D-FW retirees predominantly relying on Social Security income are severely short of the basic needed income.
By Alison Saldanha
Dallas Morning News
https://www.dallasnews.com/
Adults 65 and older who want to live alone in a North Texas rental property must have over $36,000 annually to live independently, according to the Elder Index created by researchers at the Gerontology Institute in the University of Massachusetts Boston.
The index is a measure of the basic income older residents need to live securely, based on the cost of essentials in various parts of the U.S. It shows how an elderly resident with a modest Social Security benefit and a small pension could get by in some low-cost locations but struggle financially in other areas where costs are greater.
The basic income needs of older adults in North Texas are much higher than the state average of $32,000. Texas now ranks among the top 10 for the highest share of older adults living below the level established by the Elder Index.
The income estimate covers a no-frills, bare-bones budget, said Caitlin Coyle, director of the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging at the Gerontology Institute. “So this doesn’t include debt, it doesn’t include travel or going out to eat or any kind of discretionary spending at all… People are likely needing even more.”
Diane Shields stands in her driveway and looks down her block in Fort Worth, March 25, 2026. When Shields retired 12 years ago, she spent much of her retirement savings on fixing up her trailer home and Kia sedan hoping she would not outlive the repairs, she said.Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News
Across Dallas, Tarrant and Collin counties, the Elder Index for single renters in relatively good health has increased more than 60%, or roughly $15,000, since 2015.
In Collin County especially, elderly residents face the highest income requirements. A single older adult in good health and renting independently must have about $37,000 to make ends meet, while an elderly couple with a mortgage must have over $58,000.
The average monthly Social Security benefit for retired workers was about $2,000 in 2025, or under $25,000 a year, according to data from the Social Security Administration. The difference indicates that older North Texans who are predominantly relying on Social Security income are falling short by more than $10,000 a year.
Meanwhile, with the federal poverty line at about $16,000, the Elder Index line shows nearly a third of older adults in Texas are living in the gap below the minimum required income. This means they don’t have enough to meet the minimum expenses for living independently in the state and they don’t qualify for aid programs available to those below the poverty line.
Older Texans caught in the affordability gap
Across the state, nearly 30% of older adults living alone and 20% of older couples fall in the gap between the poverty line and the Elder Index.
It’s a story of fragility, Coyle noted, in terms of the world around us increasing in cost and volatility.
“People on fixed income – particularly older adults – just aren’t in a position to absorb that kind of financial uncertainty,” she said. So, if something does come up, they have hard choices to make.
“It’s the difference between driving to church on Sunday vs. not going because you need the gas to go to the doctor on Tuesday,” Coyle said. “Older adults become really resourceful in terms of staying within a budget, but that can sometimes be at the cost of quality of life.”
This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Lisa and Charles Siegel, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.
Data Reporter
Alison is a data reporter at The Dallas Morning News. She has previously worked for The Seattle Times, NPR California’s investigations team and The New York Times’ graphics team, focusing on their Pulitzer-prize winning COVID-19 tracking project. She has reported locally from Washington state, Illinois, California, Michigan and across India.
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
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