Family caregivers by the numbers
Caregivers come from all walks of life, even if people may be most likely to associate caregiving with the paid professionals who work as home health aides or in nursing care settings. However, many caregivers are informal, family caregivers who are not paid for their services, but step in to help someone they love.
Here’s a look at some of the numbers regarding family caregivers, courtesy of the National Alliance for Caregiving, AARP, Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, Respect Care Givers, and the career experts at Zippia.
• 53 million: the number of Americans who are providing unpaid care to a family member or a friend.
• 9.5 million: amount by which caregiver numbers increased between 2015 and 2020.
• One in five: the number of Americans who are caregivers.
• 22: the percentage of caregivers who are middle-aged.
• 46: the average age of an employed caregiver.
• 70: the percentage of working caregivers who suffer work-related difficulties due to their dual roles.
• 34.7: the number of hours employed caregivers work each week, not including caregiver services.
• 70.7: the percentage of family caregivers who are women (29.3 percent are men).
• 88: the percentage of caregivers residing in urban or suburban areas.
• 69: the percentage of caregivers caring for parents or parents-in-law. Fifty-one percent care for a spouse or partner.