Tell us your Social Security number, and we'll tell you what state it was issued in, at least if it was assigned before 2011! Here’s what the meaning of numbers in your Social Security number can (and can't) reveal about you.
Here’s the Meaning of the Numbers in Your Social Security Number
Updated on May 20, 2025
If you were born after 1935, you’ve probably had a Social Security number (SSN) for your entire life. And you’ve likely memorized it over the years, whether while opening a bank account, applying for a job or getting a driver’s license. But have you ever stopped to wonder about the meaning of the numbers in your Social Security number?
Turns out, they’re not random. A Social Security number actually says a lot about a person. Read on to find out when and why Social Security benefits began, the meaning of the numbers in a Social Security number and what your number says about you.
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When did the Social Security system begin?
The Social Security number dates back to 1936, a year after the passage of the Social Security Act of 1935, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. A response to the Great Depression, the landmark legislation was designed to provide a financial safety net for retired and disabled Americans, funded through payroll taxes contributed by workers and employers.
Those born before 1935 applied for a Social Security card in person at a local Social Security office. These days, parents typically apply for their child’s Social Security number before they leave the hospital after giving birth.
What’s the meaning of the numbers in a Social Security number?
Since its inception, the Social Security number has been structured in three parts:
- Area number: the first three digits
- Group number: the next two digits
- Serial number: the final four digits
This Social Security number format was designed to track individual earnings and maintain accurate records for benefits eligibility under the Social Security program. But a side effect is that the first five digits are fairly transparent and can reliably reveal certain information about most cardholders.
Curious? Let’s dive into the meaning of the numbers in your Social Security number.
Area number
While Social Security numbers haven’t changed much in the 89 years since their inception, there has been a significant update to the area number. The reason: improved privacy.
The three-digit area number wasn’t intended to expose personal details, of course. Still, it could suggest information such as the state of issuance and the general time period when the number was assigned. That’s why the process for assigning area numbers changed in the mid-2000s.
Pre-2011 area numbers
If you were issued a Social Security card before 2011, your area number was based on the location where you applied for the card, typically the state where your parents worked or lived when you were born. In the early years of the Social Security program, many adults applied in person at local Social Security offices, often near their place of employment. Children usually had their applications submitted on their behalf by a parent or guardian.
Starting in 1972, the Social Security Administration (SSA) centralized its operations and began assigning area numbers based on the ZIP code of the mailing address listed on the application. The process stayed that way until June 25, 2011, when the area number became randomized (more on that below).
Why does this matter? If you were issued a Social Security number between 1936 and June 25, 2011, your area number points to the state in which the number was assigned. In other words, your area number can often reveal where you or your parents lived at the time you applied for a card. That may not sound like a big deal, but it’s a clue con artists can use, along with other tactics, to steal your identity in elaborate Social Security scams.
Post-2011 area numbers
On June 25, 2011, the SSA implemented a new method of assigning numbers called “SSN randomization.” This change was made to enhance the security and integrity of the Social Security number and to help extend the longevity of the nine-digit format by making more combinations available.
As a result, all Social Security numbers issued after that date have an area number that no longer corresponds to any geographic location. It’s one additional step in protecting your identity from bad actors.
Group number
The group number is the middle two-digit portion of the Social Security number and ranges from 01 to 99. For each area number, there are 99 possible group combinations. While the numbers were not issued sequentially, the SSA used a predetermined issuance pattern prior to the 2011 move to randomization.
Here’s how it worked for numbers issued before June 25, 2011:
- The SSA initially assigned odd numbers from 01 through 09.
- Then, the SSA issued even numbers from 10 to 98.
- After that, the SSA assigned even numbers from 02 to 08, followed by odd numbers from 11 to 99.
Because of this staggered pattern, a lower group number (like 01) would typically indicate an earlier issuance date than a higher number (like 99)—but only within the same area number. So while the group number isn’t an exact age indicator, it could offer a rough idea of the relative order of issuance for people within the same geographic assignment.
That’s why the SSA eliminated the significance of the highest group number when it moved toward randomized Social Security numbers in 2011.
Serial number
The serial number is the final four digits of the Social Security number and ranges from 0001 to 9999. It is assigned sequentially within each group number and, in turn, within each area number.
Unlike the other parts of the Social Security number, the serial number does not contain any geographical or chronological information beyond what is already implied by the area and group numbers. However, because older area numbers were issued in order, they can suggest the relative order of issuance within a given group and area combination—thankfully, not with enough consistency to determine age or personal details.
Debunking common myths about Social Security numbers
Depending on when you applied for a Social Security card, your number may reveal info about you. That said, we tend to assume our Social Security number reveals more than it actually does. Here’s the truth:
- Myth: Your SSN tells people your age.
Fact: The group and serial numbers loosely reflect the order of issuance, not your actual age or birth year.
- Myth: Everyone’s SSN reflects their birth state.
Fact: This is true only for certain people issued SSNs before June 25, 2011.
- Myth: SSNs are reused after someone dies.
Fact: Social Security numbers are never reused.
- Myth: All SSNs are random.
Fact: SSNs issued after June 25, 2011, are the only ones to use a fully randomized format. Older numbers followed structured patterns.
- Myth: You can never change your SSN.
Fact: There are rare instances when you can change your SSN.
Why these nine digits still matter
Because your Social Security number stays with you from birth to death and is used to track earnings, benefits and other personal records, scam artists can potentially use it to access sensitive information, from where you bank to your employment history or even whether you’ve been involved in legal issues. That’s why this guide to Social Security numbers is more than just trivia fodder; it’s a key to protecting your privacy.
It’s useful to know the meaning of the numbers in a Social Security number, but the most important takeaway is this: Never share your Social Security number unless it’s absolutely necessary.
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Sources:
- Social Security Administration: “Social Security Number Chronology”
- Social Security Administration: “Social Security Number Randomization”
- Social Security Administration: “Meaning of the Social Security Number”
- Social Security Administration: “The Story of the Social Security Number”
- Internet Archive: “Social Security: A Documentary History by Larry W. DeWitt”
- Federal Trade Commission: “Identity Theft”
