Social Security has big impact on AZ economy

  AARP Arizona News  

AARP Arizona, 16165 N. 83^rd Avenue, Suite 201, Peoria, AZ 85382

(866) 389-5649, (602) 262-5180, www.aarp.org

By: David Mitchell, AARP Arizona State Director

There’s no doubt that Social Security helps many people including older Arizonans in retirement, but we rarely stop to think about how much it helps our economy as a whole.  The truth is Social Security helps tremendously, fueling $1.4 trillion in economic activity nationwide. 

A new study by AARP’s Public Policy Institute finds that Social Security in our great state of Arizona actually generates nearly $30 billion in economic activity.  In fact, each dollar in Social Security benefits generates about $2 in consumer spending that supports more than 202,000 jobs in Arizona.

The AARP study, Social Security’s Impact on the National Economy, highlights why we need a serious national conversation about Social Security.  Decisions made in Washington to address the program’s finances will have a profound impact on our economy as a whole. In other words, we all have a stake in keeping Social Security strong.

We urge our elected officials to get the conversation going, and to remember the important findings of this new AARP study.