Adolescents Provide $13 to $51 Billion Worth of Informal Family Caregiving Services to the United States Economy

Abstract

The US is facing a well-documented caregiving crisis, with more aging adults requiring informal caregiving in the home and fewer young people available to support them. This paper calculates the current economic value of care provided by unpaid adolescents (ages 10 to 17) to ill and disabled family members. Leveraging large scale, national datasets, we estimate that the national economic value of informal caregiving provided by adolescents is $13.44 to $50.59 billion. This figure corresponds to 3-14% of the $470 billion value of informal caregiving services provided by adults. It is 1.19 to 5.96 times the most recent estimate of the economic impact of youths’ caregiving from 2009. We also provide state-by-state estimates, which show substantial variability. By demonstrating children’s annual contribution to the US economy, we aim to inform the work of educators and policymakers to design targeted programs to support the thriving of youth, aging and disabled adults, our national economy, and our communities.