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Grandchildren’s spatial proximity to grandparents and intergenerational support in the United States

Author

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  • Olivia Healy

    (Cornell University)

  • Rachel Dunifon

    (Cornell University)

Abstract

Background: Grandparents regularly spend time with their grandchildren and may also depend on their adult children for help as they age. These patterns suggest that many family members live close enough to one another to provide in-person assistance. However, empirical evidence on grandparent–grandchild proximity and intergenerational transfers remains limited. Objective: We measure grandchild–grandparent spatial proximity, describing which families live close by and whether proximity is linked to intergenerational exchanges of time and money. Methods: We use US data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the 2013 Rosters and Transfers Module. We present descriptive patterns of spatial proximity and intergenerational transfers among families with grandchildren. Results: We find that most grandchildren live very close to a grandparent. Almost half of households with grandchildren live within 10 miles of a grandparent, and 13% live within 1 mile. Closer spatial proximity is more common when parents (of grandchildren) have less education, are unmarried, or earn lower incomes. Households living close to grandparents help and receive help from grandparents more often, and for more total hours, than those living farther away. Monetary transfers do not vary by spatial proximity. Conclusions: Findings have potential implications for the well-being of all three generations. Contribution: Prior research largely focuses on parents and their adult children, regardless of whether grandchildren are present; however, patterns of both proximity and support, and their implications, likely differ when grandchildren are present. We provide updated estimates of intergenerational spatial proximity and transfers specifically among families with grandchildren. We also measure proximity using fine-grained distance categories not common in past studies.

Suggested Citation

  • Olivia Healy & Rachel Dunifon, 2025. "Grandchildren’s spatial proximity to grandparents and intergenerational support in the United States," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 52(34), pages 1097-1110.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:52:y:2025:i:34
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2025.52.34
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. McGarry, Kathleen, 2016. "Dynamic aspects of family transfers," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 1-13.
    2. Jonathan Daw & Ashton M. Verdery & Sarah E. Patterson, 2019. "Beyond household walls: the spatial structure of American extended kinship networks," Mathematical Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(4), pages 208-237, October.
    3. HwaJung Choi & Robert Schoeni & Hongwei Xu & Adriana Reyes & Deena Thomas, 2021. "Proximity to mother over the life course in the United States: Overall patterns and racial differences," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 45(23), pages 769-806.
    4. Rachel E. Dunifon & Kelly A. Musick & Christopher E. Near, 2020. "Time with Grandchildren: Subjective Well-Being Among Grandparents Living with Their Grandchildren," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 148(2), pages 681-702, April.
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    6. Marla Ripoll, 2021. "The Patterns of Parental Intervivos Transfers to Adult Children," Working Paper 7144, Department of Economics, University of Pittsburgh.
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    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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