WELFARE
Social Security COLA: which states will receive the biggest increases in 2025 for retirees?
In little under two months the cost of living adjustment for 2025 will be released, promising increases to most Social Security payments.
The Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2025 is projected to be around 2.6% to 2.7% based on current estimates, but there is no specific indication that any particular state will receive a larger increase than others.
The COLA is applied uniformly to Social Security benefits nationwide, meaning all beneficiaries receive the same percentage increase regardless of their state of residence.
The COLA is determined by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) and reflects changes in inflation.
While the exact figure for 2025 will be finalized in October, the anticipated increase is lower than recent years, such as the 8.7% adjustment in 2023 and the 3.2% in 2024. Therefore, retirees in all states will experience the same percentage increase in their Social Security benefits, and no state-specific variations are expected in the COLA for 2025.