Family Caregivers Provide Over $1 Trillion In Care Annually

Family and friends provide billions of hours of mostly unpaid care for adults with disabilities and complex medical conditions across the U.S. A new report finds that the value of such care tops all Medicaid spending.

There are an estimated 59 million family caregivers providing 49.5 billion hours of care over the course of a year, according to findings from a report released recently by AARP.

Researchers assessed the value of this care at current market rates. On average, they found that caregivers earn $20.41 per hour, putting the total value of the work provided by family caregivers at $1.01 trillion.

That figure is more than all federal, state and local governments spent on Medicaid in 2024, the report notes. It’s also more than private businesses spent on health care that year.

“This new report confirms what we have long known. Family caregivers are holding up a system that Americans nationwide rely on every day, but at a cost,” said Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, CEO of AARP. “Behind these numbers are people paying an emotional toll and a financial one. Caregivers are stretching their finances, sacrificing their own well-being, and too often, they are doing it alone.”

The report notes that most long-term services and supports in the U.S. are provided by family caregivers, almost entirely unpaid. This can include everything from tasks of daily living like dressing, toileting and transportation to complicated medical and nursing tasks and coordinating medical and social services.

The value of family caregiving has grown almost three-fold since AARP began tracking it in 2006, the report shows, largely due to increased pay in the field.

AARP is pushing for a national paid family and medical leave policy, more respite services and tax credits to help caregivers.

“Given that most Americans will either be a caregiver or need one at some point in their lives, we need to do better,” Minter-Jordan said. “Today’s report should be a wake-up call.”