What Elders Need vs. What they Have in Monterey County

This chart compares the basic cost of living, as quantified by the Elder Standard Index, to three common sources of  income for elders.  The gap between elders' basic living expenses, as shown by the Elder Standard Index lines in black, and their income, as shown by the green bar charts, illustrates the degree of economic instability that far too many elders experience. To view the detailed numerical data behind this visual, click here.

• The average Social Security payment of $12,100 is not enough to live on, and yet, one out of three seniors in California rely exclusively on Social Security to cover their basic costs.
• Women--even those few fortunate enough to have a pension in addition to Social Security--can not meet their expenses if they own a home with a mortgage.
• Men, with a pension in addition to Social Security and other sources of unearned income, are getting by. Renters and home owners without a mortgage have enough income to meet their basic expenses, but men who are still paying off a mortgage fall short of the Elder Standard.
• Public supports are supposed to help close the gap between seniors' income and their expenses, but many elders fall through the cracks:  access to these supports is based on an unrealistically low assessment of what it costs to live, the $10,210 Federal Poverty Line.
• SSI, the program designed to help the most vulnerable population - the  blind, aged, and disabled -- puts them hovering right above the FPL, but far below what it really costs to make ends meet, according to the Elder Standard.

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