U.S. Census Bureau Facts for Features: National Grandparents Day 2017: Sept. 10

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In 1970, Marian McQuade initiated a campaign to establish a day to honor grandparents. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a federal proclamation, declaring the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. To honor our nation's grandparents, the U.S. Census Bureau presents statistics about their role in American society as caregivers of their grandchildren.

Grandparents as Caregivers

7.3 million
The number of grandparents whose grandchildren under age 18 were living with them in 2015.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B10050
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B10050

2.6 million
The number of grandparents responsible for the basic needs of one or more grandchild under age 18 living with them in 2015. Of these caregivers, 1.6 million were grandmothers and 1.0 million were grandfathers.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B10056
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B10056

509,922
The number of grandparents responsible for grandchildren under age 18 whose income was below the poverty level in the past 12 months, compared with the 2.1 million grandparent caregivers whose income was at or above the poverty level.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B10059
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B10059  

$51,448
The median income for families with grandparent householders responsible for grandchildren under age 18. Among these families, where a parent of the grandchildren was not present, the median income was $37,580.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B10010
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B10010   

1.8 million
The number of married (including separated) grandparents responsible for caring for their grandchildren.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B10057
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B10057

1.5 million
The number of grandparents in the labor force responsible for their own grandchildren under age 18. Among them, 368,348 were 60 years or older.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B10058
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B10058

642,852
The number of grandparents who had a disability and were responsible for their grandchildren.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B10052
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B10052

468,477
The number of foreign-born grandparents responsible for their own grandchildren under age 18. This contrasts with 2.1 million native-born grandparent caregivers.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B10053
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B10053

2.0 million
The number of grandparents responsible for their grandchildren who spoke only English. Another 252,314 spoke another language, but spoke English "very well;" 362,390 spoke another language and spoke English less than "very well."
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B10054
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B10054

8.7 percent
The percentage of Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders who lived with grandchildren in 2015. This is followed by American Indian and Alaska Natives and those of Some Other Race, which were not statistically different from each other at 7.3 and 7.4 percent, respectively, Hispanics at 6.9 percent, Asians at 6.1 percent and African-Americans at 5.6 percent. Non-Hispanic Whites are the group least likely to have grandparents living under the same roof as their grandchildren at 2.5 percent.  
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Selected Population Profile S0201    https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/S0201//popgroup~004|006|012|050|070|400|451

Grandchildren

5.9 million
The number of children under age 18 living with a grandparent householder in 2015. Nearly half or 2.6 million were under age 6.
Source: 2015 American Community Survey, Table B10001
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B10001

3.1 million The number of children in 2015 who were living with both of their grandparents, regardless of whether they were also living with their parents.
Source: America's Families and Living Arrangements: 2015, Table C4
www.census.gov/hhes/families/ 

The following is a list of observances typically covered by the Census Bureau's Facts for Features series:

Editor's note: The preceding data were collected from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Facts for Features are customarily released about two months before an observance in order to accommodate magazine production timelines.

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

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