Social Security at 90

New Deal
Social Security
Author

Eric Rauchway

Published

October 24, 2025

The Social Security Act is ninety years old this year. Here’s a chart showing expenditures in its first ten years, 1936–1935, from the United States Treasury Bulletin.

Chart showing Social Security Board expenditures by category, 1936–1945. Click to enlarge.

Chart showing Social Security Board expenditures by category, 1936–1945. Click to enlarge.