Family caregiving emerges as a trillion-dollar economic force

New national data shows 63 million Americans provided care in the past year, putting family caregiving at the center of the U.S. workforce and care economy. The findings underscore rising pressure on employers, public programs and kinship families that often do this work with little support.

Why it matters: - Family caregiving now affects the labor force, household finances and the broader care economy at the same time. - The scale is big enough to strain employers, Medicaid systems and family stability. - Kinship families raising children outside formal foster care are part of the same pressure point and are often undercounted.

What happened: - AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving reported in 2025 that 63 million Americans, nearly one in four adults, provided ongoing care for an adult or a child with a complex medical condition or disability in the prior year. - The number of caregivers was up by roughly 20 million from 2015. - Six in 10 family caregivers were employed, and half of working caregivers said caregiving disrupted work through late arrivals or early departures. - Natasha Broxton, a Milwaukee entrepreneur and relative caregiver advocate, said caregiving can change a family’s life overnight and requires information, financial support, workplace flexibility and easier systems to navigate.

The details: - The AARP Public Policy Institute’s 2026 Valuing the Invaluable report estimates that 59 million family caregivers of adults provided 49.5 billion hours of care in 2024. - AARP estimates the market value of that unpaid care at about $1.01 trillion. - AARP says that figure exceeded total federal, state and local Medicaid spending nationwide in 2024. - U.S. Census Bureau data for 2024 estimated more than 2 million grandparents were responsible for grandchildren under 18. - Generations United says about 2.5 million children are being raised in grandfamilies and kinship families. - Generations United estimates those caregivers save taxpayers more than $10.5 billion a year by keeping children out of foster care. - Nearly half of caregivers reported at least one major financial impact, including debt, reduced savings or trouble affording food. - Nearly one in four caregivers provided 40 or more hours of care each week. - Almost one third were raising children under 18 while also caring for an adult. - Broxton has personal caregiving experience and has taken part in Wisconsin advocacy focused on relative caregivers, caregiver awareness, support and lived experience input. - Broxton received the Wisconsin Exemplary Employer Award in 2025 from the Wisconsin Family and Caregiver Support Alliance. - Broxton also received the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families Secretary’s Putting Families First Award. - For interviews, keynote presentations and executive workshops, Broxton directs inquiries to AlituraGroup.com/speaking. - Broxton’s contact information included a phone number and social links to LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Between the lines: - The data suggests caregiving is no longer a private family issue; it is a workforce retention and public-policy issue. - Kinship care is harder to see in traditional systems, which means many families may be doing essential work without formal recognition or access to help. - Employers that offer flexible scheduling, caregiver-aware management and clear leave policies may be better positioned to keep experienced workers. - The challenge is not just more support. It is building systems that identify caregivers earlier and reduce the burden before families reach a crisis.

What's next: - Public systems may need better data, simpler benefit navigation and stronger caregiver-specific resources. - Employers are likely to face more pressure to adapt policies as caregiving continues to affect attendance, retention and productivity. - As the U.S. population ages and more care shifts into homes, the demand for family caregivers is likely to keep rising. - The unanswered question is whether employers, governments and communities will adapt quickly enough to match the scale of the need.

The bottom line: - Family caregivers are carrying a trillion-dollar share of America’s care system, and the gap between that responsibility and the support available to families is now impossible to ignore.