The Social Security Administration makes information available on its Web site on the number of people receiving Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits. As the state population has been increasing in the last few years, so have the number of people receiving OASDI benefits statewide. For most of the state, this is also true at the county level particularly around the major urban areas near Houston, Dallas- Fort Worth, and San Antonio-Austin.

However, there are quite a few counties – mainly in the western half of the state – that had a decrease in the number of people receiving OASDI benefits, as can be seen in the first map. It shows the change in the number of people receiving OASDI benefits from 2000 to 2007. At first, anyone familiar with the changing demographics of the state might assume that these are the same counties that have declining populations. Alternately, one might assume that these counties have a basically stable population but that older individuals are moving elsewhere to retire.

A look at the second map, illustrating the change in population from 2000 to 2007, shows that both of these assumptions may be unwarranted. Clearly, numerous counties have shown a greater increase in the number of people receiving OASDI benefits than can be accounted for by an increase in total population over the same period.

The largest portion of those receiving OASDI benefits received retirement benefits1 – showing that the state as a whole is ageing. The median age of the state’s population increased from 32.3 in the 2000 Census to 33.1 according to the Bureau’s 2005-2007 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates. In addition, there was a 17.65 percent increase in the number of people collecting retirement benefits; just below the 17.77 percent increase in those receiving OASDI benefits statewide.

Of course, the OASDI population includes those collecting disability. The number of people receiving disability benefits increased from 257,405 in 2000 to 439,495 in 2007 – a 70.74 percent increase!

Meanwhile, the number of widows, widowers and children collecting survivor benefits decreased 4.27 percent from 343,100 in 2000 to 328,455 in 2007. This particular decrease was driven by a drop in the number of adults collecting survivor benefits while the number of children receiving these benefits increased.