1. Home
  2. More
  3. The 10 Cities Where Seniors Rely on Social Security the Most
  • Sign up
  • Sign in
Money Talks News
  • Popular
  • Latest
    • Coronavirus
    • Ask Stacy
    • Make
    • Save
    • Borrow
    • Grow
    • Live
    • More
  • Deals
    • Automotive
    • Clothing & Accessories
    • Computers
    • Electronics
    • Everything Else
    • Financial Services
    • Gaming & Toys
    • Health & Beauty
    • Home & Garden
    • Movies, Music & Books
    • Office & Supplies
    • Special Occasion
    • Sports & Fitness
    • Store Events
    • Travel & Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Solutions
  • Academy
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Search our site
Seniors holding hands in pool4 Simple Steps for a More Comfortable Retirement
10 Amazing Ways to Build Wealth at Any Age10 Amazing Ways to Build Wealth at Any Age
Happy older investor5 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $100,000
Senior standing beside window5 Retirement Planning Mistakes You’ll Regret Forever

The 10 Cities Where Seniors Rely on Social Security the Most

Retirees in these U.S. cities depend heavily on Social Security benefits to fund their golden years.

Advertising Disclosure: When you buy something by clicking links on our site, we may earn a small commission, but it never affects the products or services we recommend.

Brandon Ballenger • March 6, 2019

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by Email Share on Pinterest Printable version available to members PDF version available to members
retirement income
Matej Kastelic / Shutterstock.com

Social Security was never intended to fund a comfortable retirement all by itself, but it may be all some people have in their later years.

A recent analysis by SmartAsset identified 25 cities where retirees rely the most on their Social Security benefits.

The results show that in many major American cities, Social Security funds nearly half of a senior household’s retirement expenses — or more.

The analysis is based on U.S. Census Bureau data on the average retirement income and average Social Security income for senior households, defined as households in which the head of household is 65 or older.

SmartAsset examined this data for the 100 U.S. cities with the largest 65-and-older populations. Across those 100 cities, Social Security benefits make up 42 percent of retirement income, on average.

The 10 cities where Social Security benefits comprise the largest percentage of retirement income are:

  1. Fort Wayne, Indiana — Social Security makes up 53.77 percent of income for the average retiree
  2. Hialeah, Florida — 53.57 percent
  3. Wichita, Kansas — 50.46 percent
  4. Sun City, Arizona — 50.23 percent
  5. Indianapolis — 49.69 percent
  6. Lincoln, Nebraska — 49.25 percent
  7. Toledo, Ohio — 48.61 percent
  8. Tulsa, Oklahoma — 48.21 percent
  9. Milwaukee — 48.18 percent
  10. Port St. Lucie, Florida — 48.10 percent

While Florida was recently named the best state for retirees in 2019 by WalletHub, it’s home to three of the 25 cities on SmartAsset’s full list. Three North Carolina cities also made the list, although they all ranked in the lower half.

Arizona has the most cities on the list, though — with Mesa (No. 12), Phoenix (No. 16) and Surprise (No. 20) joining Sun City.

Hialeah, Florida, while a fraction shy of the top slot, stands out in another way: It has the lowest average combined retirement income on the entire list — $25,867. That’s significantly below the next-lowest average retirement income — Buffalo, New York’s $36,808.

Senior friends eating outdoors on a deck
See Also:
A Simple Way to Maximize Your Social Security

Keep in mind these are just averages. More than 1 in 5 married couples are almost completely reliant on Social Security to survive in retirement.

“The Social Security Administration estimates that 21 percent of married couples receiving Social Security benefits rely on it for more than 90 percent of their income,” SmartAsset reports.

Making your Social Security last

Living strictly on Social Security can be difficult, which is why experts emphasize the importance of building a nest egg in employer-sponsored 401(k) plans, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and other retirement savings vehicles from a young age.

That said, there are certainly ways to make your Social Security dollars stretch further. Check out:

  • “12 Ways to Maximize Your Social Security Checks“
  • “5 Ways to Avoid Paying Taxes on Your Social Security Benefits“
  • “Ask Stacy: Should I Wait Until 70 for Social Security?“

And if you really want to take your Social Security benefits further — literally — you might consider moving abroad for retirement. We wrote last year about “10 Countries Where You Can Really Stretch a Social Security Check.”

  Like Article   Add a Comment

Sign up for our free newsletter!

Simple ways to make, save, and grow your money daily:

  happy subscribers    
MTN Podcasts

Every week our podcasts bring you lively money discussions that will give you a few laughs along with advice that will make you richer.

Money with Stacy Johnson

Listen/Subscribe

Read Next

Some of our favorite stories for you to read next.

Couple standing on the shore.
These 13 States Tax Social Security Income
Happy senior couple enjoying retirement
26 States That Won’t Tax Your Social Security This Year
A worried senior black woman sits on her couch
Retiree Households Lose $111,000 to This Social Security Misstep
Sign up for our free newsletter!

Join our many free newsletter subscribers building wealth and destroying debt:

Popular Topics
  • Retirement Investment
  • Surveys for Money
  • How to Make Money Online
  • Emergency Stockpile
  • Free Movie Streaming
  • Senior Discounts
Connect
  • Support & FAQs
  • Memberships
  • About
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Accessibility Statement
Media
  • Advertise
  • Television
  • Where We Air
  • Scripts
  • Sitemap
Legal
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
Editorial
  • Fact-Checking Policy
  • Ethics Policy
  • Corrections Policy
  • Ownership & Funding Info

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

© 2023 Money Talks News. All Rights Reserved.
‭1 (833) 669-8557 | 1732 1st Ave #26661, New York, NY 10128

Advertising Disclosure: This site may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website.

View This Page Without Ads

Help us produce more money-saving articles and videos by subscribing to a membership.

Get Started

Help us produce more money-saving articles and videos by subscribing to a membership.

Add a Comment

Our Policy: We welcome relevant and respectful comments in order to foster healthy and informative discussions. All other comments may be removed. Comments with links are automatically held for moderation.

Sign up for our free newsletter!

Join our happy subscribers and sign up for our free newsletter! You'll get:

  • Tips and advice from our expert money reporters. (Our average experience is 18 years!)
  • Unexpected ways to make more and spend less, delivered to you daily.
  • The best deals and coupons to save on everything you buy.
  • Free copies of our eBooks '208 Ways to Save Money Every Day' and '108 Easy Ways to Earn Extra Cash', together a $29 value!