Socio-demographic and Economic Characteristics of Grandparent-maintained Households: Early Evidence from Census 2000.

Data from the Census 2000 1% Public Use Microdata File are used to examine the sociodemographic and economic characteristics of grandparents with co-resident grandchildren. These data provide a unique opportunity to identify grandparents who do or do not have financial responsibility for co-resident grandchildren and to know duration of such responsibility. Significant differences between these two groups of grandparents warrants skepticism of the assumption used in previous research that grandchild co-residence is an adequate proxy of financial responsibility for the grandchild. All else equal, grandparents who assume financial responsibility for co-resident grandchildren have a lower income to poverty ratio and a greater likelihood of receiving public assistance than do grandparents who do not assume financial responsibility. The most economically vulnerable appear to be those who are relatively young, single, have fewer earners in the home, relatively lower levels of education, one or more disabilities and incomes at or below poverty. Diversity among grandparents providing financial support for co-resident grandchildren suggests that different public policies may be needed to provide support for this caregiving role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]