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Social Security Launches GeoMaps

September 26, 2016 • By

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Last Updated: August 19, 2021

gepmapsSocial Security provides financial benefits, tools, and information to help support you throughout life’s journey. We’re excited to announce the launch of geospatial mapping at Social Security! Our new initiative, GeoMaps, complements our Open Government and Open Data Initiatives. For several years, we have published a significant amount of data on Data.gov, but we know people learn and receive information in different ways.

Our geospatial maps will provide the public and other interested parties with a deeper understanding of our programs through geographic representations, increasing the transparency of our agency data. At our map gallery, users can view geospatial maps on the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance benefits by State, and the Help America Vote Verification Transaction by State map. These maps let you view large amounts of our data in a quick, geographic visualization. You can also download the data, and mesh it with your own data to create other maps.

These are our first maps on Geoplatform, a federal platform where we can collaborate and share our geospatial datasets. Social Security is now one of many organizations (e.g. federal, state, local, universities) participating in GeoPlatform, a site managed by the Federal Geographic Data Community and chaired by the Department of the Interior.

We encourage you to explore Social Security’s new mapping features by visiting our Open Government Map Gallery, and on GeoPlatform.gov. If there are other types of maps you would like published, you can submit your idea to us. As more geospatial maps become available, we’ll add them to the Open Government Map Gallery!

Alan Lane, Executive Director, Open Government

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  1. cg

    Another example of the stupidity of our government.

  2. B

    SSA should STOP abuse of benefits. Many foreign seniors are migrating from foreign countries under provision of family reunion or stay with their children. They have expensive houses and are receiving good pension amount in their own country. They come (to USA) to live with their sons or daughters. After arriving here they find out ways to draw SSI and SS benefits. They do anything to receive benefits. They haven’t worked here but they receive good amount of US Dollars from our SSA system and that’s why they come here.
    On other hand their children in this country are in very good financial positions, earn fat income and live in very expensive houses. It is their responsibility to support their old age parents. Its a big burden on our SS system and our society.
    This should be stopped!

  3. Carol

    Whoever developed this program would be fired in the private sector. How many millions of $ were taken out of social security to pay for it? If your answer is that the money came from some other source, that amount should have gone directly into social security. This is what happens when government is too big and departments come up with ways to spend our money in order to justify their jobs.

    • Bot

      It is a Ponzi scheme, which is illegal in the private sector. Perpetrators of Ponzi schemes end up in jail.

  4. Bruni k.

    No comment

  5. Elcho

    It will be better & more productive instead to employ all these huge amount of dollars spend in this mickey mouse operation in getting ALL the ILLEGAL immigrants out of our country before the country collapses due to the stupidity of this liberal = socialist nonsense gov. has created & the rest of us will never have a retirement at all.
    Albert Einstein was right, people’s stupidity is endless.
    They keep committing the same mistake over & over but they wonder why there isn’t different outcome.
    Keep voting liberals up, you’ll have no much to eat sooner than later.
    Have a nice day, enjoy it too………………

    • Willie M.

      I agree with the person that sent this e:mail. Social Security is not a benefit it was and still is earn by people that work and have work all their lives, have put into Social Security for a retirement . If the LIBERAL AND CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT STOP TAKING THE MONEY OUT OF SOCIAL SECURITY THERE WOULD BE ENOUGH MONEY IN IT.. I don’t mind helping people that are disable and have work before they got disable, but the once that have not work set up a Program for them to help them instead of Congress, Senate and the President taking any money for their SPECIAL INTEREST PROJECT…SOCIAL SECURITY BELONGS TO THE WORKING PEOPLE THAT RETIRED AND PUT MONEY INTO IT…DO YOU HEAR US BIG GOVERNMENT.

    • S. L.

      Illegals immigrants don’t and can’t collect social security but a lot of them pay into it. Be happy and grateful that you have Social Security benefits as well as Medicare. Yes I agree that this mapping has little value to anyone except bureaucrats. Better they put that money towards annual benefit increase.

  6. Doug

    No matter where you live in the USA your Social Security and Medicare amounts taken from your income and matched by your employer are the same. Regardless of the area we live in, COLA should be adjusted to increase our income. In our area the government employees receive an adjusted pay raise each and every year based on COLA, yet the government denies the individuals on Social Security their right to receive the same amount based on the same COLA!! Remember that the individuals and their employers put the money into the PLAN and the government takes it out for their use and gives the PLAN an IOU. If employers fail to put the employees contributions along with their own into the PLAN off to jail they go. What about that government?

    • Larry

      Yes!! I agree, I’ve been trying to find out what atates are best to retire in/to…What does this mapping have to do for us, I need enough money to live on, not maps…And the states that pay more are COLD states so the extra money goes for fuel bills…I hope this coming election makes a difference for us ”Boomers’…I wish they would tell us how they would live on $720 a month…
      Larry’

  7. Kathy

    I have the same concern as many of the seniors. This is the third year we have not got an increase and our monthly deposits and yet every year food prices go up utilities go up rent go up. I cannot understand how all of this is not taking into consideration when they just say well the seniors don’t get any raise this year they’ll have to do will living on the same checks we got 3 years ago I’d like to see those and government do the same thing

  8. Timothy-Allen A.

    How come no information, state by state, of State Supplementary Payments in the SSI Program,

    • Larry

      Yes!! I agree, I’ve been trying to find out what atates are best to retire in/to…What does this mapping have to do for us, I need enough money to live on, not maps…And the states that pay more are COLD states so the extra money goes for fuel bills…I hope this coming election makes a difference for us ”Boomers’…I wish they would tell us how they would live on $720 a month…
      Larry’

  9. JAMES C.

    I HAVE TRIED TO GET DISABLE BUT THEY SAID NO I WAS HURT IN 84 NO ONE TOLD THAT I COULD DISABLE ???

    • Victoria M.

      Dear James,
      You have to appeal and obtain all of your medical records and financial records. On average it takes 4years before you will get your first check. The Department of Social and Health Services, (DSHS) will have you reeling on 260 for food and only $200. Cash to survive on. Then if you make it through then they make you GAU, General Assistance Unemployable. Unless you get a job that pays enough that you don’t need them.Going to College with a FAFSA helps.
      Be strong and smart. Stay out of the bars! Go to church, food and clothing banks will help bolster your spirits.
      Blessings always be brave.
      Accessory Unit Dweller.

    • Retiree

      You were hurt 32 years ago, so have you been working since then? Why didn’t you hired a lawyer back then?

  10. Mrs. S.

    Why is this more important than correcting the way as calculates yearly benefit increases for it’s senior citizens? Cost of living keeps going up an up, yet we have years when we don’t receive COL increases, even though it is our money that we put into SS in the first place . . .yes “our” money . . . not the governments money!

    • Bob

      It’s important to the government that we have geospatial maps. What is important to us is a different or indifferent matter.

    • Larry

      Yes!! I agree, I’ve been trying to find out what atates are best to retire in/to…What does this mapping have to do for us, I need enough money to live on, not maps…And the states that pay more are COLD states so the extra money goes for fuel bills…I hope this coming election makes a difference for us ”Boomers’…I wish they would tell us how they would live on $720 a month…
      Larry’

      • Victoria M.

        Dear Larry:
        I will tell you how to live off of $720. a month! First of all you have to downsize. Then get rid of all expensive cars, jewelry and other Stuff!Take a ride share service for shopping. Cut up all of your credit cards, get a gym membership.sell everything of value that would disallow you from Energy, food,shelter assistance. Find a YIMBY to rent.Get a bicycle!
        I managed to make it because I didn’t put all of my eggs in one basket!
        Buy cheap land to live off of, YouTube has a tutorial on how to do a homestead!
        This is the only reasonable way to approach it!
        Cordially,
        Ms. McCormick
        PS, You might have to sell your house if you have high taxes. Apply for hardship on taxes.

        • Bill

          I think you are assuming that the poster has all the luxuries that you mentioned. I am a retired military person who receives social security. Fortunately, my wife and I are both retired government employees. This person may not be so lucky. Judge not.

          • Triniqueen

            Good point, my mother gets almost nothing and if was not for me she could not have made it with almost nomoney.

        • SueH

          If you don’t own a home, and you have medical conditions where the medication share is $1000 every other month, and the average rent in an area close to stores is over $1500 for a one bedroom, then I would have to say that $750 just won’t cut it. Not all of us can live off the grid.

        • Jackie

          You no I did do all that you mention, all I have is my rent, electric, gas, water, phone, tv bill, I have nothing, left I did down sized. So now that I did all this now tell me how I can make it.

          • S. L.

            I sympathize. Yes, you have to down-size to be able to subsist. I also got rid of my cable/TV service by buying digital antenna for $12.50 and now have free TV. Got rid of regular phone and got digital(internet) phone for $4 a month and moved to cheaper rental close to bus stop. Check with local utility company for possible discounts for seniors.

    • Larry

      Yes!! I agree, I’ve been trying to find out what atates are best to retire in/to…What does this mapping have to do for us, I need enough money to live on, not maps…And the states that pay more are COLD states so the extra money goes for fuel bills…I hope this coming election makes a difference for us ”Boomers’…I wish they would tell us how they would live on $720 a month…
      Larry’

      AND What do the colored states mean, there is no legend key…and what do we do move to a better state for more benefits and leave all we know to go where we know nothing??
      We need to wage a mass emailing and fill up there email boxes and do it soon…?

      • tony

        We don’t need to know where to congregate to on Social Security. We need a COLA raise so we can stay put where we are.

        The Democrats claim that they created millions of jobs, incomes of Americans have increase, and the economy is recovering. Yet during the Obama administration we have be denied 3 COLA raises.

        The Democrats used all the money to fund the Affordable Care Act and the people on Social Security got nothing.

        The ACA subsidized $2000 in medical expense for a person making $20,000/year. That is a Cost Of Living Adjustment of 10%. People on Social Security got no COLA. We didn’t get a COLA raise and they increased the cost of Medicare Part B.

        The Social Security Trust Fund is completely invested in US Treasury Security. The other government programs are funded with our money and we get an IOU.

        The US government has to pay back the Social Security Trust Fund, but they have to borrow over a trillion dollars in debt each year to pay us back. When they can no long borrow money, then they won’t be able to pay us back with interest. All we got is a bunch of worthless IOUs at that point in time.

        With the interest Social Security claims we are making on our Trust Fund, they should give us a COLA raise.

        • tony

          We made all this supposedly interest on the Social Security Trust Fund, but we don’t get a COLA raise.

          Instead, they reinvest all of our money again back into these other US government programs. They can’t pay us back and we become broke.

          Trillions of the Social Security Trust Fund money went to the military. NATO needs to pay us back for defending their countries with our military. Military support is not free. The Democrats want to give everything away for free like they do with welfare.

          China’s retirement system is just as bad as ours. They expect the US government to pay back their money with interest too. Imagine one billion Chinese knocking on your door asking to be paid their money back with interest.

        • nathaniel j.

          There is no trust fund. The small amount of money it contains is used to cover deficits. If you do some research you will find in congressional minutes that even they refer to it as the “so-called trust fund”.

    • Lew G.

      Right on Mrs. Smith. The formula for COLAs reflects things seniors aren’t concerned with. It is our money. It is high time for the government to stop talking about SS as an entitlement. There would be no problem if Congress had not ” borrowed” our SS money for their own pet projects.

    • Hospitals &.

      Art. I Sec. 2 must be proud that SSA under age 18 statistics of greater than 77 million children exceeds 74.9 million Baby Boomers, like we had all come to believe, a statistic the non-decennial US Census with 74.1 million children 2016, estimated at 24% of total population in 2010 and 22.9% of total population in 2015, and Annual Children Brief by child stats. gov 73.7 million have come to dispute.

      SSA should use their new map technology and OASDI tax rate of 2.4% DI 10.0% OASI 2017 and 2.2% DI 10.2% OASI in 2018 and every for-seeable year thereafter to get us the 6% COLA 2017 and 3% COLA every year thereafter economic growth needs, and tax the rich to pay 16-24 million poor children SSI in 2017 and end poverty by 2020, by mapping how Congress votes on the Social Security Amendments of January 1, 2016 http://www.title24uscode.org/ss1.htm

    • Mark

      How about making the disability process easier and without trying to kill the people going insane trying to get benefits? Believe me, I would love NOT to be in this situation, and still fought applying for years trying to avoid this. But the government has this rigged…like many things, but hey we have maps!!! Pathetic

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