AARP

AARP
Basic facts
Location:	New York, N.Y.
Type:	501(c)(4)
Top official:	Myechia Minter-Jordan
Founder(s):	Ethel Percy Andrus
Website:	Official website

AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that has funded electoral campaigns and legal briefs across the country. According to their website, the AARP "empowers people to choose how they live as they age," and focuses "on the priorities of older Americans."

Background

The AARP was founded by Ethel Percy Anderson, a retired school principal, in 1958 as an evolution of a previous organization, the National Retired Teachers Association. The organization initially focused on helping retired teachers obtain health insurance before expanding its efforts to all retired Americans. It continued to expand, advocating for retired Americans, providing education, and collaborating with international partners.

As of December 2025, the AARP says its mission is "to empower people to choose how they live as they age. Our vision is a society in which all people live with dignity and purpose, and fulfill their goals and dreams."

Leadership

In November 2024, Myechia Minter-Jordan was named president of the AARP.

Work and activities

Policy research and recommendations

According to their website, "AARP represents the needs of the more than 100 million older Americans with lifestyles and political views as diverse as any group in the United States. Developing public policy recommendations that serve such diversity is a formidable task. We concentrate on the issues most important to those in the 50+ community as they age: economic security; health care; access to affordable, quality long-term care; creating and maintaining livable communities; consumer protections; caregiving; and ensuring that our democracy works better for all."

The AARP also conducts policy research.

AARP The Magazine

The AARP publishes AARP The Magazine, a magazine that, according to their website, "celebrates key 50+ life stages and lifestyles through three demographic editions, curated for readers in their 50s, 60s, or 70+ years." The magazine has a readership of 38.6 million.

Amicus brief activity

According to their website, the AARP, through the AARP Foundation, "file[s] and support[s] lawsuits that combat senior poverty by promoting economic mobility and financial wellbeing. AARP Foundation conducts legal advocacy to ensure that older adults have a voice and proper representation in the legal system." For a list of lawsuits filed since 2018, click here.

The following are the U.S. Supreme Court cases for which AARP has filed amicus briefs from 2010 to 2016, according to the AARP website.

Amicus briefs filed by AARP in the U.S. Supreme Court, 2010-2016
2010
Henderson v. Shinseki Astrue v. Ratliff
2011
National Federation of Independent Businesses v. Sebelius Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Labs, Inc. Coleman v. Maryland Ct. of Appeals Twp. of Mt. Holly v. Mt. Holly Gardens Citizens in Action
2012
Genesis Healthcare Corp. v. Symczyk Comcast v. Behrend Marx v. Gen Revenue Corp.
2013
FTC v. Actavis Madigan v. Levin University of Texas Southwestern Med. Ctr v. Nassar Mississippi ex rel. Hood v. AU Optronics American Express v. Italian Colors Restaurant McCutcheon v. Federal Election Comm'n Arizona v. Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona Shelby County v. Holder Heimeshoff v. Hartford
2014
Public Employees Pension System of Mississippi v. IndyMac Nautilus v. Biosig Instruments Halliburton v. Erica P. John Fund Chadbourne & Parke LLP v. Troice Berg v. Sebelius Jesinoski v. Contrywide Home Loans POM Wonderful v. Coca-Cola Fifth Third Bancorp v. Dudenhoeffer
2015
Omnicare v. Laborers Dist. Council Constr. Indus. Pension Fund Armstrong v. Exceptional Child Center Caplinger v. Medtronic King v. Burwell Mach Mining v. EEOC Texas Dep't of Housing & Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project Bank of America v. Caulkett and Bank of America v. Toledo-Cardona Montanile v. Bd. of Trustees, National Elevator Industry Health Benefit Plan Tibble v. Edison International
2016
Merril Lynch v. Manning Sergeants Benevolent Ass'n Health & Welfare Fund v. Sanofi-Aventis Cuozzo Speed Technologies v. Lee Universal Health Servs. v. U.S. and Mass. ex rel. Escobar & Correa Tyson Foods v. Bouaphakeo Sheriff v. Gillie Ewald v. Gomez Spokeo v. Robins Goebeille v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.

Notable endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.

Notable ballot measure endorsements by AARP

Measure	Position	Outcome
Illinois Allow for Graduated Income Tax Amendment (2020)  source	Support	Defeated
Washington SJR 8201, Allow Investment of Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Fund in Stocks and Other Equities Amendment (2025)  source	Support	Approved

Affiliations

AARP Foundation

The AARP is the legal branch of the organization. The organization "advocate[s] for the legal rights and interests of people over 50."

AARP Public Policy Institute

The AARP Public Policy Institute is the policy research branch of the organization. The organization focuses on "data-driven research, policy analysis, and innovative solutions... [to change] the conversation on aging, in the U.S. and around the world."

Finances

The following is a breakdown of AARP's revenues and expenses from 2014 to 2023. The information comes from ProPublica.

AARP financial data 2014-2023

Year	Revenue	Expenses
2014	$1. 4 billion	$1.3 billion
2015	$1.5 billion	$1.3 billion
2016	$1.6 billion	$1.6 billion
2017	$1.7 billion	$1.5 billion
2018	$1.8 billion	$1.6 billion
2019	$1.8 billion	$1.6 billion
2020	$1.7 billion	$1.6 billion
2021	$2.0 billion	$1.6 billion
2022	$1.8 billion	$1.7 billion
2023	$1.7 billion	$1.7 billion

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for "AARP + American + Association + Retired + Persons"

All stories may not be relevant to this organization due to the nature of the search engine.

AARP News Feed

Further reading

• Trust Betrayed: Inside the AARP by Dale Van Atta, Regnery Publishing, ISBN 0-89526-485-4
• The AARP: America's Most Powerful Lobby and the Clash of Generations, by Charles R. Morris, Crown, ISBN 0-8129-2753-2
• Will America Grow Up Before It Grows Old? How the Coming Social Security Crisis Threatens You, Your Family, and Your Country, by Peter G. Peterson, Random House, ISBN 0-679-45256-7

See also

• What is an influencer?
• 501(c)(4)
• Federal Election Commission
• 60 Plus Association

External links

• Official website of the AARP
• AARP official history, financial reports, and mission statement

• Social media:
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
• Endorsements and ratings:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Fact-checking:
  • PolitiFact
• Financial:
  • Better Business Bureau
  • Charity Navigator
  • FEC
  • GuideStar
  • Influence Explorer
  • OpenSecrets
• Works by or about:
  • WorldCat
• Media appearances:
  • C-SPAN
  • IMDb
• Media coverage:
  • Bloomberg
  • Christian Science Monitor
  • The Economist
  • Huffington Post
  • New York Times
  • Wall Street Journal
  • Washington Times