Mass. Social Security: The Biggest ‘COLA’ Increase Ever Happened In 1980

Inflation and the buying power of the U.S. dollar are issues that seem to be topical as of late, but has the situation ever been worse than it is present day? For the sake of this post, we'll talk about adjusting for recipients of Social Security.

COLA (Cost Of Living Adjustment)

Social Security helps older people and others in need by giving them money each month. One important part is the Cost-of-Living Adjustment, or COLA. This raises benefits to keep up with higher prices for things like food and rent. The COLA is the same for everyone in the U.S., including folks in Massachusetts. It’s based on changes in the Consumer Price Index, a way to measure inflation.

The biggest COLA increase ever happened in 1980. Benefits went up by 14.3 percent that year because inflation was very high. This was during a tough time when prices rose fast across the country. For example, if someone got $500 a month back then, their check would jump by about $71.50. The next big one was 11.2 percent in 1981. These large boosts helped retirees in states like Massachusetts, where many people rely on Social Security. -247wallst.com

Low COLAs

Over the years, COLAs have been smaller. There were even zero increases in 2010, 2011, and 2016 when prices didn’t rise much. But in recent times, they’ve gone up again. For 2023, it was 8.7 percent, and 2024 had 3.2 percent. In 2025, benefits rose by 2.5 percent.

2026 COLA

Now, for 2026, the COLA is set at 2.7 percent. This means the average retired worker will get about $54 more per month. In Massachusetts, where the average benefit is around $2,021, the increase could be about $55 a month. That adds up to over $650 a year.