Official Poverty Measure Underestimates Seniors Living in Poverty
A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that the number of adults aged 65 and older who are struggling financially is much larger than is estimated by the Census Bureau’s official poverty measure. Using the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which accounts for medical expenses and other factors, researchers estimate more than 7 million seniors were below the poverty level in 2016, compared to the 4.5 million reported by the Census’s official measure.