What Seniors Need to Make Ends Meet: Elder Index in San Benito County

Seniors-no matter what their source of income-often struggle to make ends meet in San Benito County. While support programs can help, many use the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPL) to determine eligibility. The problem is that the FPL is the same dollar amount across the country, and is based entirely on the cost of food. As a result, thousands of economically insecure seniors in San Benito County fall through the cracks of our public systems. The Elder Index is a county-specific measure and includes all of a senior's basic costs (food, housing, medical care, and transportation).

The chart above demonstrates the gap between the Elder Index and the FPL.

The chart below illustrates the gap between the Elder Index and two common sources of income for elders: Social Security and SSI.

Scroll down to view a breakdown of the costs used to calculate the Elder Index, as well as Elder Index information for seniors in a variety of living situations.