For couples who have shared a home for decades, finances often work as a joint system. A household may rely on two sources of income, two Social Security benefits, and shared contributions toward everyday expenses. When one spouse dies, those financial circumstances can change significantly.
Western & Southern analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data on hundreds of thousands of households headed by someone aged 50 or older to compare married-couple households with those headed by a surviving spouse. Married-couple households had substantially higher median incomes than surviving-spouse households, and the difference appeared across every age group analyzed.
These figures compare two groups of households at a single point in time rather than following individual households before and after the loss of a spouse. As a result, they show how married-couple and surviving-spouse households differ, not how much income any individual household will lose. The income difference also varied by state and was wider for widows than for widowers within the sample.
Married & Surviving-Spouse Household Income Compared
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, married-couple households aged 50 and older had a median income of $111,000, compared with $40,800 for surviving-spouse households. That is 63% lower median household income among surviving-spouse households.
The income gap between these two groups isn't confined to one stage of later life. Across age groups beginning at 50, surviving-spouse households had between 52% and 59% less income than married couples of the same age. The difference was widest for households in their 50s, and narrowed slightly among older households.
Two other figures help explain the size of the difference. In married-couple households headed by someone aged 50 or older, the higher-earning spouse accounts for 68% of household income in the typical household, according to the Census microdata. Separately, Social Security data also show that benefits for an aged surviving spouse are 40% lower than benefits for an aged couple.
Where a household is located also matters. Using the 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey 5-year sample, we ranked all 50 states by the percentage difference in income between married-couple and surviving-spouse households headed by someone aged 55 or older.
Massachusetts had the widest median household income gap, with surviving-spouse households earning 68% less than married-couple households, followed by Connecticut (66%), New York (65%), and Rhode Island (65%). Hawaii had the narrowest gap, at 49%.
Measured in dollars rather than percentages, the ranking shifts a little. Massachusetts again topped the list, with an annual difference of $91,851 between married-couple and surviving-spouse households. Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey followed, each with a gap above $85,000. At the other end, West Virginia recorded the smallest annual difference, at $46,884.
Widows Head Most Surviving-Spouse Households
Among surviving-spouse households headed by someone aged 50 or older, 76% were headed by a woman and 24% by a man. Widows also had lower median household incomes than widowers within the sample.
Among householders aged 50 and older, widowers had a median income of $48,600, or 56% less than married couples, while widows had a median income of $38,900, or 65% less.
The income difference between widows and widowers appeared in every age group analyzed. Widowers had higher median incomes than widows in each age group, from $68,041 versus $57,010 among those in their 50s to $43,200 versus $32,800 among those aged 80 and older.
Preparing for Changes in Household Income
The income differences in this analysis highlight why couples may want to consider how their household finances could change after a spouse's death. Reviewing life insurance for a spouse, considering sources of lifetime income, and keeping an estate plan current can all be part of a broader financial strategy for the future. These steps can help couples prepare for changes in income, expenses, and other financial responsibilities over time.
Methodology
Western & Southern analyzed U.S. Census Bureau microdata from the 2024 American Community Survey, accessed through IPUMS USA at the University of Minnesota. The sample covers 848,702 households headed by someone aged 50 or older, representing 72.8 million households nationwide. The primary comparison is between the 431,768 sample households headed by a married couple, representing 35.0 million nationally, and the 139,524 headed by a surviving spouse, representing 11.4 million. The remaining 277,410 sample households, headed by someone divorced, never married, separated, or married with a spouse absent, fall outside this comparison.
Of the surviving-spouse households, 76% are headed by a woman and 24% by a man. The age breakdown is 37% aged 80 and older, 34% aged 70 to 79, 21% aged 60 to 69, and 8% aged 50 to 59.
State-level figures draw on the larger 2020 to 2024 five-year sample, covering 2.3 million sample households in the two comparison groups. Social Security figures come from the Social Security Administration's 2026 cost-of-living adjustment fact sheet and its December 2025 beneficiary tables. All Census income figures are in 2024 dollars.
The analysis compares groups at a single point in time and does not track changes within individual households following the death of a spouse. Differences between groups should therefore be interpreted as associations rather than the effects of losing a spouse.
About Western & Southern Financial Group
Founded in Cincinnati in 1888 as The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company, Western & Southern Financial Group, Inc., is No. 321 on the Fortune 500® and the parent company of a group of diversified financial services businesses. It serves 6.3 million customers — individuals, families, businesses, foundations and nonprofits — with a wide range of insurance, investment and retirement solutions through an ever-growing distribution system. Assets owned ($90.0 billion) and managed ($42.3 billion) totaled $132.5 billion as of Mar. 31, 2026.1 Western & Southern is one of the strongest life insurance groups in the world, with seven life insurance subsidiaries that maintain very strong financial strength ratings. For more information, visit westernsouthern.com.
1 The financial information presented here is preliminary and unaudited.
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