Broader Impacts of the Care Economy
Care work plays a vital role in both the economy and society, yet much of its value goes unrecognized.
Tracking paid care jobs, unpaid care activities, caregiving hours, and the economic value of care highlights its critical role in sustaining families and communities.
By measuring the number of caregivers, total time investment, and economic value of paid and unpaid care, we can better understand how care contributes to society.
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State Comparison
Care Force
The Care Force represents the number of people working in the care economy.
Paid Care Force Participation
Overall
2024 |
47M paid care force
19%of all adults
Source: Yearly CPS ASEC, US Census Bureau via IPUMS
The Paid Care Force Participation metric tracks the share of the total population (aged 18 and over) employed in paid care occupations among all those working or looking for work.
Unpaid Care Force Participation
Overall
2024 |
155M Unpaid care force
62%of all adults
Source: Yearly 5-year pooled ATUS (excluding 2020), US Census Bureau via IPUMS. Secondary eldercare is not included in 2007–2014 five-year pooled data periods due to ATUS limitations
The Unpaid Care Force Participation metric tracks the share of the total population (aged 18 and over) engaged in at least 3 hours of unpaid care work in a day.
Time Investment
Time Investment represents the time spent providing care by care providers.
Paid Care Hours Worked
Overall
2024 |
239M total hours per day
29%of all paid hours per day
Source: Yearly CPS ASEC, US Census Bureau via IPUMS
Paid Care Hours Worked refers to the total hours worked in a day in paid care jobs by the entire U.S. population (aged 18 and over), also shown as the share of all paid hours worked in a day.
Unpaid Care Hours Worked
Overall
2024 |
1.4B total hours per day
26%of all unpaid hours per day
Source: Yearly 5-year pooled ATUS (excluding 2020), US Census Bureau via IPUMS
Unpaid Care Hours Worked refers to the total hours worked in unpaid care activities in a day by the entire U.S. population (aged 18 and over), also shown as the share of all unpaid hours worked in a day.
Economic Impact
Economic Impact is the estimated economic value of care activities.
Economic Value of Paid Care
Overall
2024 |
$6.1B per day
10%of the economy
Source: Yearly CPS ASEC, US Census Bureau via IPUMS; Gross Domestic Product, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Economic Value of Paid Care estimates the total annual economic contribution of paid care work by aggregating the salaries of all paid care workers.
Economic Value of Unpaid Care
Overall
2024 |
$10B per day
16%of the economy
Source: Yearly 5-year pooled ATUS (excluding 2020), US Census Bureau via IPUMS; Gross Domestic Product, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Economic Value of Unpaid Care estimates the total annual economic contribution of unpaid care work by multiplying the total hours spent in unpaid care activities by the federal minimum wage. This is a lower-bound estimate of the value of unpaid care.