How good is the Social Security Death Index?
- or -
Why isn't my great-grandfather in there?

 

The Social Security Death Index is a computerized file of deaths reported to the Social Security Administration.  Not all deaths are reported to them, and the file has only been kept since they began computerizing their records in the 1960's.  Some deaths were entered into the database after the fact, but good coverage of deaths does not begin until the mid 1960's.


Graph of the Percentage of Deaths in the United States
recorded in the Social Security Death Index,

 

Table showing the percent inclusion of
deaths in the Social Security Death Index.

Year

SSDI Entries

Deaths in U.S.

Percent in SSDI

1930

0

1,327,240

0

1935

58

1,392,752

0.00

1940

2,790

1,417,269

0.20

1941

3,460

1,397,642

0.25

1942

5,604

1,385,187

0.40

1943

7,046

1,459,544

0.48

1944

13,426

1,411,338

0.95

1945

13,332

1,401,719

0.95

1946

9,808

1,395,617

0.70

1947

11,566

1,445,370

0.80

1948

12,948

1,444,337

0.90

1949

14,559

1,443,607

1.01

1950

18,432

1,452,454

1.27

1951

22,227

1,482,099

1.50

1952

27,518

1,496,838

1.84

1953

33,089

1,517,541

2.18

1954

37,414

1,481,091

2.53

1955

44,316

1,528,717

2.90

1956

52,572

1,564,476

3.36

1957

62,753

1,633,128

3.84

1958

70,199

1,647,886

4.26

1959

78,445

1,656,814

4.73

1960

90,345

1,711,982

5.28

1961

99,022

1,701,522

5.82

1962

300,550

1,756,720

17.11

1963

656,413

1,813,549

36.19

1964

675,967

1,798,051

37.59

1965

747,348

1,828,136

40.88

1966

1,044,262

1,863,149

56.05

1967

1,129,293

1,851,323

61.00

1968

1,220,237

1,930,082

63.22

1969

1,244,440

1,921,990

64.75

1970

1,261,118

1,921,031

65.65

1971

1,295,774

1,927,542

67.22

1972

1,562,221

1,963,944

79.55

1973

1,659,834

1,973,003

84.13

1974

1,663,515

1,934,388

86.00

1975

1,640,997

1,892,879

86.69

1976

1,694,301

1,909,440

88.73

1977

1,744,632

1,899,597

91.84

1978

1,783,238

1,927,788

92.50

1979

1,775,639

1,913,841

92.78

1980

1,851,556

1,989,841

93.05

1981

1,818,429

1,977,981

91.93

1982

1,772,062

1,974,797

89.73

1983

1,817,452

2,019,201

90.01

1984

1,839,695

2,039,369

90.21

1985

1,888,541

2,086,440

90.51

1986

1,905,300

2,105,361

90.50

1987

1,895,509

2,123,323

89.27

1988

1,862,976

2,167,999

85.93

1989

1,847,758

2,150,466

85.92

1990

1,856,051

2,148,463

86.39

1991

1,892,785

2,169,518

87.24

1992

1,953,242

2,175,613

89.78

1993

2,072,523

2,268,553

91.36

1994

2,099,481

2,278,994

92.12

1995

2,141,757

2,312,132

92.63

1996

2,149,733

2,314,690

92.87

1997

2,153,159

2,314,245

93.04

1998

2,140,238

2,337,256

91.57

1999

2,200,643

2,391,630

92.01

2000

2,228,269

2,403,351

92.72

2001

2,280,932

2,416,425

94.39

2002

2,318,783

2,428,000

95.50

Deaths in the Social Security Death Index are from Rootsweb.com

Deaths in the U. S. are from data collected by the National Center for Health Statistics.

 

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