In recent years, increasing numbers of grandparents in the United States are living with and caring for their grandchildren.  Child Trends' latest companion briefs, Grandparents Living with Children  and Children Living with and Cared for by Grandparents, examine recent trends associated with grandparents and grandchildren residing together. 

These national and state-level trends are based on data from the American Community Survey.

Worth noting:

• For nearly half of the  roughly 7 million of children living with grandparents in 2008-10, the grandparent was primarily responsible for their basic needs - that is, for food, shelter, clothing, child care, and so on.

• The number of children living in a grandparent's household rose from 4.6 million in 2005-07, to 5.2 million in 2008-10. Among all grandparent caregivers, the rate of poverty in 2008-10 was twice that for all adults 35 and older.  

Grandparents may be called upon to care for children for a myriad of reasons, and this co-residence is associated with both benefits and risks.  Grandparents can provide additional support for children, love and positive influence, and provide a connection with family history and culture.  On the other hand, these relationships can be stressful if they result from a crisis or require major adjustments. 

 Additional information and data tables are included in the briefs.