Millions of Seniors Live in Households With School-Age Children

An analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that about 6 percent of people 65 or older — about 3.3 million — were living in a household with a school-age child in 2018, while 4.1 million school-age children, about 7 percent of those between five and 18 years old, live with someone 65 or older. The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacts people of color, who would be at higher risk of exposure through school-age children if schools become infection hotspots. While almost half of older adults living with a school-age child are white, older adults of color are more likely to live with a school-age child. Nineteen percent of Asian and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander older adults live with a school-age child, as do 17 percent of Hispanic older adults, 13 percent of American Indian or Alaska Native older adults, and 11 percent of black older adults. Meanwhile, 4 percent of older white adults live with a school-age child. The study also found that the portion of older adults living with a school-age child across the country varies significantly, with California, Texas, and Florida each having relatively large numbers of seniors cohabiting with a school-age child. Hawaii tops the list as 15 percent of seniors in that state live with a school-age child, and 20 percent of school-age children live with an adult age 65 or older.