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February 2013Vol. 14, No. 1Grandparents Living With Children

According to data from the American Community Survey, in 2010, over 6.5 million grandparents lived in the same home as their minor grandchildren. Forty percent of these grandparents assumed the primary caregiver role. A number of factors account for the rise in cohabiting grandparents and grandchildren, including continued high rates of divorce and single-parent families; parental incarceration, substance abuse, and death or disability; and adverse family economic circumstances.

In October 2012, Child Trends released two companion research briefs focused on this increased cohabitation. Grandparents Living With Children: State-Level Data from the American Community Survey examines the rate of poverty and level of English proficiency of grandparents responsible for the care of their grandchildren. For example, in Mississippi, 59 percent of cohabiting grandparents were the primary caregiver, and of these, 29 percent fell below the poverty level (the highest rate of any State).

In 2010, over 5 million children under age 18 lived in a household headed by a grandparent, and 2.8 million of these children were provided basic care and needs exclusively by a grandparent. In Children Living With and Cared for by Grandparents: State-Level Data from the American Community Survey, numbers are broken down and compared by State.

Both papers, by David Murphey, Mae Cooper, and Kristen A, Moore, briefly discuss some of the benefits and challenges associated with these living arrangements, provide tables with State-specific data from 2005-2007 and 2008-1010, and are available on the Child Trends website:

Grandparents Living With Children: State-Level Data From the American Community Survey:

http://www.childtrends.org/Files/Child_Trends-2012_10_01_RB_Grandparents.pdf?utm_source=National%20and%20State%20Trends%20in%20Children%20Living%20with%20and%20Cared%20for%20by%20Grandparents&utm_campaign=Grandparents&utm_medium=archive (396 KB)

Children Living With and Cared for by Grandparents: State-Level Data From the American Community Survey:

http://www.childtrends.org/Files/Child_Trends-2012_10_01_RB_Grandchildren.pdf?utm_source=National%20and%20State%20Trends%20in%20Children%20Living%20with%20and%20Cared%20for%20by%20Grandparents&utm_campaign=Grandparents&utm_medium=archive (369 KB)