Poverty - Age 65+ in Massachusetts

Massachusetts

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 may restrict their ability to afford basic medical care. 

The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), 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 costs. The SPM for older adults increased from 9.5% in 2020 to 14.2% in 2023.

Poverty is higher among:

• Adults age 80 and older compared with adults ages 65-79. 
• Older women compared with older men.
• Older adults of all racial and ethnic minority groups compared with white older adults.
• Unmarried older adults compared with those who are married and living together.

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:

• Social Security: Most adults age 65 and older receive Social Security benefits. Social Security is essential in keeping older adults above the poverty line. The average benefit for a retired worker is $1,975 per month.
• Supplemental Security Income: This program supplements Social Security benefits with additional income for older adults who need it. 
• Medicare: This government health insurance program covers adults age 65 and older.
• Medicaid: Older adults enrolled in Medicare with limited income and resources may qualify for additional assistance paying premiums and out-of-pocket medical expenses through Medicaid.
• Housing assistance: The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides various affordable housing resources for older adults. More than 2.2 million low-income older adult renters were classified as having a severe housing cost burden, living in severely inadequate housing, or both, according to a 2021 HUD report.
• Food and nutrition support: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can help eligible older adults access food. The Older Americans Act also funds programs that provide congregate or home-delivered meals to older adults.

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. “Socioeconomic Status and Health: The Challenge of the Gradient.” American Psychologist 49, no. 1 (1994): 15–24. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.49.1.15.

Alvarez, Thyria and Barry L. Steffen. “Worst Case Housing Needs: 2021 Report to Congress.” U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, July 2021. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/Worst-Case-Housing-Needs-2021.pdf.

Baker, Kermit, Pamela Baldwin, Kerry Donahue, Angela Flynn, Christopher Herbert, Elizabeth La Jeunesse, Mary Lancaster, et al. “Housing America’s Older Adults — Meeting the Needs of an Aging Population.” Edited by Marcia Fernald. Cambridge, MA: Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, 2014. https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/media/imp/jchs-housing_americas_older_adults_2014_0.pdf.

Braveman, Paula A., Catherine Cubbin, Susan Egerter, David R. Williams, and Elsie Pamuk. “Socioeconomic Disparities in Health in the United States: What the Patterns Tell Us.” American Journal of Public Health 100, no. S1 (April 1, 2010): S186–96. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.166082.

Galea, Sandro, Melissa Tracy, Katherine J. Hoggatt, Charles DiMaggio, and Adam Karpati. “Estimated Deaths Attributable to Social Factors in the United States.” American Journal of Public Health 101, no. 8 (August 2011): 1456–65. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2010.300086.

Jacobson, Gretchen, Shannon Griffin, Tricia Neuman, and Karen Smith. “Income and Assets of Medicare Beneficiaries, 2016-2035.” Issue Brief. KFF, April 21, 2017. https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/income-and-assets-of-medicare-beneficiaries-2016-2035/.

Li, Zhe, and Joseph Dalaker. “Poverty Among the Population Aged 65 and Older.” CRS Report R45791. Congressional Research Service, December 6, 2022. https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R45791.pdf.

Lubetkin, Erica I., and Haomiao Jia. “Burden of Disease Associated with Lower Levels of Income among US Adults Aged 65 and Older.” BMJ Open 7, no. 1 (January 2017): e013720. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-013720.

Minkler, Meredith, Esme Fuller-Thomson, and Jack M. Guralnik. “Gradient of Disability across the Socioeconomic Spectrum in the United States.” New England Journal of Medicine 355, no. 7 (August 17, 2006): 695–703. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMsa044316.

Romig, Kathleen. “Social Security Lifts More People Above the Poverty Line Than Any Other Program.” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, June 2, 2023. https://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security/social-security-keeps-22-million-americans-out-of-poverty-a-state-by-state.

Shrider, Emily A. “Poverty in the United States: 2023.” U.S. Census Bureau, September 2024. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/p60-283.pdf#page=16.

Steptoe, Andrew, and Paola Zaninotto. “Lower Socioeconomic Status and the Acceleration of Aging: An Outcome-Wide Analysis.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 26 (June 30, 2020): 14911–17. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1915741117.