By Kim Parker
Pew Research Center

As the U.S. population ages, the need for caregivers among older adults is on the rise. There’s growing evidence that family members are increasingly taking on these roles.

Pew Research Center surveyed 8,750 U.S. adults from Sept. 2-8, 2025, to learn about the experiences of those who are caring for an aging parent and the experiences of those who are caring for an aging spouse or partner.

The survey found that the caregiving burden increases as aging family members get to be 75 and older. And among Americans with an aging parent, spouse or partner, those with lower incomes are much more likely to be caregivers than those with middle and upper incomes.

In addition, providing regular care for an aging parent affects men and women differently, with women more likely to say it has a negative impact on their personal well-being.

Key takeaways:

  • 10% of all U.S. adults say they are a caregiver for a parent age 65 or older. Another 3% are caregivers for a spouse or partner age 65 or older. A very small share (less than 1%) say they care for an aging parent and an aging spouse or partner.
  • The shares of Americans who see themselves as caregivers rise to 24% among those with a parent age 65 or older and 25% among those with an aging spouse or partner.

Among those with an aging parent, spouse or partner, some groups are more likely than others to be caregivers:

  • 28% of women who have an aging parent, spouse or partner consider themselves caregivers, compared with 23% of men.
  • 39% of lower-income adults with an aging parent, spouse or partner are caregivers, compared with 23% of middle-income adults and 16% of upper-income adults.

In addition, adults with a parent age 75 or older are more likely than those with a parent age 65 to 74 to be caregivers (31% compared with 16%). Similarly, 32% of those with a spouse or partner age 75 or older are caregivers, compared with 21% of those with a spouse or partner age 65 to 74.

Roughly two-thirds of adults who are caregivers for an aging parent (68%) and a similar share of those caring for an aging spouse or partner (66%) say they help that person with at least one of the following on a regular basis:

  • Errands, housework or home repairs.
  • Managing their health care, such as medical appointments and medication.
  • Managing their finances, such as budgeting or paying bills on time.
  • Personal care, such as bathing or dressing.

The impact of caregiving differs depending on whether a person is providing support for an aging parent or for an aging spouse or partner.

Adults who are caring for an aging parent and regularly helping them with at least one of the tasks asked about tend to report that this has had a more positive than negative impact on their relationship with their parent. But, on balance, they say it’s had a more negative than positive impact on:

  • Their emotional well-being.
  • Their physical health.
  • Their job or career (among those who have one).
  • Their financial situation.
  • Their social life.

Like their peers with aging parents, adults who are caring for an aging spouse or partner and regularly helping them with daily tasks report that this has had a more positive than negative impact on their relationship with their spouse or partner.

But views of the impact on their emotional well-being, physical health, financial situation and social life are more mixed, rather than mostly negative.

Men and women who are caring for an aging parent are about equally likely to say helping them with daily tasks has had a positive impact on their relationship with their parent.

But women are more likely than men to say this has had a negative impact on their emotional well-being (47% compared with 30%) and their physical health (38% compared with 26%).

The full report can be viewed HERE.