Unpaid Eldercare in the United States--2021-2022 Summary

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Thursday, September 21, 2023					   USDL-23-2025

Technical information:	(202) 691-6339  *  atusinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/tus
Media contact:		(202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov


			 UNPAID ELDERCARE IN THE UNITED STATES -- 2021-2022
			       DATA FROM THE AMERICAN TIME USE SURVEY


Fourteen percent of the civilian noninstitutional population age 15 and over, or 37.1 million people, provided
unpaid eldercare, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. A little over one-fourth (28 percent)
of eldercare providers engaged in unpaid eldercare on a given day, spending an average of 3.6 hours providing
this care. These estimates are averages for the 2-year period of 2021-22.

Eldercare providers are defined as individuals who provide unpaid care to someone age 65 or older who needs
help because of a condition related to aging. This care can be provided to household or nonhousehold members,
as well as persons living in retirement homes or assisted care facilities. Eldercare can involve a range of
care activities, such as assisting with grooming, preparing meals, and providing transportation. Eldercare
also can involve providing companionship or being available to assist when help is needed, and thus it can
be associated with nearly any activity.

Information about eldercare providers and the time they spend providing care are collected as part of the
American Time Use Survey (ATUS). The ATUS is a continuous household survey that provides estimates on how
people spend their time. For a description of ATUS data, concepts, and methodology, see the Technical Note.

Eldercare providers in 2021-22

 --Of the 37.1 million eldercare providers in the civilian noninstitutional population age 15 and over, the
   majority (59 percent) were women. (See table 1.)

 --Individuals ages 45 to 54 (20 percent) and 55 to 64 (21 percent) were the most likely to provide eldercare,
   followed by those ages 65 and over (15 percent). (See table 1.)

 --Fifty percent of eldercare providers had provided this care for 2 years or less, and 15 percent had provided
   care for 10 years or more. (See table 2.)

 --Nearly one-half of eldercare providers provided care at least several times a week, and almost one-quarter
   provided care daily. (See table 2.)

 --Thirty-seven percent of eldercare providers cared for someone age 85 or older, while 15 percent provided
   care for someone age 65 to 69. (See table 2.)

 --Over half of eldercare providers ages 25 to 34 cared for a grandparent, while the majority of providers
   ages 35 to 64 cared for a parent. Providers ages 65 and over were more likely than those in other age groups
   to care for a friend or neighbor. (See table 3.)

 --Seventeen percent of eldercare providers cared solely for someone with whom they lived, and 81 percent cared
   solely for someone with whom they did not live. (See table 2.) 

Time spent providing eldercare in 2021-22

 --On a given day, a little over one-fourth (28 percent) of eldercare providers engaged in eldercare. They spent
   an average of 3.6 hours in caregiving activities on days they provided care. (See table 4.)

 --Compared with those in other age groups, eldercare providers who were ages 65 and older were the most likely
   to provide care on a given day (38 percent). On days they provided care, they spent 4.9 hours doing so. (See 
   table 4.)

 --Those who provided eldercare for someone solely in their household were more than three times as likely to
   provide eldercare on a given day than those who provided care solely for someone living in another household--
   66 percent compared with 19 percent. They also spent more time providing this care on an average day--2.9 hours
   compared to 35 minutes a day. (See table 4.)

 --Eldercare providers who cared solely for a parent spent an average of 1 hour per day providing eldercare
   (includes days they did and did not provide care). (See table 4.)

 --Providers who were not employed spent more time providing eldercare (4.4 hours) than employed providers (2.8
   hours) on days they provided care. (See table 4.)

 --Among eldercare providers, women and men were about equally likely to provide eldercare on a given day--28
   percent of female eldercare providers and 27 percent of male eldercare providers engaged in eldercare 
   activities on an average day. On days they provided care, they spent the same amount of time providing this
   care (3.6 hours). (See table 4.)

Eldercare activities in 2021-22

 --On days they provided care, 40 percent of eldercare providers engaged in caregiving associated with household
   activities, spending on average 42 minutes per day in these activities. This includes 27 percent of providers
   who engaged in eldercare associated with food preparation and cleanup and 15 percent who provided eldercare
   associated with housework. (See table 5.) 

 --Thirty-four percent of eldercare providers engaged in caregiving associated with leisure and sports on days
   they provided care, spending 1.1 hours per day in these activities. This includes 19 percent of eldercare
   providers who engaged in eldercare associated with socializing and communicating, spending 21 minutes per
   day in these activities. (See table 5.)

Eldercare providers who were parents with children under age 18 living at home in 2021-22

 --There were 7.8 million eldercare providers who were parents of children living at home. Of these parents,
   about one-third (32 percent) had a child under age 6, and the remainder (68 percent) were parents whose 
   youngest child was between the ages of 6 and 17. (See table 9.) 

 --Fifty-seven percent of eldercare providers who were parents of children living at home provided care for
   their own parent. These persons sometimes are described as members of the “sandwich generation,” because
   they are in between two generations that require care. (See table 9.)

 --Most (82 percent) eldercare providers who were parents were employed, and 71 percent were employed full 
   time. Eighty-seven percent of fathers were employed full time, compared with 60 percent of mothers. (See
   table 9.)  

 --Thirteen percent of eldercare providers who were parents had no spouse or unmarried partner present in the
   household. (See table 9.) 

 --Eldercare providers who were parents were less likely to provide daily care than the overall population of
   eldercare providers (14 percent compared with 24 percent) but just as likely to provide care several times
   a week (24 percent). (See tables 2 and 9.)

 --On a given day, 19 percent of eldercare providers who were also parents of children living at home
   engaged in eldercare. On days they provided eldercare, they spent 2.4 hours doing so. (See table 4.)