The adequacy of the diets of a group of elderly citizens eligible for food assistance compared to that of a group whose income disqualified them for such a program was assessed on the basis of a 24-hour dietary recall. The higher income group had diets significantly more adequate in respect to iron, protein, and riboflavin than the low income group. Both groups had diets less adequate than low income families of all ages. These findings that both age and income adversely affect dietary adequacy suggest that the elderly poor are more vulnerable nutritionally than either the elderly or the poor of all ages.