Who Cares? A Whole Lot of Us.

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The share of family caregivers providing 40 or more hours of care or constant care ranges from 14% in Iowa to 37% in Tennessee, according to a new report.

Photo by aquaArts studio: Getty Images

Provision, support and facilities for employee child care have risen in priority for employers over the past several years. To what extent has provision for family caregivers followed suit?

That’s just one of the questions families, communities and company leaders might ask after examining “Caregiving in the US 2025: Caring Across States,” a 248-page report published in October by AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving. Part of a 30-year research series, the report “offers a deep dive into the needs of caregivers in 32 states. It also highlights that the level of support caregivers and their loved ones receive varies greatly depending on where they live.”

One stark fact stands out: Most are providing care without compensation, and that care has an economic value estimated at $600 billion.

The organizations say the report “reveals how place can affect the caregiving experience, uncovering stark differences in financial strain, care intensity and available support in states across the U.S. With nearly one in four adults serving as family caregivers, this state-by-state analysis offers the clearest picture yet of the challenges they face.”

This infographic provides the lay of the land:

Infographic courtesy of AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving.

Among promising developments, access to paid family leave has expanded for caregivers over the past decade, the report finds, from 30% to nearly 50%. That’s not surprising given that seven in 10 working-age family caregivers have to balance responsibilities and navigate their own self-care because they also work. The prevalence of working family caregivers ranged from 42% in Arizona to 76% in Connecticut.

“Caregivers are the invisible backbone of our broken long-term care system and economy, and too many are paying the price out of their own pockets, risking their own financial security by taking on more debt, using up savings, and leaving bills unpaid,” Nancy LeaMond, AARP chief advocacy and engagement officer, told AARP’s Nancy Kerr in analysis released October 28. “The new data allows us to talk to state lawmakers specifically about family caregivers in their states. This makes our advocacy more powerful by showing how the policies AARP is fighting for — things like paid family leave, tax credits, respite care, and workplace protections — will help their constituents.”

Among the findings pulled from the report:

• The share of family caregivers who have difficulty taking care of their own health while focusing on their care recipient’s needs ranges from 12% (New York) to 31% (Florida).
• Nationally, 39% family caregivers experience high emotional stress due to caregiving. Across the states, 26% of Pennsylvania caregivers report experiencing high emotional stress, compared with 51% in Colorado.
• The share of family caregivers experiencing at least one of 13 negative financial impacts measured ranged from 34% in Minnesota to 59% in Georgia.
• Forty-nine percent of caregivers in Arizona have been providing care for three years or longer.
• Forty-six percent of caregivers in Pennsylvania have made a modification to their home to make things easier for their care recipient.
• Thirty-five percent of caregivers in Kentucky and Iowa have used an app, video, wearable device, or other remote monitoring technology to check on their care recipient, whereas only 15% of caregivers in Minnesota have done so.
• Fourteen percent of caregivers in Oregon provide care to someone who lives more than two hours away.
• Nationally, 28% of family caregivers of children and adults provide 40 or more hours of care per week or constant care. Across the states, the share of family caregivers providing 40 or more hours of care or constant care ranges from 14% in Iowa to 37% in Tennessee.
• Nationally, 44% of family caregivers are engaged in high-intensity care, while among states, the share of family caregivers engaged in high-intensity care ranges from 32% (Wisconsin) to 55% (Tennessee).

The question looms: Might high caregiving metrics be a negative mark on the scorecard of a state that a corporate prospect is considering for investment and job creation because of anticipated workforce availability issues? Or do those high metrics send the message of a population where people take care of one another?

Either way, AARP and NAC are looking to level the playing field by advocating for the Credit for Caring Act, a proposed federal tax credit of up to $5,000 for working caregivers, and the Lowering Costs for Caregivers Act, which would expand flexible spending and health savings account use, and support other key caregiving initiatives, the two organizations said.

Below is the alphabetical list of states (plus DC) with their respective prevalence of family caregiving and number of family caregivers. Mississippi has the highest percentage at 34%, followed by Georgia at 30%. Michigan and Washington, DC, have the lowest prevalence at 20%. — Adam Bruns