Caregiver Burnout Statistics
63 million Americans provide unpaid care, per AARP's current 2025 count. This page keeps only the figures that trace to a real, current, checkable source.
Last updated: July 2026
How many caregivers there are, and how many are burning out
AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving's current count (July 2025 edition of Caregiving in the US) is 63 million Americans providing unpaid care — roughly 1 in 4 adults, a 45% increase since 2015. This is a real, meaningful update; an older, still widely-cited figure of 53 million (21%) comes from the 2020 edition of the same report. What's well-confirmed across both editions: 61% of unpaid caregivers are women, and burnout is markedly higher among dementia caregivers specifically, at 59% reporting high or very high emotional stress.
Caregiving at scale: a cross-border strain
The pressure is not unique to the United States. In Canada, 42% of people aged 15 and older — about 13.4 million Canadians — provided unpaid care in 2022, and roughly 1.8 million were "sandwiched" between caring for adults and raising children, according to Statistics Canada's Canadian Social Survey. That sandwiched group carries some of the steepest burnout risk, juggling two sets of dependents alongside paid work. The scale of unpaid caregiving across high-income countries is part of why low-effort, sustainable support tools matter: the caregivers holding these systems together are themselves at risk, and anything that reduces their daily worry without adding burden helps.
The financial cost — real, but treat one figure with caution
AARP's Public Policy Institute puts average annual out-of-pocket caregiving costs at $7,242 — a real, current, well-sourced figure. Separately, the Harvard Business School's "Caring Company" research put the lost-productivity cost to US employers at roughly $44 billion annually — also real and well-sourced. One figure worth flagging: the commonly-cited "$304,000 average lifetime earnings loss" traces to a real 2011 MetLife Mature Market Institute study — but that Institute was discontinued in 2013, making this a 15-year-old number still being presented as current. We're including it with that caveat rather than dropping it entirely, since no more recent equivalent study appears to exist.
What we won't publish
A seven-condition weekly-caregiving-hours table with precise percentages, a "23% higher cortisol" statistic attributed to the Journals of Gerontology, and specific burnout-reduction percentages for respite care (37%, attributed to ARCH National Respite Network) and support groups (24%, attributed to Family Caregiver Alliance) — none of these trace to a real publication we could locate. The cortisol claim is a particularly clear case: the real meta-analysis in this space (Vitaliano, Zhang & Scanlan) was published in Psychological Bulletin, not the Journals of Gerontology, and its real abstract reports a real association between caregiving and stress hormones without stating a specific percentage — the "23%" figure appears to be invented and attached to a real-sounding but wrong citation.
What actually helps
Respite care and support groups are both genuinely well-supported interventions in the caregiving research literature, even without a precise, citable percentage attached to either. Technology that reduces the cognitive load of caregiving — medication reminders, and simple check-in systems — addresses a different, more specific problem: the constant background worry of "are they okay right now." ImAlive is useful here for caregivers who can't be physically present at all times: a daily check-in from the care recipient provides reassurance, and on Protect Me, a missed check-in automatically alerts a chosen contact. For caregivers themselves, a personal daily check-in habit can also work as an early warning sign — if you start missing your own routine, that's worth noticing too.
Sources
- AARP / National Alliance for Caregiving — Caregiving in the US 2025
- Statistics Canada — Canadian Social Survey, caregiving, 2022
- Alzheimer's Association — Caregiver Stress
- AARP Public Policy Institute — Caregiving Out-of-Pocket Costs
- Harvard Business School — The Caring Company
- MetLife Mature Market Institute — Caregiving Costs to Working Caregivers, 2011
Frequently Asked Questions
How many unpaid caregivers are there in the US?
63 million, per AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving's current (July 2025) count — roughly 1 in 4 adults, up 45% since 2015. An older, still widely-cited figure of 53 million comes from the same report's 2020 edition.
How common is caregiver burnout?
Burnout is markedly elevated among caregivers of people with dementia specifically — 59% report high or very high emotional stress, per the Alzheimer's Association. 61% of unpaid caregivers overall are women.
How much does caregiving cost the caregiver?
AARP's Public Policy Institute puts average annual out-of-pocket costs at $7,242 — a real, current figure. A commonly-cited "$304,000 lifetime earnings loss" figure is real but dates to a 2011 MetLife study from an institute that was discontinued in 2013, so treat it as dated rather than current.
What helps prevent caregiver burnout?
Respite care and support groups are both well-supported in the caregiving research literature, though we couldn't verify a precise percentage-reduction figure for either. Technology that reduces the background worry of "are they okay" — like a simple daily check-in — addresses a different, complementary problem: the constant mental load, rather than burnout directly.
Where can caregivers find support and resources?
Contact your local Area Agency on Aging for caregiver support programs. The Caregiver Action Network (1-855-227-3640) provides free counseling and resources. The AARP Family Caregiving website offers comprehensive guides. Online support groups through organizations like the Alzheimer's Association provide peer connection regardless of location.
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