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More than 10 million older Americans remain in poverty

NCOA calls for easier access to benefits as seniors struggle to cover basic expenses

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Mark Huffman
Reporter

Mark Huffman has covered consumer issues since 2004, with a special focus on protecting and empowering older adults. A former news correspondent for the Associated Press Radio Network, Westwood One, and ConsumerAffairs, Mark brings decades of journalistic experience to RetirementLiving.com. He is passionate about giving consumers a voice and helping them make informed decisions. Mark has also created educational content, including Senior Scam Alert, a video resource designed to help seniors recognize and avoid fraud. He holds a B.A. from the University of Kentucky and lives with his family in Richmond, Virginia.

Updated:

key insights:

  • More than 10 million older Americans lived in poverty for a second consecutive year, according to the National Council on Aging.
  • The supplemental poverty rate for older adults reached 15.4% in 2025, compared with 15.1% in 2024.
  • Millions of eligible seniors are missing out on assistance that could help pay for food, healthcare, and other necessities.

More than 10 million older Americans lived in poverty for the second straight year in 2025, prompting the National Council on Aging to urge governments to help more seniors obtain benefits they qualify for.

In a statement responding to recent Census Bureau data, NCOA said the older adult poverty rate under the Supplemental Poverty Measure stood at 15.4%, above the national rate and the rates for other age groups. The estimate was 15.1% in 2024 and 14% in 2023. 

“It’s shocking that millions of older Americans continue to live in poverty,” said Ramsey Alwin, NCOA’s president and CEO. Alwin warned that financial hardship leaves seniors facing difficult choices among food, medicine, and housing. 

The Supplemental Poverty Measure accounts for government assistance, taxes, geographic differences in housing costs, and expenses such as medical care. It offers a broader view of household finances than the official poverty measure, which relies on pretax income.

Nationally, the supplemental poverty rate was 13.1% in 2025, while the official rate fell to 10.2%. Although the older adult estimate edged upward, the Census Bureau said supplemental poverty rates did not change significantly for most groups discussed in its report.

Social Security is a critical factor

Social Security remains a major protection against poverty. NCOA said the program kept almost 21 million older Americans above the supplemental poverty threshold in 2025. Still, the organization urged federal and state officials to improve access to additional assistance and highlighted states simplifying Medicare Savings Program enrollment. 

A separate NCOA analysis, developed with the Urban Institute, estimated that 9.1 million people aged 65 and older qualify for but are not enrolled in programs providing roughly $58 billion in benefits.

Those programs include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps pay for food; Supplemental Security Income, which provides cash assistance; and Medicare Savings Programs, which help eligible beneficiaries with Medicare expenses. 

Older adults seeking help can use NCOA’s free BenefitsCheckUp service to identify assistance programs that may help them cover everyday needs. Eligibility depends on the program and the applicant’s circumstances.