Layoffs Got you Down?
DO YOU HAVE THE RESOURCE TO SURVIVE THE BIGGEST STORMS AHEAD?
Everyone deserves the right to age well, but more than 17 million Americans age 65+ are economically insecure—living at or below 200% of the federal poverty level ($30,120 per year for a single person in 2024)
These older adults struggle with rising housing and health care bills, inadequate nutrition, lack of access to transportation, diminished savings, and job loss.
For older adults who are above the poverty level, one major adverse life event can change today’s realities into tomorrow’s troubles.
Poverty measures
More than 17 million (or roughly 1 in 3) older adults aged 65+ are economically insecure, with incomes below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level
Economic insecurity is higher among minority older adults—43.4% of Black and 44.1% of Hispanic adults age 65+ have incomes below 200%
Older women are more likely to live in poverty than men as a result of wage discrimination and having to take time out of the workforce for caregiving
Social Security benefits lift 16.5 million older adults above the
More accurate measures of economic well-being—including the Elder Index™
and the Institute on Assets and Social Policy’s Senior Financial Stability Index
show millions of older adults struggling to meet their monthly expenses, even though they’re not considered “poor” because they live above the
Income and employment
In 2022, the median income of older adults was $29,740. 10% of older adults who reported any income in 2022 earned less than $10,000
The 2.4 million older adults on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) receive, on average, just $575 each month
Among Social Security beneficiaries age 65+, Social Security represents 50% or more of their income for 37% of men and 42% of women, and 90% or more of their income of 12% of men and 15% of women
On average, older women received about $3,900 less annually in retirement income in 2021 than older men due to lower lifetime earnings, time taken off for caregiving, occupational segregation into lower wage work, and other issues
In 2023, 11.2 million people age 65 and older were working or actively seeking employment. The unemployment rate among older workers was 3%
Older workers of color are most at risk for unemployment.
In the second quarter of 2024, the unemployment rates for those age 65+ were 3.1% for Black men and 4.7% for Black women; 2.4% and 1.4% for Asian men and women, respectively; and 4.3% and 4.1% for Hispanic men and women
Debt and savings
Of households headed by an individual age 65 or older, 62.1% had debt in 2019. The median debt of senior-led households was $34,000.
In 2022, just over half of adults age 55-74 had retirement savings; only 42% of those age 75+ did. Women, Blacks, and Hispanics were less likely to have any retirement savings.
Among all older adults, 9% have medical debt. But more than one in five older adults with incomes under $25,000 have medical debt
Of retirees 65+ surveyed in 2023, 92% said Social Security was a source of income in the previous 12 months, and 64% said a pension was.
Health and nutrition
In 2022, nearly 7 million older Americans were food-insecure, and that rate was higher among minority groups.
While older adult enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has increased over the last decade,
the USDA Food and Nutrition Service estimates that just under half of those older adults who are eligible for the program are enrolled and receiving benefits.
About one in four older adults 65+ scrimp on food, utilities, clothing, or medication due to health care costs.
And in 2022, 37% of older adults were worried about affording health care in the coming year.
To cover health expenses in retirement, the average couple age 65+ would need $383,000 in after-tax savings.
Housing
Housing costs represent roughly 25% of expenses for all Americans age 65+.
In 2021, 11.2 million older adults were housing cost-burdened, spending over 30% of their income on housing.
Of homeowners age 65-79, 41% had mortgage debt in 2022. About 31% of homeowners age 80+ also had mortgage debt. Older mortgage holders have median monthly housing costs of $1,470.
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