Unpaid Caregiving Statistics (2026)
Updated July 2026
38.2 million Americans, 14% of the civilian noninstitutional population aged 15 and over, provided unpaid eldercare in 2023-24. On a given day, 28% of them were actively providing care, spending an average of 3.9 hours doing it. Nearly half were caring for a parent. Half had been doing it for two years or less, but 14% had been doing it for ten years or more. 7.6 million were also parents of children living at home, the group usually described as the sandwich generation.
- 38.2 million people, 14% of the civilian noninstitutional population aged 15 and over, provided unpaid eldercare in 2023-24 (BLS American Time Use Survey).
- On any given day, 28% of providers were actively caring, and they spent an average of 3.9 hours doing so.
- Where the person lives changes everything. Providers caring solely for someone in their own household were 64% likely to provide care on a given day against 18% for those caring for someone in another household, and they spent 3.2 hours a day against 32 minutes.
- For a large minority it is not a short commitment. 50% had provided care for two years or less, but 14% had been doing it for ten years or more, and 25% provided care daily.
- 7.6 million providers were also parents of children living at home, and 55% of them were caring for their own parent. 86% of that group were employed and 72% full time.
- The employment effect is visible in the time data. Providers who were not employed spent 4.8 hours on days they provided care against 2.8 hours for employed providers, and were nearly twice as likely to provide care on any given day.
How many people do this
38.2 million people provided unpaid eldercare in 2023-24, which is 14% of the civilian noninstitutional population aged 15 and over.
The BLS defines an eldercare provider as someone giving unpaid care to a person aged 65 or older who needs help because of a condition related to aging. That includes care for household members, non-household members, and people living in retirement homes or assisted care facilities.
The definition is deliberately wide: it covers grooming, meal preparation and transport, but also companionship and simply being available, which is why the population is far larger than most estimates of family caregiving suggest.
Caregiving peaks in the highest earning years
24% of adults aged 55 to 64 provided eldercare, the highest rate of any age group, followed by 19% of those aged 45 to 54 and 17% of those aged 65 and over.
That is the same stretch of life in which most people are at their peak earnings and doing their heaviest retirement saving.
55% of providers were women, and the gap in who provides is larger than the gap in how much time they spend once they are providing.
Source: BLS American Time Use Survey, Unpaid Eldercare in the United States, 2023-24.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Total providers | 38.2 million |
| Share of the population aged 15 and over | 14% |
| Women | 55% |
| Most likely age group | 55 to 64 (24%) |
| Next most likely | 45 to 54 (19%), then 65 and over (17%) |
| Caring for a parent | 47% |
| Caring solely for someone they live with | 19% |
| Caring solely for someone they do not live with | 79% |
Source: BLS, Unpaid Eldercare in the United States, 2023-24, tables 1 to 3
Living together is what makes it a full-time job
Providers caring solely for someone in their own household were 64% likely to provide care on any given day. Providers caring solely for someone in another household were 18% likely.
The time gap is wider still: 3.2 hours a day against 32 minutes.
Nothing else in this dataset predicts as well. Whether the person being cared for lives with you separates a manageable commitment from something closer to a second job.
Average hours on days care was provided. Source: BLS ATUS, 2023-24.
A short commitment for half of people and a decade for others
50% of providers had been doing it for two years or less. 14% had been doing it for ten years or more.
52% provided care at least several times a week and 25% provided it daily.
The distribution matters more than the average, because a two-year commitment can be absorbed by savings while a ten-year one changes a career.
| Duration or frequency | Share of providers |
|---|---|
| Two years or less | 50% |
| Ten years or more | 14% |
| At least several times a week | 52% |
| Daily | 25% |
| Actively providing care on a given day | 28% |
Source: BLS, Unpaid Eldercare in the United States, 2023-24, tables 2 and 4
The employment gap
Providers who were not employed were 38% likely to provide care on a given day, against 21% for employed providers.
On days they provided care, the not-employed group spent 4.8 hours against 2.8 hours for employed providers.
The BLS data does not establish which way the causation runs, and it almost certainly runs both ways: some people reduce work to provide care, and some people who are already not working take on more of it.
Between two generations at once
7.6 million eldercare providers were also parents of children living at home. 33% had a child under six and 67% had a youngest child aged 6 to 17.
55% of them were caring for their own parent, which is the specific configuration usually meant by the sandwich generation.
86% were employed and 72% full time, so this is overwhelmingly a working group carrying two care responsibilities alongside a job.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Providers who are parents of children at home | 7.6 million |
| Of those, with a child under 6 | 33% |
| Of those, youngest child aged 6 to 17 | 67% |
| Caring for their own parent | 55% |
| Employed | 86% |
| Employed full time | 72% |
| Fathers employed full time | 84% |
| Mothers employed full time | 60% |
| No spouse or partner in the household | 14% |
| Providing care daily | 16% (vs 25% of all providers) |
Source: BLS, Unpaid Eldercare in the United States, 2023-24, table 9
The split inside the sandwich generation
84% of fathers in this group were employed full time against 60% of mothers.
14% had no spouse or unmarried partner in the household, so a meaningful minority are doing all of it alone.
They provided daily care less often than caregivers overall, 16% against 25%, but were just as likely to provide care several times a week, which suggests the constraint is scheduling rather than willingness.
What the care actually consists of
On days they provided care, 42% of providers did caregiving associated with household activities, averaging 53 minutes: 33% around food preparation and cleanup and 15% around housework.
39% did caregiving associated with leisure and sports, averaging 1.3 hours, including 22% who spent time socialising and communicating.
23% did physical care, obtaining medical care, or helping with shopping, cooking, house maintenance and pet care for adults in another household.
The financial cost is mostly invisible in this data
The ATUS measures hours, not dollars, so the direct out-of-pocket cost of caregiving does not appear anywhere in these figures.
The larger cost is usually not out of pocket at all. It is reduced hours, declined promotions and interrupted contributions during the years, 45 to 64, when retirement saving does most of its compounding.
A caregiver who steps back from full-time work for three years loses the salary, the employer retirement match and the growth on both, and the last of those is the largest and the least visible.
What to protect first if you become a caregiver
The retirement contribution is the thing that most often stops quietly, because it is the only major outgoing nobody chases you for.
A spousal IRA is the specific mechanism that keeps a non-earning caregiver's retirement saving going while a working spouse has earned income, and it is the most commonly missed option in exactly this situation.
Social Security is the other one. Years out of the workforce enter the benefit calculation as low or zero earnings years, which is a permanent reduction rather than a temporary one.
Why this is a planning problem and not a budgeting one
Caregiving arrives without notice and lasts an unknown length of time, which is the same shape as the risk an emergency fund exists to cover.
Because 14% of providers are still doing it after ten years, the planning question is not what a bad month costs but what a bad decade does to a career trajectory.
That is the argument for having the conversation about a parent's own resources before the care starts, rather than in the week it becomes necessary.
Where the numbers on this page come from
Every figure is from the BLS American Time Use Survey release Unpaid Eldercare in the United States, 2023-24, published 25 September 2025 as USDL-25-1462, tables 1 through 5 and table 9.
The estimates are averages across the two-year period 2023-24 rather than a single year, which the BLS does to get a usable sample for a subpopulation this specific.
The ATUS is a continuous household survey measuring how people spend time, so all figures are self-reported time use rather than administrative records.
Frequently asked questions
How many Americans are unpaid caregivers?
38.2 million people provided unpaid eldercare in 2023-24, which is 14% of the civilian noninstitutional population aged 15 and over, according to the BLS American Time Use Survey.
How much time does unpaid caregiving take?
On a given day, 28% of providers were actively caring, and they spent an average of 3.9 hours doing it. The figure rises to 4.9 hours for providers aged 65 and over.
Who is most likely to be a caregiver?
Adults aged 55 to 64, at 24%, followed by 45 to 54 at 19% and 65 and over at 17%. 55% of all providers are women.
How long does caregiving last?
50% of providers had been doing it for two years or less, but 14% had been doing it for ten years or more. 25% provide care daily.
How big is the sandwich generation?
7.6 million eldercare providers were also parents of children living at home, and 55% of them were caring for their own parent. 86% of that group were employed and 72% full time.
Does caregiving affect employment?
The two are clearly linked. Providers who were not employed spent 4.8 hours on days they provided care against 2.8 hours for employed providers, and were 38% likely to provide care on any given day against 21%.
Does it matter whether the person lives with you?
It is the strongest predictor in the data. Caring for someone in your own household means providing care on 64% of days for 3.2 hours, against 18% of days and 32 minutes for someone in another household.
What is the financial cost of unpaid caregiving?
The time-use data does not measure dollars. The larger cost is usually reduced hours and interrupted retirement contributions during the years 45 to 64, plus the permanent effect that low-earning years have on a Social Security benefit calculation.
Sources
Figures are compiled from the primary sources above and reflect the most recent data available at the time of writing. This page is informational and not investment advice.
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