Two recent reports on family caregivers capture the scale and nature of caregiving activities. Regarding the number of adult family caregivers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the National Caregiving Alliance (NAC) put the number at 38 million and 59 million, respectively. There is a large range, but the main reason for the difference is simply that the BLS includes only unpaid family caregivers of older Americans, whereas the NAC numbers cover all family caregivers (unpaid and paid) of adults of all ages.
BLS results
According to BLS research, in 2023 and 2024, 14 percent of Americans age 15 and older provided some form of unpaid care to someone age 65 and older. Not surprisingly, the likelihood of providing care increases with age until the caregivers themselves are near retirement. And the pattern also differs by age. For example, young adult caregivers are more likely to care for grandparents. Middle-aged parental caregivers. and the spouse's oldest caregiver. Additionally, caregivers aged 55 and older spend more time providing care on average than younger caregivers. Less than an hour per day, compared to 1-2 hours per day.
NAC results
NAC conducts a survey of caregivers every five years with support from AARP. Its “Caregiving in the US 2025” study found that 59 million Americans provide care to an adult family member, an increase of more than 40 percent from 10 years ago.
Approximately 11 million of these family caregivers are paid. Payment is available under Medicaid provisions for home and community-based services, which vary by state. It is noteworthy that the majority of these paid caregivers also report providing unpaid care as well.
Four in 10 caregivers live with their care recipient, and about one-fifth of them provide more than 21 hours of care per week. One-third of family caregivers also receive paid assistance. Duration of care varied considerably, with a quarter having cared for less than six months and 15% having cared for more than 10 years (see Figure 1).
The NAC study had some other interesting findings that show that our society appears to be adapting to new technology and an aging population.
For example, the number of family caregivers using some form of remote monitoring device increased from 13 percent in 2020 to 25 percent in 2025. Employers are also offering more benefits than reported in previous research, including paid sick leave, paid and unpaid family leave, flexible work hours, remote work, and other programs to support caregivers.
However, juggling work and caregiving responsibilities remains difficult, with 56% of employed family caregivers saying they have had to come in late, leave early, or take time off from work because of their caregiving responsibilities. 18% have reduced their working hours. 16% are on leave of absence.
The bottom line is that family care is at the core of aged care, and the more family carers we can support, the less stress will be placed on the rest of the aged care system.
For more information about Harry Margolis, check out his blog, Risking Old Age in America, and his podcast. He also answers consumer estate planning questions at AskHarry.info. To stay up to date with the Squared Away blog, join our free email list.
