For older Americans, the cost of poverty is 9 years of life, study finds

MGN

Wealth has long been tied to longevity in the U.S. and other countries, but a new analysis helps quantify the gap between how long low-income older Americans and their more affluent peers tend to live.

Low-income people over 60 years old die an average of nine years earlier than high-income older Americans, according to the new study from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and University of Massachusetts Boston’s LeadingAge LTSS Center, which studies aging.

Generally, middle-income older Americans are also dying younger than wealthier people, the researchers founds. About 15% of seniors with annual household incomes of roughly $60,000 died during the four-year study period, compared with about 11% in households with incomes of around $120,000.

“This is the first time we’ve tied h