Introducing The Care Board, an interactive dashboard for policymakers, researchers, and advocates. 

What is The Care Board? 

Care work—whether it’s raising children, supporting aging parents, or assisting those with disabilities—is the backbone of our economy. Yet, despite its essential role, it remains undervalued and largely invisible in economic data. The Care Board sheds light on the scale and impact of care work, making this vital labor more visible. 

The Care Board’s interactive visuals help policymakers, researchers, and advocates better understand caregiving. The dashboard breaks down who provides care—analyzing differences by gender, parental status, care type (formal or informal), and care focus (developmental, daily living, or health).  It highlights gaps in access to care resources and estimates the economic value of both paid and unpaid care work. Additionally, it examines the care labor force and highlights the unique burden of sandwich caregivers balancing both child and elder care.  

The dashboard is structured around key definitions and concepts of the care economy: 

• What is the Care Economy? – An overview of the care economy, examining care needs across stages of life, and exploring care provision.  
• The Circle of Care – A look at who provides care, whether through paid jobs in the formal economy or unpaid care activities. 
• The Flow of Care –A data-driven look at how care is balanced or distributed, using the Care Ratio and the Gini Coefficient of Formal Care, and a spotlight on Sandwich caregivers.  
• Broader Impacts – An examination of macroeconomic care indicators, measuring the total number of caregivers, time investment, and economic valuation of paid and unpaid care.  

Each section provides interactive data visualizations, allowing users to explore trends and customize insights based on different factors like gender, parenthood, care type, and care focus. 

The Care Board’s Mission 

Millions of families across the U.S. rely on caregiving—whether it's childcare, elder care, or care for people with disabilities. Yet, care work remains underpaid, undervalued, and largely invisible in federal statistics. At the same time, families face overwhelming costs, often paying more for childcare than rent or mortgage payments. The result is an unsustainable system where families struggle to afford care, and care workers struggle to make a living. By shedding light on the scale and value of care work, The Care Board aims to inform policies that better support both caregivers and those who rely on them, while advocating for more comprehensive data collection.  

How to Use The Care Board 

• Explore key statistics on care needs across life stages, time spent on paid and unpaid care, and the distribution of care resources. 
• Learn about our methodology for developing the statistics behind The Care Board. 
• Access downloadable data for use in research, advocacy, and policy analysis. 

Get Started 

Visit The Care Board to explore the data, interact with the visuals, and learn more about the role of care in our daily lives.