The percentage of seniors 65 and over living in poverty by sex is a measure of the overall economic health of these groups and may reflect disparities in access to economic opportunity. It also indicates the level of need for targeted social and government supports within the community.

In general, the poverty rate among senior women is higher than senior men. The 2017-21 poverty rate among female and male seniors in the region were 9% and 7% respectively. These are slightly lower than the statewide rates of 13% for senior women and 10% for senior men and the national rates of 11% for senior women and 8% for senior men. Poverty rates among senior men and women in both the region and the state remained largely unchanged from 2000 to 2017-21.

In the City of Rochester, poverty was higher among both senior women and men at 20% and 18% respectively in 2017-21. These rates have increased 4 points since 2000.

Among the regional counties, poverty rates for senior women in 2017-21 were highest in Yates and Wayne counties (13% and 12% respectively) while the poverty rates for senior men were highest in Yates (at 11%) followed by Orleans (at 9%).

Women in general are more likely to live in poverty than men due to limited employment opportunities, a persistent wage gap, and more interrupted work histories (exiting and reentering the labor force more frequently than men due to unpaid caregiving) limiting their long-term earning potential. This gender difference in poverty persists into late-life due to lower pensions and Social Security benefits which are based on lifetime career earnings that are structurally lower than men. While 401(k) accounts have largely replaced pensions in the private sector, the over representation of women in low-wage jobs often leads to inadequate retirement savings. Additionally, because women live longer than men, they are often single or widowed and face more expensive health problems with limited resources.

The multi-year figures are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The bureau combined five years of responses to the survey to provide estimates for smaller geographic areas and increase the precision of its estimates. The survey provides data on characteristics of the population that used to be collected only during the decennial census. Poverty status is not reported for people in institutions, including college dormitories and military barracks, and people in living situations without conventional housing. Data for this indicator are expected to be released in the fourth quarter.