New estimates from the 2019 Elder Index suggest that half of older adults living alone, and 23% of older adults living in two-elder households, lack the financial resources required to pay for basic needs. The Gerontology Institute compares the 2019 household incomes for adults age 65 and above living in one- and two-person households to the 2019 Elder Index for each state and Washington, DC to calculate Elder Economic Insecurity Rates (EEIRs), the percentage of independent older adults age 65 or older living in households with annual incomes that do not support economic security. The EEIRs allow state and local governments to better understand and benchmark how many and which older adults are at risk of financial instability. National averages suggest that 50% of older adults living alone, and 23% of older adults living in older couple households (with an older spouse, partner, or some other older adult), have annual incomes below the Elder Index. In every state, more than four out of ten older singles are at risk of being unable to afford basic needs and age in their own homes.
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