Unpaid Eldercare in the United States--2023-2024 Summary

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Thursday, September 25, 2025	                       USDL-25-1462

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 -- 2023-2024
                             DATA FROM THE AMERICAN TIME USE SURVEY


Fourteen percent of the civilian noninstitutional population age 15 and over, or 38.2 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 3.9 hours providing this care. These estimates are averages for the
2-year period of 2023-24.

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 people 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 involves 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 2023-24

 --Of the 38.2 million eldercare providers in the civilian noninstitutional population age 15
   and over, the majority (55 percent) were women. (See table 1.)

 --Individuals ages 55 to 64 (24 percent) and 45 to 54 (19 percent) were the most likely to
   provide eldercare, followed by those ages 65 and over (17 percent). (See table 1.)

 --Fifty percent of eldercare providers had provided this care for 2 years or less, while 14
   percent had provided care for 10 years or more. (See table 2.)

 --Over one-half of eldercare providers provided care at least several times a week (52
   percent), and one-quarter provided care daily. (See table 2.)

 --Almost half of eldercare providers cared for a parent (47 percent). Those ages 35-64 were
   more likely than those in other age groups to care for a parent, while those ages 25-34
   were more likely to care for a grandparent. (See table 3.)

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

Time spent providing eldercare in 2023-24

 --On a given day, a little over one-fourth (28 percent) of eldercare providers engaged in
   eldercare. They spent an average of 3.9 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 (40 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--64 percent compared with 18 percent. They also
   spent more time providing this care on an average day--3.2 hours compared to 32 minutes
   a day. (See table 4.)

 --Eldercare providers who cared solely for a parent spent 1.1 hours per day providing
   eldercare on an average day. (See table 4.)

 --Providers who were not employed were more likely than providers who were employed to
   provide care on an average day--38 percent compared to 21 percent. Those who were not
   employed also spent more time providing eldercare (4.8 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--29 percent of female eldercare providers and 26 percent of male eldercare
   providers engaged in eldercare activities on an average day. On days they provided care,
   they spent about the same amount of time providing this care (4.0 hours for women and 3.8
   hours for men). (See table 4.)

Eldercare activities in 2023-24

 --On days they provided care, 42 percent of eldercare providers engaged in caregiving
   associated with household activities, spending on average 53 minutes per day in these
   activities. This includes providers who engaged in eldercare associated with food
   preparation and cleanup (33 percent) and those who provided eldercare associated with
   housework (15 percent). (See table 5.) 

 --Thirty-nine percent of eldercare providers engaged in caregiving associated with leisure
   and sports on days they provided care, spending 1.3 hours per day in these activities. This
   includes 22 percent of eldercare providers who engaged in eldercare associated with
   socializing and communicating, spending 25 minutes per day in these activities. (See table
   5.)

 --On days they provided care, 23 percent of eldercare providers engaged in caring activities
   associated with physical care, providing and obtaining medical care, and in helping 
   activities such as assistance with shopping, cooking, house maintenance, and pet care for
   adults living in another household. (See table 5.)	

Eldercare providers who were parents with children under age 18 living at home in 2023-24

 --There were 7.6 million eldercare providers who were parents of children living at home. Of
   these parents, one-third (33 percent) had a child under age 6, and the remainder (67
   percent) were parents whose youngest child was between the ages of 6 and 17. (See table 9.) 

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

 --Most (86 percent) eldercare providers who were parents were employed, and 72 percent were
   employed full time. Eighty-four percent of fathers were employed full time, compared with
   60 percent of mothers. (See table 9.)  

 --Fourteen 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 (16 percent compared with 25 percent) but just as
   likely to provide care several times a week (27 percent). (See tables 2 and 9.)

 --On a given day, 18 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.)