Senior Population/Poverty Rate by State

Social Security Prevents Elderly Poverty

Social Security plays a vital role in keeping older Americans out of poverty. Social Security reduces elderly poverty dramatically in every state in the nation. While the official poverty rate[1] in 2010 was 15.1 percent—up from 14.3 percent in 2009— for seniors (those age 65 and older), the poverty level remained the same at 9.0 percent, a testament to the value of Social Security as an anti-poverty program. Without this critical safety-net program, 45 percent of elderly Americans would have incomes below the poverty line. Today, nine out of ten people over age 65 receive Social Security benefits. Nearly two out of every three Social Security beneficiaries receive over half of their income from Social Security, and it’s the only source of income for nearly one-in-five seniors. Without Social Security, many older Americans would live in poverty.

People of Color

Social Security is particularly important to aging people of color who are more likely to experience poverty. Social Security plays a significant role in raising the incomes of many people of color above the poverty line. If the monetary benefits from all public programs were excluded from their incomes, more than 6 in 10 African American and Hispanic American elderly would be poor. When Social Security is counted, the rate drops to about 3 in 10.[2] 

Social Security is the primary source of retirement income for older minorities, with more than 25 percent of African Americans and Latinos depending on it for more than 90 percent of their family income. It is the only source of income for two out of every five Latino and African American retiree beneficiary households. Although Social Security accounts for the bulk of retirement wealth for 70 percent of Americans, people of color rely more on its benefits because they are least likely to have significant sources of wealth outside of Social Security upon retirement. In addition to well-documented racial and ethnic disparities in income, the racial wealth gap reflects disparities in receipt of private pensions, investments, savings, and homeownership.[3] Asian Americans are less dependent on Social Security than other aging people of color, but the poverty rate among elderly Asians is still 12 percent, which is higher than that of white Americans. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2010 American Community Survey