Dependency (Ages <18 or >64) in United States

United States

While having dependents (here defined as children under the age of 18 or adults over the age of 64) is frequently a positive experience, there are also hardships associated with caring for them. Parents often report that children bring them happiness or meaning; however, they can also bring both emotional and financial stress. A 2017 study found that raising a child from birth to the age of 17 cost a family an average of $233,610 (in 2015 dollars); since then, new analyses accounting for higher inflation rates estimate that the cost has risen sharply to $310,605 (in 2022 dollars). 

Similarly, caring for an aging parent can be emotionally and financially draining. Providing unpaid care for a parent is becoming more common — in 2020, there were an estimated 53 million caregivers in the United States, about half of whom were caring for a parent or a parent-in-law.

Populations that tend to have more dependents include:

• Female-headed households with no spouse present, which make up a significantly larger proportion of households with children compared with male-headed households with no spouse present. Additionally, women make up more than 60% of all caregivers.

Government programs such as food assistance, housing subsidies and working-family tax credits can help low-income parents provide necessities for their children. Keeping low-income families above the poverty line has been shown to help children succeed later in life. The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) can help cover medical expenses for children whose parents cannot afford health insurance for their children. 

Financial assistance programs also exist for elders — Medicare and Medicaid are the most well-known, but there are many others. Local services can be found by using the U.S. Administration on Aging’s Eldercare Locator.

Other financial assistance options for families caring for children or older adults include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), public housing, housing choice vouchers, the Section 504 Home Repair Program and the Weatherization Assistance Program.

AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving. “Caregiving in the United States 2020.” Washington, D.C.: AARP, May 14, 2020. https://doi.org/10.26419/ppi.00103.001.

Hansen, Thomas. “Parenthood and Happiness: A Review of Folk Theories Versus Empirical Evidence.” Social Indicators Research 108, no. 1 (August 1, 2012): 29–64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-011-9865-y.

Lino, Mark, Kevin Kuczynski, Nestor Rodriguez, and TusaRebecca Schap. “Expenditures on Children by Families, 2015.” Miscellaneous Report No. 1528-2015. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, January 2017. https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/crc2015-march2017.pdf.

Reinhard, Susan C., Selena Caldera, Ari Houser, and Rita B. Choula. “Valuing the Invaluable: 2023 Update.” Insight on the Issues. Washington, D.C.: AARP Public Policy Institute, March 8, 2023. https://doi.org/10.26419/ppi.00082.006.

Sherman, Arloc, and Tazra Mitchell. “Economic Security Programs Help Low-Income Children Succeed over Long Term, Many Studies Find.” Washington, D.C.: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, July 17, 2017. https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/economic-security-programs-help-low-income-children-succeed-over.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents.” Publications and Reports of the Surgeon General. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, 2024. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK606667/.