It should perhaps come as no surprise, but according to the Elder Index updated annually by the Gerontology Institute of University of Massachusetts Boston, the cost of living for older adults in Massachusetts is higher than anywhere else in the nation.
The 2025 Elder Index for single older adults who rent their homes was $42,324 on average in Massachusetts as compared to $34,032 nationally and just $26,580 in West Virginia, the lowest-cost state. For older couples, the comparable figures were $56,292, $47,016 and $39,696. In other words, it’s cheaper for an older couple to live in West Virginia than for a solo ager in Massachusetts.
As a result, many more seniors in Massachusetts have insufficient income to meet their needs as measured by the Elder Index than in many other states. Six out 10 Massachusetts seniors living alone and 27% of married older couples have incomes below the Elder Index. This compares 43% of single older adults and just 17% of older couples in Delaware.
At the same time, as the chart below shows, fewer single Massachusetts seniors have incomes below the federal poverty level than in some other states, such as Mississippi — 22% as compared to 30% — but more than in many other states, including Vermont, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Iowa, Wyoming and Delaware.
In the Gap
Yet a larger number of Massachusetts seniors fall “in the gap” between the federal poverty level and the Elder Index than in a state like Mississippi. To some extent this is an artefact of the fact that the poverty level is set on a national basis while the Elder Index calculates costs of living at the county level. But it means that in a high-income state such as Massachusetts, more seniors have insufficient income to meet their needs but too much income to qualify for assistance from programs such as MassHealth, SNAP and Supplemental Security Income.
While the numbers are better for older couples, Massachusetts still falls within the top five states in terms of their economic insecurity.
Taken together, the Gerontology Institute calculates that “over 300,000 Massachusetts single or coupled residents aged 65 or older live with incomes below what it takes to cover essentials.”
Variation
While overall the cost of living is high in Massachusetts, it varies considerably around the state from a high of $51,564 a year for a solo ager living on Nantucket to a low of $32,748 in Hampden County. For couples, the range is from $68,256 on Nantucket to $46,160 in Hampden County.
Since incomes also vary by location, so does economic insecurity. Statewide, 22% of Massachusetts seniors have income below the federal poverty level and another 37% have income below the Elder Index, resulting in almost six out of 10 living with economic insecurity. However, these numbers range from highs of 62% of single older adults in the Springfield metro area and Berkshire County to a low of 48% in Barnstable County. Couples fare much better with just 6% below the poverty line and 21% in the gap statewide,.
Users can drill down to their own likely costs of living that includes factors in addition to marital status and location, such as whether they rent or have a mortgage and their health status. (You can check yours here: https://elderindex.org/.)
The Gerontology Institute researchers call on federal and state governments to address the financial constraints facing older Americans who fall into the gap, saying that as “the older population grows, the federal government and each state must . . . consider how policies can contribute to the economic security of older adults living above the federal poverty line, as they also require services and supports that contribute to intermediate- and long-term stability goals.”
We should note that the Elder Index calculation living expenses do not include any additional costs seniors may face in paying for home health or other forms of long-term care. Many older Americans who are getting by as long as they are healthy have no resources to pay for the extra costs they may incur if they need assistance. This can deepen the gap described by the Gerontology Institute if they don’t have the means to pay for their care but have too much income or resources to qualify for public assistance.