Explore national- and state-level data for hundreds of health, environmental and socioeconomic measures, including background information about each measure. Use features on this page to find measures; view subpopulations, trends and rankings; and download and share content.
How to use this page
Alaska Value:
Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who live below the poverty level
Alaska Rank:
Additional Measures:
Explore Population Data:
Appears In:
Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who live below the poverty level
Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who live below the poverty level
Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who live below the poverty level
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey
US Value: 10.3%
Top State(s): Wyoming: 6.7%
Bottom State(s): Louisiana: 14.1%
Definition: Percentage of adults ages 65 and older who live below the poverty level
Data Source and Years: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2021
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2023.
Poverty is associated with poor health outcomes. It influences environmental exposures and health-related behaviors and increases the risk of chronic disease and mortality. Among older adults, poverty is linked to an increased risk of disability, homelessness and physical and cognitive decline.
Many older adults subsist on limited incomes and modest savings that restrict their ability to afford basic medical care. Further, 63% of adults ages 65 and older have at least two chronic conditions, leading to increased out-of-pocket expenses.
The Supplemental Poverty Estimate, introduced in 2011, complements the official poverty measure with metrics that adjust for government programs related to food, housing and utilities as well as other expenses such as taxes and out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Poverty is higher among:
Many federal, state and local government programs, as well as community interventions, exist to support and help reduce the number of older adults living in poverty. Some of them include:
Healthy People 2030 has a goal to reduce the proportion of all people living in poverty.
Adler, Nancy E., Thomas Boyce, Margaret A. Chesney, Sheldon Cohen, Susan Folkman, Robert L. Kahn, and S. Leonard Syme. 1994. “Socioeconomic Status and Health: The Challenge of the Gradient.” American Psychologist 49 (1): 15–24. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.49.1.15.
Baker, Kermit, Pamela Baldwin, Kerry Donahue, Angela Flynn, Christopher Herbert, Elizabeth La Jeunesse, Mary Lancaster, et al. 2014. “Housing America’s Older Adults—Meeting the Needs of an Aging Population.” Cambridge, MA: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/media/imp/jchs-housing_americas_older_adults_2014_0.pdf.
Boersma, Peter, Lindsey I. Black, and Brian W. Ward. 2020. “Prevalence of Multiple Chronic Conditions Among US Adults, 2018.” Preventing Chronic Disease 17 (September): 200130. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd17.200130.
Braveman, Paula A., Catherine Cubbin, Susan Egerter, David R. Williams, and Elsie Pamuk. 2010. “Socioeconomic Disparities in Health in the United States: What the Patterns Tell Us.” American Journal of Public Health 100 (S1): S186–96. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.166082.
Galea, Sandro, Melissa Tracy, Katherine J. Hoggatt, Charles DiMaggio, and Adam Karpati. 2011. “Estimated Deaths Attributable to Social Factors in the United States.” American Journal of Public Health 101 (8): 1456–65. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2010.300086.
Jacobson, Gretchen, Shannon Griffin, Tricia Neuman, and Karen Smith. 2017. “Income and Assets of Medicare Beneficiaries, 2016-2035.” Issue Brief. KFF. https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/income-and-assets-of-medicare-beneficiaries-2016-2035/.
Li, Zhe, and Joseph Dalaker. 2022. “Poverty Among the Population Aged 65 and Older.” CRS Report R45791. Congressional Research Service. https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R45791.pdf.
Lubetkin, Erica I., and Haomiao Jia. 2017. “Burden of Disease Associated with Lower Levels of Income among US Adults Aged 65 and Older.” BMJ Open 7 (1): e013720. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013720.
Minkler, Meredith, Esme Fuller-Thomson, and Jack M. Guralnik. 2006. “Gradient of Disability across the Socioeconomic Spectrum in the United States.” New England Journal of Medicine 355 (7): 695–703. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMsa044316.
Steptoe, Andrew, and Paola Zaninotto. 2020. “Lower Socioeconomic Status and the Acceleration of Aging: An Outcome-Wide Analysis.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117 (26): 14911–17. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1915741117.
America’s Health Rankings builds on the work of the United Health Foundation to draw attention to public health and better understand the health of various populations. Our platform provides relevant information that policymakers, public health officials, advocates and leaders can use to effect change in their communities.
We have developed detailed analyses on the health of key populations in the country, including women and children, seniors and those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to a deep dive into health disparities across the country.