Benchmarks: How the seventysomethings live

Here are key attributes of American households headed by people ages 70 to 79, based on a survey of 158,000 households, including 10,315 in the 70-to-79 age range.

One-person household: 28.9%

Median income: $45,000

Income of $100,000 or more: 11.9%

Children under age 6 in the home: 1.2%

Retired head of household: 78.7%

Less than three years at current residence: 13.2%

More than 10 years at current residence: 57.5%

Own home: 83.2%

$25,000 or more in savings: 48.6%

Median net worth: $244,500

Have an IRA: 41.6%

Have a 401(k): 20.3%

Own stock (not counting mutual funds): 32.1%

Have student loan: 0.9%

Use brokerage service: 34.4%

Average amount in bank accounts: $70,031

Average total debt (including mortgages): $59,358

Average nonmortgage debt: $16,404

Of households with credit cards, those with more than a $10,000 balance: 10.4%

Of households with credit cards, those with no outstanding balance: 43.0%

Source: Claritas Inc., 2006 data