Official SSA Data
ALJ Statistics by State
Browse Social Security Disability hearing statistics for all 50 states and territories. Click any state to see detailed office and judge information.
50 states and territories
Alabama
AL
Avg Approval 64.5%
Avg Wait 7 months
Offices 3
Judges 35
Alaska
AK
Offices 1
Judges 0
Arizona
AZ
Avg Approval 59.4%
Avg Wait 8.9 months
Offices 3
Judges 18
Arkansas
AR
Avg Approval 45.9%
Avg Wait 7.4 months
Offices 2
Judges 14
California
CA
Avg Approval 59.9%
Avg Wait 8.5 months
Offices 17
Judges 93
Colorado
CO
Avg Approval 54%
Avg Wait 8.4 months
Offices 2
Judges 16
Connecticut
CT
Avg Approval 56.9%
Avg Wait 8 months
Offices 2
Judges 11
Delaware
DE
Avg Approval 65%
Avg Wait 7.5 months
Offices 1
Judges 2
District Of Columbia
DC
Avg Approval 64.1%
Avg Wait 16.4 months
Offices 3
Judges 19
Florida
FL
Avg Approval 59.2%
Avg Wait 7.2 months
Offices 8
Judges 73
Georgia
GA
Avg Approval 57.5%
Avg Wait 7.4 months
Offices 5
Judges 43
Hawaii
HI
Avg Approval 68.6%
Avg Wait 7 months
Offices 1
Judges 3
Illinois
IL
Avg Approval 56.2%
Avg Wait 7.5 months
Offices 7
Judges 58
Indiana
IN
Avg Approval 58.8%
Avg Wait 6.8 months
Offices 4
Judges 29
Iowa
IA
Avg Approval 54.9%
Avg Wait 7 months
Offices 1
Judges 9
Kansas
KS
Avg Approval 48.4%
Avg Wait 7 months
Offices 2
Judges 7
Kentucky
KY
Avg Approval 54.3%
Avg Wait 6.7 months
Offices 4
Judges 28
Louisiana
LA
Avg Approval 58.6%
Avg Wait 7.6 months
Offices 4
Judges 18
Maine
ME
Avg Approval 61.4%
Avg Wait 8 months
Offices 1
Judges 4
Maryland
MD
Avg Approval 58.5%
Avg Wait 8.5 months
Offices 2
Judges 29
Massachusetts
MA
Avg Approval 56.5%
Avg Wait 9.8 months
Offices 3
Judges 17
Michigan
MI
Avg Approval 57.7%
Avg Wait 7.4 months
Offices 6
Judges 44
Minnesota
MN
Avg Approval 56.3%
Avg Wait 7 months
Offices 1
Judges 11
Mississippi
MS
Avg Approval 54.9%
Avg Wait 7 months
Offices 3
Judges 20
Missouri
MO
Avg Approval 51.9%
Avg Wait 7.3 months
Offices 6
Judges 47
Montana
MT
Avg Approval 67.9%
Avg Wait 9 months
Offices 1
Judges 5
Nebraska
NE
Avg Approval 50.6%
Avg Wait 7 months
Offices 1
Judges 6
Nevada
NV
Avg Approval 49.4%
Avg Wait 10.6 months
Offices 2
Judges 7
New Hampshire
NH
Avg Approval 58%
Avg Wait 9 months
Offices 1
Judges 7
New Jersey
NJ
Avg Approval 64.1%
Avg Wait 8.5 months
Offices 3
Judges 25
New Mexico
NM
Avg Approval 54.7%
Avg Wait 9.4 months
Offices 2
Judges 17
New York
NY
Avg Approval 64.2%
Avg Wait 9.3 months
Offices 10
Judges 76
North Carolina
NC
Avg Approval 65.6%
Avg Wait 7.6 months
Offices 4
Judges 38
North Dakota
ND
Avg Approval 62.5%
Avg Wait 6 months
Offices 1
Judges 4
Ohio
OH
Avg Approval 56.1%
Avg Wait 7.4 months
Offices 6
Judges 51
Oklahoma
OK
Avg Approval 67.8%
Avg Wait 8.5 months
Offices 3
Judges 23
Oregon
OR
Avg Approval 64.9%
Avg Wait 8 months
Offices 2
Judges 14
Pennsylvania
PA
Avg Approval 54.6%
Avg Wait 8.2 months
Offices 8
Judges 57
Puerto Rico
PR
Avg Approval 68.9%
Avg Wait 11 months
Offices 2
Judges 11
Rhode Island
RI
Avg Approval 55.9%
Avg Wait 7.5 months
Offices 1
Judges 5
South Carolina
SC
Avg Approval 58.1%
Avg Wait 6.8 months
Offices 4
Judges 34
Tennessee
TN
Avg Approval 57.3%
Avg Wait 6.7 months
Offices 6
Judges 49
Texas
TX
Avg Approval 57.3%
Avg Wait 7.1 months
Offices 7
Judges 72
Utah
UT
Avg Approval 54.3%
Avg Wait 8 months
Offices 1
Judges 5
Virginia
VA
Avg Approval 50.3%
Avg Wait 9 months
Offices 6
Judges 33
Washington
WA
Avg Approval 63.2%
Avg Wait 10.1 months
Offices 3
Judges 18
West Virginia
WV
Avg Approval 55.9%
Avg Wait 7.4 months
Offices 3
Judges 17
Wisconsin
WI
Avg Approval 59.3%
Avg Wait 8.4 months
Offices 2
Judges 11
Nationwide Overview
The Social Security disability hearing system spans 48 states and territories, with 172 hearing offices and 1,150 active Administrative Law Judges. The national average approval rate is 58.3% for FY 2025. State-level approval rates range from 45.9% in Arkansas to 68.9% in Puerto Rico, a 23-point spread that reflects regional variation in case outcomes.
Wait times also vary significantly by geography. North Dakota has the shortest average wait at 6 months, while District Of Columbia has the longest at 16.4 months. These differences reflect staffing levels, caseload volume, and scheduling capacity at individual offices.
Use the interactive map above to select a state, or browse the cards below to compare key statistics at a glance. Each state page provides detailed office-level data and individual judge statistics.
Social Security Disability Hearing FAQ by State
Why do approval rates vary by state?
Approval rates vary due to several factors including differences in claimant populations, local economic conditions affecting disability applications, individual judge decision-making patterns, quality of legal representation, and regional interpretations of disability standards. In FY 2025, state-level rates range from 45.9% in Arkansas to 68.9% in Puerto Rico.
All ALJs apply the same federal disability standards regardless of location.
All ALJs apply the same federal disability standards regardless of location.
Can I choose which state to file in?
No. Your case is assigned to a hearing office based on where you live. You cannot choose a different state or hearing office to improve your odds. The SSA uses your residential address to determine jurisdiction. If you move to a new address in a different office's service area, your case may be transferred to the new office.
Do states with higher approval rates have easier standards?
No. All ALJs apply the same federal disability standards. Variations in approval rates reflect differences in case mix, local health conditions, representation quality, and individual judge decision patterns — not different legal standards. A state with a higher average rate may have a different mix of case types, higher representation rates, or other population-level factors that influence aggregate outcomes.
How is state data calculated?
State averages are calculated from all hearing offices within each state. Approval rates are weighted by judge caseload, so a judge with 300 decisions contributes more to the state average than a judge with 60.
Only judges with 50 or more decisions are included. Wait times represent the most recent snapshot from SSA data releases. See our methodology page for details on how we calculate these statistics.
Only judges with 50 or more decisions are included. Wait times represent the most recent snapshot from SSA data releases. See our methodology page for details on how we calculate these statistics.