Some 21% of couples collecting Social Security benefits and about 45% of those who are unmarried rely on their Social Security checks for 90% or more of their income, says the Social Security Administration.
Retirees and pre-retirees who plan to live on such limited incomes could do worse than to relocate to one of these 10 counties where Social Security checks stretch furthest.
The website SmartAsset analyzed the average Social Security income for each county, and how much a typical retiree would pay in taxes on that income based on the Social Security tax rules in a given state. SmartAsset then subtracted the taxes to arrive at Social Security net income.
SmartAsset calculated how far such an income would go in every county to cover basic necessities, subtracting county-level cost of typical living expenses from net Social Security income. The results were then indexed to100, with that number representing where Social Security goes furthest.
San Francisco came in dead last — likely to no one’s surprise. Don’t move there if your income will be tight beyond your Social Security check.
Three of the most-affordable counties are in Texas. Most are in the middle of the country, far from the more-expensive coasts, although Florida is represented.
All are very affordable. We’ve ranked these counties starting with No. 10 and progressing to the most affordable county for Social Security beneficiaries.
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