Three northeast Georgia counties are listed among the top ten places in Georgia where Social Security recipients get the most value from the money they receive.
Financial technology company SmartAsset recently released it’s latest findings. It ranks Rabun County as the second best Social Security value in Georgia. White County 6th and Towns County 10th.
Social Security is a vital resource for many aging Americans and geography can have a big effect on how much value it provides them.
The SmartAsset study analyzed Social Security income, cost of living data, and taxes across all counties to determine where people are getting the most mileage out of Social Security. White County repeated its performance in last year’s study, when it placed 6th. It’s the only northeast Georgia county to return to the top ten this year. Stephens, Fannin and Gilmer were dropped from this year’s list after placing 3rd, 8th and 10th, respectively, in 2015.
2016 Rankings
Places Where Social Security Goes Furthest
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Higher index scores reflect better environments for living primarily, or exclusively, off of Social Security benefits.
Habersham County ranks 41st on the list of places in Georgia where Social Security goes furthest. SmartAsset lists Habersham’s current cost of living at $18,859 and annual Social Security benefits $17,689. Nationally, Habersham County ranks 1,717.
Rabun County ranks 446th nationally, White County 691st and Towns 822nd.