Family Caregiving in America: The Hidden Workforce Behind Long-Term Care

The U.S. Census Bureau describes 2030 as a major demographic turning point: by then, every baby boomer will be over age 65, and about one in five Americans will be retirement age.

By 2034, the Census Bureau projects that Americans age 65 and older will outnumber children under 18 for the first time in U.S. history. The population that needs care is growing, and it is growing quickly.

According to the 2025 AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving report, 63 million Americans are family caregivers — nearly one in four U.S. adults.

That population grew by about 20 million people, or roughly 45%, between 2015 and 2025. Of those 63 million, 59 million are caring for adults with medical conditions or disabilities.

Family caregivers provided an estimated 49.5 billion hours of unpaid care in 2024. AARP estimates that labor would be worth about $1.01 trillion annually if it were paid at market rates.

This work is carried largely by family members — often adult children balancing careers, their own children, and finances. 29% of caregivers are in the sandwich generation, supporting children and adults at the same time.

The burden on caregivers is rarely the care itself. It is the coordination: medications across multiple prescribers, appointments at different sites, tasks shared between siblings and visiting professionals, and communication that happens in scattered messages.

As the population ages and care moves toward the home, that coordination work grows. The people doing it are unpaid, and the systems meant to help them do not always work together.