Seniors bucking the poverty trend

The poverty rate among seniors rose for the fifth straight year in 2025, a trend no other age group experienced, according to an AARP Foundation analysis of Census Bureau data.

“a trend no other age group experienced”

Women hit hardest by senior poverty

AARP Foundation finds women are far more likely than men to age into poverty, with the trend starting earlier as low-income older adults struggle to stay employed and save before retirement.

One in eight people aged fifty to sixty-four in poverty

One in eight Americans aged fifty to sixty-four now lives in poverty, and many more live just above that line, unable to set aside money for the future while struggling with food and housing costs.

“And those are folks who are not able really to put anything aside for their future because they're thinking about how am I going to get food on the table?”

Poverty rate higher for those sixty-five and over

The poverty rate for those sixty-five and over stands at fifteen point four percent, nearly seventeen percent for women, representing three million additional seniors since two thousand nineteen.

Gains not shared equally across age groups

While overall poverty fell to a record low in twenty twenty-five and family income rose, AARP Foundation president Claire Casey said those gains were not shared equally, with analysts warning safety net cuts and rising prices may already undermine them.

“those gains were not shared equally”

Food insecurity and emergency savings crisis

In AARP Foundation's summer survey, nearly a third of low-income older adults said their household ran out of food before they had money to buy more, and a third lacked savings to cover a one hundred dollar emergency.

Many older workers juggling multiple jobs

Nearly two-thirds of employed older adults reported at least one additional source of paid work, suggesting many are adapting to ongoing cost pressures by piecing together multiple income sources.

Housing burden and homelessness rising

Half of the oldest women who head households and sixty percent of those who rent are burdened by high housing costs. Federal data also finds older adults are the fastest-growing homeless population.

Safety net cuts threaten retirement savings

Enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program has dropped by an estimated five million people as work requirements expand. Critics worry added paperwork will push off many who qualify, making it harder to save for retirement in peak-earning years.