Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a government-run program that replaces part of your income if you meet its requirements and your disability keeps you from working for at least 12 months. However, less than half of those who apply are approved — and some states see more approval than others.
To assist prospective SSDI applicants, we calculated the Social Security Disability Income approval rates in all 50 states for 2020 and found the easiest and hardest states to get disability benefits approved.
Best states for Social Security Disability approval
Kansas
Kansas offers the highest chance of being approved for social security disability.
This state has an SSDI approval rate of 69.7% in 2020. It had the second-highest approval rate in 2019, with 61.3% of SSDI claims approved.
The average monthly benefit for SSDI beneficiaries is $1,228
New Hampshire
New Hampshire offers the second-highest chance of being approved for social security disability.
This state has an SSDI approval rate of 66.1% in 2020. It had the third-highest approval rate in 2019, with 60.2% of SSDI claims approved.
The average monthly benefit for SSDI beneficiaries is $1,298
Wyoming
Wyoming is the third-best state for social security disability approval.
This state has an SSDI approval rate of 60.3% in 2020. In comparison, it had the highest approval rate in 2019, with 63.3% of SSDI claims approved.
The average monthly benefit for SSDI beneficiaries is $1,265
Alaska
Alaska is the fourth-best state for social security disability approval.
This state has an SSDI approval rate of 59.9% in 2020, jumping up drastically from just 49.1% in 2019.
The average monthly benefit for SSDI beneficiaries is $1,240
Nebraska
Nebraska is the fifth-best state for social security disability approval in both 2020 and 2019.
This state has an SSDI approval rate of 57.4% in 2020 and an approval rate of 55.8% in 2019.
The average monthly benefit for SSDI beneficiaries is $1,182
Worst States for Social Security Disability approval
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is the hardest state to get approved for social security disability.
This state has an SSDI approval rate of only 33.4% in 2020 and also had the worst approval rate in 2019, with 34.6% of SSDI claims approved.
The average monthly benefit for SSDI beneficiaries is $1,208
Arizona
Arizona is the second-hardest state to get approved for social security disability. Arizona ranked the second-lowest by social security disability approval rates in both 2020 and 2019.
This state has an SSDI approval rate of 37.1% in 2020, a slight improvement from 35.0% in 2019, but not enough to change their ranking.
The average monthly benefit for SSDI beneficiaries is $1,307
Mississippi
Mississippi is the third-hardest state to get approved for social security disability. Mississippi ranked the third-lowest by social security disability approval rates in both 2020 and 2019.
This state has an SSDI approval rate of 38.5% in 2020, a slight improvement from 36.6% in 2019, but not enough to change their ranking.
The average monthly benefit for SSDI beneficiaries is $1,201
Texas
Texas is the fourth-hardest state to get approved for social security disability.
This state has an SSDI approval rate of 39.0% in 2020, up from 37.7% in 2019.
The average monthly benefit for SSDI beneficiaries is $1,241
Florida
Florida is the fifth-hardest state to get approved for social security disability.
This state has an SSDI approval rate of 39.1% in 2020 and an approval rate of 39.3% in 2019.
The average monthly benefit for SSDI beneficiaries is $1,281
2020 SSDI approval rankings
Search for your state
Rank
State
2020 approval rate
2020 average monthly benefit
% change in approval rate
2019 approval rate
2019 rank
1
Kansas
69.7%
$1,228
13.7%
61.3%
2
2
New Hampshire
66.1%
$1,298
9.7%
60.2%
3
3
Wyoming
60.3%
$1,265
-4.7%
63.3%
1
4
Alaska
59.9%
$1,240
22.0%
49.1%
18
5
Nebraska
57.4%
$1,182
2.8%
55.8%
5
6
Rhode Island
54.8%
$1,236
0.1%
54.8%
6
7
North Dakota
54.4%
$1,176
-5.9%
57.8%
4
8
Iowa
54.1%
$1,198
2.1%
52.9%
7
9
Massachusetts
53.7%
$1,265
3.2%
52.0%
8
10
South Dakota
52.9%
$1,168
2.9%
51.4%
10
11
Minnesota
52.8%
$1,248
4.3%
50.7%
14
12
Idaho
52.1%
$1,232
5.5%
49.3%
17
13
New York
51.5%
$1,297
9.1%
47.2%
25
14
Montana
50.6%
$1,190
2.3%
49.4%
16
15
Vermont
50.3%
$1,186
-2.6%
51.6%
9
16
New Jersey
50.1%
$1,388
3.7%
48.3%
22
17
Utah
50.0%
$1,257
7.3%
46.6%
27
18
Missouri
49.8%
$1,223
-2.7%
51.1%
12
19
Washington
49.7%
$1,278
8.1%
46.0%
29
20
Connecticut
49.7%
$1,308
5.5%
47.1%
26
21
Illinois
49.6%
$1,275
4.8%
47.3%
24
22
Pennsylvania
49.4%
$1,262
-2.6%
50.7%
13
23
Michigan
49.1%
$1,290
-2.4%
50.3%
15
24
Ohio
48.9%
$1,210
2.9%
47.5%
23
25
Virginia
48.4%
$1,270
-0.6%
48.7%
20
26
Georgia
48.4%
$1,260
12.3%
43.1%
33
27
Wisconsin
47.9%
$1,246
-2.2%
49.0%
19
28
Louisiana
47.6%
$1,205
-7.4%
51.4%
11
29
Maryland
46.9%
$1,308
10.0%
42.6%
35
30
Tennessee
46.6%
$1,227
12.5%
41.4%
37
31
Oregon
45.8%
$1,245
3.1%
44.4%
30
32
Delaware
45.7%
$1,348
5.0%
43.6%
31
33
South Carolina
43.9%
$1,282
1.7%
43.1%
32
34
Arkansas
43.7%
$1,198
1.7%
43.0%
34
35
Nevada
42.9%
$1,321
16.7%
36.7%
47
36
Maine
42.7%
$1,179
-8.2%
46.6%
28
37
Colorado
42.7%
$1,276
-11.8%
48.4%
21
38
Hawaii
42.4%
$1,293
1.9%
41.6%
36
39
California
42.3%
$1,292
3.9%
40.7%
39
40
New Mexico
41.8%
$1,190
2.9%
40.6%
40
41
Kentucky
40.8%
$1,226
3.8%
39.3%
45
42
West Virginia
40.7%
$1,255
1.2%
40.2%
41
43
Alabama
40.1%
$1,236
-3.0%
41.4%
38
44
Indiana
39.9%
$1,258
-0.1%
40.0%
42
45
North Carolina
39.2%
$1,257
-0.9%
39.6%
43
46
Florida
39.1%
$1,281
-0.6%
39.3%
44
47
Texas
39.0%
$1,241
3.5%
37.7%
46
48
Mississippi
38.5%
$1,201
5.1%
36.6%
48
49
Arizona
37.1%
$1,307
6.0%
35.0%
49
50
Oklahoma
33.4%
$1,208
-3.4%
34.6%
50
SSDI facts and stats
The national average of people applying for social security disability insurance (SSDI) claims is only 45.22% in 2020 (excluding December), higher than 44.18% in 2019. The SSDI approval rate increased every year since a low of 39.28% in 2015.
On average, SSDI beneficiaries were awarded $1,257.65 in December 2019. Spouses received $362.14 and children received $390.92 on average. Generally, it takes almost a year before applicants receive approval or denial.
Awards to disabled workers (679,449) accounted for 89% of awards to all disabled beneficiaries (761,481). Payments to disabled beneficiaries totaled almost $11.7 billion in December. The largest category of diagnoses was musculoskeletal system and connective tissue diseases making up 33.6%, which includes osteoporosis, arthritis, fibromyalgia, gout and lupus.
Should I get private disability insurance?
If you can afford private disability insurance, you might want to consider it. The average cost of disability insurance is 1-3% of your annual income, so if you earn $60,000 a year, you might pay between $600 and $1,800 a year. Private disability insurance typically pays out a higher monthly amount than SSDI, and depending on which plan you choose, can cover you for the short and long-term. This way, you’ll have income during an extended SSDI approval time or if you aren’t approved.
However, you need to have private disability insurance in place before you suffer a disability to receive payments. And if you have private disability insurance and SSDI, any payments you receive from SSDI may be deducted from your private disability payments once you’re approved.
Methodology
Our finder.com calculation of the SSDI approval rate for each state was based on:
The number of determinations (a finding made by a state agency)
The number of allowances (favorable determinations i.e. approved claims)
for initial SSDI claims based on the Social Security Administration’s State Agency Monthly Workload Data. Our yearly calculations were based on monthly totals for each calendar year. Allowances can refer to either fully or partially favorable determinations.
Megan B. Shepherd is a personal finance editor at Finder where she helps people navigate the financial world of loans.
Her personal finance expertise has been featured on Forbes, Nasdaq, MediaFeed, Fox News, Time, Reviews.com, and carinsurance.com, adding invaluable information related to personal loans, financial strategies and smart borrowing tactics.
Megan graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a BS in Business Administration with an entrepreneurial focus. She's worked as a certified financial adviser and has earned certificates of completion from A.D. Banker & Company.
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