You can claim as early as age 62 or at any time up to age 70, the latest age for delaying. Why delay? Your benefit increases about 8% each year that you wait. How to decide? If you have very good reason to think you are going to die young, then claim at 62. However, the trends for educated White Americans is living longer. So the most important thing you can do is fill in a couple online longevity calculators to get an estimate of how long you are likely to live. Keep in mind that you have a 50% chance of living longer than the estimated age of death. Use these 2 calculators:
Northwest Mutual Longevity calculator http://media.nmfn.com/tnetwork/lifespan/#0
Also read the excellent short explanation of the trade-offs of claiming early versus late by Todd Campbell: https://www.fool.com/retirement/2017/03/17/americans-average-social-security-at-age-62-66-and.aspx
Source: Financial Planning for Women