The eldercare workforce refers to the paid and unpaid individuals who provide health, personal, social, and supportive services specifically to older adults, typically age 65 and above. This workforce includes direct care workers in home- and community-based settings, certified nursing assistants and nursing home staff, licensed healthcare professionals (such as nurses and therapists), social workers, care coordinators, long-term care administrators, and family caregivers whose care recipients are older adults.

In the mid-20th century, eldercare was primarily a family responsibility, with most support provided informally by relatives. As women entered the paid workforce in larger numbers and life expectancy increased, structural gaps in eldercare became more visible, prompting public policy debates about long-term care financing, workforce training, and support systems. In 2009, coalition efforts such as the formation of the Eldercare Workforce Alliance signaled a more organized policy focus on training and retaining workers capable of meeting the needs of an aging population, building on earlier calls from national health bodies to expand geriatric education and workforce capacity.

In terms of size and scale in the United States:

• Unpaid eldercare: According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data for 2023–24, an estimated 38.2 million U.S. adults age 15 and over provided unpaid care to someone age 65 or older during that period, representing about 14% of the civilian noninstitutional population.
• Paid direct care workers: The broader group of direct care workers — many of whom provide support to older adults — includes roughly 5.4 million workers in the U.S., comprising home care workers, residential care aides, and nursing assistants across settings such as home care agencies and longterm care facilities.
• Long-term care employment footprint: Industries providing home and community-based care accounted for about 4.3 million jobs in mid-2024, including services primarily for older adults and people with disabilities.
• Projected growth: Employment of home health and personal care aides — key components of the eldercare workforce — is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations over the next decade, driven by rising demand for aging-related support services.

The eldercare workforce operates across private homes, assisted living communities, nursing homes, healthcare facilities, hospice programs, and community-based organizations. Demand for these services is increasing rapidly as the U.S. population ages and more adults live longer with chronic conditions.

Because the eldercare workforce is defined by the age cohort it serves (older adults), it is a subset of the broader caregiving workforce, which includes workers serving individuals across the lifespan. This age-specific focus shapes unique workforce challenges — including workforce shortages, training needs in geriatric care, compensation structures, and policy frameworks for long-term services and supports.

See: Caregiving Workforce | Learn & Work Ecosystem Library