GAO Report Valued Unpaid Household Labor at $6 Trillion

Business owners should note how non-market labor impacts workforce availability and employee burnout trends.

Updated on Sept. 21, 2026 in Employment

Isometric editorial illustration of a laundry basket and brass kitchen scales, symbolizing the economic value of unpaid household work. — The Government Accountability Office estimated that unpaid household labor in the U.S. amounts to $6 trillion annually, representing one-fifth of national GDP. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should unpaid household labor be factored into official measures of national economic growth?

The Government Accountability Office released a report in September 2026 estimating the annual value of unpaid household labor in the United States at $6 trillion. This figure represents one-fifth of the total GDP, highlighting a significant economic component often excluded from conventional growth metrics.

Why it matters

Economists track these figures to better understand how unpaid labor influences long-term living standards and workforce participation. For employers, the data underscores the hidden labor costs impacting employee burnout rates.

Unpaid household labor is valued at $6 trillion annually, accounting for one-fifth of the total U.S. GDP. During the 2021–2024 period, 54% of individuals performing this work were women, a group that reports workplace burnout at a rate of 48% compared to 36% for men.

The players

Government Accountability Office

A federal agency that performs audits, evaluations, and investigations of government programs and spending.

Bureau of Economic Analysis

A federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce that provides official macroeconomic and industry statistics.

The details

The report analyzed historical data from 1965 through 2020, finding that conventional GDP grew at an average annual rate of 6.3%, while a Bureau of Economic Analysis measure incorporating household labor grew at 6.1%. Currently, 87% of Americans age 15 and older perform an average of 3.72 hours of unpaid household work daily. These metrics provide a mechanism for tracking how non-market work intersects with conventional economic output and workforce capacity.

1965-2020: Period analyzed for GDP and household labor growth rates.
2021-2024: Period measured for the demographic breakdown of unpaid labor.
September 2026: Government Accountability Office released the report.

Market Landscape

The GAO analysis follows the pattern of integrating non-market activities into broader economic measurement frameworks maintained by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This report updates the understanding of how unpaid labor metrics reconcile with conventional GDP measurements.

Managers should monitor these burnout trends, as the 12-percentage-point gap in reported burnout between female and male workers may affect talent retention. Factor in the average of 3.72 hours of daily unpaid labor when evaluating flexible work policies or scheduling expectations.

The takeaway

Understanding the scale of unpaid labor is essential for operators managing workforce capacity and retention. Track your own team's burnout metrics against these industry benchmarks to assess the potential impact of household labor obligations on employee productivity.