Senior poverty climbs just as Social Security future is in question

More seniors sank into poverty for the fifth straight year in 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's annual poverty report.

The poverty rate for Americans ages 65 and up jumped in 2025 to 15.4%, the highest poverty rate of all age groups based on the supplemental poverty measure (SPM). SPM includes non-cash benefits but subtracts necessary expenses such as taxes and medical care, and is considered a better measure of poverty trends and the effectiveness of government benefits programs than the official poverty measure. The overall SPM rate for all Americans was 13.1%, up from 13%.

Seniors are the only group that has seen a rise in its poverty rate every year since 2020, when the rate was 9.4%, and the tally has risen to more than 10 million people, data show. All other age groups saw a dip in 2021, after the pandemic, before creeping up again, data show. The jump to 15.4% from 9.4% also was the largest increase among all age groups.

The poverty rate increase comes as politicians face a crucial deadline to save Social Security from sweeping benefits cuts. The trust fund that supplements incoming payroll taxes to pay monthly Social Security benefits is…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/money/