Connecticut retirees face the deepest Social Security cut in 2032 — $556 monthly — while 29 other states top $500 losses

At that time, the program will be entirely dependent on payroll taxes. And since these taxes will only be able to cover about 78% of benefits, the average American will see a 22% reduction to their monthly check.

But that’s not across the board, as some states will have it worse than others. In fact, a map of the real-world impacts of Social Security cuts shows just how deep those cuts could be across different states. And no state will be spared, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CFRB).

Mapping out Social Security cuts by state

Throughout the country, the average monthly cut would come out to $500, according to the CFRB.

The monthly Social Security check for retired workers averaged $2,086 as of July, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Of course, that amount varies and depends on your work history, your lifetime earnings and the year that you start claiming benefits.

But, consider a $500 cut to the average $2,086 monthly check. That would leave you with $1,586 per month and, over the course of the year, you’d be out $6,000.

That could essentially wipe out a retiree’s monthly grocery budget; a one-person household spends an average of $485 on groceries each month, according to a report from GroceriesTracker.

But in 29 states, cuts are set to exceed $500 per month, with Connecticut feeling the most pain. In that state, the average retiree’s check would be slashed by $556 every month, affecting 17.9% of the state’s population.

It’s worth noting that the CFRB’s calculations are based on the 2025 Trustees Report, which projected a 24% benefit cut upon insolvency in 2032. That cut is now projected to be about 22%. Still, the CFRB’s map provides a glimpse of how cuts could impact different states — and which cuts will run the deepest.

Along with Connecticut, retirees in Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Utah and Washington will feel the most pain.

So, why the difference from state to state? The size of the cut will depend on the average benefit amount in a particular state. Retirees in states with historically higher wages and lifetime earnings — like Connecticut, New Jersey and New Hampshire — receive larger checks., hence the larger cut.

States with lower wages and lifetime earnings, like Mississippi, will face a lower reduction because retirees in this state have lower baseline benefits to begin with. However, retirees in these states are often more reliant on Social Security in retirement.

For example, Mississippi’s retirees are the most reliant on Social Security in the nation. For those in the state who are 65 and older, it makes up nearly half (49.5%) of their total retirement income, according to a survey from FinanceBuzz.

So, while the average benefit cut in Mississippi would be $459 — which is below average in comparison to most states — that cut would still hurt the state’s retirees (perhaps even more so).

Other states where Social Security makes up more than 45% of a retiree’s income include Kentucky, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Michigan and Oklahoma. For those retirees, even a small cut could be devastating.

In 47 states, Social Security cuts would impact more than 15% of the population, according to CFRB. And in 40 states, benefit cuts would exceed 1% of GDP.

How to protect your retirement

Due to the evolving worker-to-beneficiary ratio, there isn’t a simple fix to the problem.

As more boomers retire, there are more retirees to support — and those retirees are also living longer. Meanwhile, there are fewer American workers paying taxes to support this growing population of retired Americans.

“In 1955 — two decades after Social Security started — there were 8.8 workers per OASI beneficiary; that ratio dropped to 3.0 in 2025,” the Peter G. Peterson Foundation reports. Add on low birth rates and lower net migration, and this problem doesn’t seem like it’ll be going away any time soon.

There’s still hope that Congress can come up with a plan to fix Social Security’s problems. Potential solutions include raising payroll taxes, raising the payroll tax cap, raising the retirement age or placing a ceiling on monthly benefits for the wealthiest recipients.

In the meantime, you can take steps to protect your retirement — no matter what happens with Social Security. After all, when the Social Security retirement program was rolled out back in 1935 (when people had much shorter life spans), it was never meant to support retirees for 30 years or longer.