Living on Social Security in the US

Beautiful meadows and charming towns
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Are there places in the United States where a couple can live a middle class lifestyle on their Social Security, alone?  According to U.S. News, there are actually a number of communities scattered throughout this country where couples can afford a home and live comfortably on the average amount of Social Security. 

In order for U.S. News to come up with their list, they based their income assumption on an average Social Security Benefit of $1,179 per retired person in the United States as of March, 2011.  For two people, this comes to a household income of $28,296 a year.  (Since 2011, Social Security benefits have increased by a few percent and the average retiree is actually earning a little over $1,200 per month.  The communities on this list continue to be affordable for those retirees, on an inflation adjusted basis).

The researchers looked for communities in the United States where the median household income was lower than $28,000.  The cost of living in these communities has increased a few percent over the past few years, but so have Social Security benefits. 

Below is their list of towns from coast to coast that would be affordable for the average couple living on Social Security alone.

Where to Retire on Social Security Alone

Auburn, Alabama (median household income of $21,630)
Blacksburg, Virginia (median household income of $26,792)
Boone, North Carolina
Cheney, Washington
Mt. Pleasant, Michigan ($27,621)
Murray, Kentucky ($27,842)
State College, Pennsylvania ($23,800)
Sunland Park, New Mexico ($23,225)
Syracuse, New York ($27,475)
West Lafayette, Indiana ($26,000)

I listed the median household income for these communities, when it was included in the article. Several of these communities are college towns, including charming Blacksburg, Virgina, which is the home of Virginia Tech. They are also dispersed throughout the United States, so it is possible you could find one that is not too far from your friends and other members of your family.  If you expect to be living on the typical amount of Social Security, and you are worried about where you can afford to buy real estate and retire, you may want to do more research on some of these communities and select one that is best for you.

In addition, you may want to read  "Finding the Best Places to Retire" http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com/2011/09/finding-best-places-to-retire.html, "Cheap Places to Retire" http://baby-boomer-retirement.blogspot.com/2011/09/cheap-places-to-retire.html, or any of the other articles listed in the archive section in the sidebar, or under Popular Posts at the bottom of the page.

If you are interested in more retirement ideas, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of this article to find links to hundreds of additional articles.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

(Photo of meadows taken by Author, Deborah-Diane, near Laguna Woods Village, California)