Americans are now providing more than $1 trillion in unpaid family caregiving a year

By Jessica Hall

A total of 59 million Americans are caregivers to adults in the U.S.

AARP found that 22.5% of all adults reported they are providing care for one or more adults aged 18 or older.

The value of unpaid family caregiving now tops $1 trillion a year - a 67% increase since 2021 - due in part to an increase in the number of hours of care being provided to adults in the U.S., according to AARP.

A total of 59 million Americans are caregivers of adults - providing care for older parents, spouses, neighbors and other loved ones, and contributing 49.5 billion hours of care annually, AARP said. That work in 2024 would be valued at $1.01 trillion a year if paid in the marketplace, based on a value of $20.41 per hour, AARP found. That's compared to $600 billion in the total value of care in 2021.

"We hear from family caregivers every day. Their stories are powerful and often painful," Myechia Minter-Jordan, chief executive of AARP, said in a press briefing. "They're managing medications, coordinating appointments, assisting with essential needs like bathing and dressing and navigating insurance claims, and many are doing all of this while working, while raising children and trying to stay afloat both financially and emotionally."

The value of unpaid family caregiving topped all Medicaid spending of $932 billion in 2024, as well as all out-of-pocket healthcare spending of $557 billion, AARP said.

"Family caregivers are holding up a system that Americans nationwide rely on every day," Minter-Jordan said. "We need to do better."

The report comes as people are living longer and 11,000 Americans are turning 65 every day through 2027, in a demographic bubble known as "Peak 65." A separate 2024 AARP survey found that 75% of older adults want to stay in their homes as they age - but many will need assistance to do that.

The cost of healthcare has risen so much that people are skipping meals to afford it. As a result, the burden of care often falls on family members and other loved ones. Without such unpaid family support, older adults would go without care or end up in institutionalized care, which would further burden the healthcare system and public programs like Medicaid.

A nonmedical caregiver - who provides assistance with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing and feeding - costs a median rate of $80,080 a year, according to a 2025 CareScout report. Meanwhile, the national median daily rate for a semiprivate room in a nursing home is $114,975 a year, CareScout said.

Given those costs, eldercare has increasingly shifted to unpaid family caregivers. AARP found that 22.5% of all adults reported they are providing care for one or more adults aged 18 or older. The 49.5 billion hours of care provided in 2024 - up from 36 billion in 2021 - is the equivalent of nearly 24 million full-time workers, or roughly 17% of the entire U.S. full-time workforce, AARP said.

Family caregivers are spending more time providing care, averaging 27 hours each week. More than half of caregivers (57%) now provide high-intensity care - meaning they spend more hours helping with daily tasks like bathing and dressing, as well as complex medical and nursing tasks like wound care and administering injections, Minter-Jordan said.

"It is clear that employers, healthcare providers and policymakers must do more to recognize and support [caregivers], as they continue to fill critical gaps in our healthcare system," she said.

Read: Unpaid caregiving can delay your retirement by as much as 21 years

There have been policy efforts to support unpaid family caregivers. Oklahoma became the first state in 2023 to pass a comprehensive statewide caregiver tax credit, followed by Nebraska in 2024. A dozen states have considered smiliar tax-credit measures in their 2026 legislative sessions, AARP said.

The advocacy group said it is working to advance the Credit for Caring Act, federal legislation that would provide financial relief to eligible working family caregivers through a $5,000 nonrefundable federal tax credit to help offset caregiving expenses, and the Lowering Costs for Caregivers Act, a bill that would allow family caregivers to use their health savings accounts or flexible spending accounts for a parent or parent-in-law's qualified medical expenses.

Unpaid family caregivers spend an average of $7,200 a year on out-of-pocket expenses such as housing, healthcare and transportation, and spend even more for family members with memory-care issues such as Alzheimer's, a separate TIAA study found.

"Behind every data point ... is a person - a daughter, a husband, a grandchild, a neighbor. These are extraordinary Americans providing extraordinary care every single day. They deserve some financial relief at the very least," said Nancy Leamond, AARP's chief advocacy and engagement officer.

-Jessica Hall

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03-27-26 1212ET