Issued October 2014

P20-576

Population Characteristics

Coresident Grandparents and

Their Grandchildren: 2012

By Renee R. Ellis and Tavia Simmons

U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov

Introduction

American households include a variety of living arrangements. Recent 

trends in increased life expectancy, single parent families, and female 

employment, increase the potential for grandparents to play an important role in the lives of their grandchildren. Increases in grandparents 

living with grandchildren are one way that the grandparent role has 

changed.

This report explores the complexity of households in which grandparents and grandchildren live together. It uses data from the 2010 Census, 

the American Community Survey (ACS), the Current Population Survey 

(CPS), and the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). It 

capitalizes on the strengths of each of these data sources to provide 

a more complete picture of households containing grandparents and 

grandchildren.

This report contains five sections: (1) an overview of households with 

coresident grandparents and grandchildren; (2) historical changes in 

coresidence of grandparents and grandchildren; (3) characteristics of 

grandchildren who live with a grandparent; (4) characteristics of grandparents who live with grandchildren; and (5) a comparison of coresident 

grandparents to grandparents who do not live with their grandchildren.

• About 3 percent of all households contain both grandparents and grandchildren. 

More than 60 percent of these 

households were maintained 

by a grandparent.

• About 2.7 million grandparents were “grandparent 

caregivers” (those who had 

primary responsibility for 

ABOUT THE DATA

Data sources

Estimates of coresident grandparents and 

grandchildren vary by survey. The surveys 

used in this report differ in their data collection methods, editing, and the creation of 

the weights. For further information on

the surveys, see the source and accuracy 

section and the estimate variation appendix 

at the back of this report.

2010 Decennial Census—Uses the 

relationship to reference person question to 

determine presence of grandchildren of the 

householder. Data are available for smaller 

geographic areas.

2012 American Community Survey 

(ACS)—Uses the relationship to reference 

person question to determine presence of 

grandchildren of the householder. Asks a 

person if they are living with grandchildren, 

whether they are primarily responsible 

for those grandchildren, and if so, how 

long they have been responsible. Data are 

available for smaller geographic areas. This 

report uses the 2012 1-year ACS data and 

the 2008–2012 5-year data.

Current Population Survey (CPS) 

1990–2012—Uses relationship to reference person and direct questions about 

the presence of parents to find coresident 

grandparents and grandchildren. Used 

for characteristics of grandparents and 

grandchildren, household estimates, and 

historical changes. Data are available only 

at the national level.

Survey of Income and Program

Participation (SIPP) 2009—

Uses relationship to reference person and 

direct questions about the presence of 

parents to find coresident grandparents and 

grandchildren. Includes a question asking 

all adults 30 and over if they are a grandparent that allows us to compare coresident 

and non-coresident grandparents. Data are 

available only at the national level.

Some highlights of this report are:

grandchildren under 18 years 

living with them).

• About 10 percent of all children 

live with a grandparent.

• Since 2007, about one-third of 

children who live with a grandparent also have two parents 

present.
2 U.S. Census Bureau

Households with

coresident grandparents and 

grandchildren

In 2010, more people were 65 or 

older than in any previous census.1

Increased life expectancy combined 

with reduced fertility creates family 

structures that have more generations of living relatives but fewer 

relatives within generations. This 

structure increases the importance 

of multigenerational ties for the 

well-being of families.2 This makes 

current statistics about families 

with coresident grandparents 

and grandchildren important for 

understanding families and creating family policy. Research finds 

that policies for families that affect 

grandparents have lagged behind 

the changes in family structure, 

leaving the most vulnerable

families with the least support.3

1 Carrie A. Werner, “The Older Population: 2010,” 2010 Census Briefs, U.S. Census 

Bureau, <www.census.gov/prod/cen2010

/briefs/c2010br-09.pdf>. 2 Vern L. Bengston, “Beyond the Nuclear 

Family: The Increasing Importance of Multigenerational Bonds.” Journal of Marriage and 

the Family, 2001, 63: 1–16. 3 Lindsay A. Baker and Jane Mutchler,

“Poverty and Material Hardship in Grandparent Headed Households,” Journal of Marriage 

and Family, 2010, 72:947–962. 

Grandparents maintained 67 

percent of coresident households. 

About 1 in 3 grandparentmaintained households had no

parent present.

In 2012, according to the CPS, 

about 4.2 million households contained both grandchildren under

18 and their grandparents—this 

was about 3 percent of all households and about 10 percent of all 

children.4 The majority of households, 67 percent, were maintained by the grandparent. This 

means that a grandparent was the 

householder (Figure 1). Thirtyone percent of households were 

maintained by the parent (a parent 

was the householder) and 2 percent 

were maintained by someone other 

than the parent or grandparent.

Previous research found that

the risks for children, including

poverty, access to medical care, 

and housing stability, vary by the 

composition of the household 

because of different levels of social 

support and access to resources.5

There is wide variation in the

composition of households with 

coresident grandparents and 

grandchildren. A household can 

contain two parents, one parent, 

or no parent. There can also be 

two grandparents present or just 

a grandmother or grandfather. 

Households with both parents 

tend to have a lower prevalence of 

poverty compared with those with 

no parents or one parent present. 

Households with a grandmother 

present have a higher prevalence of 

poverty compared with households 

4 This calculation is additional analysis not 

shown in a table. 5 Lindsay A. Baker, Merril Silverstein, and 

Norella M. Putney, “Grandparents raising 

grandchildren in the United States: Changing 

family forms, stagnant social policies,”

Journal of societal & social policy 7, 2008: 53.

Definitions

Coresident grandparents and

grandchildren—Refers to grandchildren and grandparents who live

in the same household.

Grandparent-maintained

households—The reference person

has a grandchild in the household.

A parent of the grandchild may or

may not be present.

Parent-maintained households—

The reference person or the reference 

person’s spouse has both a parent and

a child in the household.

with a grandfather or two

grandparents present.

Figure 1 shows the composition

of parent-maintained and

grandparent-maintained households. About 1 in 3 grandparentmaintained households had no

parent present—17 percent of 

these households had two grandparents present and 15 percent 

of households had just a grandmother present.6 Parent-maintained 

households were more likely than 

grandparent-maintained households to contain one rather than 

two grandparents. About 50 percent of coresident households that 

were maintained by a grandparent 

contained two grandparents. Only 

20 percent of parent-maintained 

households contained two grandparents. Forty percent of parentmaintained households contained 

two parents and a grandmother. 

Twenty-four percent of parentmaintained households contained

a grandmother and one parent.7

6 The percent of children living with

no parents and two grandparents was not

significantly different from the percentage

living with no parents and just a grandmother. 7 The percent of children living with a 

grandmother and one parent was not significantly different from the percentage living 

with two grandparents.

• Grandparents who live with 

grandchildren are younger, less 

educated, and more likely to 

be divorced or widowed than 

grandparents who do not live 

with a grandchild.

• Coresident grandparents are also 

more likely to be in poverty and 

more likely to be unable to work 

due to illness or disability compared with grandparents who 

did not live with grandchildren.
U.S. Census Bureau 3

Historical changes in

grandchildren living

with grandparents

In 1970, about 3 percent of

children lived in grandparentmaintained households; about

twice that many (6 percent) lived

in grandparent-maintained

households in 2012. 

Research finds that extended stays 

of grandchildren over holidays and 

summers defined typical grandparent-grandchild relationships in 

the 1960s and early 1970s, while 

patterns of relationships in the 

1990s and 2000s were defined 

by grandparents’ close proximity 

to grandchildren for support and 

childcare and temporary coresidence due to parental relationship 

breakdown or financial hardship.8

The longest trend data we have 

available are for children living in 

grandparent-maintained households. About 3 percent of children 

lived in grandparent-maintained 

households in 1970 (Figure 2); by 

1990, this had increased to 5 percent. In 2011, about 7 percent of 

children lived in grandparent-maintained households. This declined to 

8 J. Grey, R. Geraghty, and D. Ralph,

“Young grandchildren and their grandparents: continuity and change across four birth 

cohorts,” Families, Relationships and Societies: 2013, 2,2. 

6 percent in 2012. While the overall 

proportions of children who lived in 

a grandparent-maintained household are relatively small, there have 

been some interesting shifts over 

time in whether a child’s parents 

were also present.

From 1970 to 1990, the greatest 

increases were among children 

living with one parent, while 

from 1990 to 2000, the greatest 

increases were among children 

with no parent present.9 Research 

9 Ken Bryson and Lynne Casper, “Coresident Grandparents and Grandchildren,”

Current Population Reports, P23-198,

U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 1999, 

available at <www.census.gov/prod/99pubs

/p23-198.pdf>.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2012 Annual Social and Economic Supplement. 

(In percent)

All coresident households

Grandparent-maintained

household

Parent-maintained

household

Figure 1.

Households With Coresident Grandparents and Grandchildren

Both 

grandparents

20

Grandmother,

two parents

40

Grandmother,

one parent 

24

Grandfather

16

Both grandparents,

some parents

32

Grandmother,

no parents

15

Grandmother,

some parents

29

Both grandparents,

no parents

17

Grandfather { { 6

All other

coresident 

households

2

Grandparentmaintained 

households

67

Parentmaintained

households

31
4 U.S. Census Bureau

attributes the increase of grandparent coresidence since the 70s 

to high rates of divorce and teen 

pregnancy, as well as increases in 

drug usage and incarceration.10

Recent research finds that people 

experiencing economic distress and 

those impacted by the recent housing crisis were more likely to live in 

multigenerational households.11

10 Esme Fuller-Thomson, Meredith Minkler, 

and Diane Driver, “A profile of grandparents 

raising grandchildren in the United States,” 

The Gerontologist 37.3, 1997: 406–411.

M. Minkler, “Intergenerational Households 

Headed by Grandparents: Demographic and 

Sociological Contexts,” In Generations United 

(eds.) Grandparents and Other Relations

Raising Children: Background Paper from 

Generation’s United’s Expert Symposiums, 

1998, Washington, DC. 11 Rakesh Kochhar and D’Vera Cohn, 

“Fighting Poverty in a Tough Economy, Americans Move in With Their Relatives,” Pew Social 

and Demographic Trends Publication, 2011, 

available at <www.pewsocialtrends

.org/files/2011/10/Multigenerational

-Households-Final1.pdf>. 

In both 1992 and 2012, 20 percent 

of children who lived with a grandparent had no parent present.12 

However, this percentage ranged 

from 21 percent to 28 percent

between those years.

The presence of parents follows 

similar trends for children who 

were living with grandparents 

in both grandparent-maintained 

households and parent-maintained 

households. Figure 3 shows the 

share of children living with a 

grandparent by the number of parents present (in both grandparent 

and parent-maintained households) 

over the last two decades. From 

1992 to 2012, the largest portion 

of children who lived with a grandparent lived with their mother with 

no father present. However, while 

12 The percent of children living with no 

parent present is not significantly different in 

1992 and 2012.

46 percent of children lived with 

a grandparent and their mother 

in 1992, 40 percent lived in this 

arrangement in 2012.

The percentage of children who 

lived with a grandparent and two 

parents increased since the recession in 2007. Between 1992 and 

1996, the percentage of children 

living with grandparents and two 

parents was 30 percent or less. 

Since 2007, it has been between

33 and 34 percent. These increases 

are consistent with other research 

that finds recent increases in multigenerational families are related to 

economic distress. 13

13 Rakesh Kochhar and D’Vera Cohn, 

“Fighting Poverty in a Tough Economy,

Americans Move in With Their Relatives,”

Pew Social and Demographic Trends

Publication, 2011, available at

<www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2011/10

/Multigenerational-Households-Final1.pdf>. 

Figure 2.

Percentage of Children Under 18 Living in Their Grandparents’ Home by

Presence of Parent(s)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 1970 and 1980 Decennial Censuses, Current Population Survey, 1990–2012 Annual Social and Economic 

Supplement. See Table CH-7, <www.census.gov/hhes/families/data/children.html>.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1980 1990 1995 2000 2005 2012

census

1970 

census

Living with no parents

Living with mother only

Living with father only

Living with two parents
U.S. Census Bureau 5

The percentage of children who 

lived with a grandparent and no 

parent was not significantly different in 1992 and 2012 (20 percent). 

However, these years represent low 

points; between 1992 and 2012, 

higher percentages of children lived 

with no parents. The highest level 

(28 percent) was in 1995. Children 

living with a grandparent and a 

father, with no mother present, 

were the smallest group. Between

4 and 7 percent of children who 

lived with a grandparent lived in 

this arrangement during this time. 

White, non-Hispanic children and 

Hispanic children had the largest 

increases in living with grandparents between 1992 and 2012, but 

they were less likely to live with a 

grandparent than were Black or 

Asian children.

Over the last 20 years, although 

there was an overall increase in 

the percentage of children living 

with a grandparent, this varied by 

race and Hispanic origin (Figure 

4). For White, non-Hispanic children, about 4 percent lived with a 

grandparent in 1992 and 7 percent 

lived with a grandparent in 2012.14

For Black children, 13 percent 

lived with a grandparent in 1992. 

By 1995, 16 percent lived with a 

grandparent, but by 2012, it had 

declined to14 percent.15 About 14 

percent of Asian children lived with 

their grandparents in both 1992 

14 Individuals who responded to the question on race by indicating only one race are 

referred to as the race-alone population or 

the group that reported only one race

category. This report will refer to the Whitealone population as White, the Black-alone 

population as Black, the Asian alone population as Asian, and the White-alone nonHispanic population as White, non-Hispanic, 

unless otherwise noted. 15 The percent of Black children who lived 

with a grandparent in 1992 was not significantly different from the percentage in 2012. 

and 2012.16 In 1992, 9 percent 

of Hispanic children lived with a 

grandparent. In 2012, 12 percent 

of Hispanic children lived with a 

grandparent.17

Characteristics of

grandchildren who live

with a grandparent

Identifying living arrangements of 

children is important for understanding children’s outcomes and 

relative disadvantage. The composition of the households of grandchildren is associated with poverty 

16 The percent of Black children who 

lived with a grandparent in 1992 was not 

significantly different from the percentage of 

Asian children who lived with a grandparent 

in 1992. The percentage of Black children 

who lived with a grandparent in 2012 was 

not significantly different from the number of 

Asian children who lived with a grandparent 

in 2012. 17 The percent of Asian children who

lived with a grandparent in 2012 was not 

significantly different from the percentage

of Hispanic children who lived with a

grandparent in 2012. 

Figure 3.

Percentage of Children Under 18 Living With Grandparents by 

Presence of Parent(s)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 1992–2012 Annual Social and Economic Supplement.

Living with two parents

Living with mother only

Living with father only

Living with no parent

10

0

20

30

40

50

1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012
6 U.S. Census Bureau

rates, access to health care and 

other resources, and educational 

outcomes.18 Households with both 

parents present are very different 

from households with grandparents 

and one parent, or households with 

no parent present. Households with 

both parents present or both grandparents present have been found 

to have lower rates of poverty. The 

following section examines grandchildren who live with their grand18 Ken Bryson and Lynne Casper, “Coresident Grandparents and Grandchildren,”

Current Population Reports, P23-198, U.S. 

Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 1999, available at <www.census.gov/prod/99pubs

/p23-198.pdf>. Lindsay A. Baker and Jane 

Mutchler, “Poverty and Material Hardship in 

Grandparent Headed Households,” Journal 

of Marriage and Family, 2010, 72:947–962. 

Peter D. Brandon, “Welfare receipt among 

children living with grandparents,” Population Research and Policy Review, 2005, 24.5: 

411–429. Maria A. Monserud and Glen H. 

Elder, “Household structure and children’s 

educational attainment: A perspective on 

coresidence with grandparents,” Journal of 

Marriage and Family, 2011, 73.5: 981–1000. 

parents by select characteristics, 

including variation in geographic 

location, racial and Hispanic origin, 

and presence of parents. This section also includes a comparison 

of grandchildren in grandparentmaintained households and parentmaintained households and household composition by characteristics 

such as age of child, nativity status 

of parents, poverty level, and insurance coverage. This section allows 

us to see how grandchildren are 

faring in various types of household arrangements. 

Geographic patterns 

of children living with 

grandparents

Children who live in their grandparents’ household are a relatively small group, so in order to 

look at the geographic variation 

in the prevalence of this living 

arrangement, we need a very 

large data set. The full count data 

from Census 2010 allows us to 

examine variations by state and 

county. However, because only 

data on relationship to the reference person is collected, we are 

limited to grandchildren living in 

grandparent-maintained households. Counties in the Midwest and 

the upper Northeast generally had 

the lowest percentages of children 

living in their grandparents’ home, 

while counties in the South and 

Southwest had the highest percentages (Figure 5). These differences 

are probably related to the fact that 

higher proportions of White nonHispanics reside in the Midwest;19

as discussed in the previous section, White non-Hispanic children 

coreside with grandparents less 

19 Lindsay Hixon, Bradford B. Hepler, and 

Myoung Ouk Kim, “The White Population: 

2010,” 2010 Census Briefs, C2010BR-05,

U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2011. 

Figure 4.

Percentage of Children Under 18 Living With Grandparents by Race and 

Hispanic Origin:* 1992–2012

* Race and Hispanic origin were collected differently before 2003. In 2003 and later respondents could mark all race groups they chose, 

while in earlier years they had to choose one group. In 2003 and later, Black, White, and Asian include only those who marked a single 

category. Prior to 2003, Asian includes Pacific Islanders. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 1992–2012 Annual Social and Economic Supplement. 

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

1992 1995 2000 2004 2008 2012

All children

White alone, non-Hispanic

Black alone

Asian alone

Hispanic
U.S. Census Bureau

7

Percentage of Children Under 18 Livingin Their Grandparents’ Home: 2010

Figure 5.

0 100 Miles

0 100 Miles

0 500 Miles

Percentage of Children Under 18

Living in Their Grandparents’ Home by State: 2010

Percent

5.70–8.29

8.30–15.803.90–5.69

U.S. percent is 7.9

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census Summary File 1.

Note: No data exists for Kalawao County, HI

for this population.

The term "county" refers to a county or

statistically equivalent entity.

U.S. percent is 7.9

Percent by county

11.90–17.1917.20–37.408.40–11.89

5.30–8.39

0.00–5.29No data
8 U.S. Census Bureau

frequently than Hispanic, Black, or 

Asian children.

Relatively high proportions of 

children under 18 lived in their 

grandparents’ home in the Mississippi Delta area. This is a part of 

the country with relatively high 

proportions of nonmarital births, 

which may be associated with 

mothers and their children living 

with the mother’s parents.20 Additionally, there were high percentages of grandchildren living in 

their grandparents’ home in the 

Southwest and the coastal areas of 

the West. These areas have large 

immigrant populations from Asia 

and Latin America, who may live 

in extended family situations that 

increase the likelihood of children 

living in their grandparents’ home. 

Hawaii also had higher percentages 

of grandparents living with grandchildren, which may reflect higher 

proportions of Native Hawaiians 

living in multigenerational households.21 Some other counties with 

relatively high percentages were 

in North Dakota, South Dakota, 

Montana, Arizona, and New Mexico, which contain American Indian 

reservations.

Characteristics of 

grandchildren in grandparentmaintained and parentmaintained households

In 2012, about 7 million children 

(10 percent of all children) lived 

with a grandparent in either a

parent-maintained or a grand20 Joyce A. Martin, Brady E. Hamilton, 

Stephanie J. Ventura, Michelle J. K. Osterman, 

and T. J. Matthews, “Births: Final Data for 

2011,” National Vital Statistics Reports,

Vol 62 No. 1, Table I-4, available at

<www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr62

/nvsr62_01_tables.pdf>, National Center for 

Health Statistics. 21 For more about higher proportions

of certain race groups living in multigenerational households, see Daphne A. Lofquist, 

“Multigenerational Households: 2009–2011,”

American Community Survey Brief, 

ACSBR/11-03, p. 2, available at

<www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs

/acsbr11-03.pdf>.

parent-maintained household 

according to Current Population 

Survey data.22 As mentioned earlier 

in this report, the majority (64 percent) of children who lived with a 

grandparent lived in a grandparentmaintained household (Table 1).

About 45 percent of children in 

grandparent-maintained households lived with only a grandmother compared with 65 percent 

in parent-maintained households. 

While about 20 percent of coresident grandchildren had no parent 

present, this was true for nearly 

one-third of the children in grandparent-maintained families.23 About 

half of grandparent-maintained 

households with no parent present 

had only one grandparent present. 

Children who live with no parent 

and one grandparent may be more 

vulnerable due to fewer available 

socioeconomic resources24 (Table 

1). Of the children who lived in a 

grandparent-maintained household, 

33 percent lived with two grandparents, and 30 percent lived with 

a grandmother and one or more 

parent. Only about 6 percent of 

children in grandparent-maintained 

households lived with a grandfather without a grandmother

present, while 45 percent lived with 

a grandmother without a grandfather present.

Thirty-two percent of children who 

lived with a grandparent lived in 

22 In 2012, there were about 73.8 million 

children according to the CPS. 23 Children with no parent present may live 

with both grandparents, just a grandmother, 

or just a grandfather. Because the percentage 

of grandchildren who live with just a grandfather is so small, Table 1 combines those that 

live with parents present and those that live 

without parents present. 24 Ken Bryson and Lynne Casper, “Coresident Grandparents and Grandchildren,”

Current Population Reports, P23-198,

U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 1999, 

available at <www.census.gov/prod/99pubs

/p23-198.pdf>. Lindsay A. Baker and Jane 

Mutchler, “Poverty and Material Hardship in 

Grandparent Headed Households,” Journal of 

Marriage and Family, 2010, 72:947–962.

parent-maintained households. 

Children who lived in a parentmaintained household were more 

likely to live with a grandmother 

without a grandfather present 

(Table 1). Sixty-five percent of

children in parent-maintained 

households lived with just a

grandmother. While 44 percent of

children in parent-maintained 

households lived with a grandmother and two parents, 21 

percent lived with a grandmother 

and one parent. Only 16 percent 

of children in parent-maintained 

households lived with a grandfather and 19 percent lived with 

two grandparents.

Black children who lived with a 

grandparent were more likely to 

live with a grandmother and a 

single parent or a grandmother 

and no parent compared to 

other children who lived with 

a grandparent.

The composition of coresident 

grandchildren’s households varied 

by race. While 7 percent of White, 

non-Hispanic children lived with

a grandparent, 12 percent of 

Hispanic children and 14 percent 

of Black and Asian children lived 

with a grandparent.25 The presence 

of parents also varied by race—28 

percent of Black children lived with 

a grandparent without a parent 

present, higher than for Hispanic 

children and children of other races 

(Figure 6). Twenty-four percent 

of White, non-Hispanic children, 

12 percent of Hispanic children, 

and 3 percent of Asian children 

did not have a parent present. 

Black children with a coresident 

grandparent also had the highest 

percentage living with a mother 

with no father present; about half 

25 These numbers are from additional 

calculations not shown. The percent of Asian 

children who live with a grandparent does not 

differ significantly from the percent of

Hispanic children or the percent of Black 

children who live with a grandparent.
U.S. Census Bureau 9

Table 1.

Characteristics of Grandchildren Under 18 Who Coreside With Grandparents: 2012

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

Total

Grandparent maintained Parent maintained Neither 

parent

or 

grandparent

is 

houseTotal holder

Both

grandparents

Grandmother 

only

Grandfather 

only Total

Both 

grandparents

Grandmother 

only 

Grandfather 

only

Some 

parents

No

parent

Some 

parents

No

parent

Two 

parents

One 

parent

 Grandchildren, total

 (number) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,096 4,542 1,519 708 1,380 665 270 2,298 441 1,010 483 364 255

percent distribution

Race and Hispanic origin

White alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66.9 67.9 77.5 75.6 59.2 51.1 79.7 65.0 63.1 67.0 59.7 68.8 65.3

White alone, non-Hispanic . . . 36.5 40.5 42.1 53.9 34.0 31.0 7.7 30.3 26.0 34.5 22.2 34.2 21.7

Black alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.0 25.2 12.8 19.4 35.6 41.6 16.4 16.3 10.1 10.5 32.4 18.6 17.5

Asian alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 2.2 1.2 2.3 1.3 5.7 2.8 1.6 2.8 0.7 2.6 1.2 5.3

Hispanic (any race) . . . . . . . . . . 29.8 25.7 34.6 18.6 23.3 17.3 6.2 35.1 38.1 34.2 36.7 32.0 53.7

Age

Under 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.9 45.7 55.8 31.7 51.1 29.4 38.6 36.2 48.4 30.6 36.5 36.3 51.9

6 to 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.9 29.0 29.5 33.5 23.9 32.4 32.2 34.9 31.1 37.8 32.1 35.4 27.3

12 to 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.3 25.2 14.6 34.8 24.9 38.2 29.2 28.9 20.5 31.6 31.4 28.3 20.8

Nativity

U.S. native, two native-born 

parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.4 58.5 81.5 X 90.0 X 64.9 55.4 43.1 46.3 77.6 65.9 57.6

U.S. native, one foreign-born 

parent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.2 5.5 10.3 X 6.4 X 2.2 17.7 21.3 18.0 19.1 10.8 26.5

U.S. native, two foreign-born 

parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.4 2.5 6.2 X 1.1 X 2.0 22.9 30.7 32.1 X 18.1 8.7

U.S. native, no parents

present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.4 31.9 X 99.2 X 100.0 29.7 X X X X X X

Foreign born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 1.6 2.0 0.8 2.4 Z 1.3 4.1 5.1 3.6 3.3 5.1 7.2

Household members under 18

One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.3 33.9 29.1 45.6 29.9 40.1 34.5 24.6 22.9 19.9 35.5 25.2 17.9

Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.9 34.9 38.2 29.7 35.2 29.4 41.6 39.0 40.3 38.8 37.9 39.0 25.9

Three or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.9 31.3 32.7 24.7 35.0 30.5 24.0 36.5 36.8 41.3 26.6 35.8 56.2

Health insurance coverage

Private insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.7 19.7 26.6 17.9 18.9 9.6 15.6 38.1 32.7 45.1 25.9 41.4 19.1

Public insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . 53.9 59.5 54.4 57.9 62.2 67.1 58.7 42.5 52.8 33.6 55.0 38.5 58.3

No health insurance . . . . . . . . . . 20.4 20.1 19.0 24.2 18.9 23.3 25.7 19.3 14.5 21.3 19.1 19.9 22.7

Percent of poverty level1

Under 50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1 9.7 2.9 4.7 15.4 19.5 7.2 7.6 0.9 5.2 18.7 7.6 11.8

50 to 99 ................... 14.8 15.5 10.3 12.3 17.4 28.4 12.5 12.3 10.7 11.3 13.8 14.8 23.7

100 to 149 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.2 14.5 12.0 17.9 16.4 15.4 8.6 13.0 13.9 11.3 17.9 10.1 19.3

150 to 199 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.6 14.3 15.7 16.3 11.5 13.7 17.2 12.2 9.4 12.8 14.1 11.2 13.9

200 to 299 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.7 21.0 23.5 20.8 20.6 14.0 26.2 20.8 25.0 21.7 18.5 16.0 15.3

300 to 399 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 11.0 15.5 12.3 7.1 5.6 15.9 11.5 13.4 10.6 9.1 14.8 10.6

400 to 499 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 5.9 3.1 6.8 4.0 0.8 5.7 7.6 8.6 8.9 3.9 7.9 1.0

500 percent or more . . . . . . . . . 10.3 8.1 3.7 9.0 7.6 2.4 6.8 15.1 18.0 18.3 4.0 17.7 4.5

Household public assistance

No public assistance . . . . . . . . . 47.8 44.6 56.2 52.3 37.6 24.2 45.9 55.9 55.6 65.0 38.7 54.1 32.6

Any public assistance . . . . . . . . 52.1 55.3 43.8 47.7 62.4 75.8 54.1 44.1 44.4 35.0 61.3 45.9 67.4

School lunch program . . . . . . 39.1 42.5 31.9 40.4 47.4 61.3 35.8 37.9 28.2 24.4 46.7 34.8 49.3

Food stamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.1 31.6 22.9 18.4 41.8 43.8 34.0 21.5 22.0 15.3 15.3 15.3 53.2

TANF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.4 9.0 5.8 10.5 8.6 14.0 13.2 6.9 7.0 6.4 8.6 5.6 12.2

SSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.8 11.4 9.9 7.4 12.4 17.4 10.4 10.0 10.8 8.7 13.7 7.8 7.2

Housing assistance . . . . . . . . 4.5 5.3 1.7 1.4 9.1 11.6 1.4 3.2 1.3 2.2 6.6 4.0 2.9

Energy assistance . . . . . . . . . 5.2 6.5 2.2 5.9 8.1 13.2 8.3 3.1 1.7 1.3 8.2 2.8 2.9

X Not applicable.

Z Represents or rounds to zero. 1

 Poverty level is calculated based on 2011 income.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2012 Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
10 U.S. Census Bureau

of coresident Black children (53 

percent) had only a mother present. Asian children had the highest 

percentage of coresident children 

who had both parents present—78 

percent of Asian children who lived 

with a grandparent had two parents 

present compared with 15 percent 

of Black children.

A quarter of coresident children 

who live in a grandparent-maintained household are Black while 

16 percent of children who live 

in a parent-maintained household 

are Black. Conversely, 35 percent 

of coresident children in parentmaintained households are Hispanic, while 26 percent of children 

in grandparent-maintained households are Hispanic. Children in 

parent-maintained households

were more frequently foreign born; 

4 percent of children in parentmaintained families were foreign 

born compared to 2 percent in 

grandparent-maintained families. 

Children in parent-maintained 

families were also more likely than 

children in grandparentmaintained 

families to live with one or more 

foreign-born parents (41 percent 

and 8 percent, respectively).26

The composition of coresident 

grandchild households also varied 

by other demographic characteristics. Grandchildren living in 

grandparent-maintained households were younger than grandchildren living in parent-maintained 

households. While 46 percent of 

children in grandparent-maintained 

households were under 6 years 

old, only 36 percent of children in 

parent-maintained households were 

under 6. Although fewer coresident 

children live in parent-maintained 

households compared with grandparent-maintained households, 

children in parent-maintained 

households were more likely to 

coreside with other children under 

18. Thirty-seven percent of children living in parent-maintained 

households lived in a home with 

three or more children under 18, 

compared with 31 percent of 

children in grandparent-maintained 

households. 

Children who live in grandparentmaintained households are more 

likely to be poor compared to

children who live in parentmaintained households or children 

who do not live with a grandparent. 

Children living in grandparentmaintained households lived in 

poverty more often than both 

children in grandparent-maintained 

households and children who did 

not live with a grandparent (Figure 

7). Twenty-five percent of children 

living in a grandparent-maintained 

household were in poverty compared with 20 percent of children 

who lived in a parent-maintained 

household and 22 percent of 

children who did not live with a 

26 About 32 percent of children in grandparent-maintained families are U.S. born with 

no parents present. We do not know if these 

parents were foreign born or native born. 

Asian Hispanic

alone

Black 

alone

White 

alone, nonHispanic

All 

children

Figure 6.

Percent Distribution of Children Under 18 Living With

a Grandparent by Race and Hispanic Origin and Presence

of Parent(s): 2012

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2012 Annual Social and Economic 

Supplement.

Living with no parent

Living with father only

Living with mother only

Living with two parents

20 24

28

12

4

46

38

4

15

78

4

53

15

6

35

35 34

5

3

40
U.S. Census Bureau 11

grandparent.27 However, poverty 

varied by household composition. 

Children living with a grandmother 

and no parent present were the 

most likely to be in poverty (48 

percent). Children living with a 

grandmother and one parent in 

both parent-maintained and grandparent-maintained households had 

high percentages of poverty. 

Previous research found the 

number of grandparents present 

relates to the prevalence of poverty 

because of access to socioeconomic resources. Children with 

two grandparents present are less 

27 There is no statistical difference in the 

percentage of children who live in poverty 

between children who live with a grandparent 

in parent-maintained households and children 

who do not live with a grandparent. 

likely to be in poverty.28 Figure 8 

shows findings that are consistent with this previous research. 

Children living in households with 

two grandparents were less often 

in poverty compared to children 

living with only a grandmother. In 

grandparent-maintained households, 48 percent of children living 

with a grandmother and no parents 

were in poverty, while only 17 

percent of children living with two 

grandparents and no parents were 

in poverty. Thirteen percent of children living with two grandparents 

28 Ken Bryson and Lynne Casper, “Coresident Grandparents and Grandchildren,”

Current Population Reports, P23-198,

U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 1999, 

available at <www.census.gov/prod/99pubs

/p23-198.pdf>. Lindsay A. Baker, and Jane 

Mutchler, “Poverty and Material Hardship in 

Grandparent Headed Households,” Journal of 

Marriage and Family, 2010, 72:947–962.

and at least one parent were in 

poverty, compared with 33 percent 

of children living with a grandmother and at least one parent in a 

grandparent-maintained household. 

In parent-maintained households, 

children living with one parent and 

a grandmother had the highest

percentage in poverty (33 percent). 

Three quarters of grandchildren 

who lived with grandmothers and 

no parent lived in households that 

received public assistance. About 

60 percent of children who lived 

with a grandmother and one parent 

lived in households that received 

public assistance in both grandparent-maintained and parentmaintained households.

Children who lived with a grandparent were more likely to live in 

households that received public 

assistance than were children in 

households without coresident 

grandparents (Figure 7). While 36 

percent of children who did not 

live with a grandparent lived in 

households that received public 

assistance, 44 percent of parentmaintained households and 55 

percent of grandparent-maintained 

households with coresident grandchildren received public assistance. 

Households where children lived 

with a grandmother with no parent 

present were more likely to receive 

public assistance compared with 

other grandparent-maintained 

households. Seventy-six percent of 

these households received public 

assistance (Figure 8).29 In parentmaintained households, parent 

presence is an important factor in 

the receipt of public assistance. 

29 There is no significant difference in the 

percentage of children who receive public 

assistance in grandparent-maintained households with two grandparents with parents 

present and without parents present. There 

is no significant difference in the percentage 

of children who receive public assistance in 

grandparent-maintained households with a 

grandparent present compared to those with 

a grandmother and parents or those with two 

grandparents and no parents. 

Family income

below poverty

Household receiving

public assistance

Public health

insurance

Without health

insurance coverage

Figure 7.

Percentage of Children Who Are Without Health 

Insurance, With Public Insurance, Receiving Public 

Assistance, and in Poverty by Living Arrangement: 2012

19

20

19

37

60

43

55

44

37

22

25

20

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2012 Annual Social and Economic 

Supplement.

Children with a coresident grandparent 

living in grandparent headed-households

Children without a coresident grandparent

Children with a coresident grandparent 

living in parent-headed households
12 U.S. Census Bureau

Figure 8.

Percentage of Children Who are in Poverty and Receiving Public Assistance 

by Living Arrangement: 2012 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2012 Annual Social and Economic Supplement.

Grandparent-maintained households Parent-maintained households

Grandfather only

Both grandparents,

some parents

Both grandparents,

no parents

Grandmother only,

some parents

Grandmother only,

no parents

Grandparent-Maintained 

Households

Family Income Below Poverty

Households Receiving Public Assistance

Both grandparents

Grandmother only,

two parents

Grandmother only,

one parent

Grandfather only

Parent-Maintained 

Households

13

17

33

48

20

Grandparent-maintained households Parent-maintained households

44

48

62

76

54

35

44

61

46

12

17

33

22
U.S. Census Bureau 13

Grandparent-maintained households

Figure 9.

Percentage of Children Without Health Insurance and With Public Health Insurance 

by Living Arrangements: 2012

Both grandparents,

some parents

Both grandparents,

no parents

Grandmother only,

some parents

Grandmother only,

no parents

Grandfather only

Grandparent-Maintained 

Households

Both grandparents

Grandmother only,

two parents

Grandmother only,

one parent

Grandfather only

Parent-Maintained 

Households

19

24

19

23

26

54

58

62

67

60

53

34

55

39

15

21 19 20

Without Health Insurance

With Public Health Insurance

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2012 Annual Social and Economic Supplement.

Grandparent-maintained households Parent-maintained households

Parent-maintained households
14 U.S. Census Bureau

While 61 percent of households 

where children lived with a grandmother and one parent received 

public assistance, 35 percent of 

households where children lived 

with a grandmother and two

parents did.

Although research finds that the 

presence of two grandparents may 

protect children from poverty, it 

also finds that uninsured children 

are more prevalent in households 

with one or no parent present 

regardless of how many grandparents are present.30 This is 

largely because these households 

are frequently formed unexpectedly and are often fluid and 

informally arranged.31 Federal and 

local policy may not recognize 

these households as eligible for 

programs or assistance due to 

lack of clear guardianship and this 

may contribute to hardship even 

beyond that of poverty.32 Figure 

9 illustrates this by showing 24 

percent of children in grandparentmaintained households with two 

grandparents and no parent present were uninsured compared with 

19 percent of children with two 

grandparents and at least one parent, or children with a grandmother 

and at least one parent.33 For 

children living in parent-maintained 

households, a higher percentage 

of children living with two parents 

and a grandmother were uninsured 

compared with children living with 

two grandparents and parents (21 

and 15 percent, respectively).

30 Ken Bryson and Lynne Casper, “Coresident Grandparents and Grandchildren,”

Current Population Reports, P23-198,

U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 1999, 

available at <www.census.gov/prod/99pubs

/p23-198.pdf>. 31 Lindsay A. Baker and Jane Mutchler, 

“Poverty and Material Hardship in Grandparent Headed Households,” Journal of Marriage 

and Family, 2010, 72:947–962. 32 Ibid. 33 There is no significant difference in the 

percentage of children who were uninsured in 

grandparent-maintained households with two 

grandparents with parents present and those 

with a grandmother and parents. 

There have been positive changes 

in health insurance coverage over 

time for children who coreside with 

grandparents. Although in 1998, 

children living in grandparentmaintained households were more 

likely to be uninsured, in 2012, the 

percentages of children who were 

uninsured ranged between 19 and 

20 percent for all children regardless of whether they lived with a 

grandparent (Figure 7).34 However, 

this increase in insurance coverage is largely due to an increase in 

use of public insurance for children 

who lived with a grandparent.

Although percentages of children 

who are uninsured are comparable for children who live with 

a grandparent and those that do 

not, children who coreside with a 

grandparent are more frequently 

using public insurance rather than 

private insurance.

Children who lived with a grandparent were more likely to use 

public health insurance compared 

with children who did not live with 

a grandparent. Sixty percent of 

children in grandparent-maintained 

households and 43 percent of children in parent-maintained households received some form of public 

insurance compared with only 37 

percent of children who did not 

live with a grandparent. Over half 

of children living in grandparentmaintained households had public 

insurance regardless of composition (Figure 9). A higher percentage 

of children living in grandparentmaintained households with a 

grandmother and no parents had 

public insurance than children 

who lived with two grandparents 

34 Ken Bryson and Lynne Casper, “Coresident Grandparents and Grandchildren,”

Current Population Reports, P23-198,

U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 1999, 

available at <www.census.gov/prod/99pubs

/p23-198.pdf>.

regardless of presence of parents.35

In parent-maintained households, 

34 percent of children living with a 

grandmother and two parents had 

public health insurance compared 

with 55 percent of children with a 

grandmother and one parent, and 

53 percent of households with

two grandparents.36

Characteristics of

grandparents who live

with grandchildren

This section provides an overview 

of grandparents who lived with 

their grandchildren. Coresiding 

with and caring for grandchildren 

may have impacts on an older 

person’s health, stress level, and 

income stability.37 Understanding 

grandparents’ characteristics is 

important for public policy. This 

section includes geographic

patterns of coresident grandparents, characteristics and

geographic patterns of grandparents who are the primary

caregiver of their grandchildren, 

and geographic patterns of grandparents who lived with a grandchild 

without a parent present. This section also includes select characteristics of coresident grandparents 

such as age, sex, race and Hispanic 

origin, marital status, educational 

attainment, labor force participation, and health, poverty and 

disability status. This allows us to 

see how coresident grandparents’ 

35 There is no significant difference in the 

percent of children with public insurance in 

grandparent-maintained households with two 

grandparents and a parent and those with 

two grandparents and no parent. 36 There is no statistical difference in the 

percentage of children with public health 

insurance between children who live with a 

grandparent in parent-maintained households 

with two grandparents present and children 

in parent-maintained households with a 

grandmother and one parent present. 37 Robert G. Sands and Robin S.

Goldberg-Glen, “Factors Associated with 

Stress Among Grandparents Raising Their 

Grandchildren,” Family Relations, 2000, 49, 

97–105. Carol M. Musil et al, “Grandmother 

and caregiving to grandchildren: Continuity 

and change over 24 months,” The Gerontologist, 2010, 51:1,86–100. 
U.S. Census Bureau 15 Table 2. Grandparents Living With Grandchildren, Responsible for Coresident Grandchildren, and Duration of Responsibility by Race and Hispanic Origin: 2012 Characteristic Total Race Hispanic origin White alone Black or African American alone American Indian and Alaskan Native alone Asian alone Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander alone Some other race alone Two or more races Hispanic or Latino (of any race) Not Hispanic or Latino Total White alone, not Hispanic or Latino Population 30 years and over . . . . . . . . . 187,483,709 145,132,768 21,461,936 1,351,293 9,376,768 275,252 6,790,567 3,095,125 24,591,896 162,891,813 128,643,799 Grandparents living with grandchildren . . 7,065,539 4,472,409 1,258,829 101,944 548,617 29,095 505,451 149,194 1,775,742 5,289,797 3,291,310 Percent of population 30 and over . . . . 3.8 3.1 5.9 7.5 5.9 10.6 7.4 4.8 7.2 3.2 2.6 Reponsible for grandchildren . . . . . . . . . . 2,743,282 1,785,033 599,741 55,096 84,051 8,842 154,165 56,354 549,558 2,193,724 1,422,907 Percent of grandparents living with grandchildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38.8 39.9 47.6 54.0 15.3 30.4 30.5 37.8 30.9 41.5 43.2 By duration of time responsible (percent)* Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Less than 6 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.5 10.8 9.3 10.6 10.7 9.1 11.6 10.0 11.5 10.2 10.6 6 to 11 Months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.6 10.8 10.2 10.1 8.9 4.9 12.2 12.2 10.4 10.7 11.0 1 to 2 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.0 22.9 22.7 23.6 19.1 32.9 25.3 23.3 24.7 22.5 22.6 3 to 4 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.6 16.9 16.1 15.7 17.2 8.5 17.2 14.5 16.5 16.7 16.9 5 years or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.3 38.7 41.8 40.0 44.2 44.6 33.7 40.0 36.9 39.9 38.8 * Percent distribution based on grandparents responsible for grandchildren. Percent distribution may not sum to 100 percent because of rounding. Note: See Appendix Table 1 for the margins of error that accompany the estimates in this table. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey. For more information, see <www.census.gov/acs>.
16 U.S. Census Bureau

circumstances vary by household 

composition. 

In 2012, 2.7 million grandparents 

in the United States were raising 

their grandchildren.

The 2012 American Community 

Survey estimated 187.5 million 

people aged 30 and over lived in 

the United States, of whom 7.1

million (4 percent) lived with grandchildren younger than 18 years 

(Table 2). Among these grandparents living with grandchildren, 

2.7 million (39 percent) were also 

“grandparent caregivers” (those 

who had primary responsibility for 

grandchildren under 18 years living 

with them). Among grandparent 

caregivers, 39 percent had cared 

for their grandchildren for 5 or 

more years.

As Table 2 shows, there are distinct differences in the percentages 

of grandparents living with and 

raising grandchildren by race and 

Hispanic origin. While 4 percent of 

all people aged 30 and over lived 

with their grandchildren, 3 percent 

of White, non-Hispanics did so. 

Higher proportions were found 

among other racial and ethnic 

groups: 6 percent of Blacks and 

Asians, 7 percent of Hispanics, 8 

percent of American Indians and 

Alaska Natives, and 11 percent of 

Native Hawaiians and other Pacific 

Islanders. 38

The percentage of particular race 

or ethnic groups who lived with 

their grandchildren did not necessarily correlate with the percentage of those responsible for their 

grandchildren. Grandparents who 

were Asian (15 percent), Native 

Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (30 

percent), or Hispanic (31 percent) 

were less likely to be responsible 

38 There was no significant difference 

between the percentages of American Indian 

and Alaska Native grandparents living with 

grandchildren and Hispanic or Latino grandparents living with grandchildren.

for grandchildren than Black (48 

percent) or American Indian and 

other Alaskan Native grandparents 

(54 percent). Forty-three percent of 

White, non-Hispanic grandparents 

were responsible for their coresident grandchildren.39

These differences in grandparents living with grandchildren 

and grandparents responsible 

for grandchildren by race are 

related to a variety of factors. For 

instance, among American Indians 

and Alaska Natives, working-age 

adults sometimes leave reservations to earn money for the household while the grandparents care 

for their children; also, informal 

adoption of grandchildren is more 

prevalent among Blacks.40

Among grandparent caregivers: 11 

percent had cared for their grandchildren for fewer than 6 months; 

11 percent had cared for their 

grandchildren for 6 to 11 months; 

23 percent for 1 to 2 years; 17 

percent for 3 to 4 years; and 39 

percent for 5 years or more.41 Time 

responsible varied by race and 

ethnicity. Hispanics had one of the 

lower percentages responsible for 

their grandchildren for 5 or more 

years (37 percent). 

Of the 7.1 million coresident grandparents in 2012, 64 percent were 

women (Table 3). This percentage 

did not vary much by whether a 

grandparent was a caregiver or 

how long they had been a caregiver, ranging from 62 percent to 

65 percent.

39 The percentage of Native Hawaiian or 

Pacific Islander grandparents responsible for 

grandchildren was not significantly different 

from the percentage of Hispanic grandparents 

responsible for grandchildren. 40 Laurel Kathleen Schwede, Rae Lesser 

Blumberg, and Anna Y. Chan, eds., Complex 

ethnic households in America. Rowman & 

Littlefield, 2005. 41 The percentage of grandparents that 

had cared for their grandchildren for less 

than 6 months is not significantly different 

from the percentage that had cared for their 

grandchildren 6 to 11 months.

In looking at the age distribution 

of coresident grandparents, only 2 

percent of grandparents living with 

grandchildren were aged 30 to 39, 

reflecting the low probability of 

being a grandparent at this early 

age, while the highest percentage 

was for those aged 50 to 59 (34 

percent). Those aged 80 and over 

made up only 5 percent of coresident grandparents.

Compared with 2000, a higher 

percentage of grandparents are in 

older age groups in 2012.

Comparing grandparents living 

with grandchildren by different age 

groups in 2012 and 2000, in 2012 

a higher percentage of grandparents were in older age brackets.42

In 2000, 24 percent of grandparents living with grandchildren

were aged 40 to 49, compared

with 17 percent in 2012. In 2000, 

24 percent were aged 60 to 69, 

while in 2012, 29.1 percent were 

aged 60 to 69. (There was not 

much change in the percent who 

were 50 to 59 years between these 

two time periods—32 percent in 

2000 versus 34 percent in 2012).

The age distribution of grandparent caregivers was younger than 

that of coresident grandparents 

not responsible for grandchildren. 

For instance, while 13 percent of 

grandparents not responsible for 

grandchildren were 40 to 49 years 

old, 22 percent of grandparents 

responsible for grandchildren were 

40 to 49 years old. 

Figure 10 shows that grandparents 

living with grandchildren who were 

under 60 years were more often 

responsible for their grandchildren 

(47 percent) than grandparents 

who were aged 60 and over (29 

42 Tavia Simmons and Jane Lawler Dye, 

“Grandparents Living With Grandchildren: 

2000,” Census 2000 Brief, C2KBR-31,

U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC,

2003, available at <www.census.gov

/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-31.pdf>.
U.S. Census Bureau 17 Table 3. Grandparents Living With Grandchildren, Responsible for Coresident Grandchildren, and Duration of Responsibility by Sex and Age: 2012 Characteristic Total Sex Age Male Female 30 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 59 60 to 69 70 to 79 80 and over Grandparents living with grandchildren . . . . . . 7,065,539 2,530,093 4,535,446 164,284 1,183,959 2,412,910 2,052,925 935,516 315,945 Not responsible for grandchildren . . . . . . . . . 4,322,257 1,513,908 2,808,349 64,727 578,356 1,343,376 1,342,101 718,681 275,016 Responsible for grandchildren . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,743,282 1,016,185 1,727,097 99,557 605,603 1,069,534 710,824 216,835 40,929 Percent distribution1 Grandparents living with grandchildren . . . . . . . 100.0 35.8 64.2 2.3 16.8 34.2 29.1 13.2 4.5 Not responsible for grandchildren . . . . . . . . . 100.0 35.0 65.0 1.5 13.4 31.1 31.1 16.6 6.4 Responsible for grandchildren . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 37.0 63.0 3.6 22.1 39.0 25.9 7.9 1.5 Percent distribution by duration of time responsible1 Less than 6 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 37.0 63.0 7.9 32.3 36.0 18.4 4.5 0.9 6 to 11 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 38.1 61.9 8.1 30.0 36.4 19.5 5.0 0.9 1 to 2 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 37.4 62.6 5.4 30.3 37.7 20.2 5.3 1.1 3 to 4 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 37.1 62.9 2.9 23.2 40.6 25.1 7.1 1.2 5 years or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 36.6 63.4 0.6 11.9 40.5 33.3 11.5 2.2 1 Percentages are based on the totals in the first column. Percent distribution may not sum up to 100 percent because of rounding. Note: See Appendix Table 2 for the margins of error that accompany the estimates in this table. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey. For more information, see <www.census.gov/acs>.
18 U.S. Census Bureau

grandparents living with grandchildren under 18 reflect factors such 

as differing racial compositions of 

specific areas. For instance, the 

Midwest and the upper Northeast 

generally had the lowest percentages of grandparents living with 

grandchildren under 18 (Figure 11). 

This could be related to higher levels of White, non-Hispanics residing 

in the Midwest.43 Relatively high 

proportions of people 30 years and 

over lived with grandchildren under 

18 in the South, which is an area 

43 Lindsay Hixon, Bradford B. Hepler, and 

Myoung Ouk Kim, “The White Population: 

2010,” 2010 Census Briefs, C2010BR-05,

U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2011. 

with relatively high proportions of 

Blacks. Higher percentages of people 30 and over living with grandchildren under 18 were also noted 

in the southern and the coastal 

areas of the West, which has large 

immigrant populations from Asia 

and Latin America. Other counties 

with relatively high percentages 

were noted in North Dakota, South 

Dakota, Montana, Arizona, and 

New Mexico, which contain American Indian reservations. Several 

counties in Alaska also had high 

percentages of grandparents living 

with grandchildren, concentrated 

around areas that had higher percentages of Alaska Natives.

Regional differences existed in percentages of grandparents who were 

responsible for the grandchildren 

living with them (Figure 12). Many 

counties in the South and Southwest as well as Alaska had percentages higher than the U.S. average, 

while many counties in California, 

southern Florida, Hawaii, and along 

the Northeastern seaboard had 

percentages lower than the U.S. 

average. These differences may be 

related to the differential rates of 

grandparent caregiving seen among 

different races and ethnicities 

discussed earlier in the report—

for example, Asian, Hispanic, and 

Native Hawaiian grandparents were 

less likely to be primary caregivers 

for their grandchildren.

The percentage of people aged 30 

and over in the United States who 

were coresident grandparents in 

grandparent-maintained households ranged from a high of 4.3 

percent in the West to a low of 2.9 

percent in the Midwest (Table 4). At 

the state level, Hawaii had the highest percentage of adults living with 

grandchildren (7 percent), while 

Minnesota and North Dakota had 

percent). Grandparents living with 

grandchildren who were under 60 

years were more often responsible 

for their grandchildren for less than 

a year (12 percent) than grandparents who were aged 60 and over 

(4 percent).

Characteristics of 

Grandparents by Region and 

State

Not surprisingly, geographic patterns of grandparents living with 

grandchildren (Figure 11) were similar to the geographic patterns seen 

in children living with grandparent 

householders (Figure 5). Regional 

differences in the percentages of 

Figure 10.

Length of Time Coresident Grandparents

Were Responsible for Grandchildren by 

Age of Grandparents: 2012

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey. For more information, 

see <www.census.gov/acs>.

(In Percent)

Not responsible

for grandchild

5 or more years

3 to 4 years

1 to 2 years

Less than 1 year

Not responsible

for grandchild

5 or more years

3 to 4 years

1 to 2 years

Less than 1 year

53

12

8

12

15

30–59 years old

71

4

5

5

15

60+ years old
U.S. Census Bureau 19 Percentage of Population 30 Years and Over Living With Grandchildren: 2008–2012 Figure 11. 0 100 Miles 0 100 Miles 0 500 Miles Percentage of Population 30 Years and Over Living With Grandchildren by State: 2008–2012 Percent 3.00–4.19 4.20–6.50 1.50–2.99 U.S. percent is 3.7 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008–2012 American Community Survey. For more information see <www.census.gov/acs> The term "county" refers to a county or statistically equivalent entity. U.S. percent is 3.7 Percent by county 5.50–7.99 8.00–25.40 3.70–5.49 2.00–3.69 0.01–1.99 Less than 0.01
20 U.S. Census Bureau Percentage of Grandparents Living With Grandchildren Who are Responsible for Their Coresident Grandchildren: 2008–2012 Figure 12. 0 100 Miles 0 100 Miles 0 500 Miles Percentage of Grandparents Living With Grandchildren Who Are Responsible for Their Coresident Grandchildren by State: 2008–2012 Significance Not different Higher Lower Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008–2012 American Community Survey. TFor more information see <www.census.gov/acs> he term "county" refers to a county or statistically equivalent entity. Significance as compared to the national average by countyNot different from U.S. Higher than the U.S. Lower than the U.S. No grandparents living with their grandchildren U.S. percent is 39.8 U.S. average is 39.8 percent
U.S. Census Bureau 21

some of the lowest percentages 

(2 percent).44

The South had the highest percentage of grandparent caregivers (45 

percent), while the Northeast and 

the West had the lowest percentages (32 percent and 31 percent, 

respectively).45 At the state level, 

Alabama was among the states 

with the highest percentages (58 

percent),46 while New Jersey and 

California had some of the lowest (26 percent and 27 percent, 

respectively). 47

For many grandparents raising 

grandchildren, this responsibility 

is a long-term commitment. In 

the United States, 39 percent of 

grandparent caregivers have cared 

for their grandchildren for 5 or 

more years.

For many grandparents, this 

responsibility is a long-term

commitment. In 2012, 39 percent 

of grandparents responsible for 

grandchildren under 18 had

cared for their grandchildren for 

5 or more years. Regionally, the 

Midwest had the lowest percentage 

responsible for grandchildren for 

this amount of time (37 percent). 

Conversely, 21 percent of grandparent caregivers in the United States 

had been responsible for their 

grandchildren for less than a year. 

Regionally, grandparent caregivers 

in the Midwest and West were more 

44 The percentages of the population

30 years and over who were living with 

grandchildren in Minnesota and North Dakota 

are not significantly different from each other 

or from Iowa, Maine, Vermont, or Wyoming. 

Additionally, North Dakota is not significantly 

different from Wisconsin. 45 The percentage of grandparent caregivers in the Northeast was not significantly 

different from those in the West. 46 The percentage of grandparent caregivers in Alabama is not significantly different 

from those in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, 

Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, or

West Virginia. 47 The percentages of grandparent caregivers in California and New Jersey are not 

significantly different from each other or from 

those in the District of Columbia or Hawaii.

likely to have been responsible for 

grandchildren for less than a year 

compared to other regions (23 

percent).

One-third of grandparents 

who were responsible for their 

grandchildren were raising them 

without parents present. 

Thirty-three percent of grandparent 

caregivers in households were living with their grandchildren without the presence of the parent(s) of 

their grandchildren.48 Grandparent 

caregivers in the Midwest49 and 

South were more likely to live with 

grandchildren without a parent 

present (34 percent and 36 percent, 

respectively), while the West had 

the lowest percentage without a 

parent present (26 percent). 

In looking at differences by age, the 

Northeast and West had the highest 

percentages of grandparent caregivers who were aged 60 and over 

(38 percent and 37 percent, respectively), while the Midwest and 

South had the lowest (33 percent 

and 35 percent, respectively).50

On average, 22 percent of grandparent caregivers in the United 

States in 2011 had incomes below 

the poverty level. Among regions, 

the proportion of grandparents 

living in poverty was highest in the 

South (24 percent).

48 This measure excludes grandparent caregivers in group quarters since the 

relationship question is only asked of those 

in households. It also excludes grandparent 

caregivers who are not the householder or 

spouse since the relationship question is only 

asked in relation to the reference person—

relationships of others in the household to 

each other can be difficult to determine. 49 The national percentage of grandparent 

caregivers with no parent of the grandchild 

present was not significantly different from 

the percentage for the Midwest. 50 The percentages of grandparent 

caregivers who were aged 60 or older in the 

Northeast and West were not significantly 

different from each other. The percentages of 

grandparents who were aged 60 or older in 

the Midwest and South were not significantly 

different from each other. 

In 2012, 4.6 million households 

included coresident grandparents, 

but these households contained 7.1 

million coresident grandparents. 

In other words, some households 

had more than one grandparent 

(for example, households where a 

grandparent was married and living with a spouse who was also a 

grandparent). The regions with the 

highest percentages of households 

with coresident grandparents were 

the South (4 percent) and the West 

(5 percent), while the region with 

the lowest percentage was the Midwest (3 percent). The state with the 

highest proportion of households 

with coresident grandparents was 

Hawaii (8 percent), while the state 

with the lowest proportion was 

North Dakota (2 percent).

Characteristics of 

grandparents in parentmaintained and grandparentmaintained households

Coresident grandparents living in 

parent-maintained households were 

more frequently older,

and more likely to be divorced or

widowed, compared with those

living in their own household.

In the 2012 CPS, data on the characteristics of coresident grandparents were consistent with historical 

trends and with ACS 2012 findings. 

As Table 5 shows, grandparents 

who lived with grandchildren 

were generally the householder 

(71 percent). Grandparents with 

coresident grandchildren in grandparent-maintained households were 

younger, more educated, in better 

health, and more likely to be White, 

married, and working compared 

with their counterparts in parentmaintained households. However, 

grandparents in parent-maintained 

households were less likely to live 

in households that were in poverty. 

These differences may be in part 

because households with coresident grandparents may be formed 
22 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 4.

Selected Characteristics of Grandparents Living With Grandchildren for the United States, 

Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: 2012—Con.

Area

Grandparents living with

grandchildren Grandparents responsible for coresident grandchildren

Households with

grandparents living

with grandchildren

Number

Percent of

population

30 years 

and over

Percent 

responsible1

Percent distribution of

time responsible2 Percent who were:

Number

Percent 

of all

households

Less 

than 1 

year

1 to 2 

years 

3 to 4 

years

5 or 

more 

years

Householder

or spouse3

Aged 

60 

and 

over2

In

poverty

in 20112 Total

No 

parent 

present4

United States . 7,065,539 3.8 38.8 21.1 23.0 16.6 39.3 92.0 32.8 35.3 22.0 4,590,671 4.0

Region

Northeast . . . . . . 1,107,136 3.2 31.6 19.1 22.5 18.4 40.0 89.3 29.3 37.7 20.5 746,817 3.6

Midwest . . . . . . . 1,178,805 2.9 41.5 22.6 23.1 17.1 37.2 93.9 34.2 33.3 20.7 783,749 3.0

South . . . . . . . . . 2,923,362 4.2 45.1 20.5 23.1 16.5 39.9 93.5 36.2 34.6 24.1 1,900,402 4.4

West . . . . . . . . . 1,856,236 4.3 31.4 22.5 22.8 15.3 39.4 88.8 26.1 37.2 19.1 1,159,703 4.5

State

Alabama . . . . . . 119,715 4.1 58.3 17.3 25.1 15.3 42.2 96.7 40.2 33.8 25.7 80,865 4.4

Alaska . . . . . . . . 16,935 4.2 45.9 24.4 30.8 15.9 28.9 77.3 20.9 33.4 12.7 10,549 4.2

Arizona . . . . . . . 160,720 4.2 41.2 23.0 23.0 17.0 37.0 88.7 28.3 33.2 26.4 101,762 4.3

Arkansas . . . . . . 72,556 4.1 55.8 20.4 28.0 13.5 38.1 95.0 41.1 32.1 26.9 47,968 4.2

California . . . . . . 1,111,316 5.1 26.5 21.4 23.3 15.3 40.0 85.8 22.2 38.4 18.8 685,946 5.5

Colorado . . . . . . 88,294 2.9 40.5 24.9 24.0 17.2 33.9 92.7 31.0 29.4 18.4 58,163 2.9

Connecticut . . . . 65,405 2.9 31.5 19.7 22.8 18.3 39.2 92.6 33.3 33.0 20.8 45,159 3.3

Delaware . . . . . . 26,483 4.7 38.4 8.0 19.5 20.4 52.1 96.5 43.6 41.4 13.9 16,714 4.9

District of

 Columbia . . . . . 10,341 2.8 28.6 5.9 41.8 28.9 23.4 86.0 32.7 38.1 34.8 7,964 3.0

Florida . . . . . . . . 463,879 3.8 34.9 22.5 20.9 17.2 39.4 89.4 33.4 38.6 22.9 283,476 3.9

Georgia . . . . . . . 265,530 4.6 46.9 21.8 22.8 16.7 38.8 94.4 32.8 34.1 25.2 171,939 4.9

Hawaii . . . . . . . . 54,874 6.5 27.7 20.3 20.8 9.2 49.7 85.6 19.3 41.5 20.4 33,421 7.5

Idaho . . . . . . . . . 23,116 2.6 42.7 20.7 17.5 16.6 45.2 96.5 35.0 39.3 22.9 14,672 2.5

Illinois . . . . . . . . . 275,433 3.6 35.5 19.4 22.5 17.3 40.7 90.9 24.8 33.1 23.6 181,085 3.8

Indiana . . . . . . . . 126,036 3.3 44.9 25.6 19.5 18.8 36.1 96.0 37.7 32.3 21.9 84,959 3.4

Iowa . . . . . . . . . . 39,482 2.1 42.4 25.5 26.4 16.2 31.9 95.4 41.5 36.8 14.5 26,380 2.1

Kansas . . . . . . . . 47,220 2.8 48.2 22.4 26.2 13.9 37.5 93.8 35.6 38.5 12.9 31,544 2.8

Kentucky . . . . . . 102,902 3.9 55.3 18.0 23.9 16.0 42.1 97.2 41.5 33.4 27.3 68,890 4.0

Louisiana . . . . . . 119,416 4.5 56.9 21.0 24.9 17.2 36.8 94.4 37.1 31.2 27.0 81,245 4.7

Maine . . . . . . . . . 18,412 2.1 42.5 14.3 25.4 26.5 33.8 95.3 41.9 27.3 22.7 12,684 2.3

Maryland . . . . . . 141,040 4.0 34.5 17.4 27.1 15.0 40.5 88.5 30.4 39.0 14.4 97,029 4.5

Massachusetts . . 122,541 3.0 29.7 22.5 24.1 17.1 36.3 86.8 24.0 37.8 14.5 80,850 3.2

Michigan . . . . . . 184,352 3.1 41.3 22.3 24.7 18.2 34.8 93.3 30.0 33.3 22.4 122,567 3.2

Minnesota . . . . . 62,502 1.9 33.2 26.3 29.0 12.0 32.6 93.2 32.2 32.4 13.3 42,047 2.0

Mississippi . . . . . 93,428 5.4 56.0 22.8 21.3 13.7 42.2 95.2 38.7 32.1 34.6 65,200 6.0

Missouri . . . . . . . 112,192 3.1 41.1 26.8 20.2 16.2 36.7 96.3 36.2 34.5 19.9 74,646 3.2

Montana . . . . . . . 14,972 2.4 55.0 25.4 25.6 10.3 38.6 98.4 47.3 38.7 20.7 9,896 2.4

Nebraska . . . . . . 24,365 2.3 46.9 30.5 24.8 12.4 32.3 89.9 38.2 33.9 21.1 16,204 2.2

Nevada . . . . . . . 66,279 4.0 35.7 14.9 21.6 25.7 37.8 91.5 25.5 43.2 19.0 41,290 4.1

New Hampshire . 20,281 2.4 33.6 16.7 37.3 13.9 32.1 92.6 29.0 34.2 13.2 13,696 2.6

New Jersey . . . . 184,314 3.4 26.3 17.0 20.1 19.6 43.3 88.0 27.4 43.2 16.6 123,492 3.9

New Mexico . . . . 54,669 4.5 53.2 18.3 26.1 13.8 41.8 92.6 28.2 33.9 19.8 35,147 4.6

New York . . . . . . 426,725 3.6 30.0 18.6 22.2 19.0 40.3 86.9 26.3 42.5 23.8 289,671 4.0

North Carolina . . 201,666 3.4 50.1 20.5 21.9 17.3 40.3 96.0 38.5 33.0 27.3 134,940 3.6

North Dakota . . . 7,263 1.8 49.1 20.2 17.9 14.6 47.3 98.7 42.7 42.5 14.8 4,465 1.5

Ohio . . . . . . . . . . 217,143 3.1 48.3 19.8 23.5 17.0 39.6 95.1 41.2 31.8 21.0 144,547 3.2

Oklahoma . . . . . 81,153 3.6 53.0 24.8 21.9 15.7 37.6 92.8 46.6 40.7 23.4 53,323 3.7

Oregon . . . . . . . . 70,167 2.9 38.4 25.8 19.9 15.2 39.0 97.8 34.7 39.1 15.7 45,979 3.0

Pennsylvania . . . 242,192 3.0 37.8 20.2 22.6 16.9 40.3 93.0 34.0 31.4 20.4 162,449 3.3

Rhode Island . . . 18,371 2.8 34.2 17.3 12.3 25.2 45.3 83.8 25.4 29.8 22.6 12,565 3.0

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. Census Bureau 23

Table 4.

Selected Characteristics of Grandparents Living With Grandchildren for the United States, 

Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: 2012—Con.

Area

Grandparents living with

grandchildren Grandparents responsible for coresident grandchildren

Households with

grandparents living

with grandchildren

Number

Percent of

population

30 years 

and over

Percent 

responsible1

Percent distribution of

time responsible2 Percent who were:

Number

Percent 

of all

households

Less 

than 1 

year

1 to 2 

years 

3 to 4 

years

5 or 

more 

years

Householder

or spouse3

Aged 

60 

and 

over2

In

poverty

in 20112 Total

No 

parent 

present4

State—Con.

South Carolina . . 123,970 4.3 48.6 16.7 26.5 13.9 42.9 95.1 39.5 37.5 21.6 82,692 4.6

South Dakota . . . 11,217 2.3 47.3 21.4 22.9 23.0 32.7 93.5 30.3 33.6 31.5 7,474 2.3

Tennessee . . . . . 153,707 3.9 50.7 19.4 19.5 14.6 46.4 95.0 41.3 35.2 21.4 102,170 4.1

Texas . . . . . . . . . 739,851 5.1 42.9 20.8 23.1 18.0 38.0 92.6 32.4 31.8 24.8 469,164 5.2

Utah . . . . . . . . . . 57,807 4.1 33.0 23.9 18.7 15.5 41.9 95.4 30.1 40.4 11.3 35,984 4.0

Vermont . . . . . . . 8,895 2.2 45.0 18.2 29.9 15.7 36.2 91.4 47.1 22.7 17.5 6,251 2.4

Virginia . . . . . . . . 174,297 3.5 37.6 21.2 24.5 16.3 38.0 92.8 35.2 37.7 14.0 115,178 3.8

Washington . . . . 129,354 3.1 33.7 31.1 20.5 9.5 38.9 92.7 33.5 35.6 16.2 82,235 3.1

West Virginia . . . 33,428 2.8 56.6 23.7 16.5 17.9 41.9 93.5 42.1 35.6 23.9 21,645 2.9

Wisconsin . . . . . 71,600 2.1 38.3 24.2 22.5 20.3 33.0 93.9 35.5 32.9 17.9 47,831 2.1

Wyoming . . . . . . 7,733 2.3 49.3 21.7 18.9 17.3 42.0 90.2 39.0 51.2 13.0 4,659 2.1

Puerto Rico . . . . 108,183 4.9 46.0 19.7 19.8 13.4 47.1 91.9 26.5 41.4 55.3 71,973 5.7

1

 Percent based on all grandparents living with grandchildren. 2

 Percent based on all grandparents responsible for coresident grandchildren. 3

 Percent based on all grandparents responsible for coresident grandchildren in households. 4

 No parent present is defined as a household where the grandparent is the householder or spouse, a person under 18 is the grandchild of the householder, 

and no adult child of the householder is present in the household.

Note: See Appendix Table 3 for the margins of error that accompany the estimates in this table.

Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey. For more information, see <www.census.gov/acs>.
24 U.S. Census Bureau

to meet the needs of the grandchildren and their parents or they may 

be formed to meet the needs of the 

grandparents.51 It is likely that parent-maintained households contain 

older grandparents that are more 

likely to be in poor health because 

coresidence is a result of caring 

for an aging parent. However, this 

may vary by household composition even in parent-maintained 

households.

In grandparent-maintained households, 51 percent of grandparents 

were White and 21 percent were 

Black compared with 34 and 15 

percent, respectively, in parentmaintained households. While 35 

percent of grandparents in parentmaintained households were 

Hispanic, the percentage of grandparents in grandparent-maintained 

households that were Hispanic was 

23 percent. 

Grandparents in grandparent-maintained households were younger 

than those in parent-maintained 

households—11 percent of grandparents who were householders 

were between 30 and 34 years, 

compared with only 6 percent 

of those in parent-maintained 

households. While 46 percent of 

grandparents who lived in parentmaintained households were over 

65, only 23 percent of those living 

in their own home were over 65. 

Eighteen percent of grandparents 

living in parent-maintained households were over 75, while only 5 

percent of those living in their own 

home were over 75.

Grandparents who lived in their 

own home were more likely to 

be married and less likely to be 

divorced. While 66 percent of 

51 A. Smits, R. I. van Gaalen, and C. H. Mulder, “Parent-Child Coresidence: Who moves in 

with Whom and for Whose Needs,” Journal of 

Marriage and Family, 2010, 72.4:1022–1033.

grandparents living in their own 

home were married, 31 percent of 

those living in parent-maintained 

households were married. Twentysix percent of grandparents living 

in parent-maintained households 

were widowed, compared with 

only 10 percent of those who 

maintained the household. About 

2 percent of grandparents living in 

their own home and 1 percent of 

those in parent-maintained homes 

were not married but lived with a 

cohabiting partner.

Grandparents with coresident 

grandchildren who maintained their 

own home were more likely to have 

graduated from high school and to 

have gone to college compared with 

grandparents who lived in parentmaintained households. About 25 

percent of grandparents who lived 

in their own home did not graduate 

from high school compared with 

37 percent of those who lived in 

parent-maintained households. Only 

28 percent of coresident grandparents living in a parent-maintained 

household had any college experience; 36 percent of grandparents 

who lived in their own home had at 

least some college. 

While 44 percent of coresident 

grandparents who lived in their 

own home did not work in the last 

year, about 11 percent worked fulltime. Only 8 percent of grandparents living in a parent-maintained 

household worked full-time, while 

67 percent did not work in the last 

year. This may be in part because 

grandparents living in their own 

homes tend to be younger than 

those who live in parent-maintained 

households. Coresident grandmothers who owned their own homes 

that were living without a parent 

present were more likely not to 

work compared with grandmothers 

who lived with a parent present, 

or grandmothers with a spouse 

present.52 Grandmothers living in 

parent-maintained households with 

two parents and no spouse were 

the most likely group to not work 

(81 percent). This finding is consistent with the idea that these grandparents lived with their children 

for their own needs rather than the 

needs of grandchildren.

Coresident grandmothers living in 

their own homes with no parent 

present had the highest rates of 

poverty.

Although coresident grandparents 

who lived in their own home were 

more likely to work, they were 

also more likely to live in poverty 

compared with grandparents living 

in parent-maintained households. 

Twenty percent of coresident 

grandparents who lived in their 

own home were in poverty compared to 17 percent of those in 

parent-maintained households. This 

varied by household composition. 

Of grandparent-maintained households, 12 percent of those with two 

grandparents and one or more parent were in poverty and 44 percent 

of grandmothers with no parent 

present were in poverty.

Health conditions also differed 

between coresident grandparents 

in parent-maintained and grandparent-maintained households. The 

CPS includes a self-rated measure 

of health. Self-rated measures have 

been found to be a good predictor 

of actual health status.53 Seventytwo percent of coresident grandparents living in their own home 

reported excellent, very good, or 

good health compared with 67 per52 There is no significant difference in the 

percentage not working between grandmothers that lived in their own home with a parent 

and those that lived in their own home with a 

spouse (with or without a parent present). 53 Ellen L. Idler and Yael Benyamini, “SelfRated Health and Mortality: A Review of 

Twenty-Seven Community Studies,” Journal of 

Health and Social Behavior, 1997,38;1. 
U.S. Census Bureau 25 Table 5. Characteristics of Grandparents Who Coreside With Grandchildren: 2012 (Numbers in thousands) Characteristic All co- resident grand- parents Grandparent is householder Parent is householder Neither parent nor grand- parent is house- holder Total Both grandparents Grandmother only Grand- father only Total Both grand- parents Grandmother only Grand- father only Some parents No parent Some parents No parent Two parents One parent Grandparents, total (number) . . . . . . . 5,895 4,163 1,784 975 804 435 164 1,506 491 507 303 205 227 Race and Hispanic origin White alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71.5 73.2 78.4 78.1 65.2 55.5 76.2 66.9 67.5 67.1 63.3 70.5 69.3 White alone, non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . 46.0 51.1 50.5 61.1 46.3 39.0 55.6 33.9 34.2 38.2 31.0 27.0 31.5 Black alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.7 20.5 13.0 18.4 30.2 39.3 18.4 14.6 7.1 11.5 31.3 15.8 10.6 Asian alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.6 1.2 0.6 1.8 0.9 2.9 2.9 2.1 2.5 2.1 2.1 3.9 4.2 Hispanic (any race) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.7 22.5 28.0 17.4 19.8 17.5 20.6 34.9 34.5 30.5 32.2 50.8 47.5 Age 30 to 44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.8 10.9 10.7 10.9 15.3 6.2 4.1 5.5 3.5 2.7 10.9 9.5 18.0 45 to 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.0 30.4 32.0 32.7 26.8 28.3 22.4 20.1 22.8 13.2 26.3 22.0 36.9 55 to 64 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.0 35.1 35.6 33.7 33.4 40.8 33.5 28.8 33.5 26.0 29.1 24.6 21.7 65 to 74 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20.5 18.1 17.9 16.6 18.6 17.5 29.5 27.6 26.2 35.2 20.1 23.7 15.2 75 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.6 5.3 3.8 6.1 5.9 7.2 10.42 17.8 14.1 23.1 13.7 20.0 8.3 Marital status Married spouse present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56.8 66.0 99.3 100.0 X X X 31.1 95.4 X X X 59.7 No spouse present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43.2 34.0 0.7 X 100.0 100.0 100.0 68.9 4.6 100.0 100.0 100.0 40.3 Widowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.8 9.5 X X 27.9 27.5 32.3 26.2 0.7 49.7 31.8 21.2 9.9 Living with unmarried partner . . . . . . . . 0.1 0.1 X X 0.4 0.4 Z Z Z Z Z Z 0.2 Separated, divorced, never married . . . . . 26.2 23.0 0.6 Z 67.1 69.5 64.9 35.3 2.37 42.2 62.3 57.8 22.3 Living with unmarried partner . . . . . . . . 1.6 2.1 0.6 Z 4.3 5.71 10.5 0.5 Z 0.2 1.6 1.2 0.5 Education Less than high school . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.7 25.0 24.7 26.1 23.3 29.6 17.5 37.0 35.0 37.6 33.8 45.1 41.7 High school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37.8 39.0 40.3 42.5 34.3 33.7 42.6 35.1 37.4 35.8 34.1 29.9 31.3 At least some college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.7 32.2 30.9 28.4 38.3 34.2 35.7 23.1 22.8 22.3 27.4 20.1 24.9 Bachelor’s degree or higher . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9 3.7 4.1 3.0 4.1 2.5 4.0 4.7 4.9 4.4 4.7 4.8 2.1 Work Experience1 Worked full-time, full year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.1 10.7 9.0 11.7 12.4 14.5 7.2 8.1 9.2 4.5 12.8 7.3 10.5 Less than full-time, full year . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40.2 45.3 49.5 44.4 44.5 33.4 42.1 25.3 31.4 14.4 28.4 33.4 43.9 Did not work......................... 49.7 43.8 41.6 43.9 43.2 52.1 50.6 66.5 59.3 81.1 58.8 59.2 45.6 See footnotes at end of table.
26 U.S. Census Bureau Table 5. Characteristics of Grandparents Who Coreside With Grandchildren: 2012—Con. (Numbers in thousands) Characteristic All co- resident grand- parents Grandparent is householder Parent is householder Neither parent nor grand- parent is house- holder Total Both grand- parents, some parents Both grand- parents, no parent Grand- mother only, some parents Grand- mother only, no parent Grand- father only Total Both grand- parents Grand- mother only, two parents Grand- mother only, one parent Grand- father only Percent of poverty level2 Under 50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 6.6 3.0 5.0 11.5 16.4 5.7 5.3 0.8 4.2 15.5 3.7 7.0 50 to 99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.8 13.2 9.2 11.3 16.9 27.8 11.8 11.3 10.8 9.9 13.6 12.5 14.9 100 to 149 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.1 13.3 10.6 15.4 15.5 17.0 9.6 11.8 11.3 9.6 16.9 11.3 17.9 150 to 199 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.3 13.7 13.4 15.6 11.2 14.1 17.0 12.0 11.8 12.2 13.0 11.0 15.0 200 to 299 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.8 22.1 24.0 21.0 22.6 14.8 26.5 22.3 25.6 20.0 21.2 22.2 11.5 300 to 399 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.8 12.6 15.7 13.3 7.9 5.7 17.5 12.4 11.7 13.1 9.5 17.2 16.2 400 to 499 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.8 7.4 10.7 6.7 4.9 1.26 5.1 8.8 9.9 11.0 4.6 6.9 8.0 500 percent or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.1 10.8 13.3 11.6 9.5 2.9 6.7 15.8 18.1 20.0 5.7 15.1 9.5 General state of health Excellent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.5 12.8 13.4 13.2 14.8 8.2 8.8 10.9 11.7 10.4 9.8 11.7 15.4 Very good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.7 26.7 31.2 25.1 21.5 20.5 29.6 20.5 20.9 19.1 21.4 22.0 16.1 Good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.1 32.3 30.3 34.1 33.0 35.0 34.5 35.0 40.4 31.9 32.3 34.1 34.0 Fair................................ 20.8 19.6 17.1 18.6 22.6 26.3 19.9 24.0 18.7 28.6 27.7 19.6 21.7 Poor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.9 8.4 8.0 9.0 8.1 14.0 7.1 9.5 8.4 10.0 8.8 12.4 12.9 Disability3 Disabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.5 19.1 16.6 18.7 21.9 25.6 19.6 20.6 18.6 21.8 20.8 22.1 18.5 X Not applicable. Z Represents or rounds to zero. 1 Full time is defined as 35 hours a week or more. See <http://smpbff2.dsd.census.gov/pub/sipp/2008/l08puw1d.txt>. 2 Poverty level is calculated based on 2011 income. 3 Disability includes those that stopped working or retired for health reasons and those that have a health condition or disability that prevents or limits work. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2012 Annual Social and Economic Supplement.
U.S. Census Bureau 27

cent of those in parent-maintained 

households. Twenty-eight percent 

of coresident grandparents in their 

own home said they had fair or 

poor health compared with 33 percent of those in parent-maintained 

households. About 20 percent of 

coresident grandparents reported a 

disability.54

Comparing coresident 

grandparents with

those who do not live

with grandchildren

Research finds that modern grandparents are active in their grandchildren’s lives even if they do not live 

with their grandchildren. In an AARP 

survey, nearly 70 percent of grandparents said they play an important 

role in their grandchildrens’ lives, 

providing services including advice, 

childcare, and financial support.55

However, there are differences 

54 There is no statistical difference in the 

percentage of grandparents with a disability 

in parent-maintained or grandparentmaintained households. 55 Cheryl L. Lampkin, “Insights and Spending Habits of Modern Grandparents,” 2012, 

available at <www.aarp.org/research>. 

between grandparents who live 

with their grandchildren and those 

that do not. Grandparents who have 

more economic resources and fewer 

health limitations are more likely 

to provide help without living with 

grandchildren while disadvantaged 

grandparents are more likely to 

provide residential care.56 For the 

first time in this report series, we 

provide a demographic comparison 

of grandparents who live with their 

grandchildren and those who do 

not.

According to the 2008 Survey of 

Income and Program Participation 

(SIPP), there were about 65 million grandparents in the United 

States. About 10 percent of those 

grandparents coresided with a 

grandchild. This section compares 

characteristics of grandparents who 

lived with a grandchild to grandparents who did not (Table 6).

56 Luo Ye et al., “Providing Care to Grandchildren: A Population Based Study of Continuity and Change,” Journal of Family Issues, 

2012, 33:9, 1143–1167. 

Younger grandparents were more 

likely to have a coresident grandchild (Figure 13). While only about 5 

percent of grandparents were under 

44, 10 percent of grandparents who 

lived with grandchildren were under 

44. Conversely, about 48 percent of 

grandparents who did not live with a 

grandchild were over age 65, and 27 

percent of grandparents who lived 

with a grandchild were over 65.

Compared with grandparents 

who did not live with their 

grandchildren, coresident 

grandparents were more

frequently Black or Hispanic. 

They also had lower levels of 

education and higher rates of 

poverty and disability.

White grandparents were less

likely to coreside with a grandchild. 

While 76 percent of grandparents 

without coresident grandchildren 

were White, non-Hispanic, 45 

percent of coresident grandparents 

were. Twenty percent of coresident 

grandparents were Black; 27 percent were Hispanic; and 6 percent 

were Asian. This was compared 

respectively to 11 percent, 9 percent, and 2 percent of nonresident 

grandparents.

Grandparents who did not live with 

their grandchildren were more likely 

to be married, spouse present. 

Sixty-four percent of non-coresident 

grandparents were married, compared with 58 percent of coresident 

grandparents. However, they were 

also more likely to be widowed 

or cohabiting. Sixteen percent of 

nonresident grandparents were 

widowed and 3 percent were cohabiting, compared with 14 percent 

widowed and 2 percent cohabiting 

for coresident grandparents.

Grandparents who did not live 

with their grandchildren had 

higher levels of education. Only 

14 percent did not graduate from 

high school, compared with 28 

65 and over

Under 65

73

52

27

48

Coresident grandparent

Non-coresident grandparent

Figure 13.

Age of Grandparents by Coresidence With 

Grandchildren: 2009 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation, wave 2.

(In percent)
28 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 6.

Characteristics of Grandparents by Coresidence With Grandchildren

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

Total,

all grandparents

Grandparents with coresident grandchildren under 18 Grandparents 

with no

coresident

grandchildren 

under 18

All coresident 

grandparents

Grandparent is 

householder

Grandparent is 

not householder

 Grandparents, total (number) . . . . . . . . . . 65,105 6,697 4,946 1,751 58,408

Race and Hispanic origin

White alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82.8 69.4 70.8 65.5 84.3

White alone, non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72.6 45.0 49.7 31.6 75.8

Black alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.8 19.6 21.1 15.4 10.9

Asian alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6 6.3 3.2 15.3 2.2

Hispanic (any race) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.0 27.1 23.7 36.7 9.2

Age

30 to 44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 10.7 12.6 5.6 4.6

45 to 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.8 30.9 35.3 18.3 18.5

55 to 64 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29.5 31.7 32.2 30.3 29.3

65 to 74 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.3 18.2 15.8 25.3 25.0

75 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.1 8.5 4.2 20.7 22.6

Marital status

Married spouse present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63.6 58.0 67.7 30.8 64.2

No spouse present . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36.4 42.0 32.3 69.3 35.8

Widowed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.0 13.7 9.2 26.5 16.3

 Living with unmarried partner . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.4

Separated, divorced or never married . . . . . . 19.0 24.9 21.4 34.8 18.3

 Living with unmarried partner . . . . . . . . . . . 2.7 1.8 1.6 2.3 2.8

Education

Less than high school . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.8 27.5 24.1 36.9 14.4

High school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.5 34.1 32.4 38.9 33.4

At least some college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32.6 27.8 32.0 15.8 33.2

Bachelor’s degree or higher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.1 10.7 11.4 8.4 19.0

Work Experience1

Worked full-time, full year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.8 37.8 45.1 17.2 30.0

Less than full-time, full year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.6 10.4 11.9 6.2 11.7

Did not work............................. 57.6 51.8 43.0 76.7 58.2

Percent of poverty level2

Under 50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0 7.9 7.0 7.4 3.6

50 to 99 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.7 9.4 10.2 7.3 6.4

100 to 149 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.3 13.8 14.3 12.3 10.0

150 to 199 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.5 13.0 12.4 14.6 10.3

200 to 299 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.2 20.4 20.0 21.3 19.0

300 to 399 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.4 15.4 16.2 13.3 15.4

400 to 499 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.0 8.9 8.7 9.3 10.2

500 percent or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.8 11.2 10.4 13.4 25.3

Disability

In labor force/universe for disbility question . . . . 68.1 85.5 90.7 71.0 66.0

Disabled . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.2 22.7 22.4 23.5 15.4

1

 Full time is defined as 35 hours per week or over. See <www.bls.gov/cps/lfcharacteristics.htm#fullpart>. 2

 Poverty level is calculated using average family income during the 4 months prior to the interview.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2008 panel, Wave 2, Household Relationship Topical Module.
U.S. Census Bureau 29

percent of coresident grandparents. 

Thirty-three percent of nonresident 

grandparents completed at least 

some college, and 19 percent had 

a bachelor’s degree or higher. In 

comparison, 28 percent of coresident grandparents completed some 

college, and 11 percent had a bachelor’s degree or higher.

These educational differences 

relate to differences in work status 

and poverty. Fifty-eight percent of 

nonresident grandparents were not 

working, compared with 52 percent 

of coresident grandparents. Coresident grandparents were more likely 

to have work limitations due to an 

illness or disability (23 percent), 

compared with 15 percent of

nonresident grandparents. Coresident grandparents were also more 

likely to be in poverty (17 percent) 

compared to nonresident

grandparents (10 percent). 

SUMMARY

Throughout this report, we have 

explored the living situations and 

experiences of grandparents. 

Grandparents that do not live with 

their grandchildren are more likely 

to be married or widowed compared to grandparents that live 

with grandchildren. They are also 

less likely to be disabled or in poverty. Even among grandparents that 

live with their grandchildren, there 

is a diversity of experience that varies by who is the householder and 

the composition of the household. 

As we have seen, grandparents are 

not a “one size fits all” group.

Source of the data

The data in this report are from the 

2010 Census, Annual Social and 

Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the 

2012 Current Population Survey 

(CPS), the 2012 American Community Survey (ACS), and the 2008 

Survey of Income and Program 

Participation (SIPP).

The population represented (the 

population universe) in the ASEC 

is the civilian noninstitutionalized 

population living in the United 

States. Members of the Armed 

Forces living off post or with their 

families on post are included if at 

least one civilian adult lives in the 

household. The institutionalized 

population, which is excluded from 

the population universe, is composed primarily of the population in 

adult correctional institutions and 

nursing facilities (94 percent of the 

4.0 million institutionalized people 

in the 2010 Census).57 Most of the 

data from the ASEC were collected 

in March (with some data collected 

in February and April), and the data 

were controlled to independent 

population estimates for March 

2012. For annual time series from 

the CPS, data collected in the 2012 

ASEC may be compared with data 

collected in the March Supplement 

to the CPS in prior years.

This report also presents data from 

the 2012 American Community 

Survey (ACS). The population represented (the population universe) in 

the ACS is the population living in 

both households and group quarters—that is, the resident population. The group quarters population 

consists of the institutionalized 

population (such as people in correctional institutions or nursing 

homes) and the noninstitutionalized population (most of whom 

are in college dormitories). For 

tabulation purposes in this report, 

ACS data are shown only for the 

population living in households and 

noninstitutional group quarters. 

This report uses 2012 1-year data 

and 2008–2012 5-year data.

The population represented (the 

population universe) in the 2008 

57 See Table P42 available on

American FactFinder at <http://factfinder2

.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages

/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1

_P42&prodType=table>.

Survey of Income and Program 

Participation (SIPP) is the civilian 

noninstitutionalized population 

living in the United States. The SIPP 

is a longitudinal survey conducted 

at four-month intervals. The data 

in this report were collected from 

January through April of 2009 in 

the second wave (interview) of the 

2008 SIPP. The data highlighted in 

this report come primarily from the 

core and the relationship history 

topical module. Although the main 

focus of the SIPP is information 

on labor force participation, jobs, 

income, and participation in federal 

assistance programs, information 

on other topics is also collected in 

topical modules on a rotating basis. 

The institutionalized population, 

which is excluded from the population universe, is composed primarily of the people in correctional 

institutions and nursing homes (91 

percent of the 4.1 million institutionalized people in Census 2000).

Accuracy of

the estimates

Statistics from surveys are subject 

to sampling and nonsampling error. 

All comparisons presented in this 

report have taken sampling error 

into account and are significant at 

the 90 percent confidence level, 

unless otherwise indicated. This 

means the 90 percent confidence 

interval for the difference between 

the estimates being compared does 

not include zero. Nonsampling 

errors in surveys may be attributed 

to a variety of sources, such as 

how the survey is designed, how 

respondents interpret questions, 

how able and willing respondents 

are to provide correct answers, and 

how accurately the answers are 

coded and classified. The Census 

Bureau employs quality control procedures throughout the production 

process—including overall survey 

design, question wording, review 

of interviewers’ and coders’ work, 
30 U.S. Census Bureau

and statistical review of reports—

to minimize these errors.

The Current Population Survey 

weighting procedure uses ratio estimation, whereby sample estimates 

are adjusted to independent estimates of the national population by 

age, race, sex, and Hispanic origin. 

This weighting partially corrects 

for bias due to undercoverage, 

but biases may still be present; for 

example, when people who are 

missed by the survey differ from 

those interviewed in ways other 

than age, race, sex, and Hispanic 

origin. How this weighting procedure affects other variables in the 

survey is not precisely known. All 

of these considerations affect comparisons across different surveys or 

data sources.

For further information on statistical standards and the computation 

and use of standard errors, go to

<www.census.gov/prod/techdoc

/cps/cpsmar12.pdf> or contact

the Census Bureau’s Demographic

Statistical Methods Division via 

e-mail at <dsmd.source.and

.accuracy@census.gov>.

The final ACS population estimates 

are adjusted in the weighting procedure for coverage error by controlling specific survey estimates to 

independent population controls by 

age, race, sex, and Hispanic origin. 

The final ACS estimates of housing 

units are controlled to be consistent with independent estimates 

of total housing. This weighting 

partially corrects for bias due to 

over or undercoverage, but biases 

may still be present; for example, 

when people who are missed by 

the survey differ from those interviewed in ways other than age, 

race, sex, and Hispanic origin. How 

this weighting procedure affects 

other variables in the survey is 

not precisely known. All of these 

considerations affect comparisons 

across different surveys or data 

sources.

For further information on the ACS 

sample, weighting procedures, 

sampling error, nonsampling error, 

and quality measures from the ACS, 

see <www.census.gov/acs

/www/Downloads/data

_documentation/Accuracy

/ACS_Accuracy_of_Data_2012.pdf>.

The Survey of Income and Program 

Participation weighting procedure 

uses ratio estimation, whereby 

sample estimates are adjusted 

to independent estimates of the 

national population by age, race, 

sex, and Hispanic origin. This 

weighting partially corrects for bias 

due to undercoverage, but biases 

may still be present when people 

who are missed by the survey differ 

from those interviewed in ways 

other than the age, race, sex, and 

Hispanic origin. How this weighting 

procedure affects other variables in 

the survey is not precisely known. 

All of these considerations affect 

comparisons across different surveys or data sources. 

For further information on the

statistical standards and the 

computation and use of standard 

errors, go to:

<www.census.gov/content/dam

/Census/programs-surveys/sipp

/tech-documentation

/source-accuracy-statements

/2008/SIPP%202008%20Panel%20

Wave%2005%20-%20Core%20

Source%20and%20Accuracy%20

Statements.pdf>

or contact:

Tracy Mattingly of the

Census Bureau’s Demographic

Statistical Methods Division at

<tracy.l.mattingly@census.gov>.

Additional information on the SIPP 

can be found at the following:

<www.census.gov/sipp>

(main SIPP Web site),

<www.census.gov/sipp/workpapr

/wp230.pdf> (SIPP Quality Profile) 

and http://www.census.gov

/programs-surveys/sipp

/methodology/users-guide.html> 

(SIPP User’s Guide).

Contacts

For additional information on these 

topics, contact the authors of this 

report: 

Renee Ellis:

Renee.Ellis@census.gov

Tavia Simmons:

Tavia.Simmons@census.gov

Fertility and Family Statistics 

Branch: 301-763-2416

Suggested Citation

Ellis, Renee R. and Tavia Simmons, 

“Coresident Grandparents and

Their Grandchildren: 2012,”

Current Population Reports,

P20-576, U.S. Census Bureau,

Washington, DC. 2014.
U.S. Census Bureau 31

Appendix

Variation in estimates of coresident grandparents and 

grandchildren in the American 

Community Survey, Current 

Population Survey, and the 

Survey of Income and Program 

Participation.

Estimates of coresident grandparents and grandchildren differ among 

the surveys (see examples below). 

The ACS consistently has higher 

estimates of coresident grandparents and grandchildren compared 

to both the CPS and SIPP. Differences in data collection methods, 

weighting, and editing among the 

three surveys may all affect the 

estimates. One major difference 

among the surveys which may 

impact these estimates is the fact 

that ACS estimates of householders 

are controlled to match the estimate 

of occupied housing units, while 

CPS estimates are not. Therefore, 

the overall estimate of households 

in the two surveys differs considerably. This may also play a part in 

the differences we observe in estimates of grandparents and grandchildren in each of the surveys. For 

more information on the differences 

in household estimates between 

surveys, see A. R. Cresce, Cheng Y., 

and Grieves available at 

<www.fcsm.gov/13papers

/D2_Cresce_2013FCSM.pdf>.

ACS 2012—187 million adults 30 

and over and 7.1 million coresident 

grandparents (3.8 percent of all 

adults 30 and over).

CPS 2012—186 million adults 30 

and over and 5.8 million coresident 

grandparents (3.2 percent of all 

adults 30 and over).

SIPP 2009—176 million adults 30 

and over and 6.7 million coresident 

grandparents (3.8 percent of all 

adults 30 and over).
32 U.S. Census Bureau Appendix Table 1. Margins of Error for Table 2: Grandparents Living with Grandchildren, Responsible for Coresident Grandchildren, and Duration of Responsibility by Race and Hispanic Origin:1 2012 Characteristic Total Race Hispanic origin White alone Black or African American alone American Indian and Alaskan Native alone Asian alone Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander alone Some other race alone Two or more races Hispanic or Latino (of any race) Not Hispanic or Latino Total White alone, not Hispanic or Latino Population 30 years and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54,234 55,078 27,113 18,189 17,759 7,131 55,161 36,561 21,820 38,399 10,929 Grandparents living with grandchildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57,489 45,531 18,315 4,497 14,642 3,077 13,621 6,323 26,626 48,419 37,829 Percent of population 30 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Z Z 0.1 0.3 0.2 1.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 Z Z Reponsible for grandchildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30,337 24,898 12,907 3,289 5,097 1,696 7,809 4,157 14,549 28,091 23,269 Percent of grandparents living with grandchildren . . . . 0.4 0.4 0.7 2.4 0.8 5.0 1.4 2.2 0.8 0.4 0.5 By duration of time responsible (percent) Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X X X X X X Less than 6 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.3 0.4 0.7 1.8 1.9 6.2 1.6 2.3 0.9 0.3 0.5 6 to 11 Months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 0.5 0.7 2.3 1.6 3.5 1.9 2.1 0.8 0.4 0.6 1 to 2 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.5 0.6 0.9 2.5 2.5 10.6 2.1 2.7 1.3 0.5 0.6 3 to 4 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.4 0.5 0.9 2.0 2.3 4.4 1.8 2.3 0.9 0.5 0.6 5 years or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.6 0.8 1.2 2.9 3.0 11.7 2.2 3.3 1.5 0.7 0.8 X Not applicable. Z Not zero but rounds to 0.0. 1 Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. A margin of error is a measure of an estimate’s variability. The larger the margin of error in relation to the size of the estimate, the less reliable the estimate. When added to and subtracted from the estimate, the margin of error forms the 90 percent confidence interval. Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey. For more information, see <www.census.gov/acs>.
U.S. Census Bureau 33

Appendix Table 2.

Margins of Error for Table 3: Grandparents Living With Grandchildren, Responsible for 

Coresident Grandchildren, and Duration of Responsibility by Sex and Age:1 2012

Characteristic

Total

Sex Age

Male Female 30 to 39 40 to 49 50 to 59 60 to 69 70 to 79

80 and 

over

Grandparents living with grandchildren . . . . . . . . . . . . 57,489 25,374 37,919 7,610 22,204 33,480 25,079 18,749 10,704

 Not responsible for grandchildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46,409 21,644 30,627 4,729 14,705 26,368 21,389 17,371 9,922

 Responsible for grandchildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30,337 15,233 19,983 5,642 15,420 18,971 13,154 7,683 3,130

Percent distribution

Grandparents living with grandchildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . X 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.2

 Not responsible for grandchildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.2

 Responsible for grandchildren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.1

Percent distribution by duration of time

responsible

Less than 6 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X 1.1 1.1 0.9 1.8 1.6 1.3 0.6 0.3

6 to 11 months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.7 1.4 1.2 0.6 0.3

1 to 2 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X 0.7 0.7 0.5 1.1 1.0 0.7 0.5 0.2

3 to 4 years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X 0.8 0.8 0.4 1.1 1.2 1.1 0.6 0.2

5 years or more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.5 0.8 0.7 0.5 0.2

X Not applicable. 1

 Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. A margin of error is a measure of an estimate’s variability. The larger the margin of error 

in relation to the size of the estimate, the less reliable the estimate. When added to and subtracted from the estimate, the margin of error forms the 90 percent 

confidence interval.

Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey. For more information, see <www.census.gov/acs>.
34 U.S. Census Bureau

Appendix Table 3.

Margins of Error for Table 4: Selected Characteristics of Grandparents Living

With Grandchildren for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico:1 2012—Con.

Area

Grandparents living with 

grandchildren Grandparents responsible for coresident grandchildren

Households with 

grandparents 

living with

grandchildren

Number

Percent 

of

population

30 

years 

and 

over

Percent 

responsible

Percent distribution of time

responsible Percent who were:

Number

Percent 

of all 

households

Less 

than 1 

year

1 to 2 

years 

3 to 4 

years

5 or 

more 

years

Householder

or spouse

Aged 

60 and 

over

In poverty in 

Total 2011

No 

parent 

present2

United States . . . . . . 57,489 Z 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.4 30,471 Z

Region

Northeast . . . . . . . . . . 18,397 0.1 0.8 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.0 1.4 1.2 1.3 10,658 0.1

Midwest . . . . . . . . . . . 20,748 0.1 0.9 0.9 1.1 1.0 1.5 0.7 1.3 1.1 0.9 14,318 0.1

South . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33,702 Z 0.6 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.9 0.4 0.7 0.8 0.7 20,760 Z

West . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,049 0.1 0.6 1.2 1.0 0.9 1.3 0.8 1.0 1.0 0.9 16,960 0.1

State

Alabama . . . . . . . . . . 6,690 0.2 2.2 2.9 3.0 2.4 3.4 1.0 2.9 2.5 2.7 4,024 0.2

Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,972 0.5 6.0 7.7 11.7 6.6 8.3 11.3 7.0 8.4 4.3 1,367 0.5

Arizona . . . . . . . . . . . 6,106 0.2 2.6 3.8 3.1 2.3 3.6 2.7 3.2 2.9 2.8 4,139 0.2

Arkansas . . . . . . . . . . 4,390 0.2 3.3 4.2 3.9 2.8 4.3 2.0 4.7 4.1 3.5 3,027 0.3

California . . . . . . . . . . 19,895 0.1 0.7 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.8 1.2 1.2 1.4 1.3 12,448 0.1

Colorado . . . . . . . . . . 6,236 0.2 3.1 4.8 4.5 3.5 4.6 3.3 4.2 3.9 4.5 4,309 0.2

Connecticut . . . . . . . . 4,403 0.2 3.5 5.9 5.7 5.0 7.0 3.5 6.8 6.6 6.1 3,060 0.2

Delaware . . . . . . . . . . 3,422 0.6 6.1 4.7 9.5 8.6 9.0 2.8 9.3 8.7 5.8 2,161 0.6

District of Columbia . . 1,736 0.5 9.0 6.0 10.9 15.1 10.9 14.2 15.6 16.4 17.1 1,192 0.5

Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,582 0.1 1.3 2.2 2.0 2.1 2.5 1.6 2.3 2.5 2.1 7,788 0.1

Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . 12,042 0.2 1.9 2.4 2.4 2.1 2.6 1.4 2.8 2.4 1.9 7,455 0.2

Hawaii . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,546 0.4 3.3 6.4 5.9 4.2 6.6 5.0 5.9 6.5 7.0 2,330 0.5

Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,838 0.3 5.5 6.5 6.1 7.5 8.1 2.9 8.8 8.4 8.5 1,848 0.3

Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,970 0.1 1.7 2.0 2.7 2.2 3.2 1.5 2.6 2.5 2.3 6,123 0.1

Indiana . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,073 0.2 2.8 3.2 2.7 2.9 3.7 1.4 3.5 3.2 3.0 4,839 0.2

Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,176 0.2 4.0 5.2 4.7 5.2 5.7 2.8 6.4 5.3 5.3 2,135 0.2

Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,512 0.2 4.0 4.7 5.8 3.5 6.5 2.7 5.9 5.4 3.2 2,428 0.2

Kentucky . . . . . . . . . . 5,492 0.2 2.6 2.6 3.1 2.8 4.0 1.0 3.8 3.3 3.3 3,672 0.2

Louisiana . . . . . . . . . . 5,520 0.2 2.5 3.2 3.0 2.3 3.4 1.6 3.8 3.7 2.8 3,711 0.2

Maine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,425 0.3 6.0 7.7 9.1 11.3 7.5 3.5 10.5 7.2 10.2 1,496 0.3

Maryland . . . . . . . . . . 6,767 0.2 2.6 3.4 4.2 2.6 4.2 2.8 3.9 3.6 3.0 4,954 0.2

Massachusetts . . . . . . 6,382 0.2 2.7 4.6 4.9 3.8 5.9 4.5 4.9 5.4 3.2 3,640 0.1

Michigan . . . . . . . . . . 6,894 0.1 1.8 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.7 1.6 2.4 2.5 2.3 4,911 0.1

Minnesota . . . . . . . . . 3,606 0.1 2.8 4.0 4.7 3.6 4.6 2.9 4.1 4.7 3.4 2,481 0.1

Mississippi . . . . . . . . . 5,146 0.3 3.1 4.0 3.5 2.9 3.9 1.4 4.2 3.4 4.4 3,890 0.4

Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . 6,245 0.2 2.2 3.7 3.6 3.4 3.9 1.5 3.6 3.1 3.3 3,975 0.2

Montana . . . . . . . . . . . 1,860 0.3 6.6 9.3 7.8 5.1 7.9 2.6 9.6 8.4 5.9 1,218 0.3

Nebraska . . . . . . . . . . 2,437 0.2 4.8 7.5 6.4 3.8 6.3 5.6 8.2 7.7 6.7 1,788 0.2

Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . 4,691 0.3 3.5 4.3 4.9 4.5 5.5 3.6 5.6 5.8 5.1 2,990 0.3

New Hampshire . . . . . 2,451 0.3 5.5 7.0 9.0 7.7 9.0 4.7 8.7 8.5 7.2 1,791 0.3

New Jersey . . . . . . . . 7,178 0.1 1.7 2.8 2.8 3.3 4.0 2.2 3.1 3.9 2.7 5,005 0.2

New Mexico . . . . . . . . 3,742 0.3 4.0 3.5 4.6 3.3 5.1 3.0 4.8 4.8 3.8 2,509 0.3

New York . . . . . . . . . . 11,094 0.1 1.3 1.9 1.8 2.1 2.3 1.7 2.0 2.2 2.2 7,531 0.1

North Carolina . . . . . . 8,347 0.1 2.2 2.4 2.5 2.3 2.7 1.0 2.8 2.2 2.6 5,745 0.2

North Dakota . . . . . . . 1,314 0.3 9.2 9.7 8.4 7.4 14.3 1.4 12.3 17.9 7.8 761 0.3

Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,828 0.1 2.0 2.3 2.5 2.6 3.2 1.4 2.8 2.4 2.3 5,244 0.1

Oklahoma . . . . . . . . . 3,814 0.2 2.3 2.4 2.7 2.7 3.6 1.8 3.0 3.6 2.6 2,632 0.2

Oregon . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,316 0.2 3.6 5.7 4.6 4.4 5.9 1.6 5.9 5.6 4.8 3,808 0.3

Pennsylvania . . . . . . . 9,969 0.1 1.6 2.0 2.2 2.6 2.8 1.7 2.9 2.0 2.2 6,192 0.1

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. Census Bureau 35

Appendix Table 3.

Margins of Error for Table 4: Selected Characteristics of Grandparents Living

With Grandchildren for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico:1 2012—Con.

Area

Grandparents living with 

grandchildren Grandparents responsible for coresident grandchildren

Households with 

grandparents 

living with

grandchildren

Number

Percent 

of

population

30 

years 

and 

over

Percent 

responsible

Percent distribution of time

responsible Percent who were:

Number

Percent 

of all 

households

Less 

than 1 

year

1 to 2 

years 

3 to 4 

years

5 or 

more 

years

Householder

or spouse

Aged 

60 and 

over

In poverty in 

Total 2011

No 

parent 

present2

State—Con.

Rhode Island . . . . . . . 2,391 0.4 6.1 9.6 6.6 9.3 11.5 8.8 9.3 9.2 9.5 1,680 0.4

South Carolina . . . . . . 5,986 0.2 2.9 3.1 3.5 2.4 4.7 1.7 3.4 3.6 3.0 3,943 0.2

South Dakota . . . . . . . 1,351 0.3 7.8 7.3 7.3 7.1 8.8 5.7 8.0 8.3 7.4 873 0.3

Tennessee . . . . . . . . . 7,749 0.2 2.4 2.7 2.6 2.0 3.5 1.2 2.7 2.7 2.6 5,322 0.2

Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,490 0.1 1.3 1.5 1.3 1.4 1.6 1.0 1.5 1.3 1.7 11,051 0.1

Utah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,897 0.3 3.5 5.3 5.4 4.2 6.4 2.6 6.4 6.8 4.8 2,706 0.3

Vermont . . . . . . . . . . . 1,435 0.4 8.5 7.7 13.2 9.3 14.0 6.9 11.8 9.8 8.5 988 0.4

Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,404 0.2 2.2 2.8 3.0 2.4 3.7 1.8 3.6 3.3 2.3 4,733 0.2

Washington . . . . . . . . 5,133 0.1 2.5 4.9 3.6 2.7 4.7 2.2 4.5 4.1 3.4 4,047 0.2

West Virginia . . . . . . . 2,959 0.2 4.4 6.2 4.0 4.1 7.3 2.9 5.9 5.3 5.5 1,946 0.3

Wisconsin . . . . . . . . . 3,948 0.1 2.6 4.6 3.9 3.5 4.1 1.9 4.4 4.8 3.8 2,688 0.1

Wyoming . . . . . . . . . . 1,391 0.4 8.4 10.3 9.8 9.3 11.7 11.5 11.0 12.8 7.4 945 0.4

Puerto Rico . . . . . . . . 5,625 0.3 2.6 3.0 2.9 3.1 4.3 2.0 3.7 3.6 4.5 3,405 0.3

Z Not zero but rounds to 0.0. 1

 Data are based on a sample and are subject to sampling variability. A margin of error is a measure of an estimate’s variability. The larger the margin of error 

in relation to the size of the estimate, the less reliable the estimate. When added to and subtracted from the estimate, the margin of error forms the 90 percent confidence interval. 2

 No parent present is defined as a household where the grandparent is the householder or spouse, a person under 18 is the grandchild of the householder, 

and no adult child of the householder is present in the household.

Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2012 American Community Survey. For more information, see <www.census.gov/acs>.