Comparing the economically advantaged and the pension elite: 1980 census profiles

The number of economically advantaged retirees has grown rapidly since World War II. About 50% of retired individuals and 40% of retired households in the U.S. in 1980 had family income of more than double the poverty level. Economically advantaged retired households are most often headed by married, noncentral-city homeowners who show residential stability. They tend to have multiple income sources, some with income from at least three sources (the pension elite).