Adolescents provide approximately $15 billion worth of informal family caregiving services to the United States economy

Purpose The US is facing a well-documented caregiving crisis, with more aging adults requiring informal caregiving at home and fewer young people available to support them. This paper estimates the current economic value of care provided by unpaid adolescents (ages 10 to 17) to family members who are chronically ill, disabled, or facing aging-related decline. Methods We leverage large-scale, national datasets to estimate the economic value of informal caregiving provided by adolescents nationally and at the state level. Results We estimate that adolescents provide by $15.01 billion (range = $5.38 to $41.63 billion) worth of informal caregiving work nationally. These estimates correspond to up to 8.86% of the $470 billion value of informal unpaid caregiving by adults, and up to 1.09% of the US total health care expenditure. State-specific estimates show substantial variability. Discussion Adolescents contribute substantially to the annual US economy by providing informal unpaid caregiving for their families. This information can inform the design of targeted polices and programs to support adolescents’ health and the health of the family members they care for. Implications and contribution This study highlights the substantial informal family caregiving adolescents provide to the US economy. We estimate adolescents contribute $15.01B in annual caregiving services, with implications for public health. Supporting caregiving adolescents and their families is crucial given the scope and impact of their work, and the shortage of family caregivers in the US.