Living Below the Line: Economic Insecurity and Older Americans-Women

Overview

An updated analysis of US Census Bureau data finds that more than half of fully-retired, elder-only households are economically insecure. While the threat of economic insecurity affects elders of all backgrounds, it varies substantially by gender, race, age, household composition and other characteristics. In order to assess the economic security of today’s older adults, WOW compares actual 2011 incomes for retired elders who live alone or with a retired partner to the Elder Economic Security StandardTM Index for the United States for their household and housing types.