the 2025 COLA.

  1. Mississippi
  2. Louisiana
  3. New Mexico
  4. District of Columbia
  5. Arkansas
  6. Alaska
  7. Maine
  8. Kentucky
  9. Montana
  10. California

The income levels ranged from $1,673 in Mississippi to $1,767 in California.

Council of Seniors Wants to Strengthen Social Security

Annual COLAs have been insufficient for far too long. Here at Council of Seniors, we’re determined to get Congress to pass The SAVE Benefits Act. In recent years, the amount of $581 was withheld from seniors’ benefits, and we’re working tirelessly to get this bill passed so this money can be returned.

Please sign our petition right away to support our cause. Tell friends and neighbors we need them too! Washington politicians have ignored helping the growing number of Americans expecting action.

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