I have been traveling across the country conducting information sessions on college campuses about the American Economic Association Summer Training Program. My travels allowed me to meet a cadre of students and economics faculty. It also allowed me to listen to NPR – intentionally, not just as background noise.
An episode of 1A on seniors in poverty caught my attention. The U.S. Census annual poverty report found 960,000 more American 65 and over were in poverty in 2021 than in 2020 (See Table A1). Over the next few weeks, we will explore what the data tells us about seniors, defined as people 50 and older.
Some of you 50 and over do not see yourselves as seniors, but when AARP, the American Association of Retired Persons, starts sending you membership applications, it will not be long before you qualify for senior discounts!
This week, I’ll provide data by gender.
Poverty by Gender
In 2020, 160,070 more women 50 to 55 years of age were below the poverty line than in 2019. For senior women, this group comprised 82% of the growth in poverty from 2019 to 2020. For persons 50 and older and in poverty, 23% were women (See Table 1).
Of the one million people 50 and older and below the poverty line in 2021, 60% were women – more than twice the percentage of women 50 and older and in poverty in 2020 (See Table 2).
Next week, I’ll share data disaggregated by race/ethnicity and gender.
