Income of the Population 55 or Older, 2012

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 2013. 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 SNAP benefits).

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, 2012
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 18.9 23.4 10.1 17.3 8.8 8.1 5.6
20–39 17.3 22.8 17.0 23.1 20.3 14.0 10.9
40–59 12.4 13.8 16.5 18.1 17.8 16.0 14.3
60–79 8.9 9.0 13.9 12.2 13.5 14.9 15.2
80 or more 42.6 31.1 42.5 29.3 39.7 47.1 54.0
50 or more 56.9 46.3 64.6 50.2 62.1 69.9 76.4
90 or more 37.7 27.5 36.1 24.6 32.9 39.3 46.7
100 30.9 20.1 23.7 17.6 21.7 25.2 29.7
Mean proportion 61.1 52.3 65.5 54.7 63.8 69.2 74.3
Number (thousands) 2,709 2,770 27,940 7,766 6,487 5,021 8,666
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 SNAP benefits) 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, 2012
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 34.9 36.5 15.4 24.9 12.6 10.2 8.2 4.1 10.4 6.1 9.2 5.1 6.4 4.6
20–39 28.0 28.4 22.8 28.9 24.4 19.2 14.0 7.3 17.2 12.8 16.9 16.2 9.8 9.7
40–59 12.4 12.8 18.6 17.8 19.4 19.1 18.3 12.4 14.9 14.9 18.4 16.2 13.4 12.7
60–79 8.6 6.4 15.4 12.3 14.6 17.6 19.8 9.2 11.5 12.8 12.1 12.4 12.6 13.4
80 or more 16.1 15.9 27.8 16.1 29.1 33.9 39.7 67.1 46.1 53.5 43.2 50.1 57.7 59.6
50 or more 29.7 28.1 52.3 37.0 52.9 61.1 68.3 82.1 64.3 73.8 64.2 71.1 77.1 79.7
90 or more 13.9 12.7 21.6 12.0 22.5 25.6 32.2 59.7 42.2 46.8 38.0 43.1 50.4 52.5
100 11.4 7.4 12.4 8.0 12.8 15.1 16.8 49.0 32.7 32.0 27.8 30.4 33.4 34.8
Mean proportion 39.7 37.7 55.3 44.1 56.3 61.5 66.5 80.8 66.8 73.1 65.9 71.1 75.5 77.4
Number (thousands) 1,301 1,378 11,916 3,998 3,215 2,242 2,461 1,409 1,391 16,024 3,768 3,272 2,779 6,205
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 SNAP benefits) 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, 2012
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 10.3 15.5 6.1 8.3 13.5 6.2 11.7 18.8 5.2 7.1 10.8 4.5
20–39 17.6 22.9 13.4 12.9 20.9 9.6 15.3 23.1 8.0 12.2 19.4 7.1
40–59 16.7 18.9 15.0 14.6 15.6 14.2 13.3 14.1 12.7 13.5 15.1 12.4
60–79 14.1 15.6 12.9 12.6 13.8 12.1 12.1 13.9 10.4 10.4 11.5 9.7
80 or more 41.3 27.1 52.6 51.6 36.2 57.9 47.6 30.1 63.7 56.8 43.2 66.3
50 or more 63.7 52.0 72.9 72.0 56.5 78.4 66.6 50.2 81.8 73.8 62.3 82.0
90 or more 34.6 20.6 45.6 46.4 30.7 52.8 44.4 27.6 59.9 52.6 39.5 61.8
100 21.8 11.4 30.0 36.7 22.9 42.4 32.4 17.2 46.3 42.8 30.9 51.3
Mean proportion 64.7 54.9 72.5 71.5 60.3 76.1 67.7 54.7 79.6 74.5 65.0 81.2
Number (thousands) 24,030 10,601 13,429 2,613 757 1,855 840 402 437 1,872 775 1,097
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 SNAP benefits) 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, 2012
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 0.6 1.0 2.7 7.7 40.1 0.7 2.1 5.2 16.5 56.7 0.5 1.1 0.9 3.8 25.6
20–39 1.9 2.5 8.7 27.4 45.7 3.1 6.7 17.7 48.1 39.9 2.1 1.4 2.6 13.2 46.3
40–59 3.0 6.8 24.1 34.0 12.0 7.0 12.4 38.0 29.7 2.6 3.1 2.8 8.4 35.9 22.3
60–79 6.4 13.8 24.8 19.9 1.8 9.7 29.0 29.7 4.5 0.6 5.7 7.1 16.9 27.7 2.7
80 or more 88.1 75.9 39.6 11.0 0.4 79.5 49.8 9.4 1.2 0.3 88.6 87.6 71.2 19.4 3.1
50 or more 96.4 94.2 77.9 47.5 5.1 93.9 85.2 62.2 14.4 1.2 96.3 96.3 93.6 67.5 12.6
90 or more 83.1 64.8 29.7 6.1 0.2 69.8 35.0 4.2 0.6 0.1 84.3 80.7 58.1 13.1 2.4
100 64.6 40.6 14.7 2.9 0.1 45.4 16.4 2.0 0.2 0.1 66.9 57.6 34.5 6.1 1.2
Mean proportion 93.6 87.8 70.4 50.3 25.1 89.0 76.1 54.4 35.0 19.6 94.0 93.0 85.7 60.3 32.4
Number (thousands) 4,758 6,127 6,026 5,759 5,270 2,203 2,596 2,536 2,414 2,167 2,404 3,469 3,714 3,434 3,003
NOTES: Units with zero total income or with negative total income, earnings, or income from assets are excluded.
Quintile limits are $13,292, $22,021, $35,493, and $63,648 for all units; $26,818, $39,798, $59,252, and $94,000 for married couples; and $10,799, $15,599, $21,941, and $36,797 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 SNAP benefits) 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, 2012
Proportion of family income All persons Men Women
55–61 62–64 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 32.5 30.2 14.7 34.2 31.8 16.0 31.4 29.1 13.6
20–39 25.0 26.6 20.4 22.7 25.1 22.5 26.5 27.6 18.8
40–59 12.7 14.3 17.6 9.4 13.7 18.0 14.9 14.6 17.3
60–79 8.0 8.6 14.2 8.6 7.2 14.1 7.6 9.5 14.3
80 or more 21.7 20.4 33.1 25.1 22.1 29.3 19.6 19.2 36.0
50 or more 34.8 35.3 55.9 37.7 35.4 52.1 32.9 35.3 58.9
90 or more 18.7 16.9 26.7 22.6 18.5 23.0 16.2 15.9 29.6
100 14.5 11.0 16.2 18.1 12.0 13.7 12.2 10.3 18.1
Mean proportion 43.8 43.5 58.3 45.4 43.4 55.5 42.7 43.6 60.5
Number (thousands) 5,879 5,035 37,639 2,333 2,040 16,527 3,546 2,996 21,112
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 SNAP benefits) 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, 2012
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 20.5 12.8 12.1 11.4 23.9 13.6 11.9 10.9 17.5 12.2 12.2 11.7
20–39 25.8 22.3 17.4 14.7 26.9 23.7 21.1 16.5 24.8 21.1 14.7 13.5
40–59 18.9 18.4 17.6 15.4 17.5 19.5 17.9 17.2 20.2 17.5 17.4 14.2
60–79 12.2 14.3 14.9 15.9 11.4 13.2 15.6 17.6 13.0 15.4 14.3 14.7
80 or more 22.5 32.1 38.0 42.7 20.2 30.0 33.4 37.7 24.5 33.9 41.4 46.0
50 or more 43.6 55.7 61.8 66.2 39.7 52.4 57.8 64.0 47.0 58.4 64.7 67.6
90 or more 17.9 25.7 30.3 35.4 15.8 23.6 25.3 30.4 19.7 27.4 34.1 38.8
100 11.9 15.6 17.8 20.5 10.4 13.8 15.1 16.8 13.2 17.0 19.9 22.9
Mean proportion 49.5 58.2 62.4 65.8 46.6 56.2 59.7 63.4 52.0 59.9 64.4 67.3
Number (thousands) 11,531 9,158 6,879 10,070 5,362 4,184 2,928 4,052 6,169 4,974 3,951 6,018
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 SNAP benefits) 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, 2012
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 12.8 13.1 12.0 11.9 17.5 12.3 14.1 10.3 10.4 14.4 13.0 12.9 13.0 13.2
20–39 22.9 17.2 15.8 19.5 21.1 23.9 19.0 17.5 19.4 22.5 21.7 16.4 15.3 19.5 19.9
40–59 19.0 15.8 15.6 17.6 13.9 18.7 16.4 17.0 17.0 11.6 19.4 15.6 15.3 18.0 15.9
60–79 15.6 12.3 12.4 12.3 12.0 14.9 12.1 13.5 10.9 12.0 16.5 12.4 12.2 13.2 12.1
80 or more 26.4 41.9 43.0 38.7 41.0 25.1 40.3 37.9 42.5 43.5 28.1 42.5 44.3 36.3 39.0
50 or more 51.3 62.0 63.1 59.9 59.1 48.9 60.1 59.2 61.8 60.2 54.2 62.8 64.1 58.8 58.1
90 or more 20.0 35.6 36.4 33.5 34.4 19.0 33.6 30.4 37.0 36.1 21.4 36.4 38.0 31.3 32.9
100 11.2 22.8 22.2 23.1 24.3 10.6 21.6 20.1 23.6 23.6 12.0 23.2 22.8 22.8 24.9
Mean proportion 54.3 63.7 64.3 62.2 62.7 52.8 62.5 60.9 64.4 63.7 56.2 64.1 65.2 60.8 61.8
Number (thousands) 21,464 16,175 10,051 3,936 1,436 11,906 4,621 2,068 1,525 660 9,558 11,554 7,982 2,412 777
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 SNAP benefits) 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, 2012
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 14.2 15.7 13.0 13.9 14.4 13.6 30.6 31.1 30.3 16.7 16.6 16.7
20–39 20.6 22.8 18.9 18.7 20.9 17.2 21.3 22.1 20.8 18.4 19.5 17.5
40–59 17.8 18.1 17.5 16.4 18.0 15.3 14.2 13.4 14.8 15.4 15.8 15.1
60–79 14.5 14.2 14.8 12.1 13.1 11.3 10.6 11.8 9.7 10.3 9.1 11.3
80 or more 32.9 29.2 35.8 38.9 33.6 42.6 23.3 21.6 24.5 39.2 39.0 39.4
50 or more 56.1 52.1 59.3 59.3 55.4 62.1 40.0 39.1 40.7 56.2 54.9 57.3
90 or more 26.2 22.6 29.1 33.8 29.0 37.1 20.3 18.2 21.8 34.9 35.4 34.5
100 15.2 12.9 17.0 26.2 22.1 29.2 13.5 12.2 14.4 27.2 27.2 27.1
Mean proportion 58.4 55.5 60.7 61.7 58.7 63.8 46.3 45.3 47.0 60.6 60.0 61.1
Number (thousands) 32,695 14,470 18,225 3,173 1,306 1,867 1,198 495 703 2,492 1,079 1,414
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 SNAP benefits) 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, 2012
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 17.0 12.1 14.2 12.0 17.2 10.5 11.9 14.2 30.9 31.8 25.1 35.2 16.0 18.2 9.9 21.6
20–39 23.9 19.6 21.7 16.4 24.1 16.4 21.7 15.5 24.9 9.0 20.7 20.9 22.2 12.8 20.1 15.6
40–59 18.9 15.9 19.3 15.9 16.8 19.6 19.0 13.9 13.4 13.2 18.9 10.9 17.2 12.2 17.0 13.7
60–79 15.1 11.8 16.9 12.9 12.3 14.2 11.3 11.3 12.4 9.2 12.4 7.1 10.2 6.3 12.2 10.6
80 or more 25.0 40.5 27.8 42.8 29.5 39.3 36.1 45.2 18.3 36.8 22.8 26.0 34.4 50.4 40.8 38.5
50 or more 49.3 59.7 54.4 63.6 49.3 63.9 57.7 63.8 36.5 50.8 43.2 38.3 52.5 60.8 58.7 56.2
90 or more 18.6 33.5 20.9 36.5 25.1 34.4 30.8 39.5 16.3 26.8 19.9 23.7 30.6 47.3 35.2 34.0
100 10.0 20.8 11.0 22.4 18.6 26.9 23.8 31.3 10.6 19.6 14.4 14.4 23.7 36.2 26.9 27.2
Mean proportion 52.9 62.4 56.2 64.7 54.8 64.1 60.2 65.3 43.5 53.7 48.8 45.2 57.7 65.6 63.9 59.1
Number (thousands) 10,584 3,886 8,580 9,646 763 543 522 1,345 408 88 343 360 769 309 592 821
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 SNAP benefits) 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, 2012
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 14.7 2.4 3.5 7.5 15.7 45.8
20–39 20.4 6.5 6.8 14.0 32.5 43.2
40–59 17.6 8.1 11.2 21.4 36.8 8.8
60–79 14.2 10.7 16.8 28.3 12.0 1.0
80 or more 33.1 72.3 61.7 28.7 3.0 1.2
50 or more 55.9 87.5 84.5 69.7 32.2 3.9
90 or more 26.7 65.4 49.1 19.2 1.5 0.8
100 16.2 46.1 26.8 9.4 0.6 0.5
Mean proportion 58.3 84.7 79.3 62.7 40.9 23.7
Number (thousands) 37,639 6,721 8,053 8,022 7,723 7,119
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 $12,159, $17,750, $25,835, and $41,479.
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 SNAP benefits) 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, 2012
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 7.0 0.4 1.1 1.3 6.3 30.0
20–39 13.7 1.9 1.6 4.6 18.7 48.6
40–59 16.1 3.0 4.9 15.1 46.2 16.9
60–79 13.4 6.8 10.3 25.4 21.8 1.2
80 or more 49.8 87.8 82.1 53.7 7.0 3.2
50 or more 71.4 96.6 95.5 89.2 52.8 8.4
90 or more 42.8 82.5 71.7 41.0 3.8 2.5
100 27.2 61.5 43.6 21.2 1.6 1.4
Mean proportion 70.7 93.6 90.1 78.4 51.4 29.8
Number (thousands) 11,905 2,277 2,774 2,679 2,061 2,115
  Persons in 2-person families
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 14.1 0.7 1.8 3.8 11.9 48.0
20–39 22.3 4.5 5.7 13.7 36.8 44.3
40–59 18.9 6.4 11.0 26.4 39.6 6.2
60–79 15.9 10.5 21.1 36.0 9.9 1.0
80 or more 28.8 78.0 60.5 20.2 1.9 0.5
50 or more 53.8 91.8 87.4 71.6 29.4 2.3
90 or more 22.1 70.9 44.7 10.2 0.9 0.1
100 12.5 47.7 21.7 4.3 0.2 0.1
Mean proportion 56.3 88.5 80.1 61.4 40.6 22.2
Number (thousands) 20,245 3,005 4,188 4,249 4,498 4,304
  Persons in families of 3 or more
Total percent 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1–19 33.3 9.3 15.8 37.6 47.2 79.7
20–39 28.2 18.1 24.0 38.2 40.3 20.0
40–59 16.3 19.6 28.3 17.9 9.2 0.3
60–79 9.8 17.3 17.4 5.5 3.2 0.0
80 or more 12.5 35.7 14.5 0.9 0.1 0.0
50 or more 30.1 63.8 45.9 14.4 6.4 0.0
90 or more 9.0 27.0 8.5 0.9 0.0 0.0
100 5.6 18.2 4.1 0.3 0.0 0.0
Mean proportion 38.8 62.6 48.5 29.8 23.6 13.9
Number (thousands) 5,489 1,439 1,092 1,094 1,164 700
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 $12,159, $17,750, $25,835, and $41,479.
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 SNAP benefits) 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, 2012
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 0.7 2.2 1.3 2.0 21.1 0.5 2.7 0.9 1.8 21.3 0.7 2.0 1.4 2.2 20.9
20–39 3.9 4.1 4.2 5.5 28.2 5.0 3.7 4.0 3.9 29.3 3.4 4.4 4.3 6.7 27.2
40–59 5.6 5.2 5.4 11.2 22.5 5.0 5.8 4.5 10.0 21.9 5.9 4.9 5.9 12.1 23.0
60–79 8.0 9.3 10.2 16.7 15.1 9.6 8.2 9.6 15.8 14.8 7.5 9.9 10.5 17.4 15.5
80 or more 81.8 79.1 78.9 64.4 13.1 79.9 79.5 81.1 68.5 12.7 82.5 78.9 77.8 61.6 13.4
50 or more 93.7 91.4 92.2 87.5 38.8 92.5 91.6 93.3 89.6 37.7 94.1 91.2 91.6 86.0 39.9
90 or more 76.4 72.3 67.8 52.0 8.4 73.7 74.3 70.4 54.6 8.0 77.3 71.3 66.4 50.2 8.9
100 58.4 50.0 42.4 28.2 3.8 57.3 53.8 44.2 30.3 3.5 58.8 48.1 41.3 26.8 4.1
Mean proportion 90.5 88.2 88.0 81.3 44.7 89.5 88.5 89.1 83.3 44.2 90.9 88.1 87.5 80.0 45.3
Number (thousands) 2,614 2,137 2,509 5,191 25,187 720 721 880 2,122 12,083 1,894 1,416 1,629 3,069 13,104
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 2012.
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 SNAP benefits) or the amount of savings available to supplement monthly income. Consult the Frequently Asked Questions for further information.