Percent of Population in Poverty by Age Group
1969-1999
- The statewide poverty rate for the total population displayed almost no change over the 1990s, but both the younger and elderly populations achieved some reduction in poverty.
- Washington's elderly population is the only group to show a significant decline in poverty. In 1969, 23 percent of the elderly, more than one in five, lived in poverty. By 1999, following national trends, this percentage dropped to 7.5 percent. The decrease in poverty among persons age 65 and over is due to the expansion of Social Security and Medicare benefits and adjusting benefits for inflation.
Data Source:
Last modified: June 5, 2004
E-mail: OFM.Forecasting@ofm.wa.gov
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