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Joint Economic Committee Democrats
Social Security Charts

Chart 2.1
Last updated 7/6/06

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  • As a result of Social Security's progressive benefit structure, lower earners receive larger benefits relative to their average lifetime earnings than do higher earners.

  • For workers with very low earnings throughout their careers (about $9,300 in 2006 dollars), Social Security will replace about 76 percent of average earnings.

  • For high-earning workers making 60 percent more than the average earner throughout their careers (about $58,900 in 2006 dollars), Social Security will replace about one-third of those earnings.

  • Social Security tends to replace a larger share of the pre-retirement earnings of women than of men. For all workers reaching age 65 and retiring in 2005, Social Security is expected to replace 51 percent of the average earnings of women and 39 percent of the average earnings of men.