Poverty among Americans 65 and older climbed to 15.4% in 2025, marking a fifth straight annual increase even as poverty fell overall, according to an AARP Foundation analysis of Census Bureau data. The rate was nearly 17% for older women, and the analysis counted 3 million more seniors in poverty than in 2019. The figures use the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which takes taxes, government benefits and additional expenses into account. Social Security kept nearly 29 million people out of poverty in 2025, Census data show, but gains were uneven across age groups. Adults ages 50 to 64 are also under strain as they approach retirement. About one in eight people in that age range lives in poverty, and many others are just above the threshold, said Claire Casey, president of AARP Foundation. People facing immediate expenses for food and housing often cannot save for later, she said. The foundation’s quarterly surveys offer a more recent view of financial pressures. In its latest summer results, nearly one-third of surveyed low-income older adults said their household had run out of food before they had money to buy more. A similar share said they could not cover a $100 emergency from savings, up from 28% in spring. Among employed older adults, nearly two-thirds reported having at least one additional source of paid work this year, the foundation said. In a separate finding, nearly a third of adults ages 50 to 64 reported a significant drop in household income over the prior three months. Casey said a car breakdown or time away from work to care for a relative can have especially severe consequences for low-income older workers, who may face long periods of unemployment or have to accept lower-paying jobs. One in five older adults in AARP Foundation’s survey described struggling to balance basic needs and save for the future, she said. Housing costs pose a particular burden for older women. Research from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies found that half of the oldest women who head households, and 60% of those who rent, face high housing costs. Older women’s average incomes are lower than men’s, with the gap widening with age. The pressure comes as federal food and health assistance programs undergo changes, including expanded work requirements for some recipients. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program enrollment has fallen by about 5 million people as changes roll out. Republicans have said the changes are intended to reduce fraud; Casey and other advocates worry that additional paperwork could deter eligible people from receiving aid. The 2025 Census figures also predate more recent inflation and increases in gas prices. Casey said the national improvement in poverty did not reach everyone equally, and warned that older adults who cannot build savings during their working years may become more dependent on Social Security.