U.S. dementia care spending by state: 2010-2019

Abstract

Introduction: Dementia is the fourth largest cause of death for individuals 70 years of age and older in the United States, and it is tremendously costly. Existing estimates of the indirect costs of dementia are dated and do not report on differences across the United States.

Methods: We used data from multiple surveys to create cost estimates and projections for informal dementia caregiving at the U.S. state level from 2010 through 2050.

Results: In 2019, the annual replacement cost of informal caregiving was $42,422 per prevalent case, and the forgone wage cost was $10,677 per prevalent case. In 2019, it would have cost $230 billion to hire home health aides to provide all this care. If past trends persist, this cost is expected to grow to $404 billion per year in 2050.

Discussion: The cost of informal care varied substantially by state and is expected to grow through at least 2050.

Highlights: In the United States in 2019, foregone wages due to informal dementia care was $58 billion. Replacing informal dementia care with health aides would have cost $230 billion. These costs vary dramatically by state, even when assessed per prevalent case. These costs are expected to nearly double by 2050.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; United States; cost; cost‐of‐illness study; dementia; economics; informal care.