Income of the Population 55 or Older, 2010

Poverty Status of Aged Persons Based on Family Income

Poverty Status of Aged Persons Based on Family Income

Poverty Status of Persons 65 or Older Based on Family Income

Poverty Status of Persons 65 or Older in Beneficiary Families Based on Family Income

Key Terms and Concepts for Section 11 1

Age. Age classification is based on the age of the person at his or her last birthday as of March 2011. A married couple's age is defined as the age of the husband—unless he is under age 55 and the wife is 55 or older, in which case it is the age of the wife.

Aged unit. With age 55 as the cutoff, aged units are defined as married couples living together—at least one of whom is 55 or older—and nonmarried persons 55 or older.

Marital status. Married persons are married and living with their spouse. Nonmarried persons may be divorced, widowed, never married, separated, or married but living apart from their spouse.

Race. The categories White alone, Black alone, and Asian alone reflect respondents who reported only one race. Because of changes to the race category, data on race are not directly comparable to editions prior to 2002. A person's race is his or her reported race. A married couple's race is defined as the race of the husband.

Hispanic origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race. A married couple is of Hispanic origin if the husband is of Hispanic origin.

Family. A family is a group of two or more people (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage, or adoption and residing together; all such people (including related subfamily members) are considered as members of one family.

Social Security beneficiary. A beneficiary may be receiving retired-worker benefits, dependents' or survivor benefits, disability benefits, or transitionally insured benefits.

Per capita income. Per capita income is total family income divided by the number of persons in the family.

Poverty. The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to detect who is poor. If a family's total income is less than that family's threshold, then that family, and every individual in it, is considered poor. The poverty thresholds do not vary geographically, but they are updated annually for inflation with the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). The official poverty definition counts money income before taxes and excludes capital gains and noncash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps).

The ratio of Social Security income to total income. This ratio is defined as Social Security income divided by total income. Units and persons in families with less than $1 of total income or negative earnings or asset income are excluded from these tables.

Notes

 1 For more information, consult the Glossary for this report.

Tables

Poverty Status of Aged Persons Based on Family Income Table 11.1 By Social Security beneficiary status, marital status, race, Hispanic origin, sex, and age, 2010
Sex and age Number (thousands) Percentage below poverty line Percentage below 125% of poverty line
  All persons
All persons
55–61 26,829 10.3 13.2
62–64 10,155 9.5 13.7
65 or older 39,179 9.0 14.7
Men
55–61 13,050 9.8 12.4
62–64 4,896 8.4 12.1
65 or older 17,081 6.7 11.6
Women
55–61 13,780 10.7 13.9
62–64 5,259 10.6 15.2
65 or older 22,098 10.7 17.2
  By beneficiary status
  Beneficiary
All persons
55–61 2,426 18.3 26.3
62–64 3,990 10.2 16.1
65 or older 33,177 7.0 12.9
Men
55–61 1,182 16.5 23.4
62–64 1,852 8.4 13.8
65 or older 14,386 4.5 9.3
Women
55–61 1,244 20.0 29.0
62–64 2,139 11.8 18.0
65 or older 18,791 8.9 15.6
  Nonbeneficiary
All persons
55–61 24,403 9.5 11.9
62–64 6,165 9.1 12.2
65 or older 6,002 19.9 25.1
Men
55–61 11,867 9.1 11.3
62–64 3,045 8.4 11.1
65 or older 2,695 18.7 23.9
Women
55–61 12,536 9.8 12.4
62–64 3,120 9.8 13.2
65 or older 3,307 21.0 26.2
  By marital status
  Married
All persons
55–61 17,586 4.7 6.6
62–64 6,657 4.4 6.8
65 or older 21,701 4.2 7.3
Men
55–61 8,974 4.8 6.8
62–64 3,506 4.7 6.8
65 or older 12,049 4.2 7.3
Women
55–61 8,611 4.5 6.4
62–64 3,151 4.1 6.7
65 or older 9,652 4.2 7.3
  Nonmarried
All persons
55–61 9,244 20.9 25.8
62–64 3,498 19.3 26.8
65 or older 17,478 15.0 23.9
Men
55–61 4,075 20.7 24.9
62–64 1,390 17.7 25.4
65 or older 5,032 12.9 21.9
Women
55–61 5,168 21.1 26.4
62–64 2,108 20.4 27.8
65 or older 12,446 15.8 24.8
  Widowed
All persons
55–61 1,246 21.5 26.5
62–64 826 15.0 23.8
65 or older 10,674 13.4 21.8
Men
55–61 250 15.8 17.9
62–64 174 13.6 21.5
65 or older 2,149 10.6 17.6
Women
55–61 996 23.0 28.6
62–64 652 15.4 24.4
65 or older 8,525 14.1 22.9
  Divorced
All persons
55–61 4,546 18.7 23.7
62–64 1,642 17.4 24.1
65 or older 4,150 15.6 25.4
Men
55–61 2,076 20.3 24.5
62–64 728 16.0 22.9
65 or older 1,638 12.4 22.7
Women
55–61 2,470 17.4 23.0
62–64 914 18.5 25.0
65 or older 2,512 17.6 27.1
  Never married
All persons
55–61 2,435 24.3 29.1
62–64 718 24.2 31.6
65 or older 1,722 19.7 28.5
Men
55–61 1,272 24.0 28.9
62–64 336 21.2 29.6
65 or older 760 18.9 28.2
Women
55–61 1,163 24.6 29.3
62–64 382 26.9 33.4
65 or older 963 20.3 28.8
  By race
  White alone
All persons
55–61 22,268 8.8 11.5
62–64 8,556 8.1 11.8
65 or older 33,768 7.7 13.0
Men
55–61 10,953 8.4 10.8
62–64 4,191 7.1 10.3
65 or older 14,890 5.7 10.1
Women
55–61 11,315 9.2 12.2
62–64 4,365 9.1 13.2
65 or older 18,878 9.3 15.2
  Black alone
All persons
55–61 2,924 20.7 24.9
62–64 1,023 21.3 29.5
65 or older 3,394 18.0 28.5
Men
55–61 1,332 20.3 24.5
62–64 443 20.1 29.0
65 or older 1,321 14.2 23.9
Women
55–61 1,593 20.9 25.2
62–64 579 22.3 29.8
65 or older 2,073 20.5 31.5
  Asian alone
All persons
55–61 1,145 9.4 11.2
62–64 379 8.1 12.1
65 or older 1,454 14.6 20.6
Men
55–61 510 8.6 10.1
62–64 171 5.5 9.8
65 or older 619 14.0 19.2
Women
55–61 635 10.1 12.2
62–64 208 10.3 14.0
65 or older 835 15.1 21.6
  Hispanic origin
All persons
55–61 2,482 17.5 23.7
62–64 772 17.4 24.3
65 or older 2,857 18.0 27.8
Men
55–61 1,229 16.3 21.9
62–64 344 14.2 21.0
65 or older 1,232 14.2 24.5
Women
55–61 1,253 18.7 25.5
62–64 428 20.0 27.0
65 or older 1,625 20.9 30.3
NOTE: The family money income of aged persons is compared with the official poverty lines of families in 2010.
Poverty Status of Persons 65 or Older Based on Family Income Table 11.2 By Social Security beneficiary status, marital status, race, Hispanic origin, sex, and age, 2010
Sex and age Number (thousands) Percentage below poverty line Percentage below 125% of poverty line
  All persons
All persons
65–69 12,160 7.7 12.3
70–74 9,254 8.6 13.6
75–79 7,088 9.1 15.7
80 or older 10,676 10.7 17.9
Men
65–69 5,600 6.7 10.7
70–74 4,242 6.2 10.6
75–79 3,065 7.1 13.3
80 or older 4,174 7.0 12.6
Women
65–69 6,561 8.6 13.6
70–74 5,012 10.6 16.2
75–79 4,023 10.6 17.6
80 or older 6,502 13.0 21.2
  By beneficiary status
  Beneficiary
All persons
65–69 9,092 6.0 10.8
70–74 8,069 6.6 11.3
75–79 6,313 6.9 13.6
80 or older 9,704 8.4 15.7
Men
65–69 4,199 5.2 9.3
70–74 3,672 4.1 7.8
75–79 2,754 4.3 10.7
80 or older 3,761 4.3 9.8
Women
65–69 4,893 6.6 12.0
70–74 4,397 8.6 14.2
75–79 3,559 8.9 15.8
80 or older 5,942 11.0 19.4
  Nonbeneficiary
All persons
65–69 3,068 12.9 16.6
70–74 1,185 22.5 29.6
75–79 775 26.7 33.4
80 or older 972 33.6 39.9
Men
65–69 1,401 11.2 15.0
70–74 570 20.2 28.3
75–79 311 31.2 36.9
80 or older 413 32.2 38.0
Women
65–69 1,667 14.3 18.0
70–74 615 24.6 30.9
75–79 465 23.6 31.0
80 or older 560 34.6 41.2
  By marital status
  Married
All persons
65–69 7,822 3.6 6.0
70–74 5,757 4.0 6.6
75–79 4,013 4.8 9.5
80 or older 4,109 4.9 8.7
Men
65–69 4,070 3.6 6.1
70–74 3,158 3.6 5.9
75–79 2,271 5.2 10.2
80 or older 2,550 4.9 8.5
Women
65–69 3,752 3.6 5.9
70–74 2,598 4.5 7.5
75–79 1,743 4.3 8.6
80 or older 1,559 4.9 9.0
  Nonmarried
All persons
65–69 4,338 15.2 23.5
70–74 3,498 16.2 25.2
75–79 3,075 14.7 23.9
80 or older 6,567 14.3 23.6
Men
65–69 1,530 15.1 23.0
70–74 1,084 13.9 24.1
75–79 795 12.5 22.4
80 or older 1,624 10.3 19.1
Women
65–69 2,809 15.3 23.8
70–74 2,414 17.2 25.6
75–79 2,281 15.5 24.4
80 or older 4,943 15.6 25.1
  Widowed
All persons
65–69 1,459 12.1 19.9
70–74 1,805 13.9 21.8
75–79 2,013 13.6 21.5
80 or older 5,398 13.5 22.5
Men
65–69 291 10.0 15.5
70–74 335 12.2 21.0
75–79 358 11.5 18.1
80 or older 1,164 10.0 17.0
Women
65–69 1,167 12.6 20.9
70–74 1,469 14.3 22.0
75–79 1,655 14.0 22.3
80 or older 4,234 14.4 24.0
  Divorced
All persons
65–69 1,866 14.8 23.2
70–74 1,068 18.1 27.8
75–79 630 13.7 24.9
80 or older 586 15.4 28.4
Men
65–69 746 14.2 21.6
70–74 445 12.9 22.8
75–79 248 11.1 24.2
80 or older 198 6.0 24.7
Women
65–69 1,120 15.2 24.3
70–74 623 21.8 31.4
75–79 382 15.4 25.4
80 or older 388 20.2 30.3
  Never married
All persons
65–69 683 19.1 26.4
70–74 404 19.0 31.7
75–79 269 21.5 31.8
80 or older 366 20.3 26.6
Men
65–69 315 19.4 28.1
70–74 179 17.8 31.5
75–79 108 22.0 31.8
80 or older 158 17.2 22.5
Women
65–69 368 18.7 25.0
70–74 225 19.9 31.9
75–79 162 21.2 31.7
80 or older 208 22.7 29.8
  By race
  White alone
All persons
65–69 10,299 6.4 10.3
70–74 7,905 7.5 11.8
75–79 6,166 7.8 13.9
80 or older 9,398 9.4 16.3
Men
65–69 4,785 5.6 9.2
70–74 3,687 5.2 8.7
75–79 2,671 5.9 11.6
80 or older 3,747 6.3 11.6
Women
65–69 5,514 7.1 11.3
70–74 4,218 9.5 14.5
75–79 3,495 9.2 15.7
80 or older 5,651 11.5 19.4
  Black alone
All persons
65–69 1,153 17.2 26.7
70–74 839 14.8 25.7
75–79 579 20.0 30.1
80 or older 824 21.1 33.0
Men
65–69 487 16.1 22.8
70–74 333 12.7 25.3
75–79 240 12.7 25.1
80 or older 261 13.8 22.8
Women
65–69 665 17.9 29.5
70–74 506 16.1 25.9
75–79 339 25.1 33.6
80 or older 563 24.5 37.7
  Asian alone
All persons
65–69 496 11.2 15.8
70–74 384 15.9 22.0
75–79 246 16.6 27.8
80 or older 328 16.8 20.5
Men
65–69 215 9.7 13.7
70–74 168 16.8 21.4
75–79 110 20.4 28.7
80 or older 127 11.7 17.2
Women
65–69 281 12.4 17.5
70–74 217 15.2 22.5
75–79 137 13.5 27.0
80 or older 201 20.0 22.6
  Hispanic origin
All persons
65–69 977 16.9 24.4
70–74 733 17.8 27.5
75–79 498 19.3 32.4
80 or older 649 18.8 29.7
Men
65–69 419 15.6 24.1
70–74 319 11.8 21.1
75–79 218 18.5 32.1
80 or older 276 11.3 22.8
Women
65–69 558 18.0 24.6
70–74 413 22.5 32.4
75–79 281 19.9 32.6
80 or older 374 24.3 34.8
NOTE: The family money income of aged persons is compared with the official poverty lines of families in 2010.
Poverty Status of Persons 65 or Older Based on Family Income Table 11.3 Social Security beneficiaries, by marital status, race, Hispanic origin, sex and age, 2010
Sex and age Number (thousands) Percentage below poverty line Percentage below 125% of poverty line
  By marital status
  Married
All persons 65 or older 18,276 2.5 5.4
65–69 5,888 2.3 4.5
70–74 5,039 2.3 4.6
75–79 3,617 3.0 7.5
80 or older 3,732 2.8 6.1
Men 65 or older 10,187 2.5 5.5
65–69 3,043 2.5 5.0
70–74 2,756 2.0 3.8
75–79 2,061 2.9 7.8
80 or older 2,327 2.7 6.0
Women 65 or older 8,088 2.6 5.4
65–69 2,846 2.1 4.0
70–74 2,283 2.7 5.4
75–79 1,556 3.0 7.2
80 or older 1,405 3.0 6.2
  Nonmarried
All persons 65 or older 14,902 12.5 22.0
65–69 3,203 12.8 22.3
70–74 3,030 13.6 22.4
75–79 2,696 12.3 21.7
80 or older 5,972 11.9 21.6
Men 65 or older 4,199 9.5 18.6
65–69 1,156 12.5 20.7
70–74 916 10.3 19.7
75–79 693 8.6 19.3
80 or older 1,434 6.8 16.0
Women 65 or older 10,703 13.7 23.3
65–69 2,047 13.0 23.2
70–74 2,115 15.1 23.6
75–79 2,003 13.5 22.5
80 or older 4,538 13.4 23.4
  Widowed
All persons 65 or older 9,561 11.3 20.0
65–69 1,168 10.2 18.7
70–74 1,615 11.7 19.5
75–79 1,807 11.9 19.8
80 or older 4,971 11.2 20.5
Men 65 or older 1,889 7.1 14.4
65–69 226 8.3 14.4
70–74 294 6.8 15.5
75–79 324 8.6 16.0
80 or older 1,046 6.5 13.7
Women 65 or older 7,672 12.3 21.4
65–69 943 10.6 19.7
70–74 1,321 12.8 20.3
75–79 1,483 12.6 20.7
80 or older 3,925 12.4 22.3
  Divorced
All persons 65 or older 3,421 13.9 24.8
65–69 1,369 13.6 23.5
70–74 921 15.1 25.7
75–79 582 13.4 24.3
80 or older 548 13.0 27.0
Men 65 or older 1,386 9.8 20.2
65–69 600 12.3 19.1
70–74 373 8.9 19.0
75–79 227 9.9 22.4
80 or older 185 3.8 23.8
Women 65 or older 2,035 16.6 27.9
65–69 769 14.7 27.0
70–74 548 19.4 30.3
75–79 355 15.6 25.6
80 or older 363 17.7 28.6
  Never married
All persons 65 or older 1,211 14.9 24.3
65–69 456 14.1 23.2
70–74 303 16.2 26.1
75–79 180 10.1 22.9
80 or older 272 17.9 25.0
Men 65 or older 543 15.5 24.9
65–69 215 16.0 26.8
70–74 139 19.1 27.2
75–79 78 7.4 20.8
80 or older 111 15.7 21.3
Women 65 or older 668 14.4 23.7
65–69 241 12.4 19.9
70–74 164 13.6 25.3
75–79 102 12.1 24.6
80 or older 161 19.5 27.4
  By race
  White alone
All persons 65 or older 29,096 6.0 11.3
65–69 7,834 4.8 8.9
70–74 7,026 5.8 9.7
75–79 5,570 5.9 12.1
80 or older 8,665 7.3 14.2
Men 65 or older 12,731 3.8 8.1
65–69 3,619 4.2 7.9
70–74 3,267 3.5 6.5
75–79 2,428 3.4 9.2
80 or older 3,417 3.7 9.1
Women 65 or older 16,365 7.8 13.8
65–69 4,216 5.3 9.7
70–74 3,758 7.7 12.5
75–79 3,143 7.9 14.3
80 or older 5,248 9.7 17.6
  Black alone
All persons 65 or older 2,692 16.1 27.6
65–69 799 15.6 26.9
70–74 684 12.0 23.3
75–79 491 17.5 27.7
80 or older 718 19.4 32.4
Men 65 or older 1,059 11.6 21.4
65–69 367 14.4 21.4
70–74 254 7.1 19.6
75–79 208 12.3 24.5
80 or older 230 11.5 20.8
Women 65 or older 1,633 19.0 31.6
65–69 433 16.7 31.5
70–74 429 14.9 25.5
75–79 283 21.4 30.0
80 or older 488 23.2 37.9
  Asian alone
All persons 65 or older 913 9.4 16.4
65–69 290 8.7 15.4
70–74 246 11.8 18.2
75–79 165 8.1 22.0
80 or older 212 8.4 11.2
Men 65 or older 386 7.8 13.0
65–69 124 7.8 13.2
70–74 102 13.8 17.8
75–79 79 7.1 18.1
80 or older 81 0.8 1.8
Women 65 or older 526 10.5 18.8
65–69 166 9.4 17.0
70–74 144 10.4 18.5
75–79 85 9.0 25.7
80 or older 131 13.0 16.9
  Hispanic origin
All persons 65 or older 2,054 15.1 24.3
65–69 601 13.2 19.9
70–74 546 15.4 22.6
75–79 385 14.8 28.6
80 or older 522 17.1 27.8
Men 65 or older 889 10.4 20.2
65–69 254 12.6 19.4
70–74 239 9.5 16.2
75–79 172 10.1 26.9
80 or older 224 9.1 20.4
Women 65 or older 1,165 18.6 27.4
65–69 347 13.6 20.3
70–74 307 19.9 27.6
75–79 214 18.6 30.1
80 or older 297 23.1 33.5
NOTE: The family money income of aged persons is compared with the official poverty lines of families in 2010.
Poverty Status of Persons 65 or Older in Beneficiary Families Based on Family Income Table 11.4 Persons in Social Security beneficiary families, by proportion of family from Social Security, sex, and age, 2010
Sex and age Number (thousands) Percentage below poverty line Percentage below 125% of poverty line
  Persons in families receiving less than 50 percent of income from Social Security
All persons 65 or older 15,290 0.8 1.7
65–69 5,516 0.9 1.9
70–74 3,747 0.5 1.2
75–79 2,632 0.7 1.6
80 or older 3,395 1.1 2.1
Men 65 or older 7,239 0.5 1.3
65–69 2,697 0.7 1.6
70–74 1,834 0.3 1.1
75–79 1,200 0.7 1.4
80 or older 1,509 0.4 0.9
Women 65 or older 8,050 1.0 2.1
65–69 2,819 1.0 2.2
70–74 1,913 0.6 1.4
75–79 1,432 0.7 1.8
80 or older 1,886 1.7 3.1
  Persons in families receiving 50 to 89 percent of income from Social Security
All persons 65 or older 9,816 4.6 9.4
65–69 2,312 4.6 9.6
70–74 2,470 4.4 8.9
75–79 1,949 4.8 9.8
80 or older 3,085 4.5 9.3
Men 65 or older 4,158 3.2 7.1
65–69 981 3.8 8.4
70–74 1,087 3.7 7.8
75–79 854 2.5 6.0
80 or older 1,237 2.9 6.3
Women 65 or older 5,658 5.6 11.0
65–69 1,332 5.1 10.5
70–74 1,383 5.0 9.7
75–79 1,095 6.6 12.7
80 or older 1,849 5.6 11.3
  Persons in families receiving 90 to 99 percent of income from Social Security
All persons 65 or older 3,815 12.0 24.1
65–69 790 11.8 22.7
70–74 749 9.6 19.6
75–79 788 12.0 26.1
80 or older 1,488 13.2 26.1
Men 65 or older 1,439 8.3 18.8
65–69 300 11.3 23.6
70–74 319 5.2 13.6
75–79 295 9.1 22.1
80 or older 525 8.1 17.4
Women 65 or older 2,376 14.2 27.4
65–69 490 12.1 22.1
70–74 430 12.9 24.1
75–79 493 13.8 28.6
80 or older 962 16.0 30.8
  Persons in families receiving 100 percent of income from Social Security
All persons 65 or older 5,271 26.3 44.3
65–69 1,061 30.0 49.3
70–74 1,311 26.3 40.0
75–79 1,060 24.5 44.1
80 or older 1,839 25.3 44.5
Men 65 or older 1,949 21.2 39.4
65–69 442 31.9 49.8
70–74 518 17.4 28.4
75–79 448 18.5 41.4
80 or older 541 18.3 39.6
Women 65 or older 3,323 29.4 47.1
65–69 619 28.7 48.9
70–74 793 32.2 47.6
75–79 612 28.8 46.0
80 or older 1,298 28.2 46.5
NOTES: The family money income of aged persons is compared with the official poverty lines of families in 2010.
Persons in families with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.