Retiree Toolkit
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Social Security COLA for 1978: 6.5%

The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment set in 1978 was 6.5%, effective with benefits payable for June 1978. A $1,000 monthly benefit went up to $1,065.

8.0%19756.4%19765.9%19776.5%19789.9%197914.3%198011.2%19817.4%19823.5%1984
Cost-of-living adjustments around 1978, by the year they were paid from. Source: Social Security Administration.

How it compares

Of the 52 adjustments since 1975, this one ranks number 7 by size. The one before it was 5.9%. The next was 9.9%.

What it adds up to since then

Apply every adjustment from this one through the 3.6% increase for 2027 in turn, and a benefit grows by a factor of 5.41. A benefit of $1,000 a month just before this increase would be about $5,408 a month in 2027.

How COLAs are set

The adjustments from 1975 to 1982 took effect with benefits payable for June. The first one was based on the CPI-W change from the second quarter of 1974 to the first quarter of 1975; those from 1976 to 1983 compared the first quarter of the prior year with the same quarter of the current year.

The newest is the 3.6% increase for 2027. See what it adds to your check and every adjustment since 1975 on the same page.

Check our work

Every figure on this page was read from these official documents. Follow the links and compare.