Statistics
GAP’s constituency is composed of relative caregivers, predominantly grandparents, who are raising relative children, predominantly grandchildren. The average age of our grandparents is approximately 53 years of age. The average age of our children is approximately 8 years of age.
The racial/ethnic breakdown of caregivers is as follows: Caucasian – 56.5 percent; African American – 22.4 percent; Native American – 2.4 percent; Pacific Islander – 3.5 percent; Hispanic – 15.3 percent.
The racial/ethnic breakdown of the children in their care is as follows: Caucasian – 38.4 percent; African American – 38.4 percent; Native American – 2 percent; Pacific Islander – 4.6 percent; Hispanic – 16.6 percent.
The US 2000 Census revealed that there was an almost 30 percent increase in the number of children under age 18 living in grandparent-headed households nationally as compared to the 1990 Census.
California has had an almost 50 percent increase, with 625,934 children under age 18 now living in grandparent-headed households. That number is obviously understated since it does not include other-than-grandparent relative-headed households. Nor does it include those who did not want to be surveyed for the Census.