Income of the Aged Chartbook, 2001

Table of Contents

Definitions and Notes

Income Sources

Retirement benefits include Social Security, other public sources such as Railroad Retirement and government employee pensions (military, federal, state, and local), and private pensions and annuities.

Social Security includes retired-worker benefits, dependents' or survivors' benefits, disability benefits, transitionally insured benefits, and special age-72 benefits.

Pensions include private pensions and annuities, government employment pensions, Railroad Retirement, and individual retirement account, Keogh, and 401(k) payments.

Income

Total money income is the sum of all income received by the aged unit before any deductions such as those for taxes, union dues, or Medicare premiums. Total money income does not reflect nonmoney transfers such as food stamps, health benefits, subsidized housing, payments in kind, or fringe benefits from one's employment.

Aggregate income is the sum of the total money income of all aged units in the population of interest. Several charts in this book present the shares of aggregate income attributable to specific sources, such as Social Security.

General Notes

Beginning with data for 2001, the Census Bureau has put all persons aged 80 or older into a single age category on the Current Population Survey public use file. This edition of the chartbook reflects that change.

All years are calendar years.

Nonmarried men and nonmarried women include persons who are separated or married but living apart from their spouse.

Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Percentages may not sum to 100 because of rounding.

Income Sources

Highlights
  • Social Security is a source of income for nearly all of the aged.
  • Social Security provides at least half of total income for a majority of beneficiaries.
  • Age groups differ in their likelihood of receiving earnings, but not pensions.
  • Receipt of income from major sources varies by race and Hispanic origin.

Social Security is a source of income for nearly all of the aged. Nine out of 10 aged units receive Social Security benefits. Asset income is the next most common source of income, received by about three-fifths of the aged. Two-fifths receive retirement benefits other than Social Security, and only one-fifth have earnings. Public assistance is received by 5% and veterans' benefits by only 4%.

Percentage receiving income from specified source, 2001
Bar chart with tabular version below.
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Table equivalent for chart. Percentage receiving income from specified source, 2001
Source of income Percent
Social Security 91
Asset income 58
Retirement benefits other than Social Security 40
Public and private 3
Public 12
Private 26
Earnings 22
Public assistance 5
Veterans' benefits 4
 

Social Security provides at least half of total income for a majority of beneficiaries. Social Security pays benefits to 91% of those aged 65 or older. It is the major source of income (providing 50% or more of total income) for 65% of the beneficiaries. It contributes 90% or more of income for one-third of the beneficiaries and is the only source of income for 20% of them.

Percentage receiving Social Security benefits, by relative importance of benefits to total income, 2001
Bar chart showing Social Security provides less than 50% of income for 35% of beneficiaries; 50 to 89% for 32%; 90 to 99% for 13%; and 100% of income for 20% of beneficiaries.

Aged groups differ in their likelihood of receiving earnings, but not pensions. Earnings are much more common in the youngest group than in the oldest group—43% compared with 6%. In all age groups, there is little or no difference in the likelihood of having public or private pensions.

Percentage receiving income from earnings and pensions, by age, 2001
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Table equivalent for chart. Percentage receiving income from earnings and pensions, by age, 2001
Age Earnings Private pensions Public pensions
65 to 69 43 28 14
70 to 74 25 31 14
75 to 79 14 31 15
80 or older 6 26 14
 

Receipt of income from major sources varies by race and Hispanic origin. Among the aged, whites are most likely to receive Social Security and pensions, followed by blacks and Hispanics. Whites are much more likely than blacks or Hispanics to receive income from assets. The groups are about equally as likely to have earnings. Minority aged units are much more likely to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) than are whites.

Percentage receiving income from major sources, by race and Hispanic origin, 2001
Bar chart with tabular version below.
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Table equivalent for chart. Percentage receiving income from major sources, by race and Hispanic origin, 2001
Source of income White Black Hispanic
Social Security 92 84 78
Asset income 62 29 26
Pensions 42 30 19
Earnings 22 21 19
Supplemental Security Income 3 11 14
 

Receipt of Social Security has become nearly universal. In 1962, 69% of the aged received Social Security benefits; in 2001, 91% of them did. Most of that increase occurred in the 1960s. Receipt of other pension income, which more than doubled from 1962 to 1992, has decreased slightly since then. The proportion of aged units with asset income, which had been about two-thirds since 1980, has dropped since 1990. The proportion with earnings has declined since 1971 and has been between 20% and 22% since 1982. The proportion receiving public assistance has also declined and is now about a third of its 1962 level.

Change in percentage receiving income from major sources, selected years
Line chart showing the change in receipt of Social Security, asset income, pensions, earnings, and public assistance from 1962 to 2001. In 1962, 69% of the aged received Social Security. This percentage increased sharply over the next five years, reaching 86% in 1967.  It then continued to increase slightly over the next ten years.  The percentage receiving Social Security varied little between 1978 and 2001, ranging from 90 to 92. Fifty-four percent had asset income in 1962.  That percentage declined to a low of 49 in 1971, rose to a high of 69 in 1990, and then steadily declined to 58 in 2001. The percentage receiving pensions rose steadily from 18 in 1962 to a high of 45 in 1992, and declined slightly to 40 in 2001. The percentage with earnings starts at 36 in 1962, drops sharply to 27 in 1967, rises to 31 in 1971, and then drops to 22 in 1982.  Between 1982 and 2001, the percentage receiving earnings has ranged between 20 and 22. Fourteen percent received public assistance in 1962.  That percentage  drops fairly steadily to 10 in 1980, and continues to further decline to 5 in 2001.

Total Money Income

Highlights
  • The aged are an economically diverse group.
  • Income differences by age are associated with differences in marital status.
  • Demographic differences are associated with different levels of income.
  • Median real income has risen substantially since 1962.

The aged are an economically diverse group. Median income for all aged units is $18,965, but there are wide differences within the total group. Twenty-one percent have an income of under $10,000, and 15% have an income of $50,000 or more.

Percentage with various levels of income, 2001
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Table equivalent for chart. Percentage with various levels of income, 2001
Income (dollars) Percentage of aged units
Less than 5,000 5
5,000 to 9,999 16
10,000 to 14,999 18
15,000 to 19,999 13
20,000 to 24,999 9
25,000 to 29,999 7
30,000 to 34,999 6
35,000 to 39,999 5
40,000 to 44,999 3
45,000 to 49,999 3
50,000 or more 15
 

Receipt of asset income is associated with relatively high median income. The median income of aged units with asset income is more than twice that of those with no asset income ($26,962, compared with $11,932). Aged units with no asset income are concentrated in the lowest income categories—39% have a total income below $10,000, and only 12% have an income of $30,000 or more. Among aged units with asset income, 9% have a total income of less than $10,000, and 45% have an income of $30,000 or more.

Percentage with various levels of income, by receipt of asset income, 2001
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Table equivalent for chart. Percentage with various levels of income, by receipt of asset income, 2001
Income (dollars) With asset income Without asset income
Less than 10,000 9 39
10,000 to 19,999 27 38
20,000 to 29,999 20 12
30,000 or more 45 12
 

Receipt of earnings and retirement benefits also affects total income. About 7% of aged units have no retirement benefits. Of those, 38% have earnings, and their median income is $33,708; 62% have no earnings, and over half of those with no earnings have no income. In the absence of earnings, median income rises markedly with the number of retirement benefits received, from $11,921 with one retirement benefit to $25,896 with two. For units with both earnings and retirement benefits, median income is $34,703 for those with one retirement benefit and $46,359 for those with two.

Median income, by receipt of earnings and retirement benefits, 2001
Bar chart with tabular version below.
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Table equivalent for chart. Median income, by receipt of earnings and retirement benefits, 2001
Number of retirement benefits Median income (dollars)
With earnings Without earnings
No benefits 33,708 0
One benefit 34,703 11,921
Two benefits 46,359 25,896
 
a. For aged units with no retirement benefits and no earnings, median total income was zero.

Income differences by age are associated with differences in marital status. Median income is generally lower in older age groups. The striking differences by age are due in part to the disproportionate number of nonmarried women in older age groups. In every age group, nonmarried women have a lower median income than nonmarried men or married couples. Also, nonmarried women far outnumber the others in the older age groups.

Median income and percentage distribution of aged units, by age, marital status, and sex of nonmarried persons, 2001
Marital status and sex of nonmarried persons 65–69 70–74 75–79 80 or older
Median income (dollars)
Married couples 39,216 32,973 29,601 27,432
Nonmarried men 17,594 15,175 15,847 15,679
Nonmarried women 13,479 12,523 12,128 12,219
Percentage distribution of aged units
Total percent 100 100 100 100
Married couples 52 45 39 26
Nonmarried men 14 15 14 15
Nonmarried women 33 39 47 59
Memorandum:
Total number of aged units (thousands)
6,838 6,096 5,731 7,192
 
Median income, by age, 2001
Bar chart showing median income by age: age 65 to 69, $25,834; age 70 to 74, $20,946; age 75 to 79, $17,720; and age 80 or older, $14,983.

Demographic differences are associated with different levels of median income. Income is highest for married couples, who have a median income about twice that of nonmarried men and more than 2½ times that of nonmarried women. Median income of whites is over 60% greater than that of blacks and almost 80% greater than that of Hispanics.

Median income, by marital status, sex of nonmarried persons, race, and Hispanic origin, 2001
Bar chart showing median income is 32,592 dollars for married couples; 15,998 dollars for nonmarried men; 12,434 dollars for nonmarried women; and 19,993 dollars for whites, 12,369 dollars for blacks, and 11,124 dollars for Hispanics.

Median real income has risen substantially over the years. Between 1962 and 2001, the income of the aged increased even when adjusted for inflation. The increase was 93% for married couples and 96% for nonmarried persons. There were disproportionate increases by race. Between 1967 and 2001, the income of whites increased by 98%; that of blacks increased by 74%.

Change in median income, by marital status and race, selected years
Line chart showing the change in median income in year 2001 dollars for married couples, nonmarried persons, whites, and blacks from 1962 to 2001. Income for married couples remained fairly level from 1962 to 1967 (16,860 dollars to 17,885 dollars). It then sharply increased to 23,430 dollars in 1971 and continued to steadily rise with some slight ups and downs until it leveled off at 32,592 dollars in 2001. Income for nonmarried persons begins at 6,627 dollars in 1962 and rises very slowly over the entire time period, ending at 12,995 dollars in 2001. For white persons, the 1967 amount of 10,085 dollars, rises to 14,194 dollars in 1971. It keeps rising steadily without much fluctuation to 19,993 dollars in 2001. The amount for black persons begins at 7,126 dollars in 1967 and rises slowly through 1999.  In 2000, it increases sharply and then levels off at 12,369 dollars in 2001.

Shares of Aggregate Income

Highlights
  • Social Security provides the largest share of aggregate income for persons 65 or older.
  • Shares of income from each source differ greatly by income level.
  • Over time, Social Security has provided the largest share of aggregate income for the aged.

Social Security provides the largest share of income for the aged. Aggregate income for the population 65 or older comes largely from four sources. Social Security provides 39%, earnings account for 24%, pensions provide 18%, and asset income accounts for 16%. Only 3% comes from other sources.

Shares of aggregate income, by source, 2001
Pie chart described in previous paragraph.

Shares of income from each source differ greatly by income level. Aged units are ranked by total money income and divided into five groups of equal size called quintiles. Persons in the lowest quintile have the largest share of income from Social Security benefits (82%), and public assistance provides the second largest share (9%). For those in the highest income quintile, earnings provide the largest share of income (36%), income from assets is the next most important (23%), followed by pensions (20%) and Social Security (19%).

Shares of aggregate income for the lowest and highest income quintiles, by source, 2001
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Table equivalent for chart. Shares of aggregate income for the lowest and highest income quintiles, by source, 2000
Source of income Percentage in
lowest quintile
Percentage in
highest quintile
Social Security 82 19
Pensions 3 20
Asset income 2 23
Earnings 1 36
Public assistance 9 0
Other 2 2
 
a. For the highest income quintile, the share of aggregate income from public assistance was zero.

Over time, Social Security has provided the largest share of aggregate income for the aged. In 1962, it provided the largest share followed closely by earnings. In 2001, Social Security continued to provide the largest share but by a much wider margin compared with the other major sources of income. The share from asset income increased for over 20 years but has generally declined since the mid-1980s. The share from earnings has had the opposite pattern—declining until the mid-1980s and generally increasing since then. The share from pensions had doubled by the early 1990s but has since leveled off.

Change in shares of aggregate income, by source, selected years
Line chart showing the change in shares of aggregate income from Social Security, asset income, pensions, earnings, and other income from 1962 to 2001. In 1962, the share of aggregate income from Social Security was 31%.  That percentage rose to a high of 42 in 1994, but then declined to 38 in 1998.  The aggregate percentage from Social Security in 2001 is 39. The aggregate share from asset income was 16 in 1962, rose to a high of 28 in 1984, but then fell to 16 in 2001. The share of aggregate income from pensions was 9 in 1962. The share of pension income rose to a high of 20 in 1992, and has fallen slightly since then, with 18 percent of aggregate income coming from pensions in 2001. In 1962, earnings composed 29 percent of aggregate income, and then declined to a low of 16 in 1984.  The share from earnings then steadily rose to 24 percent of aggregate income in 2001. The share of aggregate income from other sources was 16 in 1962, then fell sharply over the next 14 years.  The aggregate share of other income sources has been around 3 since the early 1980s.

Poverty Status, Based on Family Income

Highlights
  • High proportions of nonmarried and minority aged are poor or near poor.
  • The oldest age group (80 or older) has the highest poverty rate.

High proportions of nonmarried and minority aged are poor or near poor. The variations in family income by marital status and by race are reflected in the poverty rates for those subgroups of the aged. Nonmarried persons and minorities have the highest poverty rates, ranging from 14% to 22%. An additional 9% to 11% of nonmarried persons and minorities have incomes between the poverty line and 125% of the poverty line (the near poor).

Poverty status, by marital status, sex of nonmarried persons, race, and Hispanic origin, 2001
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Table equivalent for chart. Poverty status, by marital status, sex of nonmarried persons, race, and Hispanic origin, 2001
  Percentage poor Percentage near poor
Married persons 4 4
Nonmarried men 14 9
Nonmarried women 18 10
White 9 6
Black 22 10
Hispanic 22 11
 

The oldest age group has the highest poverty rate. In keeping with the lower median income of older age groups, poverty and near poverty rates are generally higher for those who are older. The near poor have income between the poverty line and 125% of the poverty line.

Poverty status, by age, 2001
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Table equivalent for chart. Poverty status, by age, 2000
Age Percentage poor Percentage near poor
65 to 69 9 5
70 to 74 9 6
75 to 79 10 7
80 or older 12 8