Statistics

This fact sheet explains the role pensions play in the overall retirement security of American workers, retirees, and their families.

Increasingly, retirement savings plans have become the way American workers accumulate the money they will need to supplement their Social Security payments in retirement.

Today’s older adults typically have a number of sources of income. For most, the primary source of income is Social Security. Other sources are income from investments and other assets, pensions and other retirement plans, earnings from work and, for a small percentage, public assistance programs and veterans benefits.

Nearly nine in ten older adults receives income from Social Security. Below are statistics on the benefits received by older adults, by average, median and relative importance.