Social Security raise for 2027 is 3.6%. Here’s what NJ retirees get.

I was 16 when I fell in love with radio. I’m still in love with it.

I’m a few years from what most people call retirement age, and honestly? I’m not in a hurry. As long as I have a voice, something to say and a good idea of what you want to hear, and I stay healthy, I could see myself working into my 70s.

SEE ALSO: Still working at 65? What NJ workers should know about Medicare

Still behind the mic and loving it, here at our Asbury Park studio. Retirement can wait. | Eric ‘EJ’ Johnson / Townsquare Media

At the earliest, I’d retire at 67. And when you retire matters, because Social Security is watching.

Today, Social Security announced next year’s cost-of-living adjustment: 3.6%. Here’s what that means for New Jersey.

What the 2027 COLA means for you

About 1.78 million New Jerseyans collect Social Security, and about 1.4 million of them are retired workers, according to the Social Security Administration. The average retired worker here gets about $2,288 a month.

A 3.6% raise adds about $82 a month to the average New Jersey retiree’s check, starting in January. That’s more than the national average of $75, according to the Social Security Administration. New Jersey retirees tend to collect bigger benefits.

The raise is based on inflation for July, August and September, compared with the same months last year, NJ.com explained. Last month, The Senior Citizens League estimated it would come in at 3.5%. It came in a little higher. The 2026 COLA was 2.8%.

Medicare takes a bite

Some of that raise is already spoken for. The standard Medicare Part B premium is projected to rise from $202.90 to $209.50 a month in 2027, according to the latest Medicare Trustees Report, NJ.com reported. For most retirees, it comes straight out of the Social Security check.

So the average New Jersey retiree would really net about $76 more a month.

From 14.3% to zero

This year’s raise looks better when you see the history. In 1980, benefits jumped 14.3%. In 2009, 2010 and 2015, there was no raise at all.

Why your retirement age matters

If you were born in 1960 or later, your full retirement age is 67, according to AARP. Claim at 62 and you get as little as 70% of your full benefit, for life. Wait until 70 and you get 24% more than at 67. After 70, there’s no extra bonus for waiting.

For me, that math is one more reason to keep doing what I love.