Your Family Tree

Social security death records

are very valuable for learning more about your family as well as to prove citizenship and for beneficiaries to receive death benefits. 

The social security death index is a massive log of US citizens who have died, the database holds over 74 million records.  The social security death index online includes people who died after 1962 and had a social security number.  If you are having problems locating a person, one reasons they may not be in the social security death index is if their death was not reported to the social security administration.  

Search the social security death index below and identify the social security death record you are looking for. Once you have identified the social security death record you can easily order a copy of the death certificate for your records.  

Social Security Death Index

Finding and getting a death certificate after searching the social security death index is a great way to preserve your family tree and build a better sense of your ancestor’s history.  The death certificate contains the social security number, which based on the first three numbers can provide information about where that person was issued their social security number, which often occurred at birth.  Follow this link for more information about locations that correspond to social security numbers.  Furthermore, using the social security death record you can pinpoint the birth date, birth place and full name of your ancestors. 

In addition to using the social security death records for genealogy and family tree building, frequently you may need to search the social security death index to receive any death benefits you are due if you are an eligible beneficiary.   Another common use of social security death index is so that you can cancel the social security benefits of the recently deceased.

Social Security Number Allocations

The chart below shows the first 3 digits of the social security numbers assigned throughout the United States and its possessions.  The first three (3) digits of a person's social security number are determined by the ZIP Code of the mailing address shown on the application for a social security number. See "Note" at bottom of page.

001-003	New Hampshire	440-448	Oklahoma
004-007	Maine	449-467	Texas
008-009	Vermont	627-645
010-034	Massachusetts	468-477	Minnesota
035-039	Rhode Island	478-485	Iowa
040-049	Connecticut	486-500	Missouri
050-134	New York	501-502	North Dakota
135-158	New Jersey	503-504	South Dakota
159-211	Pennsylvania	505-508	Nebraska
212-220	Maryland	509-515	Kansas
221-222	Delaware	516-517	Montana
223-231	Virginia	518-519	Idaho
691-699		520	Wyoming
232-236	West Virginia	521-524	Colorado
232	North Carolina	650-653
237-246		525,585	New Mexico
681-690		648-649
247-251	South Carolina	526-527	Arizona
654-658		600-601
252-260	Georgia	764-765
667-675		528-529	Utah
261-267	Florida	646-647
589-595		530	Nevada
766-772		680
268-302	Ohio	531-539	Washington
303-317	Indiana	540-544	Oregon
318-361	Illinois	545-573	California
362-386	Michigan	602-626
387-399	Wisconsin	574	Alaska
400-407	Kentucky	575-576	Hawaii
408-415	Tennessee	750
756-763*		751*
416-424	Alabama	577-579	District of Columbia
425-428	Mississippi	580	Virgin Islands
587		580-584	Puerto Rico
588*		596-599
752-755*		586	Guam
429-432	Arkansas	586	American Samoa
676-679		586	Philippine Islands
433-439	Louisiana	700-728	Railroad Board**
659-665		729-733	Enumeration at Entry

NOTE: The same area, when shown more than once, means that certain numbers have been transferred from one State to another, or that an area has been divided for use among certain geographic locations.

Any number beginning with 000 will NEVER be a valid SSN.

* = New areas allocated, but not yet issued

** 700-728 Issuance of these numbers to railroad employees was discontinued July 1, 1963.