Population Projection: Survivor-Only Beneficiaries in 2050
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Projected beneficiary effects if an alternative survivor benefit is created
DEFINITION: Survivor-only beneficiaries are individuals aged 60 or older who have not worked enough to qualify for Social Security retirement benefits on their own earnings records, but receive full or reduced survivor benefits solely based on the deceased spouse's earnings record. a
Almost 2 percent of all beneficiaries aged 60 or older will be survivor-only beneficiaries.
79 percent of survivor-only beneficiaries aged 60 or older will be women.
The poverty rate will be much higher for survivor-only beneficiaries compared with all beneficiaries aged 60 or older.
Survivor-only beneficiaries will be disproportionately in low-earning households.
Survivor-only beneficiaries aged 60 or older
1.4 million 84 million
Below 100% of the poverty threshold
Table equivalent for chart: Lifetime Shared Earnings
Lifetime shared earnings quintile
Percentage of survivor-only beneficiaries aged 60 or older in quintile
Table equivalent for chart: Median Credits Earned (number)
a. To be fully insured for Social Security retirement benefits on their own earnings record, a worker must have 10 years (or 40 credits) of earnings. While reduced survivor benefits can be claimed starting at age 60, the earliest workers can claim a retired worker benefit is age 62.