Every so often a report comes along that does not tell caregivers anything they do not already feel, but says it in numbers large enough that it is impossible to dismiss. The 2025 Caregiving in the US report, from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving, is one of those. If you are quietly holding a lot right now, its central finding is worth hearing: you are one of more than 51 million people doing the same thing.
Quick Answer
In 2025, more than 51 million Americans, nearly one in five adults, were caring for someone age 50 or older, according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving. On average, they have been caregiving for five years and provide 26 hours of care each week, both higher than in 2020. If you are one of them, you are far from alone.
How many caregivers there are
The headline number is 51 million. That is the number of Americans caring for an adult age 50 or older, and it works out to nearly one in five adults. It has been climbing steadily since 2015. Whatever else this report says, start there: caring for an aging parent, spouse, or friend is not a rare or unusual situation. It is one of the most common things adults in this country are doing.
It is also close to home, literally. Nearly three-quarters of these caregivers live with, or within twenty minutes of, the person they care for. This is not care managed from a distance. It is woven into daily life.
What caregiving of older adults looks like in 2025
AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving, Caregiving in the US 2025
Live with, or within 20 minutes of, the person they care for
74%
Provide high-intensity care
44%
Care for someone with a memory issue or dementia
~25%
The load has grown heavier
The part of the report that will ring truest to anyone in it is not the headcount. It is the intensity. Caregivers are doing this for longer, and putting in more hours, than they were just five years ago.
Caregiving of older adults, 2020 compared with 2025
Caregiving of older adults, 2020 compared with 2025
| 2020 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average years spent caregiving | 3.9 years | 5 years |
| Average hours of care per week | 22 hours | 26 hours |
| Providing high-intensity care | 39% | 44% |
Twenty-six hours a week is most of another part-time job, laid on top of whatever else a person is carrying. And a growing share of caregivers are providing high-intensity care, which means more hours and help with complex tasks like managing medications, wound care, or mobility. The work is not only more common than it was. For each person doing it, it is bigger.
The report’s quiet message is the one caregivers most need to hear. This is harder than it was, you are doing more of it, and you are one of fifty-one million people carrying something similar.
The caregivers carrying the most
The report is direct about who bears the heaviest load. Nearly one in four caregivers is looking after someone with a memory issue or a form of dementia, and those caregivers tend to provide higher-intensity care and to feel the effects more sharply, in their finances, their health, and their own wellbeing. If that is you, the strain you feel is not a personal failing. It is the predictable weight of one of the hardest forms of care there is.
What to take from it
Two things. The first is permission to name the load honestly. The numbers say plainly that caregiving today asks a great deal, so if it feels like a lot, that is because it is, not because you are managing it poorly. The second is that support is not a luxury or an admission of defeat. It is the sensible response to a real and growing demand.
Support can be small and practical. It can be leaning on our caregiver’s guide to plan the check-ins, using CareCompass to reach a licensed nurse when a health question comes up, or setting up a HomeSafe system so that help is a button press away and you can worry a little less on the days you cannot be there. None of it replaces you. All of it lightens the load a little.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many family caregivers are there in the US?
More than 51 million Americans were caring for someone age 50 or older in 2025, which is nearly one in five adults, according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving. The number has risen steadily since 2015.
How many hours a week do family caregivers spend?
Caregivers of older adults provide an average of 26 hours of care each week in 2025, up from 22 hours in 2020. Many provide considerably more, especially those giving high-intensity care or caring for someone with dementia.
How long does the average person provide care?
As of 2025, caregivers of adults 50 and older have been providing care for an average of five years, up from 3.9 years in 2020. Caregiving is increasingly a long-term commitment rather than a short-term arrangement.
What is high-intensity caregiving?
High-intensity care means providing a higher number of care hours along with help with complex tasks, such as managing medications, wound care, or assistance with mobility and personal care. In 2025, 44 percent of caregivers of older adults were providing this level of care, up from 39 percent in 2020.
How many caregivers care for someone with dementia?
Nearly one in four caregivers of older adults is caring for someone with a memory issue or a form of dementia, according to the 2025 report. These caregivers typically provide higher-intensity care and more often report negative effects on their finances, health, and wellbeing.
Where can family caregivers find support?
Support ranges from planning tools and local services to health resources and safety technology. A caregiver’s guide can help structure regular check-ins, a nurse line can answer health questions, and a medical alert system can provide a fast path to help. Local Area Agencies on Aging, reachable through the Eldercare Locator, also connect caregivers to services.
One less thing to worry about
You cannot be there every moment, and you were never meant to be. A Lifeline medical alert system means help is a button press away for the person you love, so a day you cannot be there does not have to be a day you spend worrying.
