Depending on your work history and other savings, Social Security income may be a crucial part of your retirement strategy.

In fact, 77% of current retirees in the U.S. rely on Social Security income to make ends meet, according to a recent Bankrate survey. But not everyone gets the same amount.

In Connecticut, for example, retirement beneficiaries receive an average payment of $2,114 a month, the most in the country, according to the latest available Social Security Administration data. Beneficiaries in Mississippi receive the lowest average payment of $1,756 a month.

It's worth noting that averages can be skewed by a small pool of beneficiaries receiving more or less than the bulk of recipients. In Alaska and New Mexico, for example, the average retiree benefit is more than $100 greater than each state's median payment, which tends to be more representative of each place's retiree population.

While averages can be useful to get a picture of the Social Security payments in your state overall, your individual monthly retirement benefit depends on three major factors:

1. How long you work at jobs where you paid Social Security taxes, including self-employment
2. The income you receive during those years
3. The age you decide to start collecting benefits

The factor you generally have the most control over is when you start collecting benefits.

Your full retirement age depends on when you were born; for Americans born in 1960 and later, it's 67 years old. But you can start claiming Social Security retirement benefits as early as 62.

However, doing so could lose you up to 30% of your maximum benefit, according to the Social Security Administration. Your benefit is reduced based on the number of months between when you start claiming and your full retirement age.

You can alternatively choose to delay benefits until age 70, in which case your monthly payment will go up. Your benefits increase by 8% every year you delay claiming until your 70th birthday.

Say someone who had worked steadily since 22 started collecting benefits at 62, receiving monthly payments of around $2,830. If they had waited until age 70 to start claiming benefits, their monthly payment would have been over $5,000, according to data from the SSA.

If you're curious how much your own benefit may be, you can create an account on the SSA website and download your personal statement to see what you've earned so far and what your benefits could look like in retirement.

And below, check out the average and median monthly payments retirees receive from Social Security in every state.

Alabama

• Average monthly payment: $1,856
• Median monthly payment: $1,794

Alaska

• Average monthly payment: $1,837
• Median monthly payment: $1,733

Arizona

• Average monthly payment: $1,949
• Median monthly payment: $1,913

Arkansas

• Average monthly payment: $1,790
• Median monthly payment: $1,717

California

• Average monthly payment: $1,866
• Median monthly payment: $1,767

Colorado

• Average monthly payment: $1,958
• Median monthly payment: $1,898

Connecticut

• Average monthly payment: $2,114
• Median monthly payment: $2,084

Delaware

• Average monthly payment: $2,090
• Median monthly payment: $2,064

Florida

• Average monthly payment: $1,894
• Median monthly payment: $1,839

Georgia

• Average monthly payment: $1,859
• Median monthly payment: $1,789

Hawaii

• Average monthly payment: $1,908
• Median monthly payment: $1,854

Idaho

• Average monthly payment: $1,880
• Median monthly payment: $1,829

Illinois

• Average monthly payment: $1,934
• Median monthly payment: $1,908

Indiana

• Average monthly payment: $1,966
• Median monthly payment: $1,953

Iowa

• Average monthly payment: $1,921
• Median monthly payment: $1,884

Kansas

• Average monthly payment: $1,982
• Median monthly payment: $1,930

Kentucky

• Average monthly payment: $1,803
• Median monthly payment: $1,748

Louisiana

• Average monthly payment: $1,759
• Median monthly payment: $1,674

Maine

• Average monthly payment: $1,816
• Median monthly payment: $1,741

Maryland

• Average monthly payment: $2,054
• Median monthly payment: $2,008

Massachusetts

• Average monthly payment: $2,003
• Median monthly payment: $1,946

Michigan

• Average monthly payment: $1,997
• Median monthly payment: $2,005

Minnesota

• Average monthly payment: $2,016
• Median monthly payment: $1,982

Mississippi

• Average monthly payment: $1,756
• Median monthly payment: $1,673

Missouri

• Average monthly payment: $1,869
• Median monthly payment: $1,883

Montana

• Average monthly payment: $1,817
• Median monthly payment: $1,751

Nebraska

• Average monthly payment: $1,937
• Median monthly payment: $1,880

Nevada

• Average monthly payment: $1,843
• Median monthly payment: $1,785

New Hampshire

• Average monthly payment: $2,094
• Median monthly payment: $2,039

New Jersey

• Average monthly payment: $2,110
• Median monthly payment: $2,100

New Mexico

• Average monthly payment: $1,799
• Median monthly payment: $1,696

New York

• Average monthly payment: $1,951
• Median monthly payment: $1,914

North Carolina

• Average monthly payment: $1,909
• Median monthly payment: $1,832

North Dakota

• Average monthly payment: $1,856
• Median monthly payment: $1,795

Ohio

• Average monthly payment: $1,858
• Median monthly payment: $1,854

Oklahoma

• Average monthly payment: $1,856
• Median monthly payment: $1,795

Oregon

• Average monthly payment: $1,918
• Median monthly payment: $1,867

Pennsylvania

• Average monthly payment: $1,979
• Median monthly payment: $1,946

Rhode Island

• Average monthly payment: $1,972
• Median monthly payment: $1,923

South Carolina

• Average monthly payment: $1,926
• Median monthly payment: $1,865

South Dakota

• Average monthly payment: $1,848
• Median monthly payment: $1,780

Tennessee

• Average monthly payment: $1,890
• Median monthly payment: $1,822

Texas

• Average monthly payment: $1,865
• Median monthly payment: $1,776

Utah

• Average monthly payment: $1,988
• Median monthly payment: $1,939

Vermont

• Average monthly payment: $1,961
• Median monthly payment: $1,883

Virginia

• Average monthly payment: $1,985
• Median monthly payment: $1,906

Washington

• Average monthly payment: $2,022
• Median monthly payment: $1,992

West Virginia

• Average monthly payment: $1,839
• Median monthly payment: $1,807

Wisconsin

• Average monthly payment: $1,957
• Median monthly payment: $1,932

Wyoming

• Average monthly payment: $1,950
• Median monthly payment: $1,908

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