US Age Groups Most Vulnerable to Social Security Cuts

Older generations are considerably more likely to be impacted by Social Security Administration (SSA) cuts, Census data reveals.

Why It Matters

Since the Trump administration began in January, sweeping cuts have been made to federal departments by the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as President Donald Trump seeks to streamline and cut down on government spending.

The SSA, which distributes benefits to around 70 million Americans, has not been immune to this. DOGE mandated changes include workforce reductions, internal department closures, and major changes to phone line services.

What To Know

The group most vulnerable to Social Security cuts are those aged 65 and up, who form the bulk of SSA retirement benefit claimants.

According to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2022, those between 65 and 74 rely on Social Security or other forms of social insurance, like unemployment insurance and workers' compensation, for an average of 49 percent of their income.

This gets higher in the next age range, 75 and above. This group is reliant on Social Security and other forms of government benefits or welfare for 60 percent of their income on average.

Younger people are also reliant on Social Security, although to a much lesser degree, given that most benefit payments are for retired Americans.

As you cannot claims retirement benefits until you are 62 years old, these are mainly survivor benefits, which are paid to eligible family members—usually children or spouses—of people who worked and paid Social Security taxes before they died.

Those aged between 50 and 64 are reliant on these or other social benefits for an average of 11 percent of their income. Payments contribute to an average of three percent of income for people between 30 and 49, and just one percent for those aged 18 to 29.

SSA-administered disability benefits, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), are more evenly spread among age groups, ranging between two to three percent of average incomes for all age ranges.

SSA Cuts

In February, the SSA announced plans to reduce its workforce from 57,000 to 50,000 and consolidate its regional offices from 10 to four. The agency stated that the changes aimed to streamline "redundant layers of management" and eliminate "non-mission critical work."

Later that month, two internal offices—the Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity (OCREO) and the Office of Transformation—were shut down. At the time, the SSA told Newsweek that some employees from the dissolved OCREO department had been placed on administrative leave.

In an effort to reduce fraudulent payments, the SSA also announced in March the discontinuation of over-the-phone identity proofing for new benefits claimants and direct deposit changes, requiring individuals unable to verify their identity online to visit a field office.

However, this decision was later partially reversed, allowing disability benefit claimants to use phone services for identity verification.

The changes have been widely criticized by Democrats, retirement and disability advocacy groups, and former SSA officials.

What People Are Saying

Leland Dudek, acting commissioner of the SSA, said in a statement on February 19: "Good government means finding ways to do better: The Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, is a critical part of President Trump's commitment to identifying fraud, waste, and abuse, and better ways for the government to function to support its people."

Former SSA commissioner Martin O'Malley, on X, formerly Twitter: "Elon Musk and Donald Trump are gutting Social Security with a chainsaw, and I'm deeply concerned."

Max Richtman, president and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, said on April 2: "Under the influence of Trump, Musk and DOGE, the leadership of the Social Security Administration has been recklessly slashing services, offices, and staff. These harmful policies have already hindered our members and supporters (mostly seniors, people with disabilities, and their families) from collecting the benefits they have paid for."

What Happens Next

Scope for further cuts at the SSA is unknown at this time. Legal action has been launched by several advocacy groups and Social Security recipients in the hope that the DOGE changes can be reversed.