The Caregiving Landscape: Data & Insights on the Caregiver Experience in the U.S.
The Caregiving Landscape: Data & Insights on the Caregiver Experience in the U.S.
Caregiver Pulse: The Heartbeat of Caregiving
Caregiver Pulse is your front-row seat to what family caregivers are really experiencing right now. We go straight to the source—listening to their worries, triumphs, and wish-lists—then distill those voices into a concise, insight-packed report. Open the latest edition to see:
- The top challenges keeping caregivers up at night
- The resources they’re urgently looking for
- Fresh ideas you can act on today to support them better
If you want to understand caregivers—not just talk about them—start with Caregiver Pulse.
Caregiving in the U.S. – At a Glance
105.6M
American caregivers providing some form of care for a loved one (child, parent, or another relative).
Source: RAND, 2024
53M
U.S. adults care for a spouse, elderly parent or relative, or special-needs child.
$600B
The dollar value of services contributed annually by family caregivers. Nearly twice what is spent on homecare and nursing homes combined.
Source: AARP, 2023
18.6B
Hours of unpaid care was provided by family caregivers to people with Alzheimer’s and other cognitive decline.
Who Are Caregivers?
3 in 5 caregivers
are women.
Median age of caregivers of adults is 51 years old.
48% are age 18-49;
34% are 65 or older.
Caregiving Time & Commitment
The average family caregiver spends about 25 hours a week on caregiving activities, and 25% of caregivers may devote over 40 hours per week.
A greater proportion of caregivers of adults are providing care to multiple people now, with 24% caring for two or more recipients,
(up from 18 percent in 2015).
The number of adults working and caregiving rose to 1 in 5,
(up from from 1 in 7 in 2020).
Source: Guardian Life
The Financial Strains of Caregiving
The average family caregiver spends around $7,200 per year out of pocket on caregiving expenses, which can significantly drain their finances.
Source: AARP, March 2025
90% of family caregivers contribute some form of financial support to their loved one’s care. On average, caregivers spend 26% of their income on things such as housing, medical expenses, and transportation.
71% of caregivers are financially struggling. Of those, 63% live paycheck to paycheck.
Source: Newsweek, August 2024
Caregiving & Work
Caregiving & Impact on Caregiver Health
41% of caregivers report low overall well-being — 32% more than non-caregivers.
Source: Guardian Life, 2023
Only 23% of caregivers report having “good” mental health.
40% say that their caregiving responsibilities negatively impact their stress levels.
Source: Guardian Life, 2023
Caregivers are at increased risk for having multiple chronic diseases as they may neglect their own personal health needs while providing care to others.
53.4% of caregivers aged 65 years and older have two or more chronic diseases. 34.8% caregivers aged 45 to 64 years reported two chronic conditions.
