Poverty data are compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau. Persons identified as living in poverty are likely to be hard pressed to meet their basic needs such as food, housing and health care. By 1998, the older population living in poverty had declined to about 11 percent. While we hear much about how well older Americans are doing, the same percentage of older persons are poor as working persons. It is a national shame, however, that one out of every five children in the United States is in poverty.
Poverty increases among the elderly as they get older.
Even these horrendous figures do not tell the whole story. For example, nearly half of all divorced black women ages 65 to 74 are poor. While those living in poverty suffer the greatest deprivation, there are many more elderly who are on the edge of poverty with incomes less than 25 percent above the poverty line. On average 17 percent of the elderly are in near poverty, but 42 percent of older blacks and 34 percent of older Hispanics are in this group. If it were not for Social Security, these rates would be higher.