Economic Well-being by Age and Relationship Status Among U.S. Adults Aged 50+, 2024

An Aging Family Portrait (AFP-26-05)

Krista K. Westrick-Payne & Susan L. Brown

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Introduction

Although adults typically achieve their peak earnings in midlife, during older adulthood, most people are no longer working or work reduced hours. Despite this shift away from full-time employment, financial security tends to be higher for married than unmarried middle-aged and older adults (Carr et al., 2025). Using data from the 2015-2025 Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, this portrait examines the financial well-being of U.S. adults aged 50-64 and 65+ with a focus on variation by relationship status.

Median Household Income

Between 2015 and 2025, median household income increased by about $16,000 among adults aged 50–64 and about $9,000 among those aged 65+.

In 2025, median household income was highest among married adults in both age groups. Income differences across relationship status were larger among adults aged 50–64 than among those aged 65+.

Figure 1a. Trend in Median Household Income by Age Group Status, U.S. Adults Aged 50+, 2015-2025

Line chart showing median household income in thousands of 2025 dollars for adults aged 50–64 and 65 and older from 2015 to 2025. Income was consistently higher among adults aged 50–64. Median household income increased from $97,000 to $113,000 among adults aged 50–64 and from $60,000 to $69,000 among adults aged 65 and older.

Figure 1b. Median Household Income by Age Group and Relationship Status, U.S. Adults Aged 50+, 2025

Horizontal bar chart showing median household income in thousands of dollars by relationship status for adults aged 50–64 and 65 and older in 2025. Married adults had the highest median household income in both age groups, at $189,000 and $145,000, respectively. Among adults aged 50–64, median income was $139,000 for cohabiting adults, $89,000 for separated or divorced adults, $87,000 for widowed adults, and $89,000 for never-married adults. Among adults aged 65 and older, corresponding incomes were $104,000, $68,000, $57,000, and $60,000.

Source: CAF analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2015-2025 (IPUMS CPS)

Employment

Employment increased modestly among adults aged 50–64 between 2015 and 2025, whereas employment among adults aged 65+ remained about the same.

In 2025, employment among adults aged 65+ was similar across most relationship statuses (hovering around 20%), except for widowed adults, who had the lowest employment rate (10%).

Figure 2a. Trend in Employment by Age Group Status, U.S. Adults Aged 50+, 2015-2025

Line chart showing the percentage employed among U.S. adults aged 50–64 and 65 and older from 2015 to 2025. Employment was consistently higher among adults aged 50–64. The percentage employed increased from 66% in 2015 to 70% in 2025 among adults aged 50–64 and remained at 19% among adults aged 65 and older, with relatively little change over the period.

Figure 2b. Employment by Age Group and Relationship Status, U.S. Adults Aged 50+, 2025

Horizontal bar chart showing the percentage employed by relationship status among U.S. adults aged 50–64 and 65 and older in 2025. Among adults aged 50–64, 73% of married adults were employed, compared with 69% of cohabiting adults, 69% of separated or divorced adults, 57% of widowed adults, and 58% of never-married adults. Among adults aged 65 and older, employment ranged from 10% among widowed adults to 22% among separated or divorced and never-married adults; 20% of married and 21% of cohabiting adults were employed.

Source: CAF analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2015-2025 (IPUMS CPS)

Homeownership Among Householders

Homeownership remained stable between 2015 and 2025, with more than three-fourths of adults aged 50–64 and about four-fifths of those aged 65+ owning their homes.

In 2025, homeownership was higher among adults aged 65+ than among those aged 50–64 across every relationship status. The largest age difference occurred among cohabitors (79% versus 69%).

Figure 3a. Trend in Homeownership by Age Group Status, U.S. Adults Aged 50+, 2015-2025

Line chart showing the percentage of homeowners among U.S. adults aged 50–64 and 65 and older from 2015 to 2025. Homeownership remained relatively stable over the period and was consistently higher among adults aged 65 and older. Among adults aged 50–64, 78% were homeowners in both 2015 and 2025. Among adults aged 65 and older, homeownership increased slightly from 81% to 82%.

Figure 3b. Homeownership by Age Group and Relationship Status, U.S. Adults Aged 50+, 2025

Horizontal bar chart showing the percentage of homeowners by relationship status among U.S. adults aged 50–64 and 65 and older in 2025. Married adults had the highest homeownership levels in both age groups, at 87% among adults aged 50–64 and 91% among adults aged 65 and older. Among adults aged 50–64, 69% of cohabiting adults, 62% of separated or divorced adults, 70% of widowed adults, and 56% of never-married adults were homeowners. Among adults aged 65 and older, corresponding percentages were 79%, 65%, 76%, and 59%.

Source: CAF analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2015-2025 (IPUMS CPS)

SNAP Receipt

SNAP receipt converged between adults aged 50–64 and those aged 65+ between 2015 and 2025.

In 2025, SNAP receipt varied more by relationship status than by age. Receipt ranged from 5% among married adults to 19% among never married adults in both age groups.

Figure 4a. Trend in SNAP Receipt by Age Group Status, U.S. Adults Aged 50+, 2015-2025

Line chart showing the percentage of U.S. adults aged 50–64 and 65 and older who received SNAP from 2015 to 2025. SNAP receipt was generally higher among adults aged 50–64, increasing from 10% in 2015 to 9% in 2025 after fluctuating over the period and peaking around 11% in 2021. Among adults aged 65 and older, SNAP receipt increased from 7% in 2015 to 9% in 2025.

Figure 4b. SNAP Receipt by Age Group and Relationship Status, U.S. Adults Aged 50+, 2025

Horizontal bar chart showing the percentage receiving SNAP by relationship status among U.S. adults aged 50–64 and 65 and older in 2025. SNAP receipt was lowest among married adults, at 5% in both age groups, and highest among never-married adults, at 19% in both age groups. Among adults aged 50–64, 15% of cohabiting adults, 16% of separated or divorced adults, and 14% of widowed adults received SNAP. Among adults aged 65 and older, corresponding percentages were 14%, 17%, and 12%.

Source: CAF analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2015-2025 (IPUMS CPS)

Supplemental Poverty

Supplemental poverty[1] declined through 2021 before increasing among adults aged 65+, while remaining lower among adults aged 50–64 in 2025 than in 2015.

In 2025, supplemental poverty varied more by relationship status than by age. Poverty ranged from 8% among married adults aged 50–64 to 25% among never married adults aged 65+.

Figure 5a. Trend in Supplemental Poverty by Age Group Status, U.S. Adults Aged 50+, 2015-2025

Line chart showing the percentage of U.S. adults aged 50–64 and 65 and older in Supplemental Poverty Measure poverty from 2015 to 2025. Supplemental poverty declined in both age groups through 2021, followed by an increase. Among adults aged 50–64, supplemental poverty declined from 14% in 2015 to about 8% in 2021 and was 12% in 2025. Among adults aged 65 and older, it declined from 14% to about 9% before increasing to 15% in 2025.

Figure 5b. Supplemental Poverty by Age Group and Relationship Status, U.S. Adults Aged 50+, 2025

Horizontal bar chart showing the percentage in Supplemental Poverty Measure poverty by relationship status among U.S. adults aged 50–64 and 65 and older in 2025. Poverty was lowest among married adults, at 8% for adults aged 50–64 and 11% for adults aged 65 and older, and highest among never-married adults, at 22% and 25%, respectively. Among adults aged 50–64, 10% of cohabiting adults, 18% of separated or divorced adults, and 20% of widowed adults were in supplemental poverty. Among adults aged 65 and older, corresponding percentages were 15%, 20%, and 21%

Source: CAF analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2015-2025 (IPUMS CPS)

[1] The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) has been published by the Census Bureau since 2011 and provides a more comprehensive measure of economic hardship than the official poverty measure by accounting for taxes, government assistance, necessary expenses (such as work and medical costs), and differences in the cost of living when determining poverty status. It is released annually by the Census Bureau along with the official poverty rate. An infographic on how the Census Bureau measures poverty can be found here (U.S. Census Bureau, 2022). The latest Census Bureau report on Poverty in the United States (Shrider & Bijou, 2025) can be found here.

Data Source

Flood, S., King, M., Rodgers, R., Ruggles, S., Warren, J. R., Backman, D., Breton, E., Cooper, G., Rivera Drew, J. A., Richards, S., Van Riper, D., & Williams, K. C. W. (2025). IPUMS CPS: Version 13.0 [Data set]. IPUMS. https://doi.org/10.18128/D030.V13.0 

References

Carr, D., Wang, L., & Smock, P. J. (2025). Do Social Security benefits rules perpetuate marital status and gender inequalities?. The Gerontologist, 65(9), gnaf158. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnaf158

Shrider, E. A., & Bijou, C. (2025, September). Poverty in the United States: 2024 (Current Population Reports, P60-287). U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. Government Publishing Office. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2025/demo/p60-287.pdf

U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). How the Census Bureau measures poverty [Infographic]. https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2021/demo/poverty_measure-how.html

Suggested Citation

Westrick-Payne, K. K., & Brown, S. L. (2026). Economic well-being by age and relationship status among U.S. adults aged 50+, 2024. An Aging Family Portrait, AFP-26-05. Bowling Green, OH: Center for Aging Families. https://doi.org/10.25035/caf/afp-26-05

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health under award number P30AG096979. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Updated: 08/10/2026 03:47PM