Power of Attorney and Caregiving Statistics (2026)

Tens of millions of Americans help an aging parent, spouse or relative with health care, money and daily life, and many of them step into decision-making roles without any paperwork in place. This page collects the latest sourced figures on family caregiving, dementia, advance directives and elder financial exploitation.

Every statistic below links to its original source, including AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving, the Alzheimer's Association, Health Affairs, the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and FinCEN.

40 statistics, each linked to its source. Updated October 2026.

Key statistics

In 2025, 63 million Americans were family caregivers, according to the AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving report Caregiving in the US 2025.: 63 million; AARP, Exclusive: AARP-NAC Report Finds 45% Increase in Americans Providing Care
In 2026, an estimated 7.4 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's, according to the Alzheimer's Association.: 7.4 million; Alzheimer's Association, 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures
In studies published from 2011 to 2016, 36.7 percent of US adults had completed an advance directive, according to a 2017 review in Health Affairs.: 36.7%; Health Affairs (via PubMed), Approximately One In Three US Adults Completes Any Type Of Advance Directive For End-Of-Life Care
In 2025, people age 60 and older reported $7.748 billion in losses to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.: $7.748 billion; FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 2025 IC3 Annual Report
From June 2022 to June 2023, adult children were reported as the perpetrators of elder theft in nearly 40 percent of cases, according to FinCEN.: Nearly 40%; Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Financial Trend Analysis: Elder Financial Exploitation

How many Americans are family caregivers?

In 2025, 63 million Americans were family caregivers, according to the AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving report Caregiving in the US 2025.
AARP, Exclusive: AARP-NAC Report Finds 45% Increase in Americans Providing Care
In 2025, roughly 1 in 4 American adults were caregivers, according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.
AARP, Exclusive: AARP-NAC Report Finds 45% Increase in Americans Providing Care
The number of family caregivers in the US increased by 20 million from 2015 to 2025, according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.
AARP, New Report Reveals Crisis Point for America's 63 million Family Caregivers
The number of family caregivers in the US rose 45 percent over the decade to 2025, according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.
AARP, Exclusive: AARP-NAC Report Finds 45% Increase in Americans Providing Care
In 2025, 59 million of the 63 million US family caregivers were caring for someone over 18, according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.
AARP, New Report Reveals Crisis Point for America's 63 million Family Caregivers
In 2025, three in five US family caregivers were women, according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.
AARP, Exclusive: AARP-NAC Report Finds 45% Increase in Americans Providing Care
In 2025, the average US family caregiver was 51 years old, according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.
AARP, Exclusive: AARP-NAC Report Finds 45% Increase in Americans Providing Care
In 2025, 29 percent of US family caregivers were in the sandwich generation, caring for both children and adults, according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.
AARP, Exclusive: AARP-NAC Report Finds 45% Increase in Americans Providing Care
In 2025, nearly 1 in 4 US family caregivers reported providing 40 or more hours of care per week, according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.
AARP, New Report Reveals Crisis Point for America's 63 million Family Caregivers

What does family caregiving cost caregivers?

In 2025, family caregivers paid on average roughly $7,200 a year out of pocket in caregiving expenses, according to AARP.
AARP, New Report Reveals Crisis Point for America's 63 million Family Caregivers
In 2025, 23 percent of US family caregivers reported being in debt due to their caregiving responsibilities, according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.
AARP, Exclusive: AARP-NAC Report Finds 45% Increase in Americans Providing Care
In 2025, 24 percent of US family caregivers had exhausted their personal short-term savings, according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.
AARP, Exclusive: AARP-NAC Report Finds 45% Increase in Americans Providing Care
In 2025, 11.2 million US family caregivers received some compensation, according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.
AARP, New Report Reveals Crisis Point for America's 63 million Family Caregivers

How many Americans have dementia?

In 2026, an estimated 7.4 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
Alzheimer's Association, 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures
In 2026, about 1 in 9 people age 65 and older (11%) has Alzheimer's, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
Alzheimer's Association, 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures
In 2026, almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer's are women, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
Alzheimer's Association, 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures
One in 3 older Americans dies with Alzheimer's or another dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Association's 2026 Facts and Figures report.
Alzheimer's Association, 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures
In 2024, the US population age 65 and older reached 61.2 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
U.S. Census Bureau, Older Adults Outnumber Children in 11 States and Nearly Half of U.S. Counties
In 2024, people age 65 and older made up 18.0% of the US population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
U.S. Census Bureau, Older Adults Outnumber Children in 11 States and Nearly Half of U.S. Counties

How much unpaid care do dementia caregivers provide?

Nearly 13 million Americans provide unpaid care for a family member or friend with dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Association's 2026 Facts and Figures report.
Alzheimer's Association, 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures
In 2025, unpaid dementia caregivers provided more than 19 billion hours of care, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
Alzheimer's Association, 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures
In 2025, unpaid dementia care was valued at more than $446 billion, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
Alzheimer's Association, 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures
In 2026, health and long-term care costs for people living with dementia are projected to reach $409 billion, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
Alzheimer's Association, 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures
Families bear 70% of the total lifetime cost of caring for someone with dementia, according to the Alzheimer's Association's 2026 Facts and Figures report.
Alzheimer's Association, 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures
Fifty-nine percent of dementia caregivers report high to very high emotional stress, according to the Alzheimer's Association's 2026 Facts and Figures report.
Alzheimer's Association, 2026 Alzheimer's Disease Facts and Figures

How many Americans have an advance directive or a will?

In studies published from 2011 to 2016, 36.7 percent of US adults had completed an advance directive, according to a 2017 review in Health Affairs.
Health Affairs (via PubMed), Approximately One In Three US Adults Completes Any Type Of Advance Directive For End-Of-Life Care
In studies published from 2011 to 2016, 29.3 percent of US adults had a living will, according to a 2017 review in Health Affairs.
Health Affairs (via PubMed), Approximately One In Three US Adults Completes Any Type Of Advance Directive For End-Of-Life Care
In studies published from 2011 to 2016, 38.2 percent of patients with chronic illnesses had completed an advance directive, according to a 2017 review in Health Affairs.
Health Affairs (via PubMed), Approximately One In Three US Adults Completes Any Type Of Advance Directive For End-Of-Life Care
In studies published from 2011 to 2016, 32.7 percent of healthy US adults had completed an advance directive, according to a 2017 review in Health Affairs.
Health Affairs (via PubMed), Approximately One In Three US Adults Completes Any Type Of Advance Directive For End-Of-Life Care
In 2025, 24% of Americans surveyed had a will, according to Caring.com's Wills and Estate Planning Study.
Caring.com, 2025 Wills and Estate Planning Study

How common is elder fraud and financial exploitation?

In 2025, people age 60 and older filed 201,266 complaints with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 2025 IC3 Annual Report
In 2025, complaints to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center from people age 60 and older rose 37% from 2024.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 2025 IC3 Annual Report
In 2025, people age 60 and older reported $7.748 billion in losses to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 2025 IC3 Annual Report
In 2025, the average loss reported by complainants age 60 and older to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center was $38,500.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 2025 IC3 Annual Report
In 2025, 12,444 complainants age 60 and older lost more than $100,000, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 2025 IC3 Annual Report
In 2025, people age 60 and older reported $3,519,296,354 in investment fraud losses to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, the largest loss of any crime type.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 2025 IC3 Annual Report
From June 2022 to June 2023, financial institutions filed 155,415 reports on elder financial exploitation, according to FinCEN.
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), FinCEN Issues Analysis on Elder Financial Exploitation
From June 2022 to June 2023, elder financial exploitation reports to FinCEN indicated roughly $27 billion in suspicious activity.
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), FinCEN Issues Analysis on Elder Financial Exploitation
From June 2022 to June 2023, adult children were reported as the perpetrators of elder theft in nearly 40 percent of cases, according to FinCEN.
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Financial Trend Analysis: Elder Financial Exploitation
From June 2022 to June 2023, elder theft reports to FinCEN averaged $98,863 in suspicious activity, with a median of $23,762.
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Financial Trend Analysis: Elder Financial Exploitation

Frequently asked questions

How many family caregivers are there in the US?

In 2025, 63 million Americans were family caregivers, roughly 1 in 4 American adults, according to AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving.

What percentage of Americans have an advance directive?

A 2017 Health Affairs review of studies published from 2011 to 2016 found that 36.7 percent of US adults had completed an advance directive, including 29.3 percent with living wills.

How many older Americans have Alzheimer's?

An estimated 7.4 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer's in 2026, about 1 in 9 people in that age group, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

How much do older Americans lose to fraud?

In 2025, people age 60 and older reported $7.748 billion in losses to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center across 201,266 complaints.

Who commits elder financial theft?

In reports filed from June 2022 to June 2023, adult children were identified as the perpetrators of elder theft in nearly 40 percent of cases, according to FinCEN.

Cite this page

You are welcome to use these statistics. Please cite the original source of each number and link to this page:

Oakclause. "Power of Attorney and Caregiving Statistics (2026)." Updated October 2026. https://www.oakclause.com/statistics/power-of-attorney-and-caregiving-statistics

How we compiled these statistics

Every number comes from a published source that we opened and checked, mostly government agencies, academic research and established surveys. Each statement names the year the data refers to, and we keep the newest edition we could find. We do not combine numbers from different sources into new figures. Read our editorial policy.