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FRIDAY, SEP 07, 2012
Sunday, September 9th is National Grandparents Day. First declared a holiday by President Carter in 1978, the occasion celebrates grandparents' contributions to family life and society. Using Social Explorer, we can look at the number of grandparents in the US, and their relationships with their grandchildren. Census and American Community Survey data show the role of grandparents over the past decade.
In 2000, 5,771,671 grandparents lived with their own grandchildren (under 18 years old). That is 3.6 percent of all adults.
In 2010, 7,010,181 grandparents lived with own grandchildren, including grandmother-in-chief Marian Lois Robinson, who lives with the first family at the White House (see photo). That is 3.8 percent of all adults, representing a slight increase from 2000.
The number of grandparents who are responsible for their grandchildren has also increased. In 2000, 2,426,730 grandparents were the custodians. In 2010, 2,737,863 were the custodians, representing a 12.8 percent increase. (Photo: President Obama with his grandmother Madelyn Dunham, who raised him for much of his youth.)
Check out Social Explorer's maps and reports for more about grandparents and other groups, nationwide and in your own neighborhood.