U.S. Social Security Administration, Office of Policy

The Office of Policy serves as the Social Security Administration's focal point for policy analysis and research, evaluation, and statistics. Learn more about the Office of Policy.

 

Recently Released

SSI Monthly Statistics, August 2008

(released September 2008)

These monthly tables provide statistics for federally administered payments and awards under the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. The statistics include the number of people who receive payments (by eligibility category and age), the type of payment they receive (federal payment only, state supplementation only, or both), and the amount of the monthly payment (total and average).

Estimating the First Instance of Substantive-Covered Earnings in the Labor Market

Research and Statistics Note No. 2008-04 (released September 2008)

This document is available in the following formats: HTML  PDF

Fast Facts & Figures About Social Security, 2008

(released September 2008)

This annual booklet highlights data on the most important aspects of the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income programs—the people they serve and the benefits they provide.

Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program, 2007

(released September 2008)

Since 1956, the Social Security program has provided cash benefits to people with disabilities. This annual report provides program and demographic information about the people who receive those benefits—disabled workers, disabled widow(er)s, and disabled adult children. The basic topics covered are beneficiaries in current payment status; benefits awarded, withheld, and terminated; geographic distributions; Social Security beneficiaries who receive Supplemental Security Income; and the income of disabled beneficiaries.

International Update, August 2008

(released August 2008)

This monthly publication covers recent developments in foreign private and public pensions, social security, and retirement.

Distributional Effects of Increasing the Benefit Computation Period

Policy Brief No. 2008-02 (released August 2008)

The computation period is the number of highest earning years, currently 35, that are used to compute the career average earnings on which Social Security benefits are based. The brief uses MINT model projections to compare the distributional effects of two policy options discussed by the Social Security Advisory Board.

This document is available in the following formats: HTML  PDF

The Out-of-Sample Performance of Stochastic Methods in Forecasting Age-Specific Mortality Rates

ORES Working Paper No. 111 (released August 2008)

This paper evaluates the out-of-sample performance of two stochastic models used to forecast age-specific mortality rates: (1) the model proposed by Lee and Carter (1992); and (2) a set of univariate autoregressions linked together by a common residual covariance matrix (Denton, Feavor, and Spencer 2005).

This document is available in the following formats: PDF

Social Security Bulletin, Vol. 68 No. 1

(released August 2008)

Includes articles on:

  • Disability Benefit Coverage and Program Interactions in the Working-Age Population
  • Research on Immigrant Earnings
  • Adding Immigrants to Microsimulation Models
  • Incorporating Immigrant Flows into Microsimulation Models

Income of the Population 55 or Older, 2004 (Expanded Edition)

(released July 2008)

This biennial report includes more than 70 statistical tables with data on the major sources and amounts of income for people aged 55 or older and their total income and poverty status.

OASDI Monthly Statistics, November 2007

(released December 2007)

These monthly tables provide statistics for benefits in current-payment status and benefits awarded under the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance (OASDI) programs. The statistics include the number of people who receive benefits, the type of benefit they receive, and the amount of the monthly benefit (total and average).

Quick Facts

Annual Statistical Supplement

The Supplement is a major resource for data on the nation's social insurance and welfare programs. The majority of the statistical tables present information about programs administered by the Social Security Administration—the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance programs, known collectively as Social Security, and the Supplemental Security Income program. In addition, data are presented on the major health care programs—Medicare and Medicaid—and income-maintenance programs. The Supplement also includes program summaries and legislative histories that help users of the data understand these programs.

Subsections of the Supplement will be posted on a flow basis as they become available.

E-mail Notification Service

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Related Sites

FedStats - The gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. federal agencies.

Social Security Online - The official Web site of the Social Security Administration. It provides information about Retirement, Survivors, and Disability Insurance benefits; Supplemental Security Income; and wage reporting for employers.

SSA's Office of the Chief Actuary - Office responsible for the overall review of the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability program's balance between future benefit liabilities and future tax collections.

NOTE: Effective with the December 2007 OASDI data, persons wanting detailed monthly OASDI information should visit the Office of the Actuary's Web site for Beneficiary Data. The OASDI snapshot tables will still be provided by the Office of Policy.

Partnerships

Retirement Research Consortium (RRC)

The RRC comprises three multidisciplinary research centers funded through cooperative agreements with the Social Security Administration. The centers are located at Boston College, the University of Michigan, and the National Bureau of Economic Research. These centers provide research and policy analysis to inform decisionmakers and the public about issues critical to the Social Security program. The RRC has three main goals: conduct research and evaluation, disseminate findings on retirement research, and train scholars and practitioners. Learn more about the RRC.