Am I a “Senior Citizen”?

This year I turned 50, and like most 50-year-olds in the US, AARP was the first one to wish me a Happy Birthday and they sent me a mailer wishing me a “Happy Birthday”, and I was eligible to join. That got me thinking about what it means and do people see me as a senior. 

When I think of a “senior citizen” I certainly don’t think of myself or people around my age. I think of someone who is much less active than they used to be and they are starting to slow down. Take my dad, for example, he is over 80 and I still don’t think of him as a senior. He is more active than most people half his age.  

So this got me thinking…

Who actually is a senior? 

After some research, there seems to be a lot of opinions about what age you are considered a “senior”, and it really seems to depend on who you ask. 

In the United States, the term “senior citizen” (The catchall phrase for our “older population”), typically refers to someone who is above the age of 60 and is retired. Here are some different organizations and companies that qualify you as a senior. 

• According to Medicare, a senior citizen is anyone 65 and older
• The federal government’s Housing for Older Persons Act says if you are 55 plus and 62 plus then you could be eligible for their senior apartments, independent living, and retirement communities
• Social Security states 67 is retirement age but benefits for seniors can start at 62
• The IRS says you need to wait until you are 59½ to access your pension plan, 401k or IRA. If you withdraw money before then you could pay a 10% early withdrawal penalty
• It seems that the RMVs consider you a senior if you are 65 or older
• Senior housing consensus say 55 and older
• Subway, Burger King, and Ben & Jerry’s all offer senior discounts for customers 60 and up

After looking at all the different ages that qualify you as a “senior”, it doesn’t matter if you are 50, 60, 75, or even 100, it’s just a number.

After taking a small (and very unscientific poll), I found that people seem to consider themselves seniors based on different stages of their lives. Whether it is retiring, downsizing to a smaller home or having grandchildren, but most don’t seem to think a specific age makes you a “senior citizen”.

We would love to know; at what age do you think someone is considered a “senior citizen”?