THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
Center for Health, People, and Places
Social and Economic Systems Program Area
Committee on a Data Infrastructure for Measuring the Care Economy
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Congressional Briefing
Thursday, October 15, 2026 –2:15 p.m.
via Zoom
on
A Data Infrastructure for Measuring the Care Economy
Caregiving is essential to families, communities, and the broader economy, but many aspects of the care economy are not well understood, primarily because of measurement challenges and data gaps. In addition, data on the care economy relies on a patchwork of surveys, administrative records, and industry estimates, which were not designed to be integrated.
This new report, from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, recommends expanding data collections to better capture care across a range of care needs, refining occupational and industry classifications, increasing data harmonization and sharing, and developing a new Care Economy Satellite Account to better measure the value and hours of both paid and unpaid care work. The report also identifies opportunities for combining data sources and highlights how a new survey focused on care could comprehensively address data gaps in understanding care needs, caregiving arrangements, and unmet needs.
This briefing was for members of Congress and congressional staff only. The report was publicly released on September 23, 2026 and can be found, in its entirety, on the Web site of the National Academies Press.