Are President Donald Trump's Tariffs Impacting Social Security's 2026 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Estimate? We Have a Clear Answer ...
Social Security's 2026 COLA estimate is climbing, but not for the reason you might think.
You might not realize it, but the average Social Security benefit for retired workers is on the verge of making history. In April, more than 52 million retired workers brought home an average Social Security check totaling $1,999.97. Due to new retirees entering the beneficiary pool on a monthly basis, May should mark the first time in history that the average retired-worker payout has topped $2,000.
Though this might sound like a relatively modest amount of money, it often proves vital to helping seniors make ends meet.
In each of the previous 23 years, pollster Gallup has conducted a survey to determine how reliant retirees are on their Social Security income. Without fail, 80% to 90% of respondents have deemed this income necessary, in some capacity, to cover their costs.
