Social Security Administration: Alabama by the Numbers

In my last blog post, I gave a quick rundown on a few of the services that the Social Security Administration (SSA) provides to individuals and the numbers associated with them.

Again, the SSA has broken down these and other associated figures in detail on its website for those who are interested.  Overall, some 10 million plus Americans are drawing SSA benefits of one type or another these days

Now, how does that translate to those of us who are living in Alabama and receiving benefits?

States Receiving Most Social Security Disability Benefits

According to The Wall Street Journal, Alabama currently has the second-highest per capita number of recipients in the country, some 8.5 percent, which translates into roughly $293,500,000 annually.  Also noted in the report is that Alabama’s labor force participation rate is the third lowest in the country at 57.1%  and its May unemployment rate is tied for the 6th highest at 6.1%.

Rounding out the top ten are:

1. West Virginia - 8.9%
2. Alabama - 8.5%
3. Arkansas - 8.4%
4. Kentucky - 8.2%
5. Mississippi - 7.9%
6. Maine - 7.7 %
7. Tennessee - 6.7%
8. Missouri - 6.4%
9. South Carolina - 6.4%
10. Michigan - 6.3%

It is interesting to note that eight of the top ten are situated in the South, if you count West Virginia.

Not surprisingly, the SSA list closely parallels 2015’s United Health Foundation’s America’s Health Rankings Annual Report bottom ten least healthy states:  Indiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Alabama, West Virginia, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana in descending order, i.e. Louisiana is the least-healthiest state in the country.

Nine of these states are situated in the South, if you count Oklahoma and again if you count West Virginia.  The only Southern state that didn’t make the former SSA list is Oklahoma.  One can sense that there is a trend to these statistics.

If you or your child have been denied SSA disability benefits or suffer from a severe impairment that is expected to last more than twelve months and that prevents you from doing any of your past or other work or is causing developmental delay in your child, please contact our office nearest to you to set up a free consultation appointment to discuss your situation.