Social Security Numbers, also known as Social Security Numbers (SSNs), are assigned by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and certain non-citizens. The following is the format and some examples used to generate SSNs: **Format:** Social Security Numbers are 9 digits long and are assigned in the format of "XXX-XX-XXXX". The format is as follows: * First Segment (Area Number): XXX (001-772) * Second Segment (Group Number): XX (01-99) * Third Segment (Serial Number): XXXX (0001-9999) **Examples:** 1. Assume that a U.S. citizen born in California (Area Code: ondrous-issuing state code 572) is assigned the following Social Security Number: 546-78-1234 In this example: - The first segment (546) indicates that the SSN was issued by the California Social Security Office (Area Code). - The second segment (78) is the group number. - The third segment (1234) is the serial number. 2. Another example: 987-65-8901 In this example: - The first part (987) indicates that the SSN was assigned by New York (the next area code). - The second part (65) is the group number. - The third part (8901) is the sequence number. **Area Codes:** Below are some of the older area codes that were used to assign SSNs. As of June 25, 2011, the SSA no longer uses geographic location to assign area codes to SSNs. * Alabama: 423, 424, 426, 427, and 428 * Alaska: 574 * Arizona: 526, 527, and 628 * Arkansas: 429, 430, 432, and 433 * California: 545-573 * Colorado: 521, 522, 523, 524, and 585 * Florida: 261-267, Lloyd-279, 589-595 * American Samoa: 586 * Guam: 586 * Hawaii: 575 and 576 * Wyoming: 520 Please note that starting June 25, 2011, the Social Security Administration implemented a policy of randomizing SSN assignments in order to reduce the risk of identity theft and prevent number guessing. As a result, new SSNs are no longer assigned based on a specific region or geographic location.