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Unpacking this for others who scratched their heads like I did: There are 1 billion possible social security numbers. There are roughly 300 million people in t
by MarkPNeyer 9y ago
Unpacking this for others who scratched their heads like I did:
There are 1 billion possible social security numbers. There are roughly 300 million people in the USA. So roughly 1/3 possible SSN’s is currently in use.
- andruby 9y agoDoes the US re-use previously issues SSN's when people die? With such a limited numeric space, they probably have to, right?
- akvadrako 9y agoYes, they do.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- djrogers 9y agoHaven’t had to yet - they’ve only been around since the ‘30s and we haven’t quite used them all up yet.
- icebraining 9y agoQ20: Are Social Security numbers reused after a person dies? A: No. We do not reassign a Social Security number (SSN) after the number holder's death. Even though we have issued over 453 million SSNs so far, and we assign about 5 and one-half million new numbers a year, the current numbering system will provide us with enough new numbers for several generations into the future with no changes in the numbering system. https://www.ssa.gov/history/hfaq.html https://www.ssa.gov/history/hfaq.html
- gberger 9y ago100 years doesn't really equate to "several generations"...