The care economy spans multiple domains and responsibilities, weaving together care focuses (Developmental, Daily Living, and Health) and care types (formal and informal) into a complex and interconnected system. No single focus or type of care exists in isolation; each relies on and supports the other, forming the foundation of care activities.
What is the Care Economy?
Care is the invisible engine that keeps our homes, communities, and economy running. From raising children to supporting aging loved ones, care work fuels daily life—yet much of it remains unseen and undervalued. The care economy is a vast network of time, effort, and resources dedicated to sustaining well-being. It includes both formal care—paid, professional, and measured—and informal care—unpaid, often invisible, but essential. By making this labor visible, we can better understand its true impact on households and society.
How much of your day is spent giving or receiving care?
Care through the stages of life
Estimated daily care and capacity to provide care - based on age
Our stage of life shapes care and our capacity for care provision.
The figure above visualizes general changes we all experience in our average need for care, as well as our capacity to provide care, over the life cycle.
Care and our capacity to care for ourselves and others change over our lifetime. Life stages shape both the type and amount of care required. This interdependence highlights the vital role of the care economy across all life stages.
Care on a given day, by stage of life
Care is defined by the level of support, attention, and resources individuals require to maintain their wellbeing, health, and daily functioning. It varies by life stage, personal circumstances, and health conditions, ranging from minimal assistance to intensive care.
Early Stage | 0-24 years
Middle Stage | 25-64 years
Late Stage | 65+ years
Categorizing Care
Care changes throughout our lives, shaping how much care we require and our capacity to provide it. The kind of care we need also shifts based on life stages and circumstances.We categorize care into three primary care focuses: Developmental, Daily Living, and Health. Each area of focus consists of both formal care—paid, professional, and measured—and informal care—unpaid, often invisible, but essential.
Care by stage of life
An average day | each block represents 1hr of a day
Developmental
Supporting the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth of children, including those with disabilities.
Estimated total hours of developmental care needed in the U.S. each day:
At minimum wage, these care hours translate to around per day.
Formal Care Examples: Teachers, childcare workers, special education instructors.
Informal Care Examples: Parental nurturing, educational and enrichment activities.
Care by stage of life
An average day | each block represents 1hr of a day
Daily Living
Facilitating day-to-day functioning through managing routine tasks, household maintenance, and personal care.
Estimated total hours of daily living care needed in the U.S. each day:
At minimum wage, these care hours translate to around per day.
Formal Care Examples: Housekeepers, food service workers, hairdressers.
Informal Care Examples: Cooking, cleaning, grooming.
Care by stage of life
An average day | each block represents 1hr of a day
Health
Maintaining, supporting, or improving the health and well-being of individuals of all ages.
Estimated total hours of health care needed in the U.S. each day:
At minimum wage, these care hours translate to around per day.
Formal Care Examples: Doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, home health aides.
Informal Care Examples: Caring for sick or elderly household members, medication management.
Care by stage of life
An average day | each block represents 1hr of a day
Care Focus Summary
Daily living care demands more than half of all the care required in a day. No matter the age group, our ability to thrive requires time to care for our basic needs like providing food, shelter, and clothing.
Now that we understand care across the stages of life and by focus, the next question we might ask is:
How do we care for others in society?
To find the answer, we shift our focus to the people and systems that provide both formal and informal care.
Care by stage of life
An average day | each block represents 1hr of a day
Circles of Care: Care Providers
Time Spent Each Day
By gender: Number of hours the total population spends per day providing care and in non-care activities.
Care providers are individuals capable of offering care, either formally or informally.
Women spend -- hours of their day caring for others, while men spend -- hours in similar activities.
Time Spent Each Day
By gender and parenthood: Number of hours the total population spends per day providing care and in non-care activities.
Time Spent Providing Care Each Day
By gender and parenthood: Number of hours the total population spends per day providing care.
Time Spent Providing Care Each Day
By gender, parenthood, and care focus: Number of hours the total population spends per day providing care.
Time Spent Providing Care Each Day
By gender, parenthood, care focus, and formal vs. informal provision: Number of hours the total population spends per day providing care.
The same person can provide both formal and informal care. For example, many formal care providers (e.g., healthcare workers or childcare workers) also provide informal care to their families within the same day.
Circles of Care: Shaping Care Provision
All Care Provision
Developmental Care Provision
Developmental care is defined as activities or services that nurture and support human development needs, such as education, play, and supervision.
Providers of Developmental care promote growth, learning, and socialization in children, and adults with certain disabilities, through physical and emotional care, preparing children to thrive in adulthood.
Daily Living Care Provision
Daily Living care is defined as activities or services that facilitate daily living, including household tasks and personal maintenance.
Providers of Daily Living care reduce the burden of daily tasks for others and support independent living, enabling individuals to focus on responsibilities such as paid work and facilitating greater independence for disabled individuals.
Health Care Provision
Health care is defined as activities or services that address health needs, including medical care, therapy, and caregiving for sick, disabled, or elderly household members.
Providers of Health care support health (mental and physical), well-being, recovery, and quality-of-life, maintaining independence and assisting with condition management (i.e., disability care).
All Care Provision
Care work is the backbone of our economy and society.
Explore the Circles of Care to see how formal and informal care efforts connect across Developmental, Daily Living, and Health domains.
The Flow of Care
Care needs differ across the nation, shaped by demography and available caregiving resources. Two key metrics - the Care Ratio and Gini Coefficient of Formal Care - offer insight into caregiving capacity and resource inequality.
The Broader Impacts
Care work plays a vital role in both the economy and society, yet much of its value goes unrecognized. Statistics on labor force participation, caregiving hours, and the share of workers in the care sector reveal its significant economic contribution.
Exploring the value of unpaid care demonstrates its critical role in supporting families, communities, and advancing the broader economy.