Multigenerational households, which can span grandparents down to grandchildren, are common in communities of color, immigrant communities and low-income families. Millions of people in these households face a higher risk of contracting the coronavirus because they often include not only the elderly but also essential workers who can’t work from home.
These issues received a lot of attention in the earlier stages of the pandemic last year. But as the vaccine rollout began, most states didn’t adopt policies that prioritized these households. We learned that this was a concern among experts.
As we began to explore this gap we analyzed county-by-county data showing that people of color – who are at greater risk of contracting the virus – are more likely to live in the same home with older relatives. Our main question was: did state officials consider the family structures and population health issues common among people of color?
Our reporting began in Washington state after we learned that it was the first to put multigenerational households near the top of its priority list for COVID-19 vaccinations. We talked to public health officials, advocates and residents to understand the significance of the state’s decision. We learned that other states, including Alaska, had followed Washington’s example.
For this story, we used IPUMS/American Community Survey census data to help us understand how common multigenerational households are across the country. We decided that a multigenerational household had to include at least two generations, such as parents and adult children or grandparents raising grandchildren. The data analysis found that 18% of U.S. households are multigenerational. But because of cultural traditions and financial reasons, the percentages are higher among people of color: 30% Latinos, 25% Asians and 24% Black families, compared to 15% for non-Latino white households.
This finding was significant. Experts have found that the virus spread within these households has contributed to COVID-19 racial disparities. Yet states largely prioritized people for vaccinations based on age and occupation. The CDC then recommended that people ages 75 and up and frontline essential workers should follow as a priority.
But built into the 75-and-up age group is another racial disparity: roughly 80% are white. One major reason: Blacks and Latinos typically die younger than white people because of a disproportionate lack of access to health care. Asians and Latinos often care for their elders at home and/or were too young to meet states’ requirements for age eligibility.
Once the vaccine supply increased, some states quickly lowered their age thresholds to 65 and up, a group that accounts for eight out of 10 COVID-19 deaths. But younger people of color still face disproportionate risks when compared with white peers (https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/racial-disparities-covid-19-key-findings-available-data-analysis/). For example, among people ages 55 to 64, COVID-19 deaths rates among Blacks and Latinos are at least five times higher than for white people.
The South, for example, is home to large proportions of Black multigenerational households. In Bolivar County in the Mississippi Delta, at least 1 in 6 residents have contracted COVID-19. Our data analysis found that 22% of households across races in the county are multigenerational. We used these statistics to ground a local version of the story that the Mississippi Center for Investigative Journalism published online (https://www.mississippicir.org/news/mississippis-overlooked-covid-19-threat-families-with-many-generations-under-one-roof).