The precise prevalence of persons involved in both family caregiving and work roles is not known (see the side-by-side comparison of family caregiving prevalence studies provided by National Family Caregiving Alliance).

Nevertheless, the following findings from a 2009 national caregiver survey (National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, 2009), underscore the fact that balancing eldercare and work affects a large number of families and households in the United States, and that the work-family balance is impactful for individuals, families, and the workplace.

• More than three in ten U.S. households (31.2%) report that at least one person has served as an unpaid family caregiver within the last twelve months, leading to an estimate of 36.5 million households with a caregiver present.
• 73% of family caregivers say that they are employed full- or part-time.
• 21% of adults in the U.S. provide unpaid care to an adult age 18 or older.
• Nationally, 62% of family/unpaid caregivers had to make some type of workplace accommodation in order to fulfill their caregiving responsibilities.
• Employers of family caregivers absorb $34 billion in costs annually due to missed days at work, workday emergencies, eldercare emergencies.

National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP. (2009). Caregiving in the US 2009