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Economic News Release
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Table 2. Eldercare providers by sex and selected characteristics related to care provided, averages for the combined years 2017-2018

Table 2. Eldercare providers by sex and selected characteristics related to care provided, averages for the combined years 2017-2018 [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic Eldercare providers
Total Men Women
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

Total, 15 years and over

 40,422 100.0 16,986 100.0 23,436 100.0

Parent of household children under 18 years

Parent of one or more household children

 8,211 20.3 3,221 19.0 4,989 21.3

Parent of a household child age 6 to 17, none younger

 5,367 13.3 2,153 12.7 3,214 13.7

Parent of a household child under age 6

 2,844 7.0 1,069 6.3 1,775 7.6

Not a parent of a household child

 32,211 79.7 13,765 81.0 18,447 78.7

Number of care recipients

Caring for one person

 28,691 71.0 12,261 72.2 16,430 70.1

Caring for two persons

 8,933 22.1 3,309 19.5 5,624 24.0

Caring for three or more persons

 2,798 6.9 1,417 8.3 1,382 5.9

Relationship to care recipient

Total, all eldercare providers

 40,422 (1)- 16,986 (1)- 23,436 (1)-

Caring for a spouse or unmarried partner(2)

 2,800 6.9 1,084 6.4 1,716 7.3

Caring for a parent

 17,364 43.0 7,434 43.8 9,930 42.4

Caring for a grandparent(3)

 5,888 14.6 2,240 13.2 3,648 15.6

Caring for another related person

 9,952 24.6 4,564 26.9 5,389 23.0

Caring for a friend or neighbor

 6,594 16.3 2,537 14.9 4,056 17.3

Caring for someone else

 2,889 7.1 1,321 7.8 1,568 6.7

Eldercare providers caring for one person only

 28,691 100.0 12,261 100.0 16,430 100.0

Caring for a spouse or unmarried partner(2)

 2,618 9.1 1,034 8.4 1,584 9.6

Caring for a parent

 11,440 39.9 4,904 40.0 6,536 39.8

Caring for a grandparent(3)

 4,464 15.6 1,771 14.4 2,693 16.4

Caring for another related person

 5,920 20.6 2,742 22.4 3,178 19.3

Caring for a friend or neighbor

 3,043 10.6 1,250 10.2 1,793 10.9

Caring for someone else

 1,206 4.2 560 4.6 645 3.9

Age of care recipient

Total, all eldercare providers

 40,422 (1)- 16,986 (1)- 23,436 (1)-

Caring for someone age 65 to 69

 5,308 13.1 2,450 14.4 2,858 12.2

Caring for someone age 70 to 74

 7,329 18.1 3,335 19.6 3,994 17.0

Caring for someone age 75 to 79

 8,873 22.0 4,131 24.3 4,742 20.2

Caring for someone age 80 to 84

 10,202 25.2 3,703 21.8 6,499 27.7

Caring for someone age 85 or older

 15,924 39.4 6,288 37.0 9,636 41.1

Eldercare providers caring for one person only

 28,691 100.0 12,261 100.0 16,430 100.0

Caring for someone age 65 to 69

 3,168 11.0 1,483 12.1 1,685 10.3

Caring for someone age 70 to 74

 3,942 13.7 1,886 15.4 2,056 12.5

Caring for someone age 75 to 79

 4,994 17.4 2,363 19.3 2,631 16.0

Caring for someone age 80 to 84

 5,736 20.0 2,085 17.0 3,651 22.2

Caring for someone age 85 or older

 10,850 37.8 4,444 36.2 6,407 39.0

Care of household or nonhousehold members

Provided eldercare to household member(s) only

 6,068 15.0 2,762 16.3 3,305 14.1

Provided eldercare to nonhousehold member(s) only

 33,627 83.2 13,864 81.6 19,763 84.3

Provided eldercare to both household and nonhousehold person(s)

 728 1.8 360 2.1 367 1.6

Frequency of care(4)

Provided care daily

 8,428 20.8 3,464 20.4 4,963 21.2

Provided care several times a week

 10,080 24.9 4,137 24.4 5,943 25.4

Provided care once a week

 6,822 16.9 3,108 18.3 3,715 15.9

Provided care several times a month

 8,070 20.0 3,359 19.8 4,711 20.1

Provided care once a month

 4,598 11.4 1,922 11.3 2,676 11.4

Other

 2,424 6.0 997 5.9 1,427 6.1

Duration of care(5)

Provided care for less than 1 year

 9,527 23.6 3,634 21.4 5,893 25.1

Provided care for 1 to 2 years

 10,810 26.7 4,218 24.8 6,592 28.1

Provided care for 3 to 4 years

 6,360 15.7 2,935 17.3 3,424 14.6

Provided care for 5 to 9 years

 7,821 19.3 3,405 20.0 4,416 18.8

Provided care for 10 years or more

 5,904 14.6 2,793 16.4 3,111 13.3

Footnotes
(1) Categories sum to more than 100 percent because some eldercare providers cared for more than one person.
(2) Care for a spouse or unmarried partner may be underreported. See the Technical Note for more information.
(3) Refers only to persons caring for a grandparent who did not live with them. Persons caring for a grandparent with whom they lived are included in the category "Caring for another related person."
(4) Survey participants were asked how often they provided care in the past 3 to 4 months; this information was used to categorize them by frequency of care.
(5) For persons who provided eldercare to more than 1 person, the duration of care is calculated based on the person for whom they had cared the longest.

NOTE: Eldercare providers are those who, in the previous 3 to 4 months, cared for someone with a condition related to aging. Estimates were calculated for persons who cared for at least one person age 65 or older. Data refer to persons 15 years and over.

Table of Contents

Last Modified Date: November 22, 2019