In recent months, the number of Americans receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) has stabilised in, following a significant decline over the last year. After a loss of more than 100,000 recipients between May 2023 and May 2024, the program’s enrolment has since held relatively steady through early 2025.
Why does this matter
SSI is a critical source of support for older adults, people with disabilities, and those who are blind and struggling to get by with little or no income. As of May 2025, about 7.4 million people count on these monthly payments to cover the basics things like food, rent, and medicine.
Recent Numbers Show Stabilisation
Data from the Social Security Administration (SSA) shows stability after a year of decline. In February, 7,283,533 people were receiving benefits. That number ticked up slightly to 7,284,527 in March and then reached 7,294,562 in April. May saw a small dip, bringing the total down to 7,281,384.
While these monthly fluctuations are minimal, they represent a significant change from the prior year’s sharp drop-off, suggesting the program may have reached a temporary stabilization point.
Why Do People Leave the SSI Program?
People may leave the SSI program based on several reasons such as recovering from a disability, or their income or savings have gone up, or even because their living situation has changed. Sometimes it’s something as simple as getting help from family or receiving a small inheritance, that alone can push someone over the program’s strict limits. In some cases, payments stop altogether; in others, they’re just paused
Even temporary factors, like earning too much money in a single month, can lead to a pause in payments.
State-by-State Differences
California tops the list when it comes to SSI recipients, with just under a million people in the state relying on the program. Texas comes in next with around 422,000, and New York isn’t far behind at 418,000.
On the flip side, Wyoming has the fewest people on SSI, only about 4,900. North Dakota and Alaska also have relatively low numbers, with roughly 5,800 and 7,500 recipients. These differences mostly come down to population size and how the economy looks in each state.
Cost-of-Living Adjustment on the Horizon
Each year, Social Security adjusts benefits to help recipients keep up with inflation. This Cost-of-Living Adjustment, or COLA, has been a standard feature of the program since 1975. For 2025, the adjustment was set at 2.5% and early predictions suggest that the same rate will be used for 2026.
Policy analyst Mary Johnson and advocacy group The Senior Citizens League both expect the 2026 COLA to match this year’s figure, though the official number won’t be announced by the SSA until October.
Paper Checks to Be Phased Out
One notable change is coming later this year: the end of paper checks for federal payments, including Social Security and SSI. Under a March 2025 executive order from President Donald Trump, titled “Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account”, all federal disbursements will shift to electronic payment systems after September 30, 2025.
That includes Social Security, SSI, SSDI, tax refunds, and vendor payments. According to the SSA, 493,775 benefit payments are still being issued as paper checks as of May, representing roughly 8.7% of total disbursements.
While the transition is meant to streamline payments and reduce fraud, it could present challenges for beneficiaries who aren’t comfortable using digital banking.
What Comes Next
The SSA hasn’t laid out exactly how it plans to help people who might struggle with the switch to electronic payments. In the meantime, SSI recipients and advocates are keeping a close eye on things, worried not just about this change, but about the possibility of more cuts or red tape down the line. With so much debate around social programs right now, a lot of people are feeling uncertain about what’s coming next.