Unpaid Caregiving in the U.S. Reaches $1 Trillion, Straining Families and Workforces

Key points

• Annie Morgan, a former cheerleader in Rancho Cordova, California, spends her days caring for her 13-year-old daughter Ava, who has Angelman syndrome.
• AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving report that 63 million Americans provided ongoing care in 2025, an increase of 20 million since 2015.
• The economic value of unpaid adult caregiving was estimated at $1.01 trillion in 2024, exceeding total federal, state, and local Medicaid spending.
• Nearly half of working caregivers reported financial impacts such as debt or reduced savings, while 60% were employed and faced workplace disruptions.
• Advocates argue that systems must adapt to support caregivers rather than expecting families to manage impossible loads alone.

Background

This issue follows earlier coverage of family instability, such as the 2026 Liberty Island boat capsizing that claimed a mother and infant, underscoring the vulnerability of families in crisis. The current focus shifts from acute tragedies to the chronic, structural strain of caregiving on the U.S. economy and workforce.

How outlets are covering it

The Washington Post emphasizes the personal, physical, and emotional toll on individual caregivers, using Annie Morgan’s story to illustrate the quiet accumulation of stress. In contrast, EIN News frames caregiving as a macroeconomic and workforce issue, citing data that 63 million Americans are caregivers and that this unpaid labor is worth over $1 trillion. Yahoo Finance, while primarily a financial data source, touches on the financial strain of caregiving on retirement savings, aligning with the economic concerns raised by EIN News but lacking specific caregiving statistics in the provided text. The outlets agree on the scale of the issue but differ in focus: The Post centers on human impact, while EIN News centers on systemic and economic data.

Why it matters

The shift from institutional to family-centered care has left millions of Americans without adequate support, creating a $1 trillion economic burden that is largely invisible to policymakers. As the population ages and more children are raised in kinship families, the lack of workplace flexibility and fragmented benefit systems threatens both family stability and the broader economy. Recognizing and supporting this unpaid labor is essential for maintaining the U.S. care infrastructure.

What to watch

Advocates are pushing for better data collection on kinship caregivers, improved workplace policies, and easier navigation of government benefits. Policymakers and employers are expected to face increasing pressure to implement flexible scheduling and caregiver-aware management to retain experienced workers. The focus will likely shift toward integrating caregiver support into broader economic and health policy discussions.