Grandparenthood in the U.S.: Residence Status of Grandchildren, 2022
Family Profile 19, 2024
Author: Krista K. Westrick-Payne
This profile is an update of
FP-14-12, FP-18-05, & FP-23-03
In 2022, there were more than 64 million grandparents aged 40 and older in the United States, according to the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP, 2023). This figure represents 40% of adults aged 40 and older. The SIPP is a nationally representative household-based survey and is designed to provide comprehensive family and social information on individuals and families. Because the SIPP gathers information on all individuals who lived in a surveyed household, and directly asks respondents if they are a grandparent, it is one of the few surveys that identifies both non-resident and resident grandparents. Using data from the 2023 SIPP, this profile updates FP-14-12 written by Stykes, Manning, and Brown (2014), FP-18-05 written by Wu (2018), and FP-23-03 written by Westrick-Payne (2023) to examine grandparents’ age composition, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, and relationship status by residential status of grandchildren in 2022. This is the second profile in our updated series on grandparents in the U.S.
Prevalence of Grandparents Residing Grandchildren
- Overall, in 2022 only 8% of grandparents aged 40 and older resided with their grandchild(ren). This is the same share observed in 2020 (not shown).
Age Composition of Grandparents by Resident Status of Grandchildren
- On average, resident grandparents were 3 years younger than nonresident grandparents (median age of 65 versus 68).
- Three-in-ten (30%) resident grandparents were under age 60, whereas about one-quarter (23%) of nonresident grandparents were under age 60.
Figure 1. Age Composition of Grandparents by Resident Status of Grandchildren, 2022
Race/Ethnicity of Grandparents by Resident Status of Grandchildren
- A larger share of grandparents with resident grandchildren belonged to a racial/ethnic minority group (57%) compared to nonresident grandparents (28%).
- About one-third (31%) of resident grandparents were Hispanic in contrast to only 11% of nonresident grandparents.
- A higher percentage of resident than nonresident grandparents were Black (19% and 4%, respectively).
- A greater share of resident grandparents were Asian (7%) than nonresident (4%).
Figure 2. Race/Ethnicity of Grandparents by Resident Status of Grandchildren, 2022
Educational Attainment of Grandparents by Resident Status of Grandchildren
- Resident grandparents had lower levels of educational attainment than nonresident grandparents did.
- About one-quarter (27%) of resident grandparents had less than a high school education compared to 13% of nonresident grandparents.
- Only 14% of resident grandparents had at least a bachelor’s degree, whereas 29% of nonresident grandparents were college graduates.
Figure 3. Educational Attainment of Grandparents by Resident Status of Grandchildren, 2022
Relationship Status of Grandparents by Age
- The relationship status of grandparents varied by their residency status with their grandchild(ren).
- About one-half (51%) of resident grandparents were married compared to three-fifths (61%) of nonresident grandparents.
- Lower shares of resident grandparents were in a cohabiting relationship (3%) than nonresident grandparents (5%).
- Greater percentages of resident grandparents were widowed (21%) or divorced/separated (19%) than nonresident grandparents, 17% and 14% respectively.
- The shares who were never married was small—among resident grandparents the share was 5% and among nonresident grandparents it was 4%.
Figure 4. Relationship Status of Grandparents by Resident Status of Grandchildren, 2022
Data Source:
U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2023. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sipp.html
References:
Stykes, B., Manning, W. D., & Brown, S. L. (2014). Grandparenthood in the U.S.: Residency status of grandparents. Family Profiles, FP-14-12. Bowling Green, OH: National Center for Family & Marriage Research. https://www.bgsu.edu/content/dam/BGSU/college-of-arts-and-sciences/NCFMR/documents/FP/FP-14-12-grandparents-us.pdf
Wu, H. (2018). Grandparenthood in the U.S.: Residence status of grandchildren. Family Profiles, FP-18-05. Bowling Green, OH: National Center for Family & Marriage Research. https://doi.org/10.25035/ncfmr/fp-18-05
Westrick-Payne, K. K. (2023). Grandparenthood in the U.S.: Residence status of grandchildren. Family Profile, FP-23-03. Bowling Green, OH: National Center for Family & Marriage Research. https://doi.org/10.25035/ncfmr/fp-23-03
Suggested Citation:
Westrick-Payne, K. K. (2024). Grandparenthood in the U.S.: Residence status of grandchildren. Family Profile, FP-24-19. Bowling Green, OH: National Center for Family & Marriage Research. https://doi.org/10.25035/ncfmr/fp-24-19
This project is supported with assistance from Bowling Green State University. From 2007 to 2013, support was also provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s) and should not be construed as representing the opinions or policy of any agency of the state or federal government.
Updated: 09/13/2024 01:33PM