Poverty Rate for 65+ Population Increases: AARP

AARP Foundation did a deep dive on the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual report on poverty, income, and health insurance coverage for 2025, and found some sobering developments for poverty rates for older Americans.

The Census Bureau report showed that overall poverty declined in 2025, while poverty among adults age 65 and older remained elevated following years of increases, AARP said.

Key findings include:

• Poverty Among Adults 65+ is Growing. More than 3 million additional adults 65 and older are living in poverty today than in 2019. Using the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), the poverty rate for adults 65+ rose from 12.7 percent in 2019 to 15.4 percent in 2025, the highest rate of any age group.

• Women are Far More Likely to Age in Poverty. In 2025, the estimated SPM poverty rate was 12.6 percent for women ages 50–64 and 16.8 percent for women ages 65+, compared with 11.5 percent and 13.7 percent, respectively, for men.

• Financial Hardship is Increasing Before Traditional Retirement Age. The poverty rate among adults ages 50–64 increased from 10.6 percent in 2019 to 12.1 percent in 2025. In 2025, roughly 1 in 8 adults ages 50–64 was living in poverty.

Read the full report by AARP here.

Comments or questions? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.