How Much Asian Americans Spend Supporting Aging Parents
Supporting aging parents is one of the largest and least-discussed line items in many Asian American households, and it almost never arrives as a single bill. It is spread across money sent home, eldercare costs, shared housing, and the everyday help that no one ever adds up.
Put the pieces together and a clearer picture emerges. Here is what that support actually involves, and what the available data says it costs.
The Support Is Bigger Than Any One Number
There is no single figure for what a family spends on its parents, because the support runs through several channels at once. Broken out, it looks less like one expense and more like four.
| Type of support | What it typically covers | A sense of the scale |
|---|---|---|
| Money sent to family | Cash transfers to parents and relatives, often in an ancestral homeland | 38% of Asian adults with family there have sent money (Pew, 2024) |
| Eldercare and caregiving | Medical bills, supplies, transportation, and lost work hours | $7,242 average out-of-pocket per caregiver each year (AARP, 2021) |
| Housing and shared homes | Multigenerational housing, home modifications, assisted living | Housing was more than half of caregivers’ out-of-pocket costs (AARP, 2021) |
| Everyday and one-off help | Groceries, utilities, phone plans, travel, and emergencies | Part of why 55% of US adults see it as adult children’s duty (Pew, 2023) |
What Caregiving Costs Out of Pocket
The clearest dollar figure comes from caregiving. In an AARP study, 78% of family caregivers reported regular out-of-pocket costs, averaging $7,242 a year. That figure covers all family caregivers, not Asian American families specifically, but it is the best benchmark for the everyday spending that caregiving quietly demands. Housing-related expenses, including rent, mortgage help, home modifications, and assisted living, made up more than half of it.
Why It Lands Differently for Asian American Families
These costs are not unique to Asian American families, but the expectation behind them often is. A majority of US adults, 55%, already say adult children carry real responsibility for helping aging parents financially. In many Asian American homes, that expectation is closer to a default, reinforced by a strong norm of multigenerational living. We covered the housing side of this in our look at why Asian American households are buying multigenerational homes, and the spending follows the same logic: care happens under one roof, and the bills get shared.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does supporting aging parents cost?
There is no single number, because the support is spread across money sent home, caregiving, and shared housing. Caregiving alone averages $7,242 a year out of pocket for family caregivers, per AARP, and that sits on top of everything else.
Do Asian Americans send money to family overseas?
Many do. Among Asian adults who have immediate family living in their ancestral homeland, 38% say they have sent money there, according to Pew Research Center.
What share of caregiving costs is housing?
More than half. AARP found that housing-related expenses, such as rent, mortgage help, home modifications, and assisted living, were the single largest category of caregivers’ out-of-pocket spending.
Why do Asian American families take this on?
A mix of filial expectation and multigenerational living. The cultural norm of caring for parents at home, combined with high rates of multigenerational housing, means the financial support is often assumed rather than debated.
