The economic impact of unpaid family caregivers in Maine continues to rise, to the tune of $5.5 billion in services provided in 2024, according to a new AARP report.
Nationwide, 59 million individuals looked after older parents, spouses, neighbors and others in 2024, contributing 49.5 billion hours of care, researchers found. Those unpaid hours are equivalent to the output of nearly 24 million workers, or 17% of the U.S. workforce.
The findings, released in AARP’s latest “Valuing the Invaluable” report series, put the value of unpaid care nationwide at more than $1 trillion a year.
In Maine, 310,000 caregivers provided 220 million hours of unpaid care in 2024 — worth $5.5 billion at $24.99 an hour. That’s nearly double the $2.9 billion value of unpaid care in 2021, according to the previous report.
Without family caregivers lending a hand, the organization says, far more residents would need costly institutional care, increasing the burden on taxpayers and public programs.
“Family caregivers are a major economic force that fills critical gaps in our health care system,” said Noël Bonam, state director of AARP Maine.
“The economic value they provide now exceeds $5.5 billion annually, yet this care often comes at significant cost to caregivers’ health, financial security, and well-being,” he added. “AARP is elevating this important issue and fighting to save family caregivers time and money.”
AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age.
