Why It Matters
Florida’s healthcare system depends heavily on an invisible workforce. A new AARP report reveals that unpaid family caregiving in the Sunshine State is now valued at an estimated $81 billion per year — a figure that underscores the massive economic role that informal caregivers play in supporting the state’s aging population and offsetting the cost of formal healthcare services.
Without these caregivers, many Florida residents would face costly transitions into institutional care facilities, placing greater financial pressure on both individuals and public programs such as Medicaid. The report draws fresh attention to the personal sacrifices caregivers make and the policy gaps that leave them without meaningful compensation or support.
What Happened
AARP released a new analysis this month quantifying the economic value of unpaid family caregiving in Florida for the 2024–2025 period. The report found that approximately 4.3 million family caregivers of adults across the state contribute roughly 4.1 billion hours of care each year — all without pay.
AARP Florida State Director Jeff Johnson highlighted both the economic significance and the personal toll of this caregiving labor. “Family caregivers are a major economic force that fills critical gaps in our health care system,” Johnson said. “The economic value they provide now exceeds $81 billion annually, yet this care often comes at significant cost to caregivers’ health, financial security, and well-being.”
The caregivers identified in the report assist older parents, spouses, neighbors, and other adults with daily needs that would otherwise require professional medical or residential care services.
By the Numbers
- $81 billion — Estimated annual value of unpaid family caregiving in Florida for 2024–2025
- 4.3 million — Number of family caregivers of adults currently active in Florida
- 4.1 billion hours — Total unpaid care hours contributed annually by Florida family caregivers
- $19.66 per hour — The Florida market rate used to calculate the estimated economic value of that care
- 27 hours per week — The average amount of time Florida family caregivers spend providing care, exceeding many professional caregiving roles
Zoom Out
Florida’s figures are part of a much larger national pattern. Across the United States, AARP estimates that 59 million Americans serve as unpaid family caregivers, collectively contributing approximately 49.5 billion hours of care each year. At a national average rate of $20.41 per hour, that labor is valued at an estimated $1.01 trillion annually.
To put that in workforce terms, those hours would be equivalent to roughly 24 million full-time workers — approximately 17 percent of the entire full-time workforce in the United States.
The hourly market value of caregiving varies significantly by state, ranging from $14.12 per hour in Louisiana to $27.05 per hour in Washington, reflecting differences in regional labor markets and the cost of professional home care services. Florida’s rate of $19.66 per hour falls in the mid-range nationally, though the sheer volume of caregivers in the state — driven by its large and growing senior population — pushes the total economic value to among the highest in the country.
Nationally, policymakers and advocacy organizations have increasingly pointed to caregiver support as a priority issue. Proposals have included tax credits for family caregivers, expanded respite care access, and modifications to Social Security rules that penalize caregivers who reduce workforce participation to provide care. Several states have advanced paid family leave legislation that includes caregiving provisions, though Florida has not enacted such a program.
What’s Next
AARP has stated that it intends to use this data to advocate for policy changes at both the state and federal levels, with the goal of reducing the financial and physical burden on family caregivers. The organization is pushing for measures that would give caregivers more tools, resources, and compensation options.
In Florida, where residents aged 65 and older represent one of the largest shares of the population of any state in the nation, the pressure on family caregivers is expected to grow as the senior population continues to expand through the coming decade.
Legislative sessions at the state level and budget negotiations in Washington, D.C., will be key venues where advocates plan to introduce or advance caregiver support provisions. Stakeholders will be watching for whether the $81 billion figure gains traction among Florida lawmakers as a basis for expanded caregiver relief programs or healthcare funding adjustments.