New Jersey Retirees Cash $2,172 Checks, Still Funding Mortgage, Inflation Party
KEY POINTS
- •As of November 2025, Social Security recipients nationally receive around $1,960 monthly, with New Jersey topping at $2,172.
- •Despite bigger checks in some states, AARP's analysis finds Social Security doesn’t cover basic costs anywhere in the country.
- •New retirees face a 2.8% cost-of-living increase in 2026 even as inflation keeps stretching their budgets thinner.
Over 50 million retired Americans are cashing Social Security checks, but geography apparently decides who’s scoring more snack money. New Jersey retirees are swimming in a $2,172 median monthly payout—making them the envy of Louisiana and Mississippi recipients stuck with $1,726. The Social Security Administration’s 2025 Annual Statistical Supplement confirms that the East Coast shelling out bigger checks might as well welcome their friends at New Jersey’s mortgage charity—where the average basic monthly costs hit $4,149. Meanwhile, a flashy 2.8% cost-of-living bump is on its way for 2026, likely causing retirees to cheer nervously as inflation still packs a punch. AARP’s deep dive using UMass Boston’s Elder Index sobers the party, revealing no state’s benefits cover all basic expenses. So, yes, older Americans on the East Coast get bigger checks, but they’re still outsourcing survival to credit cards or part-time jobs—work until you’re 84, anyone?
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New Jersey hands out the biggest Social Security checks but “covering basic expenses” is still just a long joke. Retirees might as well keep working—they’re clearly in for a lifetime subscription to inflation and mortgages.
Getting a bigger check in New Jersey is like winning monopoly money in a casino—you celebrate until you remember rent is real.
Social Security checks: large enough to inspire false hope in the Northeast, too small to murder your mortgage in the South.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 12/19/2025 | Author: Juliana Kaplan
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