There are large racial disparities in poverty at older ages (65 and older)—likely reflecting differences in retirement preparedness and/or lifetime income disparities: Poverty rates for people ages 65 and older, by race and ethnicity, 1974–2024
| Year | All | White | Black | Hispanic | AIAN | Asian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 14.6% | 12.5% | 34.3% | |||
| 1975 | 15.3% | 13.0% | 36.3% | |||
| 1976 | 15.0% | 12.8% | 34.8% | 27.7% | ||
| 1977 | 14.1% | 11.7% | 36.3% | 21.9% | ||
| 1978 | 14.0% | 11.8% | 33.9% | 23.2% | ||
| 1979 | 15.2% | 12.9% | 36.2% | 26.8% | ||
| 1980 | 15.7% | 13.2% | 38.1% | 30.8% | ||
| 1981 | 15.3% | 12.7% | 39.0% | 25.7% | ||
| 1982 | 14.6% | 12.0% | 38.2% | 26.6% | ||
| 1983 | 13.8% | 11.4% | 36.0% | 22.1% | ||
| 1984 | 12.4% | 10.3% | 31.7% | 21.5% | ||
| 1985 | 12.6% | 10.5% | 31.5% | 23.9% | ||
| 1986 | 12.4% | 10.3% | 31.0% | 22.5% | ||
| 1987 | 12.5% | 10.0% | 32.4% | 27.5% | 15.0% | |
| 1988 | 12.0% | 9.5% | 32.2% | 22.4% | 13.5% | |
| 1989 | 11.4% | 9.2% | 30.7% | 20.6% | 24.7% | 7.4% |
| 1990 | 12.2% | 9.6% | 33.8% | 22.5% | 25.0% | 12.1% |
| 1991 | 12.4% | 9.8% | 33.8% | 20.8% | 23.3% | 12.7% |
| 1992 | 12.9% | 10.5% | 33.5% | 22.1% | 24.6% | 10.8% |
| 1993 | 12.2% | 10.1% | 28.0% | 21.4% | 23.0% | 15.6% |
| 1994 | 11.7% | 9.6% | 27.4% | 22.6% | 21.3% | 13.0% |
| 1995 | 10.5% | 8.3% | 25.4% | 23.5% | 19.7% | 14.3% |
| 1996 | 10.8% | 8.6% | 25.3% | 24.4% | 22.1% | 9.7% |
| 1997 | 10.5% | 8.1% | 26.0% | 23.8% | 21.2% | 12.3% |
| 1998 | 10.5% | 8.2% | 26.4% | 21.0% | 17.6% | 12.4% |
| 1999 | 9.7% | 7.6% | 22.8% | 20.5% | 17.7% | 11.1% |
| 2000 | 9.9% | 7.9% | 21.8% | 20.9% | 20.8% | 9.3% |
| 2001 | 10.1% | 8.1% | 21.9% | 21.8% | 22.4% | 10.2% |
| 2002 | 10.4% | 8.3% | 23.8% | 21.4% | 22.0% | 8.4% |
| 2003 | 10.2% | 8.0% | 23.7% | 19.5% | 20.0% | 14.3% |
| 2004 | 9.8% | 7.5% | 23.8% | 18.4% | 20.2% | 13.5% |
| 2005 | 10.1% | 7.9% | 23.3% | 19.9% | 18.6% | 12.8% |
| 2006 | 9.4% | 7.0% | 22.7% | 19.4% | 21.6% | 12.0% |
| 2007 | 9.7% | 7.4% | 23.2% | 17.1% | 23.5% | 11.3% |
| 2008 | 9.7% | 7.6% | 20.0% | 19.3% | 23.2% | 12.1% |
| 2009 | 8.9% | 6.6% | 19.5% | 18.3% | 20.4% | 15.8% |
| 2010 | 8.9% | 6.8% | 17.9% | 18.0% | 18.0% | 14.4% |
| 2011 | 8.7% | 6.7% | 17.3% | 18.7% | 16.3% | 11.7% |
| 2012 | 9.1% | 6.8% | 18.2% | 20.6% | 16.9% | 12.3% |
| 2013 | 9.9% | 7.6% | 18.2% | 20.1% | 18.4% | 15.2% |
| 2014 | 10.0% | 7.8% | 19.2% | 18.1% | 20.1% | 14.7% |
| 2015 | 8.8% | 6.6% | 18.4% | 17.5% | 19.0% | 11.8% |
| 2016 | 9.3% | 7.1% | 18.7% | 17.4% | 19.3% | 11.8% |
| 2017 | 9.4% | 7.3% | 19.2% | 16.9% | 18.9% | 11.3% |
| 2018 | 9.7% | 7.3% | 18.9% | 19.5% | 19.0% | 11.7% |
| 2019 | 8.9% | 6.8% | 18.0% | 17.1% | 19.1% | 9.3% |
| 2020 | 8.9% | 6.8% | 17.2% | 16.6% | 18.4% | 11.4% |
| 2021 | 10.3% | 8.0% | 17.8% | 18.7% | 18.8% | 13.3% |
| 2022 | 10.2% | 8.2% | 17.6% | 16.9% | 16.6% | 12.9% |
| 2023 | 9.7% | 7.2% | 19.9% | 17.3% | 17.2% | 11.0% |
| 2024 | 9.9% | 7.7% | 18.1% | 17.7% | 17.7% | 10.9% |
Notes: AIAN refers to American Indian and Alaska Native. All race categories are single race and do not distinguish Hispanic ethnicity from non-Hispanic ethnicity, except for white, which is exclusive of Hispanic ethnicity (i.e., non-Hispanic white alone, Black alone, AIAN alone, and Asian alone).Hispanic can be of any race. AIAN data are 3-year pooled averages to account for sample size restrictions. Please see Appendix Table 1 for 1-year estimates.
Source: Economic Policy Institute analysis of U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey Poverty in the United States, Table A-3.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey–Annual Social and Economic Supplements 1959 to 2024. “Table A-3. Poverty Status of People by Age, Race, and Hispanic Origin: 1959 to 2024” (Excel table) from Poverty in the United States: 2024, September 2025.