Economic Status of Aged Chart l.-Sources of income of agedly5;sons in the United States, December Persons and Dependent Survivors, The importance of old-age and survivors insurance as a source of income for aged persons continued to grow throughout 1953. At the end of the year, about 57 per ent of all persons aged 65 and, over 1 who were not primarily dependent on earnings were receiving old-age and survivors insurance benefits or insurance bene- fits or pensions under related pro- grams. The proportion of all aged persons with income from employ- ment in December (2’7 percent) was

Table L-Estimated number of per- sons aged 65 and over receiving income from specified sources, December 1953 1 [In millions] - Source of income Total Men Miomen -- Total population aged 6.5and over ______13.7 6.4 7.3 I- - -- Employment ______3.7 2.3 EF%rlXW-. ______2.8 2.3 ‘2 Wives of earners .______.Q .__-__ .Q Social insurance and re- lated progmms: Old-age and survivors insurance-- ______4.6 2.4 2.2 Railroad retirement---_ .4 .2 .2 CTovernment employee retirement proqams. .4 .2 .2 Veterans’ compensation and pension prosram- .4 .2 .I Fives of beneficinries not in direct receipt of benefits- ______-___-- .2 Approximately 6 million persons their benefits are low (the minimum Old-age assistance.-..-. 2:: 1.0 -l 1.5 Receiving income from aged 65 and over were drawin& old- for an aged worker is $25 a month, more than om of spec- ified sowces _____.___’ 1.1 .i .4 age and survivors insurance benefits for a wife it is $12.50, and for a Employment and old- age?and survivors in- or benefits under a related program. widow it is $16.75 a month). Other surance ______.4 .3 .I About the same number of persons beneficiaries may have special needs, Old-age assistance and pld-age and survivors as in June 1953 were receiving bene- such as the need for medical care or nlsurance ______.1 .2 Other ______.2 .I fits under the railroad retirement medicines, that cannot be met from Persons with no monev program, under Federal, State, and their old-age and survivors insurance income or inconie solely from other local employee retirement programs, benefit and whatever other resources sources---.----~-----~ 2.5 .f 1 1.9 and under the veterans’ compensation -if any-they lmay have. - and pension programs. Perhaps 800,- About 400,000 aged beneficiaries 1 Continental United States. 000 persons aged 65 and over (includ- of old-age and survivors insurance Source: Number of persons of specified age, sex, marital, and earner status estimated from published ing the aged wives of pensioners) also had some income from employ- and unpublished data of the Bureau of the Census. Xumber of persons receiving payments under so- were receiving income from private ment. Some of these persons were cial insurance and relsted programs and from old- pension plans at the end of 1953. aged 75 and over and thus no longer age assistance, reported by administrative agencies (partly estimated). Most, but not all, of the persons re- subject to the retirement test; others ceiving private pensions were also were substantially retired but had lower than at any other time in re- drawing benefits under one of the some employment and earnings dur- cent years. This decline probably re- public programs. ing the period. Some of the persons flected not on!y a cont.inuing trend Some 2.5 million aged persons were receiving benefits under the railroad but also the current employment receiving old-age assistance. Of this retirement, Government employee situation. Aged persons receiving number, about 400,000 were also retirement, and veterans’ programs old-age and survivors insurance bene- getting old-age and survivors insur- had, in addition, earning from em- fits numbered 4.6 million--34 per- ance, Some old-age and survivors in- ployment; the number is too small cent of all aged persons in the popu- surance beneficiaries may receive to show on the accompanying chart. lation. supplementary assistance because Neither was it possible to show there

Bulletin, 17 Table 2.-Estimated number of Because the life insurance protec- HILL, JAMES C. “Stabilization of widows under age 65 and of children tion of old-age and survivors insur- Fringe Benefits.” Industrial and under age 18 with father dead, re- Labor Relations Review, Ithaca, ceiving income from specified ance is effective after only 6 quarters of covered employment, the program N. Y., Vol. 7, Jan. 1954, pp. 221-234. sources, December 1953 * $1.50. [In millions] already reaches a large proportion of children and their mothers. Half INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COUNSELORS. Widows nuder of all paternal orphans in the United Basic Factors Influencing Indus- age 65 * trial Relations Trends. (Industrial - States and more than one-third of Pe- Relations Memo, No. 130.) New With terns1 all widows under age 65 who have a York: The Counselors, 1953. 17 Source of income 1 or lrphans child under age 18 in their care are more under PP. $1. Total chil- age 18 3 now receiving survivor benefits under JOHNSON, THOMAS F., and CALHOUN, dren under the old-age and survivors insurance LEONARD J. “The Guaranteed An- age 18 program. Some additional widows nual Wage in Collective Bargain- -- would be eligible for benefits if they ing-Some Problems.” American Total in populatioa a-_ 3.6 0.8 2.0 stopped working. About one-seventh Economic Security, Washington, Employment ______2.0 .4 (6) of the paternal orphans in the United Vol. 11, Jan.-Feb. 1954, pp. 18-27. Social insurance and re- lated programs: States are receiving benefit pay- 25 cents. Old?ge and survivors “New Social Insurance Act in Israel.” insurance____---___ .3 .3 1.0 ments under the veterans’ program. Veterans’ compenssntiorl- Only one-tenth were receiving aid Industry and Labour, Geneva, Vol. .3 pre&E%lZl--..--.---. .5 to dependent children in December 11, Mar. 15, 1954, pp. 259-262. 25 Other~-~--~---~-~_~~ (9 v).’ .l cents. Aid to dependent chil 1953. As old-age and survivors in- dren ______.l .I .2 SHAFFER, HELEN B. “Worker Welfare surance has taken over an increasing Funds.” Editorial Research Re- 1 Continental United St&es. share in the support of orphaned ports, Washington, Vol. 1, Mar. 10, * Excludes widows who have remarried. children, the program of aid to de- 3 Includes children not living with widowed 1954, entire issue. mother. pendent children has been devoted Discusses the postwar growth of 4 Includes persons with no income and income solely from sources other then those listed. Some more largely to meeting the needs of employee welfare funds and the persons received income from more than one source. children in need because of the dis- problems resulting from huge fund 5 Data from a survey made by the Bureau of the Census for the Social Security Administration in ability of a parent or the absence of accumulations. October 1949suggest that perhaps 6 in 10 paternal “Social Insurance Amendments in orphans under age 18are likely at any one time to be the father from the home. in households with an employed heed related to Greece.” Industry and Labour, them, and that about 1 in 20, including some of the Geneva, Vol. 11, Mar. 1, 1954, PP. 6-in-10 group, are themselres employed oh either a full- or part-time basis. 214-216. 25 cents. aRailroad retirement and Federal emnloyce_ _ re- tirement programs. Recent Publicatzons” UNITED NATIONS. Special Study on ’ Fewer than 50,000. Economic Conditions and Develop- Somce: Number of widows in the population and ment in Non-Self-Governing Ter- nurhber wit.h elnployment and with children under Social Security Administration age 18 estirhated from Bureau of the Census data. Titories. New York: United Na- Number of paternal orphans under age 18 based on BUREAU OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. DI- tions, 1952. 415 pp. $3. October 1949estimate prepared by the Dirision of VISION OF PROGRAM STATISTICS AND the Actuary, Social Security Administration. Num- U. S. CONGRESS. HOUSE. COMMIT- ber of persons receiving payments under social in- ANALYSIS. Assistance Pay,ments surnnce ahd related progwms and from eid to de- TEE ON WAYS AND MEANS. SUB- pendent childrerr, reported by administrative Under State - Federal Programs, COMMITTEE ON SOCIAL SECURITY. agericies (partly estimated). December 1952. Washington : The Analysis of the Social Security Bureau, Mar. 1954. 27 pp. Proc- System. Hearings, Eighty -third the small number receiving both essed. Limited free distribution, Congress, First Session, Appendix old-age and survivors insurance or apply to the Bureau of Public II, Miscellaneous Documents. old-age assistance and benefits un- Assistance, Social Security Admin- Washington : U. S. Govt. Print. istration, Washington 25, D. C. der one of these other programs- off., 1954. in most instances under the veter- General Twenty papers, including Memo- ans’ program. randum on Rights of Individuals Un- COHEN, WILBUR J. “Health, Welfare, There were approximately 2.5 mil- der the Old-Age Assistance Pro- and Pension Plans under Wage grams, by the subcommittee staff: a lion persons aged 65 or over in De- Stabilization.” Industrial and La- Memorandum on Public Assistance, cember 1953 with no income from bor Relations Review, Ithaca, N. Y., by the Bureau of the Budget: reprints employment or from any of the list- Vol. 7, Jan. 1954, pp. 235-245. $1.50. of papers by A. Delafield Smith, ed public programs. About three- “European Social Security Agree- Jarle Leirfallom, Eveline Burns, and fourths of them were women. A very ments.” Industry and Labour, Albert Linton on various aspects of few may have received private pen- Geneva, Vol. 11, Mar. 1, 1954, pp. social security; a survey of citizen- sions, although private pension plans 212-213. 25 cents. ship and residence provisions and of the financing aspects of foreign so- generally do not provide pensions to * Prepared in the Library of the Depart- widows, who made up a large part cial insurance plans, and a compar- ment cf Health, Education, and Welfare. ison of the programs of the United of this group. Others had income Orders for items listed should be directed to publishers and booksellers; Federal pub- States, Greece, Italy, Ireland, and from private savings or investments Israel, by the Legislative Reference or may have lived on assets. Many lications for which prices are listed should be ordered from the Superintendent of Service of the Library of Congress; no doubt lived with or were partly Documents, U. S. Government Printing and a tabulation showing the nation- or wholly dependent on relatives. Office, Washington 25, D. C. (Continued on page 21)

18 Social Security