The median income for households headed by someone 65 or older increased 3.1% to $59,680 in 2025, roughly matching gains among working-age households, whose median income rose 2.7% to $101,900. Median income across all households reached a record $87,460, up 2.6%, according to the Census Bureau. Older Americans’ official poverty rate remained 9.8%, however, while poverty declined for other age groups. The Supplemental Poverty Measure (broader poverty gauge including medical costs and certain benefits) placed senior poverty at 15.4%, with out-of-pocket medical expenses adding 3.8 percentage points and pushing about 2.5 million people age 65 or older below the poverty line. Social Security provided the main protection against poverty, keeping 29 million people above the supplemental poverty line in 2025, but older adults are increasingly relying on employment, pensions and retirement accounts to supplement benefits.