2026 Social Security COLA: The Little Known Data Shift That Could Impact Millions of Retirees' Benefits

A social security card rests in a birds nest conveying the concept of social security income being considered an intregal part of ones financial nest egg.

Over 57 million retirees rely on Social Security benefits, which typically get a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) raise each October. This raise is based on inflation data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

But a recent decision by the BLS to reduce its data sample collection has raised some concerns. Experts are worried that this could lead to less accurate inflation numbers, potentially resulting in a smaller COLA for Social Security beneficiaries and leaving them with less buying power.