According to U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday, some of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were reflected in the first half of the 2020s: fewer grandparents were living with and caring for grandchildren, fewer young children were attending preschool, and more people remained in their homes.
The most recent data from the most thorough study of American life contrasts the years 2014–2018 and 2019–2023, which are before and during the COVID-19 epidemic, respectively. The data from the American Community Survey demonstrates how the pandemic and other events, such as the opioid crisis, affected people’s lives and family ties.
Ancestry, fertility, marriage status, commuting, veterans status, handicap, and housing are among the more than 40 subjects included in the poll of 3.5 million families.
Since substance misuse is a major reason why grandparents end up parenting grandkids, the fall in grandparents caring for their grandchildren is probably due to a decrease in opioid-related mortality in the more recent period. Susan Kelley, a professor emerita of nursing at Georgia State University, stated that fewer women in prison also probably contributed.
Grandparents rarely find themselves in this predicament for good reasons. According to Kelly, it’s typically a catastrophic event in the life of an adult kid, such as a death, jail, or mental health problems that are linked to substance usage. Although many grandparents flourish in that capacity, grandparents continue to face emotional and financial challenges.
The number of grandparents living with their grandkids decreased from 7.2 million to 6.8 million in the most recent period, which may have been caused by a stronger economy, which reduced the likelihood that adult children with their own children would ask their parents for housing assistance, she added.
According to the Census Bureau, the drop in preschool enrollment was caused by a lack of interest in sending young children to school and the closure of numerous schools during the pandemic’s peak.
According to a second analysis from the agency, these data demonstrate how the COVID-19 epidemic significantly affected early childhood education patterns. Future studies will determine whether enrollment will return to previous levels or if this was the beginning of a long-term trend.
The nation’s share of senior citizens increased from 16.8% to 15.2%, and the median age of Americans increased from 37.9 to 38.7. The percentage of households with a computer increased from nearly 89% to nearly 95%, and the percentage of households with a broadband connection increased from 80% to nearly 90%.
Furthermore, compared to the previous period, fewer individuals relocated and more stayed put in the most recent one. This was frequently due to rising housing values and a shortage of available homes for purchase.
The percentage of unoccupied homes decreased from 12.2% to 10.4%, while property values rose by 21.7%. Nationwide, the median home value increased from $249,400 to $303,400.
The increase was even more pronounced in some wealthy vacation communities, like the county where Aspen, Colorado, is located, where it went from $758,800 to $1.1 million, and the county where Martha’s Vineyard is located, Massachusetts, where it jumped from $812,400 to $1.1 million.
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