Estimates of Unreported Asset Income in the Survey of Consumer Finances and the Relative Importance of Social Security Benefits to the Elderly

Table equivalent for Chart 1.
Percentage distribution of reported and estimated asset income among all elderly units, 1991 (in percent)
Asset income (nominal dollars)	Reported	Estimated with Imputed savings and money market Interest	Estimated with all Imputed Interest
0 or negative	38.89	28.77	24.61
1–99	4.91	10.18	9.71
100–249	3.94	5.58	5.79
250–499	3.67	4.88	6.10
500–749	3.09	3.52	3.99
750–999	1.73	1.79	1.88
1,000–1,499	4.75	5.13	5.60
1,500–1,999	3.90	4.11	4.48
2,000–4,999	11.69	12.35	13.28
5,000–9,999	7.13	7.38	8.04
10,000 or more	16.32	16.32	16.51
SOURCE: Author's calculations using the 1992 Survey of Consumer Finances.

Table equivalent for Chart 2.
Percentage distribution of reported and estimated asset income among all elderly units, 2000
Asset income (nominal dollars)	Reported	Estimated with Imputed savings and money market Interest	Estimated with all Imputed Interest
0 or negative	48.94	30.55	22.74
1–99	1.53	11.85	11.07
100–249	3.80	7.88	6.90
250–499	3.03	4.68	6.78
500–749	3.80	4.58	5.02
750–999	1.22	1.91	2.29
1,000–1,499	2.41	2.66	4.83
1,500–1,999	1.81	2.01	3.47
2,000–4,999	9.21	9.60	11.00
5,000–9,999	7.38	7.42	8.04
10,000 or more	16.86	16.86	17.86
SOURCE: Author's calculations using the 2001 Survey of Consumer Finances.