There are about 65 million grandparents in the United States. AARP data shows they deliver substantial support to their families through regular childcare.
Fifteen percent of these grandparents care for their grandchildren daily or almost daily. On average, grandparents spend more than 500 hours a year — the equivalent of 12½ weeks of full-time work — providing care.
The Scale of Grandparent Caregiving
AARP’s 2025 survey of 3,300 grandparents found that nearly 70% provide some level of care. The unpaid labor and direct financial support from grandparents total an estimated $904 billion annually.
This includes an average of $2,654 spent per grandparent on gifts, celebrations, basic needs, and other support in the past year.
AARP reported these figures in June 2026.
Average Age of Becoming a Grandparent
Americans are becoming grandparents later in life than in previous decades. Delayed marriage and childbearing have raised the average age.
Analyses from the past several years place the average age of grandparents at around 67-68 years. The average age for first-time grandparents is now closer to 50–52 years, up from earlier estimates of 47–50 years.
This shift reflects women having their first child at an older average age (now around 27–28) compared with past generations, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Reasons Grandparents Provide Care
Many grandparents step in due to economic pressures on younger families, per AARP. High childcare costs, dual-income households, housing affordability challenges, and work demands drive the need for family support.
Other factors include parental incarceration, substance abuse, divorce, or death. In some cases, grandparents become primary caregivers. About 2.4–2.5 million children live in households headed by grandparents or other relatives, per the U.S. Government Accountability Office Report to Congress, December 2025.
Rise in Multigenerational Living
Multigenerational households have increased significantly. In 2021, about 18% of the U.S. population lived in such arrangements, up from 7% in 1971, noted the Pew Research Center.
The number of Americans living in multigenerational homes reached roughly 59.7 million in 2021, the most recent comprehensive national figure available, per the Pew Research Center. More recent Census Bureau and industry analyses show the trend has continued to grow, driven by economic factors, cultural preferences, and caregiving needs.
Grandparents living with grandchildren numbered about 6.7 million in 2021, with roughly one-third serving as primary caregivers. (No newer comprehensive national report has replaced the 2021 figures yet.)
The Dallas Express previously covered related family and economic trends in housing and caregiving.
Grandparents continue to play a major role in American family life. Their contributions in time and resources remain substantial even as demographic patterns evolve.
