Income of the Population 55 or Older, 2002

Poverty Status of Aged Persons Based on Family Income

Aged Persons

Persons 65 or Older

Table 8.1 By Social Security beneficiary status, marital status, race, Hispanic origin, sex, and age
Sex and age Number (thousands) Percentage below poverty line Percentage below
125% of
poverty line
All persons
All persons
55–61 20,563 9.0 12.0
62–64 6,836 10.4 14.5
65 or older 34,234 10.4 16.9
Men
55–61 9,886 8.0 10.4
62–64 3,280 8.8 12.6
65 or older 14,528 7.7 12.1
Women
55–61 10,677 9.9 13.4
62–64 3,556 11.8 16.2
65 or older 19,706 12.4 20.4
By beneficiary status
Beneficiary a
All persons
55–61 1,715 18.7 29.1
62–64 3,187 9.5 15.1
65 or older 30,392 8.7 15.2
Men
55–61 751 14.7 23.2
62–64 1,428 8.6 14.8
65 or older 12,873 5.9 10.1
Women
55–61 965 21.7 33.8
62–64 1,759 10.1 15.3
65 or older 17,518 10.8 18.9
Nonbeneficiary
All persons
55–61 18,848 8.1 10.4
62–64 3,649 11.2 13.9
65 or older 3,842 24.1 30.4
Men
55–61 9,135 7.5 9.4
62–64 1,852 9.0 10.9
65 or older 1,654 21.9 27.5
Women
55–61 9,712 8.8 11.4
62–64 1,797 13.5 17.1
65 or older 2,188 25.8 32.6
By marital status
Married
All persons
55–61 14,293 5.0 6.7
62–64 4,657 6.5 9.8
65 or older 18,427 5.1 8.5
Men
55–61 7,472 4.7 6.4
62–64 2,497 6.4 9.3
65 or older 10,341 5.2 8.6
Women
55–61 6,821 5.2 7.1
62–64 2,159 6.7 10.3
65 or older 8,086 4.9 8.4
Nonmarried b
All persons
55–61 6,270 18.3 24.0
62–64 2,180 18.6 24.6
65 or older 15,806 16.7 26.7
Men
55–61 2,414 18.3 22.8
62–64 783 16.6 23.2
65 or older 4,187 14.0 20.7
Women
55–61 3,856 18.3 24.7
62–64 1,397 19.7 25.4
65 or older 11,620 17.7 28.8
Widowed
All persons
55–61 1,135 21.2 30.0
62–64 645 16.8 22.1
65 or older 10,811 15.1 25.6
Men
55–61 174 19.7 22.4
62–64 118 20.6 22.6
65 or older 2,074 11.4 16.7
Women
55–61 961 21.5 31.3
62–64 527 15.9 22.0
65 or older 8,737 16.0 27.8
Never married
All persons
55–61 1,243 20.4 24.9
62–64 325 20.5 27.9
65 or older 1,345 21.8 29.9
Men
55–61 629 23.6 28.0
62–64 134 19.7 29.5
65 or older 621 23.0 31.0
Women
55–61 614 17.0 21.8
62–64 191 21.1 26.7
65 or older 724 20.7 29.0
Divorced
All persons
55–61 3,218 15.9 20.7
62–64 939 17.7 23.6
65 or older 2,726 19.2 28.5
Men
55–61 1,284 14.9 19.5
62–64 395 13.9 20.2
65 or older 1,022 14.0 22.5
Women
55–61 1,934 16.6 21.5
62–64 543 20.4 26.0
65 or older 1,705 22.3 32.1
By race
White alone c
All persons
55–61 17,583 8.2 10.9
62–64 5,782 9.4 13.4
65 or older 29,980 9.1 15.3
Men
55–61 8,558 7.3 9.6
62–64 2,813 8.0 11.5
65 or older 12,792 6.7 10.8
Women
55–61 9,025 9.1 12.2
62–64 2,969 10.8 15.1
65 or older 17,188 11.0 18.6
Black alone c
All persons
55–61 1,945 15.6 21.3
62–64 687 20.1 26.2
65 or older 2,856 23.8 33.3
Men
55–61 849 14.8 18.5
62–64 299 18.4 23.8
65 or older 1,112 18.1 25.2
Women
55–61 1,096 16.2 23.4
62–64 389 21.4 28.0
65 or older 1,744 27.4 38.5
Hispanic origin d
All persons
55–61 1,591 14.4 20.7
62–64 511 20.6 28.9
65 or older 2,053 21.4 32.7
Men
55–61 788 13.1 18.8
62–64 229 16.6 26.1
65 or older 906 19.3 31.1
Women
55–61 802 15.7 22.6
62–64 281 23.8 31.1
65 or older 1,147 23.0 33.9
NOTE: The family money income of aged persons is compared with the official poverty lines of families in 2002.
a. Social Security beneficiaries may be receiving retired-worker benefits, dependents' or survivors' benefits, disability benefits, transitionally insured benefits, or special age-72 benefits.
b. Includes persons who are separated or married but living apart from their spouse.
c. Beginning with data for 2002, respondents may identify themselves in more than one racial group. The categories White alone and Black alone reflect respondents who reported only one race. Less than 1 percent of persons aged 55 or older reported more than one race.
d. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
Table 8.2 By Social Security beneficiary status, marital status, race, Hispanic origin, sex, and age
Sex and age Number (thousands) Percentage below poverty line Percentage below
125% of
poverty line
All persons
All persons
65–69 9,438 8.7 13.1
70–74 8,673 10.1 16.0
75–79 7,482 11.0 18.1
80 or older 8,640 12.2 20.8
Men
65–69 4,317 7.0 10.5
70–74 3,957 8.5 13.0
75–79 3,007 7.1 11.7
80 or older 3,246 8.4 13.4
Women
65–69 5,121 10.2 15.3
70–74 4,715 11.4 18.5
75–79 4,476 13.7 22.4
80 or older 5,394 14.5 25.3
By beneficiary status
Beneficiary a
All persons
65–69 7,884 6.9 11.3
70–74 7,776 8.5 14.3
75–79 6,809 8.8 15.7
80 or older 7,923 10.7 19.4
Men
65–69 3,603 5.4 8.6
70–74 3,587 7.0 11.5
75–79 2,748 5.2 9.3
80 or older 2,935 6.0 11.0
Women
65–69 4,280 8.2 13.5
70–74 4,188 9.8 16.8
75–79 4,062 11.2 20.0
80 or older 4,988 13.4 24.4
Nonbeneficiary
All persons
65–69 1,555 18.0 22.4
70–74 897 23.5 30.7
75–79 673 33.8 42.3
80 or older 717 29.1 36.2
Men
65–69 714 15.2 19.8
70–74 370 23.2 28.4
75–79 259 27.3 37.2
80 or older 311 31.3 36.0
Women
65–69 841 20.4 24.5
70–74 527 23.6 32.3
75–79 414 37.9 45.4
80 or older 406 27.4 36.4
By marital status
Married
All persons
65–69 6,200 4.7 7.5
70–74 5,198 4.9 8.5
75–79 3,912 5.3 9.0
80 or older 3,118 5.8 10.0
Men
65–69 3,271 5.1 7.9
70–74 2,870 4.9 8.2
75–79 2,177 4.5 8.0
80 or older 2,023 6.5 10.8
Women
65–69 2,929 4.3 7.0
70–74 2,328 4.9 8.7
75–79 1,735 6.3 10.3
80 or older 1,095 4.3 8.5
Nonmarried b
All persons
65–69 3,239 16.4 23.9
70–74 3,474 17.8 27.4
75–79 3,571 17.3 28.1
80 or older 5,523 15.8 27.0
Men
65–69 1,046 12.8 18.4
70–74 1,087 18.2 25.7
75–79 830 13.9 21.5
80 or older 1,223 11.4 17.8
Women
65–69 2,192 18.1 26.4
70–74 2,387 17.6 28.1
75–79 2,741 18.3 30.0
80 or older 4,300 17.1 29.6
Widowed
All persons
65–69 1,466 14.9 23.2
70–74 2,151 16.2 25.6
75–79 2,569 14.7 25.8
80 or older 4,625 14.9 26.4
Men
65–69 283 9.2 12.6
70–74 443 16.4 22.0
75–79 431 9.2 14.6
80 or older 917 10.8 16.5
Women
65–69 1,183 16.3 25.7
70–74 1,708 16.1 26.5
75–79 2,138 15.8 28.0
80 or older 3,709 15.9 28.8
Never married
All persons
65–69 374 17.9 24.4
70–74 347 23.0 30.0
75–79 323 28.9 38.9
80 or older 301 17.5 27.1
Men
65–69 213 19.8 24.5
70–74 170 28.4 35.8
75–79 141 25.9 37.5
80 or older 97 16.6 27.5
Women
65–69 161 15.4 24.3
70–74 177 17.9 24.4
75–79 181 31.2 40.1
80 or older 204 17.9 26.9
Divorced
All persons
65–69 1,106 15.9 22.9
70–74 741 19.9 30.7
75–79 493 24.0 35.3
80 or older 387 21.2 31.6
Men
65–69 403 10.6 17.3
70–74 341 17.6 25.7
75–79 168 17.0 29.4
80 or older 110 10.5 20.8
Women
65–69 703 18.9 26.1
70–74 399 21.9 34.9
75–79 325 27.6 38.3
80 or older 277 25.5 35.9
By race
White alone c
All persons
65–69 8,080 7.3 11.5
70–74 7,489 8.4 14.0
75–79 6,667 9.8 16.6
80 or older 7,744 11.1 19.3
Men
65–69 3,726 6.1 9.7
70–74 3,428 7.1 11.1
75–79 2,698 6.2 10.8
80 or older 2,941 7.4 12.2
Women
65–69 4,354 8.4 13.2
70–74 4,062 9.5 16.5
75–79 3,969 12.3 20.7
80 or older 4,803 13.4 23.7
Black alone c
All persons
65–69 885 22.2 28.0
70–74 776 24.6 34.8
75–79 571 23.7 34.5
80 or older 624 25.1 38.0
Men
65–69 382 16.6 20.3
70–74 320 19.9 29.7
75–79 204 16.4 23.2
80 or older 206 19.9 29.5
Women
65–69 503 26.5 33.8
70–74 456 27.9 38.4
75–79 367 27.8 40.8
80 or older 418 27.6 42.2
Hispanic origin d
All persons
65–69 693 20.5 29.6
70–74 530 19.8 34.9
75–79 445 22.3 33.8
80 or older 385 24.1 33.7
Men
65–69 321 19.7 29.1
70–74 236 18.1 33.2
75–79 210 19.1 31.2
80 or older 140 20.8 32.1
Women
65–69 372 21.1 30.0
70–74 294 21.2 36.3
75–79 235 25.1 36.1
80 or older 245 26.0 34.7
NOTE: The family money income of aged persons is compared with the official poverty lines of families in 2002.
a. Social Security beneficiaries may be receiving retired-worker benefits, dependents' or survivors' benefits, disability benefits, transitionally insured benefits, or special age-72 benefits.
b. Includes persons who are separated or married but living apart from their spouse.
c. Beginning with data for 2002, respondents may identify themselves in more than one racial group. The categories White alone and Black alone reflect respondents who reported only one race. Less than 1 percent of persons aged 55 or older reported more than one race.
d. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
Table 8.3 Social Security beneficiaries, by marital status, race, Hispanic origin, sex, and age
Sex and age Number (thousands) Percentage below poverty line Percentage below
125% of
poverty line
All persons
All persons 65 or older 30,392 8.7 15.2
65–69 7,884 6.9 11.3
70–74 7,776 8.5 14.3
75–79 6,809 8.8 15.7
80 or older 7,923 10.7 19.4
Men 65 or older 12,873 5.9 10.1
65–69 3,603 5.4 8.6
70–74 3,587 7.0 11.5
75–79 2,748 5.2 9.3
80 or older 2,935 6.0 11.0
Women 65 or older 17,518 10.8 18.9
65–69 4,280 8.2 13.5
70–74 4,188 9.8 16.8
75–79 4,062 11.2 20.0
80 or older 4,988 13.4 24.4
By marital status
Married
All persons 65 or older 16,391 3.3 6.7
65–69 5,228 3.1 5.9
70–74 4,715 3.4 6.9
75–79 3,583 3.3 6.7
80 or older 2,865 3.6 7.9
Men 65 or older 9,225 3.5 6.9
65–69 2,741 3.6 6.6
70–74 2,625 3.5 6.8
75–79 2,016 3.1 6.3
80 or older 1,843 3.8 8.1
Women 65 or older 7,167 3.1 6.5
65–69 2,488 2.5 5.2
70–74 2,089 3.3 7.1
75–79 1,567 3.4 7.2
80 or older 1,022 3.3 7.7
Nonmarried a
All persons 65 or older 14,001 15.0 25.1
65–69 2,655 14.4 21.8
70–74 3,061 16.3 25.8
75–79 3,226 14.9 25.7
80 or older 5,058 14.7 26.0
Men 65 or older 3,649 12.0 18.3
65–69 863 11.0 15.0
70–74 962 16.5 24.2
75–79 732 11.0 17.6
80 or older 1,092 9.7 16.1
Women 65 or older 10,352 16.1 27.5
65–69 1,793 16.1 25.0
70–74 2,099 16.2 26.5
75–79 2,494 16.1 28.1
80 or older 3,966 16.1 28.7
Widowed
All persons 65 or older 9,866 13.6 24.3
65–69 1,271 13.4 22.0
70–74 1,942 14.1 23.5
75–79 2,382 13.0 24.0
80 or older 4,271 13.8 25.4
Men 65 or older 1,905 9.5 14.5
65–69 257 8.4 11.5
70–74 412 13.3 19.2
75–79 403 8.1 12.5
80 or older 832 8.6 14.0
Women 65 or older 7,961 14.6 26.6
65–69 1,014 14.7 24.7
70–74 1,530 14.4 24.7
75–79 1,979 14.0 26.4
80 or older 3,439 15.0 28.2
Never married
All persons 65 or older 1,047 18.1 26.8
65–69 257 15.9 22.2
70–74 274 19.6 26.1
75–79 257 21.4 33.0
80 or older 260 15.5 26.2
Men 65 or older 468 20.2 29.5
65–69 151 18.0 22.5
70–74 136 23.1 32.5
75–79 107 20.6 33.4
80 or older 74 b b
Women 65 or older 579 16.4 24.7
65–69 106 12.9 21.7
70–74 138 16.0 19.8
75–79 150 22.0 32.7
80 or older 185 14.2 23.5
Divorced
All persons 65 or older 2,332 18.1 27.2
65–69 911 13.6 20.2
70–74 656 20.3 31.0
75–79 426 21.6 32.6
80 or older 338 21.8 32.0
Men 65 or older 883 12.4 20.3
65–69 334 7.5 12.5
70–74 308 18.3 27.3
75–79 148 11.8 22.4
80 or older 93 11.5 22.2
Women 65 or older 1,449 21.6 31.4
65–69 576 17.1 24.7
70–74 348 22.1 34.3
75–79 279 26.8 38.0
80 or older 245 25.7 35.7
By race
White alone c
All persons 65 or older 27,103 7.6 13.8
65–69 6,889 5.8 10.0
70–74 6,846 7.2 12.5
75–79 6,167 7.8 14.4
80 or older 7,201 9.6 18.0
Men 65 or older 11,523 5.1 9.1
65–69 3,161 4.6 7.9
70–74 3,164 6.1 9.9
75–79 2,510 4.7 8.7
80 or older 2,688 5.0 9.8
Women 65 or older 15,580 9.4 17.3
65–69 3,728 6.9 11.9
70–74 3,683 8.1 14.7
75–79 3,656 9.9 18.4
80 or older 4,513 12.3 22.9
Black alone c
All persons 65 or older 2,344 21.8 31.7
65–69 672 19.0 24.7
70–74 651 22.2 33.0
75–79 481 20.7 32.0
80 or older 540 25.8 38.7
Men 65 or older 919 15.5 23.0
65–69 294 14.3 18.2
70–74 279 17.0 26.9
75–79 172 11.4 18.9
80 or older 174 19.5 28.9
Women 65 or older 1,425 25.8 37.3
65–69 378 22.6 29.7
70–74 372 26.2 37.6
75–79 308 25.9 39.3
80 or older 366 28.8 43.4
Hispanic origin d
All persons 65 or older 1,577 18.8 30.2
65–69 502 16.2 25.4
70–74 417 17.2 32.5
75–79 341 21.1 32.4
80 or older 317 22.7 32.8
Men 65 or older 712 17.0 28.0
65–69 236 15.4 24.1
70–74 196 14.8 29.3
75–79 164 20.7 30.9
80 or older 117 18.7 29.8
Women 65 or older 865 20.4 32.1
65–69 266 16.9 26.5
70–74 221 19.3 35.2
75–79 177 21.5 33.8
80 or older 200 25.1 34.5
NOTE: The family money income of aged persons is compared with the official poverty lines of families in 2002.
a. Includes persons who are separated or married but living apart from their spouse.
b. Fewer than 75,000 weighted cases.
c. Beginning with data for 2002, respondents may identify themselves in more than one racial group. The categories White alone and Black alone reflect respondents who reported only one race. Less than 1 percent of persons aged 55 or older reported more than one race.
d. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.