Income of the Population 55 or Older, 2008

Importance of Social Security Relative to Total Income
(Beneficiary Aged Units and Aged Persons in Beneficiary Families Only)

Relative Importance of Social Security for Beneficiary Aged Units

Relative Importance of Social Security for Beneficiary Units 65 or Older

Relative Importance of Social Security for Persons in Beneficiary Families

Relative Importance of Social Security for Persons 65 or Older in Beneficiary Families

Key Terms and Concepts for Section 9 1

Age. Age classification is based on the age of the person at his or her last birthday as of March 2009. 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.

Relative Importance of Income Source. The relative importance of a source is the ratio of the amount of income from a given source to total income for an aged unit or family. These tables are distributions of persons or aged units by the importance of a given source at the individual unit level.

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).

Notes

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

Tables

Relative Importance of Social Security for Beneficiary Aged Units Table 9.A1 Percentage distribution of beneficiary units, by age, 2008
Proportion of income Aged 55–61 Aged 62–64 Aged 65 or older
Total 65–69 70–74 75–79 80 or older
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 19.7 25.2 10.2 17.5 10.0 7.7 6.0
20–39 17.8 22.2 16.7 22.7 18.6 14.8 11.7
40–59 13.8 13.5 17.0 17.6 18.4 16.8 15.7
60–79 10.1 9.6 15.1 12.1 15.1 16.9 16.5
80 or more 38.6 29.7 40.9 30.2 37.9 43.8 50.1
50 or more 55.9 44.9 63.9 50.3 61.4 68.4 74.0
90 or more 35.2 26.3 34.2 25.3 31.5 36.5 42.1
100 28.4 17.8 22.2 16.3 20.9 23.5 27.0
Mean proportion 59.4 51.2 64.8 55.0 63.2 67.9 72.2
Number (thousands) 2,225 2,460 25,053 6,595 5,481 5,104 7,873
NOTES: Units with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.
The relative importance of a source of income may not accurately reflect the resources available to elderly persons or elderly aged units. The survey on which these data are based does not include some potentially important resources as income, including lump-sum pension payments and capital gains. In addition, these statistics do not take into consideration noncash benefits that supplement money income (housing and energy subsidies or food stamps) or the amount of savings available to supplement monthly income. Consult the Frequently Asked Questions for further information.
Relative Importance of Social Security for Beneficiary Aged Units Table 9.A2 Percentage distribution of beneficiary units, by marital status and age, 2008
Proportion of income Married couples Nonmarried persons
55–61 62–64 65 or older 55–61 62–64 65 or older
Total 65–69 70–74 75–79 80 or older Total 65–69 70–74 75–79 80 or older
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 31.0 37.4 15.4 23.7 13.2 10.4 8.9 7.5 11.1 6.6 10.1 7.2 5.8 4.9
20–39 28.2 29.7 22.7 27.7 24.4 19.9 15.1 6.7 13.4 12.5 16.7 13.1 11.4 10.4
40–59 15.5 11.1 19.2 18.3 20.6 18.6 19.4 11.8 16.2 15.5 16.7 16.4 15.6 14.4
60–79 7.7 7.9 15.8 11.4 15.1 18.0 21.9 12.7 11.4 14.7 13.0 15.2 16.2 14.5
80 or more 17.5 13.8 26.9 18.9 26.7 33.1 34.6 61.3 47.8 50.8 43.5 48.1 50.9 55.8
50 or more 33.2 26.1 51.6 38.5 51.2 59.8 66.0 80.3 66.5 72.6 64.1 70.9 74.1 77.1
90 or more 14.7 11.7 21.3 15.0 22.1 26.2 26.3 57.1 43.0 43.4 37.3 40.2 43.5 48.0
100 10.7 6.9 11.6 8.4 12.0 13.4 14.5 47.4 30.4 29.7 25.7 29.0 30.4 31.7
Mean proportion 41.9 36.7 54.9 45.8 55.5 60.5 63.9 78.3 67.9 71.8 65.8 70.2 72.9 75.3
Number (thousands) 1,152 1,315 10,385 3,567 2,627 2,050 2,141 1,073 1,145 14,667 3,028 2,854 3,054 5,732
NOTES: Units with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.
The relative importance of a source of income may not accurately reflect the resources available to elderly persons or elderly aged units. The survey on which these data are based does not include some potentially important resources as income, including lump-sum pension payments and capital gains. In addition, these statistics do not take into consideration noncash benefits that supplement money income (housing and energy subsidies or food stamps) or the amount of savings available to supplement monthly income. Consult the Frequently Asked Questions for further information.
Relative Importance of Social Security for Beneficiary Units 65 or Older Table 9.A3 Percentage distribution of beneficiary units, by race, Hispanic origin, and marital status, 2008
Proportion of income White alone Black alone Asian alone Hispanic origin
All units Married couples Nonmarried persons All units Married couples Nonmarried persons All units Married couples Nonmarried persons All units Married couples Nonmarried persons
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 10.6 15.5 7.0 7.2 13.9 4.7 9.2 14.0 4.6 6.0 11.6 2.4
20–39 17.1 22.8 12.9 12.8 21.3 9.7 17.2 26.9 7.9 12.9 19.1 8.9
40–59 17.4 19.3 15.9 15.3 18.8 14.0 11.8 13.4 10.1 12.3 15.1 10.5
60–79 15.5 16.1 15.1 11.9 12.4 11.7 13.2 13.2 13.2 10.3 10.6 10.2
80 or more 39.4 26.3 49.2 53.0 33.7 59.9 48.6 32.4 64.2 58.6 43.6 68.1
50 or more 63.0 51.3 71.7 71.0 53.9 77.1 67.8 52.9 82.1 74.1 61.4 82.2
90 or more 32.5 20.6 41.5 47.2 28.2 54.1 44.1 28.5 59.1 52.8 37.7 62.5
100 20.1 10.6 27.1 39.5 22.8 45.6 29.3 17.0 41.1 44.2 29.0 54.0
Mean proportion 63.9 54.5 70.9 72.4 58.4 77.5 68.9 57.3 80.0 75.4 64.6 82.3
Number (thousands) 21,832 9,349 12,483 2,237 594 1,643 636 312 324 1,573 615 958
NOTES: Units with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.
The relative importance of a source of income may not accurately reflect the resources available to elderly persons or elderly aged units. The survey on which these data are based does not include some potentially important resources as income, including lump-sum pension payments and capital gains. In addition, these statistics do not take into consideration noncash benefits that supplement money income (housing and energy subsidies or food stamps) or the amount of savings available to supplement monthly income. Consult the Frequently Asked Questions for further information.
Relative Importance of Social Security for Beneficiary Units 65 or Older Table 9.A4 Percentage distribution of beneficiary units, by marital status and quintile of total money income, 2008
Proportion of income All units Married couples Nonmarried persons
First Second Third Fourth Fifth First Second Third Fourth Fifth First Second Third Fourth Fifth
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 0.7 0.9 2.5 7.8 40.3 0.9 1.5 4.6 17.6 55.4 1.1 0.4 1.2 4.3 26.8
20–39 1.4 2.7 8.1 28.0 43.2 2.9 6.5 19.5 46.9 38.7 1.6 1.6 3.1 11.8 44.8
40–59 3.0 6.8 25.0 35.2 12.5 5.3 15.1 40.2 28.5 3.9 3.1 3.1 8.7 38.9 21.4
60–79 7.2 16.9 26.1 20.6 2.0 12.0 30.1 28.8 4.3 0.8 6.7 9.2 23.5 27.2 3.3
80 or more 87.7 72.7 38.3 8.4 2.0 78.8 46.8 6.9 2.7 1.2 87.6 85.7 63.4 17.8 3.7
50 or more 96.5 93.8 78.3 43.6 7.5 94.5 85.9 56.8 15.2 2.9 95.8 96.8 92.3 65.3 12.0
90 or more 80.7 61.7 28.1 4.9 1.1 71.4 31.7 3.8 1.6 0.9 80.3 77.8 50.5 10.6 2.8
100 62.7 37.7 13.9 1.8 0.4 43.6 14.1 1.3 0.6 0.3 63.3 55.3 28.3 5.9 1.6
Mean proportion 93.4 86.9 69.9 49.0 26.3 89.2 75.2 53.0 35.7 20.3 92.9 92.7 83.2 59.0 32.5
Number (thousands) 4,202 5,466 5,357 5,190 4,839 1,920 2,250 2,175 2,100 1,940 2,255 3,229 3,221 3,130 2,833
NOTES: Units with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.
Quintile limits are $12,082, $19,877, $31,303, and $55,889 for all units; $23,637, $35,794, $53,180, and $86,988 for married couples; and $9,929, $14,265, $20,187, and $32,937 for nonmarried persons.
The relative importance of a source of income may not accurately reflect the resources available to elderly persons or elderly aged units. The survey on which these data are based does not include some potentially important resources as income, including lump-sum pension payments and capital gains. In addition, these statistics do not take into consideration noncash benefits that supplement money income (housing and energy subsidies or food stamps) or the amount of savings available to supplement monthly income. Consult the Frequently Asked Questions for further information.
Relative Importance of Social Security for Persons in Beneficiary Families Table 9.B1 Percentage distribution of persons in beneficiary families, by sex and age, 2008
Proportion of family income All persons Men Women
Aged 55–61 Aged 62–64 Aged 65 or older 55–61 62–64 65 or older 55–61 62–64 65 or older
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 32.1 30.4 15.1 32.8 35.3 17.0 31.7 27.2 13.7
20–39 27.3 26.1 20.4 24.6 25.7 22.7 29.0 26.4 18.6
40–59 14.3 14.2 17.8 13.7 12.3 18.4 14.7 15.5 17.4
60–79 7.7 9.3 14.9 8.4 7.9 14.7 7.2 10.1 15.0
80 or more 18.5 20.0 31.8 20.5 18.8 27.2 17.3 20.8 35.3
50 or more 33.1 35.6 54.8 36.0 32.1 50.3 31.4 37.9 58.3
90 or more 15.8 16.8 25.7 17.3 16.3 21.4 14.9 17.1 28.9
100 11.2 10.8 15.4 13.6 11.1 12.4 9.7 10.7 17.6
Mean proportion 42.0 43.5 57.7 43.4 40.8 54.2 41.1 45.3 60.3
Number (thousands) 5,240 4,343 33,283 1,980 1,721 14,276 3,260 2,622 19,007
NOTES: Persons in families with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.
The relative importance of a source of income may not accurately reflect the resources available to elderly persons or elderly aged units. The survey on which these data are based does not include some potentially important resources as income, including lump-sum pension payments and capital gains. In addition, these statistics do not take into consideration noncash benefits that supplement money income (housing and energy subsidies or food stamps) or the amount of savings available to supplement monthly income. Consult the Frequently Asked Questions for further information.
Relative Importance of Social Security for Persons 65 or Older in Beneficiary Families Table 9.B2 Percentage distribution of persons in beneficiary families, by sex and age, 2008
Proportion of family income All persons Men Women
65–69 70–74 75–79 80 or older 65–69 70–74 75–79 80 or older 65–69 70–74 75–79 80 or older
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 21.4 13.9 12.0 11.6 23.8 15.5 12.4 13.4 19.3 12.6 11.8 10.6
20–39 24.4 22.2 18.9 15.6 26.5 24.5 20.6 17.5 22.5 20.4 17.7 14.4
40–59 18.2 19.0 17.9 16.3 17.3 19.9 18.3 18.3 18.9 18.4 17.5 15.2
60–79 12.4 15.3 16.8 15.8 10.7 14.6 16.8 18.6 13.9 15.9 16.8 14.2
80 or more 23.6 29.5 34.3 40.6 21.7 25.5 31.9 32.3 25.4 32.7 36.1 45.5
50 or more 44.0 53.7 59.2 64.2 39.9 49.1 57.0 59.8 47.5 57.4 60.9 66.8
90 or more 19.1 23.8 27.4 33.0 17.1 20.9 25.1 24.6 20.8 26.2 29.2 37.9
100 11.5 14.3 16.0 20.0 10.0 12.5 14.1 14.2 12.8 15.7 17.4 23.4
Mean proportion 49.9 56.8 60.7 64.5 47.2 53.8 59.0 59.8 52.4 59.2 61.9 67.2
Number (thousands) 9,742 7,683 6,655 9,203 4,580 3,394 2,876 3,427 5,163 4,289 3,779 5,776
NOTES: Persons in families with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.
The relative importance of a source of income may not accurately reflect the resources available to elderly persons or elderly aged units. The survey on which these data are based does not include some potentially important resources as income, including lump-sum pension payments and capital gains. In addition, these statistics do not take into consideration noncash benefits that supplement money income (housing and energy subsidies or food stamps) or the amount of savings available to supplement monthly income. Consult the Frequently Asked Questions for further information.
Relative Importance of Social Security for Persons 65 or Older in Beneficiary Families Table 9.B3 Percentage distribution of persons in beneficiary families, by sex and marital status, 2008
Proportion of family income All persons Men Women
Married Nonmarried Married Nonmarried Married Nonmarried
Total Widowed Divorced Never married Total Widowed Divorced Never married Total Widowed Divorced Never married
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 16.1 13.8 13.0 15.1 13.3 17.3 16.2 17.1 14.3 14.1 14.6 13.0 12.0 15.6 12.7
20–39 23.2 16.9 15.7 19.8 18.7 24.3 18.4 18.5 17.9 18.6 21.7 16.4 15.0 21.0 18.8
40–59 19.6 15.5 15.4 16.4 15.0 19.3 15.7 17.2 15.5 13.0 20.0 15.5 15.0 17.0 16.6
60–79 15.9 13.7 13.6 13.4 16.0 15.1 13.7 14.5 11.7 14.5 16.9 13.7 13.4 14.4 17.2
80 or more 25.2 40.1 42.3 35.3 36.9 23.9 36.0 32.6 40.5 39.9 26.9 41.5 44.6 32.0 34.7
50 or more 49.9 61.1 63.3 56.8 58.9 47.8 57.0 55.5 60.1 58.3 52.5 62.6 65.1 54.7 59.4
90 or more 19.6 33.2 35.0 28.8 31.6 18.6 28.9 26.1 32.1 33.3 20.9 34.8 37.1 26.8 30.4
100 10.3 21.7 22.7 18.1 22.0 9.8 19.3 18.2 20.6 20.3 11.0 22.5 23.8 16.6 23.2
Mean proportion 53.6 62.7 64.4 59.3 61.5 52.2 59.5 58.0 62.1 61.8 55.5 63.9 65.9 57.5 61.2
Number (thousands) 18,484 14,799 9,852 3,052 1,220 10,379 3,897 1,890 1,184 520 8,106 10,901 7,962 1,868 700
NOTES: Persons in families with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.
The relative importance of a source of income may not accurately reflect the resources available to elderly persons or elderly aged units. The survey on which these data are based does not include some potentially important resources as income, including lump-sum pension payments and capital gains. In addition, these statistics do not take into consideration noncash benefits that supplement money income (housing and energy subsidies or food stamps) or the amount of savings available to supplement monthly income. Consult the Frequently Asked Questions for further information.
Relative Importance of Social Security for Persons 65 or Older in Beneficiary Families Table 9.B4 Percentage distribution of persons in beneficiary families, by race, Hispanic origin, and sex, 2008
Proportion of family income White alone Black alone Asian alone Hispanic origin
All persons Men Women All persons Men Women All persons Men Women All persons Men Women
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 14.9 17.2 13.1 13.9 12.5 14.8 26.5 23.8 28.5 17.0 17.3 16.7
20–39 20.3 22.8 18.4 18.5 19.1 18.2 28.2 30.1 26.7 20.2 22.1 18.8
40–59 18.1 18.5 17.8 16.1 18.4 14.7 12.0 12.0 12.0 14.6 15.4 13.9
60–79 15.2 14.8 15.5 12.6 14.2 11.6 10.2 11.3 9.4 11.1 10.2 11.9
80 or more 31.5 26.6 35.2 38.8 35.9 40.7 23.1 22.7 23.4 37.1 35.0 38.7
50 or more 55.0 50.1 58.8 58.2 57.2 58.8 38.8 38.8 38.8 55.1 51.8 57.6
90 or more 25.1 20.8 28.4 34.0 30.1 36.5 20.0 18.7 21.0 32.8 30.9 34.3
100 14.3 11.3 16.6 27.7 25.5 29.2 13.0 12.9 13.0 26.0 23.5 28.0
Mean proportion 57.6 53.8 60.6 62.0 61.0 62.6 46.5 47.3 46.0 59.2 57.4 60.6
Number (thousands) 29,240 12,624 16,616 2,694 1,058 1,635 896 390 506 2,097 917 1,179
NOTES: Persons in families with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.
The relative importance of a source of income may not accurately reflect the resources available to elderly persons or elderly aged units. The survey on which these data are based does not include some potentially important resources as income, including lump-sum pension payments and capital gains. In addition, these statistics do not take into consideration noncash benefits that supplement money income (housing and energy subsidies or food stamps) or the amount of savings available to supplement monthly income. Consult the Frequently Asked Questions for further information.
Relative Importance of Social Security for Persons 65 or Older in Beneficiary Families Table 9.B5 Percentage distribution of persons in beneficiary families, by race, Hispanic origin, sex, and marital status, 2008
Proportion of family income White alone Black alone Asian alone Hispanic origin
Men Women Men Women Men Women Men Women
Married Non-married Married Non-married Married Non-married Married Non-married Married Non-married Married Non-married Married Non-married Married Non-married
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 17.1 17.6 14.4 12.0 17.5 6.2 12.9 15.5 23.9 23.4 20.8 36.0 18.3 15.5 14.9 18.0
20–39 24.2 18.9 21.3 16.2 22.9 14.2 22.6 16.6 34.5 13.5 33.5 20.1 21.4 23.4 18.2 19.2
40–59 19.4 15.9 20.1 16.0 20.5 15.7 19.6 13.0 12.3 10.8 15.2 8.8 16.8 12.6 17.0 11.7
60–79 15.4 13.2 17.3 14.1 12.9 15.8 11.2 11.7 10.0 16.6 11.0 7.8 10.6 9.4 13.3 10.9
80 or more 23.9 34.4 26.8 41.8 26.3 48.1 33.8 43.1 19.3 35.8 19.5 27.3 33.0 39.1 36.5 40.2
50 or more 48.3 55.2 52.9 63.5 47.1 70.2 53.2 60.8 34.5 55.3 37.9 39.6 52.0 51.2 58.0 57.4
90 or more 18.4 27.4 20.6 34.6 22.4 39.9 29.4 38.9 17.0 25.1 17.3 24.7 28.9 34.8 32.2 35.9
100 9.3 16.9 10.3 21.6 18.4 34.6 23.9 31.1 10.5 22.2 9.5 16.4 22.0 26.4 25.1 30.1
Mean proportion 52.3 58.0 55.7 64.4 53.5 70.5 59.0 63.8 44.5 57.9 45.9 46.1 56.3 59.7 60.3 60.7
Number (thousands) 9,346 3,278 7,331 9,285 594 465 425 1,211 309 81 250 256 609 309 497 682
NOTES: Persons in families with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.
The relative importance of a source of income may not accurately reflect the resources available to elderly persons or elderly aged units. The survey on which these data are based does not include some potentially important resources as income, including lump-sum pension payments and capital gains. In addition, these statistics do not take into consideration noncash benefits that supplement money income (housing and energy subsidies or food stamps) or the amount of savings available to supplement monthly income. Consult the Frequently Asked Questions for further information.
Relative Importance of Social Security for Persons 65 or Older in Beneficiary Families Table 9.B6 Percentage distribution of persons in beneficiary families, by quintile of per-capita total family money income, 2008
Proportion of family income Total First Second Third Fourth Fifth
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 15.1 2.7 3.3 7.2 16.5 46.7
20–39 20.4 5.9 7.2 15.2 31.3 42.4
40–59 17.8 8.3 10.6 23.9 36.9 7.7
60–79 14.9 11.5 18.8 30.7 10.3 1.4
80 or more 31.8 71.7 60.1 22.9 4.9 1.7
50 or more 54.8 88.3 85.1 65.5 30.2 4.9
90 or more 25.7 64.1 49.1 13.8 3.0 1.2
100 15.4 44.4 27.3 5.8 1.4 0.6
Mean proportion 57.7 84.5 79.2 60.1 41.3 23.7
Number (thousands) 33,283 5,965 7,074 7,040 6,774 6,430
NOTES: Persons in families with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.
Per-capita family total money income quintile limits are $11,057, $16,072, $23,357, and $37,605.
The relative importance of a source of income may not accurately reflect the resources available to elderly persons or elderly aged units. The survey on which these data are based does not include some potentially important resources as income, including lump-sum pension payments and capital gains. In addition, these statistics do not take into consideration noncash benefits that supplement money income (housing and energy subsidies or food stamps) or the amount of savings available to supplement monthly income. Consult the Frequently Asked Questions for further information.
Relative Importance of Social Security for Persons 65 or Older in Beneficiary Families Table 9.B7 Percentage distribution of persons in beneficiary families, by number of persons in family and quintile of per-capita family total money income, 2008
Proportion of family income Total First Second Third Fourth Fifth
Persons in 1-person families
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 7.3 0.7 0.7 1.9 6.0 32.9
20–39 13.2 1.7 2.1 3.9 17.4 49.8
40–59 16.3 3.9 4.5 16.4 46.7 12.7
60–79 15.2 8.5 11.7 32.5 19.2 1.6
80 or more 48.0 85.3 81.0 45.3 10.7 3.1
50 or more 70.8 95.8 96.1 86.8 51.5 6.9
90 or more 40.1 77.4 70.9 31.3 6.3 2.3
100 26.0 58.6 45.1 14.8 3.1 1.6
Mean proportion 70.1 92.2 90.4 75.3 52.4 28.6
Number (thousands) 10,997 2,072 2,692 2,307 2,107 1,819
Persons in 2-person families
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 14.8 1.2 1.0 3.1 12.5 48.7
20–39 22.8 2.7 6.5 16.8 38.4 42.0
40–59 18.8 6.4 11.4 29.2 38.7 6.4
60–79 16.2 12.3 24.8 36.2 7.4 1.5
80 or more 27.4 77.4 56.2 14.7 2.9 1.4
50 or more 52.2 93.9 87.7 66.7 24.8 4.5
90 or more 21.3 69.4 42.3 6.6 1.9 0.8
100 11.5 44.5 19.3 1.7 0.9 0.3
Mean proportion 55.4 88.5 78.9 58.6 40.1 22.8
Number (thousands) 17,918 2,825 3,580 3,684 3,738 4,092
Persons in families of 3 or more
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 36.2 10.4 22.4 33.6 56.3 79.5
20–39 28.4 22.3 27.3 34.6 34.5 19.4
40–59 17.3 21.9 27.0 22.0 7.6 1.1
60–79 8.7 15.1 15.7 7.4 1.5 0
80 or more 9.4 30.4 7.6 2.4 0.1 0
50 or more 25.4 59.0 36.3 14.5 3.7 0.2
90 or more 7.2 24.2 6.2 0.6 0.1 0
100 4.7 16.4 3.2 0.4 0 0
Mean proportion 35.9 59.0 42.6 31.7 20.9 13.4
Number (thousands) 4,368 1,068 802 1,049 929 519
NOTES: Persons in families with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.
Per-capita family total money income quintile limits are $11,057, $16,072, $23,357, and $37,605.
The relative importance of a source of income may not accurately reflect the resources available to elderly persons or elderly aged units. The survey on which these data are based does not include some potentially important resources as income, including lump-sum pension payments and capital gains. In addition, these statistics do not take into consideration noncash benefits that supplement money income (housing and energy subsidies or food stamps) or the amount of savings available to supplement monthly income. Consult the Frequently Asked Questions for further information.
Relative Importance of Social Security for Persons 65 or Older in Beneficiary Families Table 9.B8 Percentage distribution of persons in beneficiary families, by sex and ratio of family total money income to the poverty threshold, 2008
Proportion of family income All persons Men Women
Under 1.00 1.00– 1.24 1.25– 1.49 1.50– 1.99 2.00 or more Under 1.00 1.00– 1.24 1.25– 1.49 1.50– 1.99 2.00 or more Under 1.00 1.00– 1.24 1.25– 1.49 1.50– 1.99 2.00 or more
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 0.9 1.6 1.2 2.1 22.6 1.4 1.1 1.4 1.9 23.1 0.7 1.8 1.1 2.3 22.1
20–39 3.1 3.3 4.6 5.7 29.2 3.2 3.0 4.5 5.8 29.8 3.1 3.4 4.7 5.7 28.6
40–59 5.9 6.0 7.5 10.1 23.3 5.1 7.0 6.7 9.5 22.5 6.2 5.6 7.9 10.4 24.0
60–79 8.9 11.0 12.8 21.0 14.9 7.7 13.0 13.0 18.3 14.8 9.3 10.2 12.7 22.8 15.0
80 or more 81.1 78.1 73.9 61.1 10.1 82.5 75.9 74.4 64.5 9.8 80.6 79.1 73.7 58.9 10.3
50 or more 93.6 92.9 92.1 88.1 34.9 93.7 93.6 92.4 88.8 34.3 93.5 92.5 91.9 87.6 35.4
90 or more 73.8 70.3 63.8 49.2 5.9 76.0 68.7 67.1 51.3 5.6 73.0 71.0 62.2 47.8 6.3
100 56.2 46.4 40.9 23.9 2.6 57.7 47.5 45.2 24.2 2.3 55.6 46.0 38.8 23.7 2.9
Mean proportion 89.9 88.6 86.5 80.5 42.4 90.4 88.5 87.4 81.5 41.9 89.8 88.6 86.1 79.9 42.9
Number (thousands) 2,589 2,167 2,391 4,701 21,435 720 680 776 1,845 10,254 1,870 1,487 1,615 2,856 11,180
NOTES: Persons in families with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.
The family money income of aged persons is compared with the official poverty lines of families in 2008.
The relative importance of a source of income may not accurately reflect the resources available to elderly persons or elderly aged units. The survey on which these data are based does not include some potentially important resources as income, including lump-sum pension payments and capital gains. In addition, these statistics do not take into consideration noncash benefits that supplement money income (housing and energy subsidies or food stamps) or the amount of savings available to supplement monthly income. Consult the Frequently Asked Questions for further information.