AARP New Hampshire
CONCORD - A new survey of registered voters conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago finds 51 percent of all New Hampshire voters say supporting unpaid family caregivers should be a high priority.
Here in New Hampshire, 280,000 family caregivers take on emotional, physical and financial strain to help their older parents, spouses, and other loved ones live at home—where they want to be. This critical role comes at great financial cost. According to an AARP Poll, family caregivers spend an average of $11,508 a year out of pocket on caregiving expenses, up almost 60% from 2021.
On average, family caregivers spend 31% of their annual household income on caregiving expenses, according to the report. For caregivers with household incomes below $40,000, that figure jumps to 76%.
“Family caregivers are spending more than $11,500 a year of their own money to care for loved ones, all while facing soaring prices for everyday essentials like groceries, housing, utilities, and health care,” said AARP New Hampshire State Director Christina FitzPatrick. “Many caregivers are draining savings, taking on more debt, or falling behind on bills to help loved ones, and New Hampshire voters want elected officials to act.”
AARP New Hampshire is fighting for solutions to save family caregivers money and provide more support. New Hampshire caregivers currently spend over 200 million hours a year caring for loved ones.
The 2026 AARP Caregiving Out-of-Pocket Costs Study also found:
Caring for someone with dementia costs more.
- Family caregivers supporting someone with Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia spend an average of $15,846 annually, compared with $10,221 for those caring for someone without dementia.
Housing and medical care account for most caregiving costs.
- Together, they make up 71% of annual out-of-pocket spending: 42% for housing and household expenses ($4,797) and 29% for medical expenses ($3,313). Of the money spent on medical care, more than 37% goes toward insurance premiums, copays, coinsurance and direct payments to health care providers.
Caregiving affects jobs and retirement.
- 65% of working caregivers experienced at least one work-related disruption because of caregiving, including changing work hours, taking time off or taking on additional work.
- Those who retired earlier than planned because of caregiving spent an average of $18,940 annually out of pocket — 64% more than the national average.
Read the full 2026 AARP Caregiving Out-of-Pocket Costs Report here.