Social Security Number Issuance
Today, nearly all Americans are issued a Social Security Number when they are born. Parents can apply for an SSN for their newborn while still in the hospital.
This was not always the case. Originally, Social Security Numbers were only needed to work so most people got their SSN in their teens when they got their first job.
Enumeration at Birth
Enumeration at Birth is the process of applying for a Social Security Number for a newborn child. In the 1980's the IRS started requiring that children as young as 2 years old have an SSN in order to be claimed as a dependent. Parents receive tax benefits for having dependents.
In 1988, the Social Security Administration officially started encouraging parents to apply for an SSN for their Newborns along with other documents filed to the State's Bureau of Vital Records.
From 1988 to 2011, there is a high probability of SSN Area Group corresponding to the cardholder's place of birth. Before the 1980's most SSNs where issued when the person is in their late teens. There is never a guarantee that an SSN will actually correspond to when and where a the cardholder was born.
Enumeration at Entry
Enumeration at Entry refers to the issuance of SSNs when a person immigrates to the United States. SSNs can be issued to non-citizens in some cases. Often non-citizens who need to pay taxes will be issued an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number instead of a regular SSN.
Numbers issued through Enumeration at Entry will correspond to the state where the person applied for an SSN. Keep in mind, this relationship only exists for SSNs issued before SSN Randomization on June 25, 2011.