The number of elderly folks living in poverty on Long Island spiked dramatically over the past decade, as thousands say they are unable to make ends meet, according to a new study.
Researchers found that 14,600 of Nassau County seniors reported being in poverty in 2022, the latest available data — an increase of 78% from 2012, according to a report by the Manhattan-based think tank Center for an Urban Future.
Meanwhile, in Suffolk County, 15,692 seniors reported being in poverty, up 48% in the same time period.
“Many of these older New Yorkers are financially insecure and struggling to make ends meet,” the think tank’s executive director, Jonathan Bowles, said in a statement.
“We’re going to see thousands more older adults fall into poverty unless state leaders act now to address affordability challenges facing so many older adults,” he said.
Overall, the total poverty rate among seniors in Nassau County was reported at 5.5% and 5.7% in Suffolk, according to the study, which was first reported by Newsday.
Researchers also found that at least 45% of seniors in both counties had no retirement savings.
Elderly residents — who make up just under a fifth of the Long Island’s total population — reported struggling with housing, food and transportation, according to the study.
Reps from the American Association of Retired Persons, which funded the study, linked the grim findings to a lack of affordable housing and an increase in food cost.
“It’s very jarring to see these numbers and seeing the increase of the cost of food, it literally puts the population between a rock and a hard place,” Beth Finkel, an AARP state director for New York.
Statewide, the number of people 65 and older reporting poverty jumped by 50% between 2012 and 2022, according to the study.
