Urging Action on Social Security

Patricia Battle didn’t plan to retire in her 50s. But when her father got sick, she retired early to care for him and drew down her pension to keep the finances afloat.

Then in 2021, her husband developed cancer, and the couple temporarily moved from Charlotte to Durham for his treatment. Finances became tighter. So, at 62, Battle decided to start receiving Social Security payments early.

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“Social Security was critical to our survival,” says the now 66-year-old AARP volunteer and member of the AARP North Carolina Executive Council.

Battle, whose husband died in 2023, says Social Security remains a lifeline for her — making up about 60 percent of her income.

In 2024, more than 2.3 million North Carolinians received Social Security, a roughly 20 percent increase from a decade earlier, federal data shows. As the population ages and more people rely on the program, AARP North Carolina is encouraging voters to make protecting it a priority at the ballot box this year.

In recent years, Social Security has been paying out more in benefits than it’s collecting in revenue. If Congress does not act by 2034, it will only be able to pay out 81 percent of benefits, according to the 2025 Social Security Board of Trustees report.

The next U.S. senator elected in North Carolina will take office in January 2027 and serve through January 2033, a period when lawmakers will face vital decisions about the program’s future.

“For many people, Social Security is what separates them from abject poverty,” says Mike Olender, AARP North Carolina’s state director.

It’s not just the threat of cuts to benefits that raises concern, Olender says. Inflation has already eroded the purchasing power of retirees’ benefits, he notes. Social Security’s regular cost-of-living adjustments don’t always keep up with increases in health care, housing and other costs that older adults bear. In 2024, the average monthly benefit for North Carolina retired workers was $1,980, according to the Social Security Administration.

And with North Carolina’s older population growing rapidly, even more residents could become dependent on the program in the years ahead. The state’s population of adults age 65 and older is projected to increase from 1.8 million people in 2020 to 2.7 million in 2040, according to state data.

'A Promise Given'

With Social Security’s long-term stability in focus, AARP North Carolina is urging older adults to learn where candidates stand on the issue. Both major political parties have emphasized the need to protect the program.