Social Security benefits average $2,086 monthly in 2026
Stacks (STX)
Editor:
Eugene Serbin
finance.yahoo.com reports that the average monthly Social Security benefit for retired workers reached $2,086 in 2026, totaling approximately $25,000 annually. Benefits become available starting at age 62, though claiming before the full retirement age of 67 results in reduced monthly payments. Individuals can increase their benefits by delaying their claim past full retirement age, with an 8% annual boost available until age 70.
The calculation for benefits relies on a worker's 35 highest-paid years of earnings history. If a retiree has fewer than 35 years of work history, zero-income years are factored into the formula, potentially lowering their check. Working part-time during retirement can replace these zero-income years with actual earnings, thereby raising the monthly benefit amount.
Those who filed for benefits within the last 12 months may also withdraw their application and repay collected funds to file later at a higher rate. Gig work counts toward Social Security as long as the income is reported and taxed. The article notes that millions of older Americans rely on these benefits as their sole source of retirement income.
How the market reacted
Whalio's own Binance spot order flow for STX, measured when this story was written up on 22 September 2026. Not the outlet's figures.
STX is currently trading at $0.3415 with a 24-hour buy ratio of 51.2%, indicating that buyers have recently held a slight edge over sellers. This contrasts with the 1-hour reading of 38.0%, suggesting that immediate buying pressure has faded in the short term compared to the daily average. The 4-hour buy ratio sits at 47.3%, showing a near-even split between buyers and sellers over that timeframe. Volume delta data reveals a net outflow of $40,996 in the last hour and $33,479 over four hours, while the 24-hour delta shows a net inflow of $99,145. This divergence implies that while net buying occurred over the full day, the most recent hour saw sellers dominate the flow. The coin recorded a spot volume of $3,846,987 and 26,089 trades in the last 24 hours.
The latest daily buy ratio of 55.9% sits at the 87th percentile of the last 323 days, against a median of 50.8% - stronger buying than most days.
Was that an ordinary day?
The same Binance spot measurements for STX, averaged over the days leading up to the story.
Over the preceding week, STX experienced a 29.4% price increase and saw volume reach 1.28 times its average level. The 7-day average buy ratio was 48.9%, which is slightly lower than the current 24-hour reading of 51.2%. This indicates that today's buying intensity is marginally higher than the weekly norm. However, the 8-day volume delta shows a total net outflow of $692,076, contrasting with the positive 24-hour delta. Net buying occurred on only 3 of the past 7 days, suggesting that the recent positive flow is part of a broader period of mixed sentiment.