News

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

United States 

Department 

of Labor 

Technical information: (202) 691-6339 USDL 09-0704 

 http://www.bls.gov/tus/ 

 For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT) 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Wednesday, June 24, 2009 

AMERICAN TIME USE SURVEY―2008 RESULTS 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor today released 2008 results 

from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS). This annual release of ATUS data focuses on the average amount of time per day in 2008 that individuals worked, did household activities, cared for household children, participated in educational activities, and engaged in leisure and sports activities. It also 

includes measures of the average time per day spent providing childcare―both as a primary (or main) 

activity and while doing other things―for the combined years 2004-08. Except for childcare, activities 

done simultaneously with primary activities were not collected. For a further description of ATUS data 

and methodology, see the Technical Note. 

Working (by Employed Persons) in 2008

 Employed persons worked an average of 7.6 hours on the days that they worked. They worked 

longer on weekdays than on weekend days—7.9 versus 5.6 hours. (See table 4.) 

 On the days that they worked, employed men worked about 0.9 hour (52 minutes) more than 

employed women. This difference partly reflects women's greater likelihood of working part 

time. However, even among full-time workers (those usually working 35 hours or more per 

week), men worked longer than women—8.3 versus 7.7 hours. (See table 4.) 

 Many more people worked on weekdays than on weekend days; that is, they spent some time 

doing tasks required for a job, regardless of whether it was part of their usual work schedule or 

arrangement. Eighty-three percent of employed persons worked on an average weekday 

compared with 34 percent on an average weekend day. (See table 4.) 

 On the days that they worked, 21 percent of employed persons did some or all of their work at 

home, and 86 percent did some or all of their work at their workplace. Men and women were 

about equally likely to do some or all of their work at home. (See table 6.) 

 Multiple jobholders were almost twice as likely to work on an average weekend day as were 

single jobholders—59 versus 31 percent. Multiple jobholders also were much more likely to 

work at home than were single jobholders—36 versus 19 percent. (See tables 4 and 6.) 
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 Self-employed workers were more likely than wage and salary workers to have done some work 

at home—55 versus 17 percent. (See table 7.) 

 On the days that they worked, 35 percent of employed people age 25 and over with a bachelor's 

degree or higher did some work at home compared with only 9 percent of those with less than a 

high school diploma. (See table 6.) 

Household Activities in 2008

 On an average day, 83 percent of women and 64 percent of men spent some time doing 

household activities, such as housework, cooking, lawn care, or financial and other household 

management. (For a definition of average day, see the Technical Note.) (See table 1.) 

 On the days that they did household activities, women spent an average of 2.6 hours on such 

activities, while men spent 2.0 hours. (See table 1.) 

 On an average day, 20 percent of men did housework—such as cleaning or doing laundry—

compared with 50 percent of women. Thirty-eight percent of men did food preparation or 

cleanup compared with 65 percent of women. (See table 1.) 

Educational Activities in 2008

 About 10 percent of the population engaged in educational activities, such as attending class or 

doing homework, on an average weekday. Those who attended class on a weekday spent an 

average of 5.3 hours doing so, and those who did homework and research on a weekday spent 

2.7 hours in such activities. (See table 2.) 

Leisure Activities in 2008 

 On an average day, nearly everyone age 15 and over (96 percent) engaged in some sort of leisure 

activity, such as watching TV, socializing, or exercising. Of those who engaged in leisure 

activities, men spent more time in these activities (5.7 hours) than did women (5.1 hours). (See 

table 1.) 

 Watching TV was the leisure activity that occupied the most time, accounting for about half of 

leisure time, on average, for both men and women. Socializing, such as visiting with friends or 

attending or hosting social events, was the next most common leisure activity, accounting for 

about three-quarters of an hour per day for both sexes. (See table 1.) 

 Men were more likely than women to participate in sports, exercise, or recreation on any given 

day—21 versus 15 percent. On the days that they participated, men also spent more time in 

these activities than did women, 1.9 versus 1.3 hours. (See table 1.) 

 On an average day, adults age 75 and over spent 7.6 hours engaged in leisure activities—more 

than any other age group; 25- to 44-year-olds spent just over 4 hours engaged in leisure and 

sports activities—less than other age groups. (See table 11.) 
3

 Time spent reading for personal interest and playing games or using a computer for leisure 

varied greatly by age. Individuals age 75 and over averaged 1.2 hours of reading per weekend 

day and 0.3 hour (17 minutes) playing games or using a computer for leisure. Conversely, 

individuals ages 15 to 19 read for an average of 0.2 hour (10 minutes) per weekend day while 

spending 1.0 hour playing games or using a computer for leisure. (See table 11.) 

 Employed adults living in households with no children under 18 engaged in leisure activities for 

4.5 hours per day, nearly an hour more than employed adults living with a child under age 6. 

(See table 8.) 

Care of Household Children (by Adults in Households with Children) for the period 2004-08

 Adults living in households with children under 6 spent an average of 2.0 hours per day 

providing primary childcare to household children. Adults living in households where the 

youngest child was between the ages of 6 and 17 spent less than half as much time providing 

primary childcare to household children—0.8 hour (47 minutes) per day. Primary childcare is 

childcare that is done as a main activity, such as physical care of children and reading to or 

talking with children. (See table 9.) 

 On an average weekday, among adults living in households with children under 6, women spent 

1.2 hours providing physical care (such as bathing or feeding a child) to household children; by 

contrast, men spent 0.4 hour (25 minutes) providing physical care. On an average weekend day, 

women provided an hour of physical care to household children, while men provided half an 

hour. (See table 9.) 

 Adults living in households with children under 13, with at least one child under 6, spent an 

average of 5.6 hours per day providing secondary childcare—that is, they had at least one child 

in their care while doing activities other than primary childcare. Secondary childcare provided 

by adults living in households with children under 6 was most commonly provided while doing 

leisure activities (2.2 hours) or household activities (1.3 hours). (See table 10.) 

 Adults living in households with children under 6 spent more time providing primary childcare 

on an average weekday (2.1 hours) than on an average weekend day (1.7 hours). However, they 

spent less time providing secondary childcare on weekdays than on weekend days—4.7 versus 

7.6 hours. (See tables 9 and 10.) 

Microdata Release

Today, BLS also released ten 2008 ATUS microdata files for users who wish to do their own 

tabulations and analyses. In accordance with BLS and Census Bureau policies that protect survey 

respondents' privacy, identifying information was removed from the microdata files and some responses have been edited. The 2008 microdata files are available on the BLS Web site at 

http://www.bls.gov/tus/data.htm. 
Technical Note 

The estimates in this release are based on annual 

average data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS). 

The ATUS, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau 

for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is a continuous 

survey about how individuals age 15 and over spend their 

time. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200; TDD message referral phone: 1-800-877-

8339. 

Survey methodology 

Data collection for the ATUS began in January 2003. 

Sample cases for the survey are selected monthly and 

interviews are conducted continuously throughout the year. 

In 2008, approximately 12,700 individuals were interviewed. Estimates are released annually. 

ATUS sample households are chosen from the 

households that completed their eighth (final) interview for 

the Current Population Survey (CPS), the nation's monthly 

household labor force survey. ATUS sample households 

are selected to ensure that estimates will be nationally 

representative. 

One individual age 15 or over is randomly chosen 

from each sampled household. This "designated person" is 

interviewed by telephone once about his or her activities on 

the day before the interview—the "diary day." 

All ATUS interviews are conducted using Computer 

Assisted Telephone Interviewing. Procedures are in place 

to collect information from the small number of households 

that did not provide a telephone number during the CPS 

interview. 

ATUS designated persons are preassigned a day of the 

week about which to report. Preassignment is designed to 

reduce variability in response rates across the week and to 

allow oversampling of weekend days so that accurate 

weekend day measures can be developed. Interviews occur 

on the day following the assigned day. For example, a 

person assigned to report about a Monday would be 

contacted on the following Tuesday. Ten percent of 

designated persons are assigned to report about each of the 

five weekdays. Twenty-five percent are assigned to report 

about each weekend day. Households are called for up to 8 

consecutive weeks (for example, 8 Tuesdays) in order to 

secure an interview. 

About the questionnaire 

In the time diary portion of the ATUS interview, 

survey respondents sequentially report activities they did 

between 4 a.m. on the day before the interview ("yesterday") until 4 a.m. on the day of the interview. For each 

activity, respondents are asked how long the activity lasted. 

For activities other than personal care activities (such as 

sleeping and grooming), interviewers also ask respondents 

where they were. And for activities other than personal 

care and work, they are asked who was in the room with 

them (if at home) or who accompanied them (if away from 

home). If respondents report doing more than one activity 

at a time, they are asked to identify which one was the 

"main" (primary) activity. If none can be identified, then 

the interviewer records the first activity mentioned. After 

completing the time diary, interviewers ask respondents 

additional questions to clearly identify work, volunteering, 

and secondary childcare activities. Secondary childcare is 

defined as having a child under age 13 in one's care while 

doing other activities. 

In addition, the ATUS includes an update of the 

household composition information from the last CPS interview (2 to 5 months prior to the ATUS interview) and the 

employment status information of the respondent and his or 

her spouse or unmarried partner. For respondents who 

became employed or changed jobs between the last CPS 

interview and the ATUS interview, information also is 

collected on industry, occupation, class of worker, and 

earnings. For those who are unemployed and/or on layoff, 

CPS questions on job search activities are asked. Those 

who report being on layoff are asked if or when they expect 

to be recalled to work. Finally, a question about current 

school enrollment status is asked of all respondents ages 15 

to 49. 

After completing the interview, primary activity descriptions are assigned a single 6-digit code using the 

ATUS Coding Lexicon. The 3-tier coding system consists 

of 17 major activity categories, each with multiple secondand third-tier subcategories. These coding lexicon categories are then combined into composite categories for 

publication, such as in this news release. Descriptions of 

categories shown in this release can be found in the Major 

activity category definitions section of this Technical Note. 

The 2008 ATUS Coding Lexicon can be accessed online at 

http:// www.bls.gov/tus/lexicons.htm. 

Concepts and definitions 

Average day. The average day measure reflects an 

average distribution across all persons in the reference 

population and all days of the week. Average day measures 

for the entire population provide a mechanism for seeing 

the overall distribution of time allocation for society as a 

whole. The ATUS collects data about daily activities from 

all segments of the population age 15 and over, including 

persons who are employed and not employed. Activity 

profiles differ based upon age, employment status, gender, 

and other characteristics. On an average day in 2008, persons in the U.S. age 15 and over did work and work-related 

activities for 3.7 hours, slept 8.6 hours, spent 5.2 hours 

doing leisure and sports activities, and spent 1.7 hours 

doing household activities. The remaining 4.8 hours were 

spent doing a variety of other activities, including eating 

and drinking, attending school, and shopping. (See table 1.) 

By comparison, an average weekday for persons employed 

full time on days that they worked included 9.2 hours doing 

work and work-related activities, 7.6 hours sleeping, 2.9 
hours doing leisure and sports activities, and 0.9 hour doing 

household activities. The remaining 3.4 hours were spent 

in other activities, such as those described above. (These 

estimates include related travel time.) 

Many activities typically are not done on a daily basis, 

and some activities only are done by a subset of the 

population. For example, only 45 percent of all persons age 

15 years and over worked on an average day in 2008 

because some were not employed and those who were 

employed did not work every day. (See table 1.) 

Average hours per day. The average number of hours 

spent in a 24-hour day (between 4 a.m. on the diary day and 

4 a.m. on the interview day) doing a specified activity. 

 Average hours per day, population. The 

average number of hours per day is computed 

using all responses from a given population, 

including those of respondents who did not do a 

particular activity on their diary day. These estimates reflect how many population members 

engaged in an activity and the amount of time 

they spent doing it. 

 Average hours per day, persons who did the 

activity. The average number of hours per day 

is computed using only responses from those 

who engaged in a particular activity on their 

diary day. 

Diary day. The diary day is the day about which the 

respondent reports. For example, the diary day of a 

respondent interviewed on Tuesday is Monday. 

Earnings 

 Usual weekly earnings. Data represent the 

earnings of full-time wage and salary workers 

with one job only, before taxes and other 

deductions. They include any overtime pay, 

commissions, or tips usually received. Usual 

weekly earnings are only updated in ATUS for 

about a third of employed respondents—if the 

respondent changed jobs or employment status 

or if the CPS weekly earnings value was 

imputed. This means that the earnings 

information could be out of date because the 

CPS interview was done 2 to 5 months prior to 

the ATUS interview. Respondents are asked to 

identify the easiest way for them to report 

earnings (hourly, weekly, biweekly, twice 

monthly, annually, or other) and how much they 

usually earn in the reported time period. 

Earnings reported on a basis other than weekly 

are converted to a weekly equivalent. The term 

"usual" is as perceived by the respondent. If the 

respondent asks for a definition of usual, 

interviewers are instructed to define the term as 

more than half the weeks worked during the past 

4 or 5 months. 

 Weekly earnings ranges. The ranges used represent approximately 25 percent of full-time wage 

and salary workers who held only one job. For 

example, 25 percent of full-time wage and salary 

workers with one job only had weekly earnings 

of $500 or less. These dollar values vary from 

year to year. 

Employment status 

 Employed. All persons who, at any time during 

the 7 days prior to the interview: 

1) Did any work at all as paid employees; 

worked in their own business, profession, or on 

their own farm; or usually worked 15 hours or 

more as unpaid workers in a family-operated 

enterprise; or 

2) Were not working but had jobs or businesses 

from which they were temporarily absent due to 

illness, bad weather, vacation, childcare problems, labor-management disputes, maternity or 

paternity leave, job training, or other family or 

personal reasons, whether or not they were paid 

for the time off or were seeking other jobs. 

 Employed full time. Full-time workers are those 

who usually worked 35 hours or more per week 

at all jobs combined. 

 Employed part time. Part-time workers are 

those who usually worked fewer than 35 hours 

per week at all jobs combined. 

 Not employed. Persons are not employed if they 

do not meet the conditions for employment. The 

not employed include those classified as unemployed as well as those classified as not in the 

labor force (using CPS definitions). 

The numbers of employed and not employed persons 

in this report do not correspond to published totals from the 

CPS for several reasons. First, the reference population for 

the ATUS is age 15 years and over, whereas it is age 16 

years and over for the CPS. Second, ATUS data are 

collected continuously, the employment reference period 

being the 7 days prior to the interview. By contrast, CPS 

data are usually collected during the week including the 

19th of the month and refer to employment during the week 

containing the 12th of the month. Finally, the CPS accepts 

answers from household members about other household 

members whereas such proxy responses are not allowed in 

the ATUS. One consequence of the difference in proxy reporting is that a significantly higher proportion of teenagers 
report employment in the ATUS than in the CPS. While 

the information on employment from the ATUS is useful 

for assessing work in the context of other daily activities, 

the employment data are not intended for analysis of 

current employment trends. Compared with the CPS and 

other estimates of employment, the ATUS estimates are 

based on a much smaller sample and are only available with 

a substantial lag since ATUS data and estimates are published during the year following data collection. 

Household children. Household children are children 

under age 18 residing in the household of the ATUS respondent. The children may be related to the respondent 

(such as his or her own children, grandchildren, nieces or 

nephews, or brothers or sisters) or not related (such as 

foster children or children of roommates). 

Primary activity. A primary activity is the main 

activity a respondent was doing at a specified time. With 

the exception of secondary childcare in table 10, the 

estimates presented in this release reflect time spent in 

primary activities only. 

Secondary activities. A secondary (or simultaneous) 

activity is an activity done at the same time as a primary 

activity. With the exception of the care of children under 

age 13, information on secondary activities is not 

systematically collected in the ATUS. 

Secondary childcare. Secondary childcare is care for 

children under age 13 that is done while doing an activity 

other than primary childcare, such as cooking dinner. 

Secondary childcare estimates are derived by summing the 

durations of activities during which respondents had a 

household child or their own nonhousehold child under age 

13 in their care while doing activities other than primary 

childcare. It is restricted to times the respondent was 

awake. Secondary childcare time for household children is 

further restricted to the time between when the first 

household child under age 13 woke up and the last 

household child under age 13 went to bed. If respondents 

report providing both primary and secondary care at the 

same time, the time is attributed to primary care only. 

Weekday, weekend, and holiday estimates. Estimates 

for weekdays are an average of reports about Monday 

through Friday. Estimates for weekend days and holidays 

are an average of reports about Saturdays, Sundays, and the 

following holidays: New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial 

Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and 

Christmas Day. In 2008, the telephone call center was 

closed the day after Christmas Day, so data were not 

collected about this holiday. 

Major activity category definitions 

The following definitions describe the activity 

categories shown in this report. All major time-use categories in the tables include related travel time and waiting 

time. For example, time spent "driving to the stadium" and 

time spent "waiting to get into the stadium to play ball" are 

included in Leisure and sports. 

Personal care activities. Personal care activities include sleeping, grooming (such as bathing or dressing), 

health-related self-care, and personal or private activities. 

Receiving unpaid personal care from others (for example, 

"my sister put polish on my nails") also is captured in this 

category. Respondents are not asked who they were with or 

where they were for personal care activities, as such 

information can be sensitive. 

Eating and drinking. All time spent eating or drinking 

(except eating and drinking done as part of a work or 

volunteer activity), whether alone, with others, at home, at a 

place of purchase, or somewhere else, is classified here. 

Time spent purchasing or talking related to purchasing 

meals, snacks, or beverages is not counted as part of this 

category; time spent doing these activities is counted in 

Purchasing goods and services. 

Household activities. Household activities are those 

done by persons to maintain their households. These 

include housework; cooking; lawn and garden care; pet 

care; vehicle maintenance and repair; home maintenance, 

repair, decoration, and renovation; and household 

management and organizational activities (such as filling 

out paperwork, balancing a checkbook, or planning a 

party). Food preparation, whether or not reported as done 

specifically for another household member, is always 

classified as a household activity, unless it was done as a 

volunteer, work, or income-generating activity. For 

example, "making breakfast for my son" is coded as a 

household activity, not as childcare. 

Purchasing goods and services. This category includes purchases of consumer goods, professional and 

personal care services, household services, and government 

services. Consumer purchases include most purchases and 

rentals of consumer goods, regardless of the mode or place 

of purchase or rental (in person, via telephone, over the 

Internet, at home, or in a store). Gasoline, grocery, other 

food purchases, and all other shopping are further broken 

out in subcategories. 

Time spent obtaining, receiving, and purchasing professional and personal care services provided by someone 

else also is classified in this category. Professional services 

include childcare, financial services and banking, legal 

services, medical and adult care services, real estate 

services, and veterinary services. Personal care services 

include day spas, hair salons and barbershops, nail salons, 

and tanning salons. Activities classified here include time 

spent paying, meeting with, or talking to service providers, 

as well as time spent receiving the service or waiting to 

receive the service. 

Time spent arranging for and purchasing household 

services provided by someone else also is classified here. 

Household services include housecleaning; cooking; lawn 

care and landscaping; pet care; tailoring, laundering, and 

dry cleaning; vehicle maintenance and repairs; and home 

repairs, maintenance, and construction. 

This category also captures the time spent obtaining 

government services—such as applying for food stamps—

and purchasing government-required licenses or paying 

fines or fees. Caring for and helping household members. Time 

spent doing activities to care for or help any child (under 

age 18) or adult in the household, regardless of relationship 
to the respondent or the physical or mental health status of 

the person being helped, is classified here. Caring for and 

helping activities for household children and adults are 

coded separately in subcategories. 

Primary childcare activities include time spent 

providing physical care; playing with children; reading to 

children; assistance with homework; attending children's 

events; taking care of children's health needs; and dropping 

off, picking up, and waiting for children. Passive childcare 

done as a primary activity (such as "keeping an eye on my 

son while he swam in the pool") also is included. A child's 

presence during the activity is not enough in itself to 

classify the activity as childcare. For example, "watching 

television with my child" is coded as a leisure activity, not 

as childcare. 

Secondary childcare occurs when persons have a child 

under age 13 "in their care" while doing activities other 

than primary childcare. For a complete definition, see the 

Concepts and definitions section of this Technical Note. 

Caring for and helping household members also 

includes a range of activities done to benefit adult members 

of households, such as providing physical and medical care 

or obtaining medical services. Doing something as a favor 

for or helping another household adult does not automatically result in classification as a helping activity. For 

example, a report of "helping my spouse cook dinner" is 

considered a household activity (food preparation), not a 

helping activity, because cooking dinner benefits the 

household as a whole. By contrast, doing paperwork for 

another person usually benefits the individual, so a report of 

"filling out an insurance application for my spouse" is 

considered a helping activity. 

Caring for and helping nonhousehold members. 

Caring for and helping nonhousehold members includes 

activities persons do to care for or help those—either 

children (under age 18) or adults—who do not live with 

them. When done for or through an organization, time 

spent helping nonhousehold members is classified as volunteering, rather than as helping nonhousehold members. 

Care of nonhousehold children, even when done as a favor 

or helping activity for another adult, is always classified as 

caring for and helping nonhousehold children, not as 

helping another adult. 

Working and work-related activities. This category 

includes time spent working, doing activities as part of 

one's job, engaging in income-generating activities (not as 

part of one's job), and job search activities. "Working" 

includes hours spent doing the specific tasks required of 

one's main or other job, regardless of location or time of 

day. "Work-related activities" include activities that are not 

obviously work but are done as part of one's job, such as 

having a business lunch or playing golf with clients. "Other 

income-generating activities" are those done "on the side" 

or under informal arrangement and are not part of a regular 

job. Such activities might include selling homemade crafts, 

babysitting, maintaining a rental property, or having a yard 

sale. These activities are those that persons "are paid for or 

will be paid for." 

Travel time related to working and work-related activities includes time spent traveling to and from work, as 

well as time spent traveling for work-related, incomegenerating, and job search activities. 

Educational activities. Educational activities include 

taking classes (including Internet and other distancelearning courses) for a degree as well as for personal 

interest; doing research and homework; and taking care of 

administrative tasks related to education, such as registering 

for classes or obtaining a school ID. For high school 

students, before- and after-school extracurricular activities 

(except sports) also are classified as educational activities. 

Educational activities do not include time spent for classes 

or training received as part of a job. Time spent helping 

others with their education-related activities is classified in 

the Caring for and helping categories. 

Organizational, civic, and religious activities. This 

category captures time spent volunteering for or through an 

organization, performing civic obligations, and participating in religious and spiritual activities. Civic obligations 

include government-required duties, such as serving jury 

duty or appearing in court, and activities that assist or influence government processes, such as voting or attending 

town hall meetings. Religious activities include those normally associated with membership in or identification with 

specific religions or denominations, such as attending religious services; participating in choirs, youth groups, 

orchestras, or unpaid teaching (unless identified as 

volunteer activities); and engaging in personal religious 

practices, such as praying. 

Leisure and sports. The leisure and sports category 

includes sports, exercise, and recreation; socializing and 

communicating; and other leisure activities. Sports, exercise, and recreation activities include participating in—as 

well as attending or watching—sports, exercise and recreational activities. Recreational activities are leisure activities 

that are active in nature, such as yard games like croquet or 

horseshoes. Socializing and communicating includes faceto-face social communication and hosting or attending social functions. Leisure activities include watching television; reading; relaxing or thinking; playing computer, 

board, or card games; using a computer or the Internet for 

personal interest; playing or listening to music; and other 

activities, such as attending arts, cultural, and entertainment 

events. 

Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail. This category 

captures telephone communication and handling household 

or personal mail or e-mail. Telephone and Internet purchases are classified in Purchasing goods and services. 

Telephone calls, mail, or e-mail identified as related to 

work or volunteering are classified as work or volunteering. 

Other activities, not elsewhere classified. This 

residual category includes security procedures related to 

traveling, traveling not associated with a specific activity 

category, ambiguous activities that could not be coded, and 

missing activities. Missing activities result when respondents did not remember what they did for a period of time, or 

when they considered an activity too private or personal to 
report. 

Processing and estimation 

After ATUS data are collected, they go through an 

editing and imputation procedure. Responses to CPS 

questions that are re-asked in the ATUS go through the 

regular CPS edit and imputation procedures. Some item 

nonresponses for questions unique to the ATUS (such as 

where an activity took place or how much time was spent 

doing secondary childcare) also are imputed. Missing 

activities and missing values for who was present during an 

activity are never imputed. 

ATUS records are weighted to reduce bias in the 

estimates due to differences in sampling and response rates 

across subpopulations and days of the week. Specifically, 

the data are weighted to ensure the following: 

 Weekdays represent about 5/7 of the weighted 

data, and weekend days each represent about 1/7 

of the weighted data for the population as a 

whole. The actual proportions depend on the 

number of weekdays and weekend days in a 

given quarter. 

 The sum of the weights is equal to the number of 

person-days in the quarter for the population as a 

whole and for selected subpopulations. 

Reliability of the estimates 

Statistics based on the ATUS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than 

the entire population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the 

sample estimates may differ from the "true" population 

values they represent. The exact difference, or sampling 

error, varies depending on the particular sample selected, 

and this variability is measured by the standard error of the 

estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of 

confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ 

by no more than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" 

population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses 

are generally conducted at the 90-percent level of 

confidence. 

The ATUS data also are affected by nonsampling

error. Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, 

including the failure to sample a segment of the population, 

inability to obtain information for all respondents in the 

sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide 

correct information, and errors made in the collection or 

processing of the data. Errors also could occur if nonresponse is correlated with time use. 
Table 1. Time spent in primary activities 1 and percent of the civilian population engaging in each activity, averages p

by sex, 2008 annual averages

Activity

Average hours per day, civilian

population

Average percent engaged in the

activity per day

Average hours per day 

who engaged in the 

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men 

Total, all activities 2 ......................................................... 24.00 24.00 24.00 – – – – – 

 Personal care activities ................................................. 9.39 9.22 9.55 100.0 100.0 100.0 9.39 9.23  Sleeping ..................................................................... 8.60 8.56 8.64 99.9 99.9 99.9 8.61 8.57  Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.23 1.28 1.18 96.0 96.5 95.6 1.28 1.33  Household activities ...................................................... 1.73 1.30 2.13 73.7 64.2 82.6 2.34 2.02  Housework ................................................................. .58 .24 .90 35.5 19.7 50.3 1.64 1.23  Food preparation and cleanup ................................... .52 .30 .73 52.3 38.4 65.3 1.00 .78  Lawn and garden care ............................................... .19 .26 .12 9.4 11.0 7.9 2.00 2.35  Household management ........................................... .13 .10 .15 18.1 14.5 21.5 .70 .68  Purchasing goods and services .................................... .77 .60 .92 44.8 39.2 50.0 1.71 1.53  Consumer goods purchases ...................................... .38 .28 .48 40.7 35.6 45.4 .94 .79  Professional and personal care services ................... .08 .06 .11 8.9 6.7 11.0 .92 .84  Caring for and helping household members ................. .53 .36 .70 26.1 20.7 31.2 2.04 1.72  Caring for and helping household children ................ .42 .27 .55 22.4 17.2 27.2 1.86 1.59  Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .23 .18 .27 13.3 11.0 15.6 1.69 1.66  Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .07 .08 .07 8.5 7.8 9.1 .87 .98  Working and work-related activities .............................. 3.73 4.52 2.99 46.7 53.5 40.3 7.99 8.44  Working ..................................................................... 3.38 4.06 2.73 44.7 51.1 38.7 7.56 7.95  Educational activities .................................................... .47 .42 .52 7.9 6.9 9.0 5.94 6.15  Attending class .......................................................... .27 .27 .27 5.2 5.0 5.3 5.22 5.37  Homework and research ........................................... .16 .12 .20 5.8 4.6 7.0 2.72 2.49  Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .33 .30 .37 14.6 12.4 16.7 2.29 2.42  Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .14 .12 .17 9.2 7.7 10.7 1.55 1.54  Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .15 .14 .16 7.0 6.0 7.9 2.15 2.38  Leisure and sports ........................................................ 5.18 5.52 4.86 96.2 96.4 96.0 5.39 5.73  Socializing and communicating ................................. .71 .66 .76 38.9 36.1 41.6 1.83 1.83  Watching television .................................................... 2.77 3.01 2.55 80.9 82.3 79.6 3.43 3.66  Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .30 .40 .20 17.9 21.0 15.0 1.64 1.91  Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .21 .14 .28 26.3 20.3 31.9 .80 .67  Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .20 .17 .24 14.6 12.6 16.5 1.39 1.32 

 1 A primary activity refers to an individual’s main activity. Other activities done simultaneously are not included. 2 All major activity categories include related travel time. See Technical Note for activity category definitions.

– Not applicable.NOTE: Data refer to persons 15 years and over.
Table 2. Time spent in primary activities 1 and percent of the civilian population engaging in each

activity, averages per day on weekdays and weekends, 2008 annual averages

Activity

Average hours per day,

civilian population

Average percent

engaged in the activity

per day

Average hours per day

for persons who

engaged in the activity

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays 2

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays 2

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays 2

Total, all activities 3 ......................................................... 24.00 24.00 – – – –

 Personal care activities ................................................. 9.10 10.07 100.0 99.9 9.11 10.07 Sleeping ..................................................................... 8.30 9.31 99.9 99.9 8.31 9.32 Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.18 1.35 96.3 95.5 1.22 1.41 Household activities ...................................................... 1.57 2.08 73.3 74.6 2.15 2.80 Housework ................................................................. .53 .70 34.4 38.0 1.53 1.86 Food preparation and cleanup ................................... .50 .59 53.0 50.6 .93 1.16 Lawn and garden care ............................................... .16 .25 8.8 10.8 1.86 2.28 Household management ........................................... .12 .15 18.1 18.1 .65 .83 Purchasing goods and services .................................... .71 .91 43.8 47.0 1.61 1.93 Consumer goods purchases ...................................... .32 .53 38.9 44.8 .82 1.19 Professional and personal care services ................... .10 .04 10.8 4.4 .91 .97 Caring for and helping household members ................. .57 .44 27.8 22.0 2.05 2.00 Caring for and helping household children ................ .44 .37 23.8 18.9 1.83 1.93 Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .22 .24 13.0 14.2 1.70 1.67 Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .07 .09 8.0 9.6 .85 .91 Working and work-related activities .............................. 4.74 1.38 56.5 23.8 8.38 5.78 Working ..................................................................... 4.29 1.24 54.3 22.1 7.89 5.60 Educational activities .................................................... .61 .14 9.5 4.3 6.46 3.24 Attending class .......................................................... .38 .01 7.3 .3 5.25 4 ( )

 Homework and research ........................................... .18 .12 6.6 4.0 2.65 3.00 Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .25 .53 12.4 19.8 2.03 2.66 Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .08 .30 6.4 15.9 1.18 1.90 Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .15 .16 7.1 6.9 2.08 2.32 Leisure and sports ........................................................ 4.62 6.48 95.8 97.0 4.83 6.68 Socializing and communicating ................................. .54 1.12 36.2 45.4 1.49 2.46 Watching television .................................................... 2.55 3.29 80.2 82.6 3.18 3.98 Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .27 .35 18.4 16.8 1.48 2.08 Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .23 .18 28.0 22.2 .80 .81 Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .20 .21 14.7 14.6 1.36 1.45

 1 A primary activity refers to an individual’s main activity. Other activities done simultaneously are not included. 2 Holidays are New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. In

2008, data were not collected about Christmas Day.

 3 All major activity categories include related travel time. See Technical Note for activity category definitions.

4 Data not shown where base is less than 1.2 million.

– Not applicable.NOTE: Data refer to persons 15 years and over.
Table 3. Time spent in primary activities 1 for the civilian population by age, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, m

educational attainment, 2008 annual averages

Characteristic

Average hours per day spent in primary activities 2

Personal

care

activities

Eating and

drinking

Household

activities

Purchasing

goods and

services

Caring for

and

helping

household

members

Caring for

and

helping

nonhousehold

members

Working

and workrelated

activities

Educational activities

Organizational,

civic, and

religious

activities

L

an

Total, 15 years and over ....................... 9.39 1.23 1.73 0.77 0.53 0.23 3.73 0.47 0.33  15 to 19 years ..................................... 10.37 1.01 .67 .56 .12 .22 1.37 3.09 .26  20 to 24 years ..................................... 9.63 1.10 1.06 .71 .53 .24 4.36 1.21 .11  25 to 34 years ..................................... 9.29 1.17 1.47 .72 1.07 .14 4.93 .31 .22  35 to 44 years ..................................... 9.12 1.19 1.86 .80 1.04 .17 4.93 .09 .31  45 to 54 years ..................................... 9.11 1.19 1.89 .76 .40 .22 4.95 .09 .37  55 to 64 years ..................................... 9.05 1.34 2.09 .87 .20 .40 3.54 .03 .41  65 to 74 years ..................................... 9.51 1.46 2.27 .92 .09 .31 1.23 .02 .54  75 years and over ............................... 10.02 1.52 2.34 .75 .08 .14 .37 .03 .54  Men, 15 years and over ....................... 9.22 1.28 1.30 .60 .36 .18 4.52 .42 .30  15 to 19 years ..................................... 10.29 1.07 .59 .41 .08 .14 1.23 3.14 .27  20 to 24 years ..................................... 9.59 1.08 .87 .47 .19 .19 5.31 .65 .10  25 to 34 years ..................................... 9.15 1.22 1.06 .58 .62 .12 5.97 .32 .16  35 to 44 years ..................................... 8.91 1.26 1.33 .58 .72 .18 6.14 .04 .26  45 to 54 years ..................................... 8.83 1.26 1.48 .57 .35 .15 5.75 .03 .36  55 to 64 years ..................................... 8.95 1.37 1.63 .67 .15 .30 4.15 .01 .32  65 to 74 years ..................................... 9.40 1.54 1.77 .87 .08 .27 1.42 .00 .53  75 years and over ............................... 9.84 1.62 1.70 .75 .09 .16 .55 .01 .61  Women, 15 years and over ................. 9.55 1.18 2.13 .92 .70 .27 2.99 .52 .37  15 to 19 years ..................................... 10.45 .94 .76 .71 .17 .30 1.52 3.04 .26  20 to 24 years ..................................... 9.68 1.12 1.24 .96 .88 .30 3.39 1.79 .11  25 to 34 years ..................................... 9.44 1.11 1.89 .87 1.52 .16 3.90 .30 .27  35 to 44 years ..................................... 9.33 1.11 2.37 1.01 1.34 .15 3.76 .14 .37  45 to 54 years ..................................... 9.38 1.11 2.29 .94 .45 .29 4.18 .14 .38  55 to 64 years ..................................... 9.15 1.30 2.52 1.05 .24 .49 2.97 .05 .49  65 to 74 years ..................................... 9.60 1.40 2.69 .96 .09 .35 1.06 .02 .56  75 years and over ............................... 10.14 1.46 2.75 .76 .08 .13 .25 .04 .50  White, 15 years and over ..................... 9.33 1.27 1.80 .77 .54 .23 3.77 .45 .31  Men ..................................................... 9.18 1.32 1.36 .59 .36 .18 4.62 .40 .28  Women ............................................... 9.49 1.22 2.22 .94 .71 .28 2.95 .50 .34 See footnotes at end of table.
Table 3. Time spent in primary activities 1 for the civilian population by age, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, m

educational attainment, 2008 annual averages — Continued

Characteristic

Average hours per day spent in primary activities 2

Personal

care

activities

Eating and

drinking

Household

activities

Purchasing

goods and

services

Caring for

and

helping

household

members

Caring for

and

helping

nonhousehold

members

Working

and workrelated

activities

Educational activities

Organizational,

civic, and

religious

activities

L

an

 Black or African American, 15 years

and over .............................................. 9.80 0.89 1.31 0.72 0.44 0.23 3.26 0.49 0.51 

 Men ..................................................... 9.55 .94 .98 .63 .30 .20 3.53 .65 .47  Women ............................................... 10.01 .85 1.58 .80 .56 .26 3.03 .36 .54  Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 15 years

and over .............................................. 9.69 1.14 1.76 .80 .72 .18 3.93 .64 .23 

 Men ..................................................... 9.63 1.17 1.03 .63 .40 .15 5.12 .44 .22  Women ............................................... 9.75 1.11 2.55 .98 1.06 .20 2.67 .85 .24 Marital status and sex:

Married, spouse present ..................... 9.11 1.32 2.01 .82 .76 .23 4.06 .10 .40 

Men ................................................... 8.92 1.39 1.50 .65 .55 .18 4.94 .06 .38 Women ............................................. 9.31 1.26 2.53 .99 .97 .29 3.16 .15 .43 

Other marital statuses ........................ 9.71 1.12 1.40 .71 .27 .22 3.35 .90 .26 

Men ................................................... 9.61 1.15 1.05 .54 .12 .19 3.98 .88 .20 Women ............................................. 9.80 1.10 1.70 .85 .41 .25 2.82 .91 .31 

 Educational attainment, 25 years and

over:

Less than a high school diploma ........ 9.98 1.14 1.98 .68 .52 .15 2.89 .02 .30 High school graduates, no college 3 ... 9.31 1.21 2.04 .71 .45 .26 3.51 .04 .35 

Some college or associate degree ..... 9.19 1.25 1.90 .86 .57 .26 3.91 .21 .36 Bachelor’s degree and higher 4 .......... 8.98 1.38 1.76 .87 .73 .20 4.75 .15 .41 

 1 A primary activity refers to an individual’s main activity. Other activities done simultaneously are not included. 2 All major activity categories include related travel time. See Technical Note for activity category definitions. 3 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent. 4 Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, data refer to persons 15 years and over. Persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity may be of any race.
Table 4. Employed persons working and time spent working on days worked by full- and part-time status and sex, jo

status, educational attainment, and day of week, 2008 annual averages(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total employed

Employed persons who worked on

an average day

Employed persons who worked on

an average weekday

Employed pers

an average Sa

ho

Number Percent of employed Average hours of work 2 Number 3 Percent of employed Average hours of work 2 Number 4 Pe

em

Full- and part-time status and sex

Total, 15 years and over 5 ........................................ 155,371 105,735 68.1 7.59 128,146 82.5 7.93 52,792  Full-time workers ................................................... 121,122 87,297 72.1 8.05 107,129 88.4 8.44 41,090  Part-time workers .................................................. 34,250 18,439 53.8 5.37 21,151 61.8 5.39 11,705  Men 5 ....................................................................... 83,045 58,744 70.7 7.97 71,008 85.5 8.33 29,667 

 Full-time workers ................................................... 71,006 52,368 73.8 8.27 63,652 89.6 8.65 25,257  Part-time workers .................................................. 12,039 6,376 53.0 5.47 7,275 60.4 5.45 4,404  Women 5 .................................................................. 72,326 46,991 65.0 7.11 57,133 79.0 7.43 23,132 

 Full-time workers ................................................... 50,115 34,928 69.7 7.73 43,458 86.7 8.13 15,892  Part-time workers .................................................. 22,211 12,063 54.3 5.33 13,868 62.4 5.35 7,258 

Jobholding status

Single jobholders ...................................................... 140,936 93,810 66.6 7.57 114,733 81.4 7.90 44,289 Multiple jobholders .................................................... 14,436 11,925 82.6 7.73 13,423 93.0 8.17 8,451 

Educational attainment, 25 years and over

Less than a high school diploma .............................. 11,659 7,955 68.2 8.17 9,724 83.4 8.31 2,939 High school graduates, no college 6 ......................... 36,749 24,843 67.6 7.86 31,339 85.3 8.07 10,699 

Some college or associate degree ........................... 33,637 22,655 67.4 7.63 27,369 81.4 7.96 11,506 Bachelor’s degree and higher 7 ................................ 48,938 35,669 72.9 7.42 43,317 88.5 7.99 17,643 

 1 Holidays are New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. In 2008, data were not collec

Day.

 2 Includes work at main and other job(s), and excludes travel related to work. 3 Number was derived by multiplying the "Total employed" by the percent of employed persons who worked on an average weekday. 4 Number was derived by multiplying the "Total employed" by the percent of employed persons who worked on an average Saturday, Sunday, and holiday 5 Includes workers whose hours vary. 6 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent. 7 Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, data refer to persons 15 years and over.
Table 5. Employed persons working on main job and time spent working on days worked by class of worker, occupa

and day of week, 2008 annual averages(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total employed

Employed persons who worked on

an average day

Employed persons who worked on

an average weekday

Employed pers

an average Sa

ho

Number Percent of employed Average hours of work 2 Number 3 Percent of employed Average hours of work 2 Number 4 Pe

em

Class of worker (main job only)

Wage and salary workers ......................................... 143,898 96,088 66.8 7.58 117,859 81.9 7.89 44,639 Self-employed workers ............................................. 11,170 7,773 69.6 6.43 9,062 81.1 6.81 4,706 

Occupation (main job only)

Management, business, and financial operations .... 24,405 18,295 75.0 7.85 22,449 92.0 8.43 7,978 Professional and related ........................................... 33,260 22,179 66.7 7.16 27,922 84.0 7.60 9,328 Services .................................................................... 26,974 16,622 61.6 6.84 18,734 69.4 6.89 11,075 Sales and related ...................................................... 16,961 11,991 70.7 7.59 13,408 79.1 7.99 8,388 Office and administrative support ............................. 19,613 11,751 59.9 7.18 15,902 81.1 7.32 3,748 Farming, fishing, and forestry ................................... 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 

Construction and extraction ...................................... 9,097 6,246 68.7 8.05 7,659 84.2 8.25 1,967 Installation, maintenance, and repair ........................ 4,610 3,274 71.0 8.38 4,099 88.9 8.59 1,267 Production ................................................................ 9,805 6,455 65.8 7.94 8,207 83.7 8.08 2,198 Transportation and material moving ......................... 9,346 6,338 67.8 8.19 7,724 82.7 8.45 3,401 

Earnings of full-time wage and salary workers

(single jobholders only) 5

0 - $500 .................................................................... 25,926 17,273 66.6 8.06 21,274 82.1 8.24 8,232 $501 - $780 .............................................................. 23,205 15,793 68.1 8.07 20,598 88.8 8.25 5,014 $781 - $1,210 ........................................................... 24,531 17,091 69.7 7.91 21,246 86.6 8.36 7,544 $1,211 and higher ..................................................... 24,584 17,979 73.1 8.17 22,427 91.2 8.77 7,704 

 1 Holidays are New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. In 2008, data were not collec

Day.

 2 Includes work at main job only and excludes travel related to work. 3 Number was derived by multiplying the "Total employed" by the percent of employed persons who worked on an average weekday. 4 Number was derived by multiplying the "Total employed" by the percent of employed persons who worked on an average Saturday, Sunday, and holiday 5 These values are based on usual weekly earnings. Each earnings range represents approximately 25 percent of full-time wage and salary workers who 

6 Data not shown where base is less than 1.2 million.

NOTE: Data refer to persons 15 years and over.
Table 6. Employed persons working 1 at home and at their workplace and time spent working at each location by full- 

status and sex, jobholding status, and educational attainment, 2008 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total employed

Employed persons who worked on

an average day

Employed persons who worked at

their workplace on an average day 2

Employed pers

home on an 

Number Percent of employed Average hours of work Number Percent of those who worked Average hours of work at workplace Number Pe

tho

w

Full- and part-time status and sex

Total, 15 years and over 4 ........................................ 155,371 105,735 68.1 7.59 90,443 85.5 7.88 22,272  Full-time workers ................................................... 121,122 87,297 72.1 8.05 75,647 86.7 8.31 18,232  Part-time workers .................................................. 34,250 18,439 53.8 5.37 14,796 80.2 5.73 4,040  Men 4 ....................................................................... 83,045 58,744 70.7 7.97 50,883 86.6 8.17 11,751 

 Full-time workers ................................................... 71,006 52,368 73.8 8.27 45,700 87.3 8.44 10,522  Part-time workers .................................................. 12,039 6,376 53.0 5.47 5,183 81.3 5.77 1,229  Women 4 .................................................................. 72,326 46,991 65.0 7.11 39,560 84.2 7.52 10,521 

 Full-time workers ................................................... 50,115 34,928 69.7 7.73 29,947 85.7 8.10 7,710  Part-time workers .................................................. 22,211 12,063 54.3 5.33 9,613 79.7 5.71 2,811 

Jobholding status

Single jobholders ...................................................... 140,936 93,810 66.6 7.57 81,323 86.7 7.86 18,025 Multiple jobholders .................................................... 14,436 11,925 82.6 7.73 9,120 76.5 8.13 4,247 

Educational attainment, 25 years and over

Less than a high school diploma .............................. 11,659 7,955 68.2 8.17 7,238 91.0 8.34 680 

High school graduates, no college 5 ......................... 36,749 24,843 67.6 7.86 22,113 89.0 8.03 3,203 

Some college or associate degree ........................... 33,637 22,655 67.4 7.63 19,458 85.9 7.95 4,647 Bachelor’s degree and higher 6 ................................ 48,938 35,669 72.9 7.42 28,008 78.5 7.90 12,604 

 1 Includes work at main and other job(s) and at locations other than home or workplace. Excludes travel related to work. 2 Individuals may have worked at more than one location. 3 "Working at home" includes any time persons did work at home and it is not restricted to persons whose usual workplace is their home. 4 Includes workers whose hours vary. 5 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent. 6 Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

7 Data not shown where base is less than 1.2 million.

NOTE: Data refer to persons 15 years and over.
Table 7. Employed persons working on main job 1 at home and at their workplace and time spent working at each loc

of worker, occupation, and earnings, 2008 annual averages

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Total employed

Employed persons who worked on

an average day

Employed persons who worked at

their workplace on an average day 2

Employed pers

home on an 

Number Percent of employed Average hours of work Number Percent of those who worked Average hours of work at workplace Number Pe

tho

w

Class of worker (main job only)

Wage and salary workers ......................................... 143,898 96,088 66.8 7.58 85,115 88.6 7.87 16,361 Self-employed workers ............................................. 11,170 7,773 69.6 6.43 3,954 50.9 6.96 4,299 

Occupation (main job only)

Management, business, and financial operations .... 24,405 18,295 75.0 7.85 14,311 78.2 8.33 5,459 Professional and related ........................................... 33,260 22,179 66.7 7.16 17,575 79.2 7.72 7,129 Services .................................................................... 26,974 16,622 61.6 6.84 14,522 87.4 7.09 2,163 Sales and related ...................................................... 16,961 11,991 70.7 7.59 10,309 86.0 7.84 2,914 Office and administrative support ............................. 19,613 11,751 59.9 7.18 10,563 89.9 7.53 1,444 Farming, fishing, and forestry ................................... 5 ( ) 5 ( ) 5 ( ) 5 ( ) 5 ( ) 5 ( ) 5 ( ) 5 ( ) 

Construction and extraction ...................................... 9,097 6,246 68.7 8.05 6,003 96.1 8.19 343 Installation, maintenance, and repair ........................ 4,610 3,274 71.0 8.38 3,149 96.2 8.53 300 Production ................................................................ 9,805 6,455 65.8 7.94 6,106 94.6 8.21 358 Transportation and material moving ......................... 9,346 6,338 67.8 8.19 5,903 93.1 8.01 464 

Earnings of full-time wage and salary workers

(single jobholders only) 4

0 - $500 .................................................................... 25,926 17,273 66.6 8.06 16,308 94.4 8.07 1,384 

$501 - $780 .............................................................. 23,205 15,793 68.1 8.07 15,098 95.6 8.20 1,187 $781 - $1,210 ........................................................... 24,531 17,091 69.7 7.91 15,334 89.7 8.29 2,788 $1,211 and higher ..................................................... 24,584 17,979 73.1 8.17 14,990 83.4 8.59 5,559 

 1 Includes work at main job only and at locations other than home or workplace. Excludes travel related to work. 2 Individuals may have worked at more than one location. 3 "Working at home" includes any time persons did work at home and it is not restricted to persons whose usual workplace is their home. 4 These values are based on usual weekly earnings. Each earnings range represents approximately 25 percent of full-time wage and salary workers who 

5 Data not shown where base is less than 1.2 million.

NOTE: Data refer to persons 15 years and over.
Table 8. Time spent in primary activities 1 for the civilian population 18 years and over by employment status, presen

age of youngest household child, and sex, 2008 annual averages

Total

Activity

Average hours per day spent in primary activities

Youngest household child under 6 Youngest household child 6-17 No household children 

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men 

Total, all activities 2 ......................................................... 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 

 Personal care activities ................................................. 9.13 8.85 9.37 9.18 8.99 9.34 9.44 9.29  Sleeping ..................................................................... 8.46 8.28 8.62 8.40 8.34 8.45 8.62 8.60  Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.15 1.17 1.14 1.14 1.23 1.06 1.30 1.34  Household activities ...................................................... 1.84 1.20 2.38 1.87 1.30 2.34 1.76 1.41  Housework ................................................................. .68 .23 1.07 .67 .25 1.02 .56 .25  Food preparation and cleanup ................................... .70 .36 .99 .60 .30 .84 .49 .31  Lawn and garden care ............................................... .11 .14 .08 .16 .26 .08 .23 .31  Household management ........................................... .10 .09 .11 .13 .09 .17 .14 .11  Purchasing goods and services .................................... .71 .54 .85 .78 .54 .98 .81 .66  Consumer goods purchases ...................................... .38 .29 .46 .40 .27 .52 .39 .30  Professional and personal care services ................... .06 .03 .09 .07 .04 .09 .10 .07  Caring for and helping household members ................. 1.98 1.38 2.48 .90 .65 1.10 .06 .04  Caring for and helping household children ................ 1.73 1.21 2.16 .69 .48 .86 – –  Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .12 .12 .12 .17 .13 .21 .28 .22  Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .05 .08 .03 .07 .05 .08 .09 .09  Working and work-related activities ........................... 4.33 5.99 2.92 4.53 5.56 3.68 3.61 4.26 

 Working ................................................................... 3.90 5.36 2.68 4.12 5.02 3.37 3.28 3.84 

 Educational activities .................................................... .20 .13 .26 .32 .25 .38 .25 .16  Attending class .......................................................... .10 .05 .14 .13 .12 .15 .09 .06  Homework and research ........................................... .08 .06 .09 .14 .10 .18 .14 .09  Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .24 .20 .28 .39 .39 .39 .35 .30  Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .13 .10 .16 .15 .15 .15 .15 .12  Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .08 .07 .08 .19 .19 .19 .16 .14  Leisure and sports ........................................................ 3.97 4.16 3.80 4.35 4.69 4.07 5.72 6.02  Socializing and communicating ................................. .71 .59 .81 .66 .63 .68 .71 .66  Watching television .................................................... 2.21 2.43 2.02 2.37 2.55 2.22 3.14 3.40  Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .19 .24 .15 .28 .35 .21 .27 .36  Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .13 .07 .17 .19 .09 .27 .23 .15  Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .20 .17 .23 .19 .18 .19 .20 .16 See footnotes at end of table.
Table 8. Time spent in primary activities 1 for the civilian population 18 years and over by employment status, presen

age of youngest household child, and sex, 2008 annual averages — Continued

Employed

Activity

Average hours per day spent in primary activities

Youngest household child under 6 Youngest household child 6-17 No household children 

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men 

Total, all activities 2 ......................................................... 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 

 Personal care activities ................................................. 8.91 8.74 9.13 9.00 8.86 9.14 9.13 9.00  Sleeping ..................................................................... 8.24 8.16 8.34 8.21 8.20 8.22 8.32 8.33  Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.16 1.18 1.13 1.15 1.24 1.06 1.25 1.30  Household activities ...................................................... 1.46 1.14 1.86 1.66 1.20 2.10 1.43 1.17  Housework ................................................................. .47 .21 .80 .58 .23 .92 .44 .23  Food preparation and cleanup ................................... .54 .35 .77 .51 .28 .74 .38 .25  Lawn and garden care ............................................... .10 .15 .04 .15 .23 .07 .17 .22  Household management ........................................... .10 .08 .11 .13 .09 .17 .12 .10  Purchasing goods and services .................................... .63 .53 .76 .72 .55 .89 .76 .60  Consumer goods purchases ...................................... .33 .27 .40 .38 .27 .48 .37 .28  Professional and personal care services ................... .05 .02 .08 .06 .04 .08 .07 .04  Caring for and helping household members ................. 1.69 1.34 2.15 .82 .63 1.01 .04 .03  Caring for and helping household children ................ 1.47 1.18 1.84 .62 .48 .77 – –  Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .11 .12 .10 .15 .13 .16 .24 .19  Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .06 .08 .03 .05 .05 .06 .08 .08  Working and work-related activities ........................... 5.75 6.54 4.77 5.79 6.53 5.08 5.74 6.20 

 Working ................................................................... 5.27 5.94 4.44 5.33 5.98 4.69 5.25 5.64 

 Educational activities .................................................... .17 .12 .22 .21 .15 .27 .27 .14  Attending class .......................................................... .08 .05 .11 .09 .08 .11 .09 .05  Homework and research ........................................... .07 .06 .08 .09 .05 .13 .15 .07  Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .21 .19 .24 .37 .38 .37 .30 .25  Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .11 .10 .13 .14 .16 .13 .12 .10  Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .07 .08 .07 .18 .17 .19 .15 .12  Leisure and sports ........................................................ 3.63 3.87 3.34 3.82 4.10 3.54 4.51 4.84  Socializing and communicating ................................. .61 .57 .65 .59 .56 .63 .62 .60  Watching television .................................................... 2.00 2.19 1.76 2.05 2.22 1.88 2.40 2.64  Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .20 .24 .16 .27 .32 .21 .28 .36  Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .09 .06 .12 .16 .09 .23 .18 .14  Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .18 .16 .20 .16 .16 .16 .15 .13 See footnotes at end of table.
Table 8. Time spent in primary activities 1 for the civilian population 18 years and over by employment status, presen

age of youngest household child, and sex, 2008 annual averages — Continued

Not employed

Activity

Average hours per day spent in primary activities

Youngest household child under 6 Youngest household child 6-17 No household children 

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men 

Total, all activities 2 ......................................................... 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 

 Personal care activities ................................................. 9.75 9.88 9.72 9.81 9.71 9.86 9.95 9.88  Sleeping ..................................................................... 9.10 9.32 9.05 9.06 9.10 9.04 9.11 9.17  Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.14 1.10 1.15 1.10 1.15 1.08 1.37 1.43  Household activities ...................................................... 2.92 1.73 3.16 2.59 1.87 2.92 2.31 1.91  Housework ................................................................. 1.28 .39 1.47 .98 .33 1.29 .75 .31  Food preparation and cleanup ................................... 1.18 .46 1.33 .88 .42 1.10 .67 .44  Lawn and garden care ............................................... .12 .10 .13 .23 .43 .13 .34 .49  Household management ........................................... .12 .13 .12 .16 .12 .17 .16 .12  Purchasing goods and services .................................... .95 .70 1.00 .97 .48 1.20 .88 .78  Consumer goods purchases ...................................... .54 .40 .57 .50 .23 .62 .41 .34  Professional and personal care services ................... .10 .11 .10 .11 .04 .14 .14 .14  Caring for and helping household members ................. 2.78 1.77 2.99 1.16 .75 1.35 .09 .06  Caring for and helping household children ................ 2.45 1.54 2.64 .91 .51 1.09 – –  Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .15 .16 .15 .27 .14 .33 .34 .26  Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .05 .07 .04 .12 .07 .14 .10 .11  Working and work-related activities 3 ........................... .29 1.02 .13 .24 .48 .13 .11 .15 

 Working 3 ................................................................... .03 .07 .02 .01 .00 .01 .02 .01 

 Educational activities .................................................... .30 .20 .32 .69 .78 .65 .21 .22  Attending class .......................................................... .16 .06 .18 .28 .35 .25 .07 .08  Homework and research ........................................... .10 .12 .09 .32 .34 .32 .12 .12  Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .32 .22 .34 .45 .46 .45 .43 .43  Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .19 .12 .20 .16 .12 .19 .21 .17  Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .08 .07 .09 .23 .28 .21 .18 .20  Leisure and sports ........................................................ 4.91 6.86 4.50 6.15 7.80 5.39 7.71 8.51  Socializing and communicating ................................. 1.02 .83 1.05 .89 1.04 .82 .84 .77  Watching television .................................................... 2.78 4.56 2.41 3.46 4.26 3.09 4.36 5.02  Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .14 .24 .12 .32 .54 .22 .25 .37  Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .24 .17 .26 .27 .10 .35 .30 .17  Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .27 .20 .29 .29 .29 .29 .30 .22 

 1 A primary activity refers to an individual’s main activity. Other activities done simultaneously are not included. 2 All major activity categories include related travel time. See Technical Note for activity category definitions. 3 Estimates include a small amount of work time done by persons who do not meet the ATUS definition for employed.

– Not applicable.
Table 9. Time spent caring for household children under 18 by sex of adult 1 and age of youngest child by day of wee

combined years 2004-08

Childcare activities

Average hours per day spent caring for household childre

Total Weekdays We

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total 

Persons in households with children under 18, total:

Caring for household children as a primary activity ................................ 1.32 0.84 1.73 1.41 0.82 1.91 1.1

Physical care ........................................................................................ .45 .24 .63 .47 .23 .68 .3Education-related activities ................................................................... .10 .06 .13 .13 .08 .17 .0Reading to/with children ....................................................................... .04 .02 .05 .04 .02 .05 .0Talking to/with children ......................................................................... .05 .03 .07 .06 .03 .08 .0Playing/doing hobbies with children ..................................................... .26 .23 .29 .25 .20 .29 .3Looking after children ........................................................................... .08 .06 .09 .07 .05 .09 .0Attending children’s events ................................................................... .06 .05 .07 .05 .04 .06 .0Travel related to care of household children ........................................ .17 .11 .23 .21 .12 .28 .0Other childcare activities ...................................................................... .11 .05 .16 .14 .06 .20 .0Persons in households with youngest child 6 to 17 years:

Caring for household children as a primary activity ............................ .79 .51 1.02 .88 .53 1.17 .5

Physical care .................................................................................... .15 .08 .22 .18 .09 .25 .1Education-related activities ............................................................... .12 .07 .16 .15 .09 .20 .0Reading to/with children ................................................................... .02 .01 .02 .02 .01 .02 .0Talking to/with children ..................................................................... .07 .03 .10 .08 .04 .11 .0Playing/doing hobbies with children ................................................. .06 .07 .05 .05 .07 .04 .0Looking after children ....................................................................... .04 .03 .06 .04 .03 .06 .0Attending children’s events ............................................................... .07 .06 .09 .06 .05 .07 .1Travel related to care of household children .................................... .16 .10 .21 .19 .12 .25 .0Other childcare activities .................................................................. .09 .05 .13 .11 .05 .16 .0

Persons in households with youngest child under 6:

Caring for household children as a primary activity ............................ 1.95 1.24 2.55 2.05 1.18 2.77 1.7

Physical care .................................................................................... .80 .42 1.12 .83 .41 1.18 .7Education-related activities ............................................................... .07 .05 .10 .10 .06 .13 .0Reading to/with children ................................................................... .06 .04 .08 .07 .04 .09 .0Talking to/with children ..................................................................... .03 .02 .04 .04 .02 .05 .0Playing/doing hobbies with children ................................................. .51 .43 .57 .48 .37 .58 .5Looking after children ....................................................................... .11 .09 .13 .10 .07 .13 .1Attending children’s events ............................................................... .04 .03 .05 .03 .02 .04 .0Travel related to care of household children .................................... .19 .11 .25 .23 .12 .31 .0Other childcare activities .................................................................. .14 .06 .21 .17 .07 .25 .0

 1 Persons 18 years and over living in households with children under 18, whether or not they provided childcare. 2 Holidays are New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Data were not collected abo

2004-05; New Year’s Day in 2007; and Christmas Day in 2008.
Table 10. Time spent providing secondary childcare for household children under 13 by sex of adult 1 and age of you

by day of week, average for the combined years 2004-08

Childcare activities 2

Average hours per day spent caring for household children 3

Total Weekdays Weekends a

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total M

Persons in households with children under 13, total .............................................. 5.31 4.15 6.28 4.34 3.00 5.45 7.55 6

Caring for household children as a secondary activity in conjunction with:

Personal care activities ..................................................................................... .28 .19 .35 .25 .17 .31 .34 

Household activities .......................................................................................... 1.26 .71 1.72 1.07 .48 1.55 1.70 1Purchasing goods and services ........................................................................ .40 .26 .51 .31 .15 .43 .60 Working and work-related activities .................................................................. .20 .17 .22 .22 .17 .26 .15 Eating and drinking ........................................................................................... .65 .57 .72 .54 .44 .62 .92 Leisure and sports ............................................................................................ 2.11 1.96 2.23 1.64 1.40 1.84 3.19 3Other activities .................................................................................................. .42 .29 .52 .32 .18 .43 .65 Persons in households with youngest child 6 to 12, total ................................. 4.87 3.93 5.64 3.76 2.73 4.62 7.44 6

Caring for household children as a secondary activity in conjunction with:

Personal care activities ................................................................................. .26 .18 .33 .23 .16 .28 .34 Household activities ...................................................................................... 1.14 .71 1.49 .88 .44 1.23 1.75 1Purchasing goods and services .................................................................... .30 .18 .40 .22 .10 .32 .50 Working and work-related activities .............................................................. .21 .17 .23 .22 .16 .27 .17 Eating and drinking ....................................................................................... .57 .51 .61 .45 .38 .51 .84 Leisure and sports ........................................................................................ 1.99 1.87 2.10 1.50 1.29 1.66 3.15 3Other activities .............................................................................................. .40 .30 .49 .28 .19 .35 .70 

Persons in households with youngest child under 6, total ................................ 5.62 4.30 6.72 4.74 3.19 6.04 7.62 6

Caring for household children as a secondary activity in conjunction with:

Personal care activities ................................................................................. .29 .19 .36 .26 .17 .34 .34 Household activities ...................................................................................... 1.34 .70 1.87 1.20 .51 1.77 1.67 1Purchasing goods and services .................................................................... .46 .31 .59 .37 .19 .52 .67 Working and work-related activities .............................................................. .20 .17 .22 .22 .17 .26 .14 Eating and drinking ....................................................................................... .71 .62 .79 .60 .49 .69 .98 Leisure and sports ........................................................................................ 2.19 2.02 2.33 1.74 1.48 1.97 3.21 3Other activities .............................................................................................. .43 .29 .55 .35 .18 .48 .62 

 1 Persons 18 years and over living in households with children under 13, whether or not they provided childcare. 2 All major activity categories include related travel time. See Technical Note for activity category definitions. 3 Secondary childcare time is defined as time one has a child under 13 "in his or her care" while doing something else as a main activity; information on se

childcare is not collected for children over 12 years. Estimates include a small amount of care provided to own, nonhousehold children.

 4 Holidays are New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Data were not collected abo

Thanksgiving Day in 2004-05; New Year’s Day in 2007; and Christmas Day in 2008.
Table 11. Time spent in leisure and sports activities for the civilian population by selected characteristics, 2008 annu

Characteristic

Average hours per day spent in leisure and sports activities

Total, all leisure and

sports activities

Participating in

sports,

exercise, and

recreation

Socializing andcommunicating Watching TV Reading Relaxing/ thinking P

a

u

Total,

all

days

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays 2

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays 2

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays 2

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays 2

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays 2

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays 2

W

d

Sex

Men ....................................................... 5.52 4.84 7.11 0.36 0.50 0.49 1.06 2.72 3.70 0.27 0.32 0.28 0.26 Women ................................................. 4.86 4.42 5.88 .19 .21 .59 1.17 2.39 2.90 .37 .46 .26 .26 

Age

Total, 15 years and over ....................... 5.18 4.62 6.48 .27 .35 .54 1.12 2.55 3.29 .32 .39 .27 .26  15 to 19 years .................................... 5.69 5.04 7.15 .73 .64 .73 1.39 1.92 2.69 .17 .16 .12 .17  20 to 24 years .................................... 4.70 3.91 6.59 .26 .56 .67 1.35 1.86 3.01 .12 .13 .18 .19  25 to 34 years .................................... 4.34 3.69 5.93 .22 .31 .51 1.38 2.04 2.76 .11 .13 .19 .18  35 to 44 years .................................... 4.16 3.52 5.66 .21 .35 .43 1.08 2.01 2.96 .18 .22 .17 .12  45 to 54 years .................................... 4.67 4.11 5.97 .22 .31 .41 .97 2.59 3.18 .23 .36 .26 .29  55 to 64 years .................................... 5.66 5.20 6.76 .22 .27 .59 .98 3.02 3.86 .52 .55 .29 .26  65 to 74 years .................................... 7.12 6.87 7.70 .29 .32 .62 .98 3.96 4.12 .77 .82 .41 .54  75 years and over .............................. 7.62 7.46 7.98 .20 .11 .57 .78 4.05 4.54 .96 1.23 .82 .55 

Race and Hispanic or Latino

ethnicity

White .................................................... 5.13 4.56 6.46 .28 .37 .53 1.12 2.46 3.21 .36 .42 .24 .24 Black or African American .................... 5.87 5.42 6.92 .26 .28 .63 1.10 3.36 4.10 .16 .20 .45 .37 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................... 4.60 3.98 6.10 .23 .31 .54 1.21 2.29 3.23 .11 .18 .33 .30 

Employment status

Employed .............................................. 4.22 3.51 5.88 .24 .36 .44 1.07 1.92 2.95 .22 .30 .18 .19  Full-time workers ............................... 4.10 3.35 5.85 .23 .36 .40 1.05 1.86 3.00 .19 .28 .18 .19  Part-time workers .............................. 4.63 4.07 6.00 .28 .37 .59 1.16 2.10 2.74 .31 .39 .17 .21 Not employed ....................................... 6.99 6.73 7.58 .32 .32 .72 1.20 3.76 3.92 .52 .56 .44 .39 

Earnings of full-time wage and

salary workers

(single jobholders only) 3

0 - $500 ................................................ 4.50 3.79 6.10 .19 .35 .47 .98 2.11 3.47 .18 .17 .29 .19 $501 - $780 .......................................... 4.43 3.61 6.25 .19 .33 .54 1.30 1.93 3.36 .15 .23 .18 .20 $781 - $1,210 ....................................... 4.11 3.43 5.69 .32 .34 .35 .90 1.98 3.06 .17 .28 .17 .21 $1,211 and higher ................................. 3.79 2.94 5.76 .21 .46 .32 .96 1.64 2.58 .24 .42 .12 .15 See footnotes at end of table.
Table 11. Time spent in leisure and sports activities for the civilian population by selected characteristics, 2008 annu

Continued

Characteristic

Average hours per day spent in leisure and sports activities

Total, all leisure and

sports activities

Participating in

sports,

exercise, and

recreation

Socializing andcommunicating Watching TV Reading Relaxing/ thinking P

a

u

Total,

all

days

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays 2

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays 2

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays 2

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays 2

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays 2

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays 2

W

d

Presence and age of children

No household children under 18 ........... 5.73 5.21 6.95 0.28 0.32 0.56 1.08 2.88 3.63 0.44 0.50 0.29 0.30 Household children under 18 ................ 4.32 3.71 5.73 .26 .40 .51 1.17 2.04 2.76 .14 .22 .23 .20  Children 13 to 17 years, none

younger ........................................... 4.75 4.13 6.15 .26 .48 .56 1.08 2.09 2.90 .19 .35 .27 .23 

 Children 6 to 12 years, none younger 4.42 3.82 5.82 .36 .48 .49 1.13 2.07 2.78 .16 .22 .22 .15  Youngest child under 6 years ............ 4.01 3.41 5.42 .18 .29 .49 1.24 2.00 2.66 .10 .15 .23 .22 

Marital status and sex

Married, spouse present ....................... 4.81 4.27 6.06 .23 .30 .47 1.07 2.45 3.13 .34 .42 .28 .25  Men .................................................... 5.17 4.59 6.54 .30 .41 .38 .99 2.76 3.55 .31 .37 .33 .26  Women .............................................. 4.44 3.95 5.57 .17 .19 .56 1.16 2.13 2.71 .36 .46 .23 .24 Other marital statuses .......................... 5.60 5.02 6.96 .31 .41 .62 1.17 2.67 3.47 .31 .36 .26 .27  Men .................................................... 5.96 5.16 7.83 .43 .62 .62 1.16 2.67 3.89 .23 .26 .22 .25  Women .............................................. 5.30 4.91 6.22 .21 .23 .61 1.17 2.67 3.11 .38 .45 .30 .29 

Educational attainment, 25 years

and over

Less than a high school diploma .......... 6.08 5.64 7.14 .16 .20 .53 1.14 3.67 4.30 .15 .24 .65 .57 High school graduates, no college 4 ..... 5.76 5.32 6.79 .18 .28 .54 1.07 3.35 3.87 .36 .39 .32 .33 

Some college or associate degree ....... 5.04 4.58 6.16 .23 .25 .51 1.01 2.53 3.25 .38 .43 .24 .22 Bachelor’s degree and higher 5 ............ 4.33 3.67 5.87 .29 .38 .45 1.06 1.78 2.65 .43 .59 .17 .16 

 1 Includes other leisure and sports activities, not elsewhere classified, and travel related to leisure and sports activities. 2 Holidays are New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. In 2008, data were not collec 3 These values are based on usual weekly earnings. Each earnings range represents approximately 25 percent of full-time wage and salary workers who  4 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent. 5 Includes persons with bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral degrees.

NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, data refer to persons 15 years and over. Persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity may be of any race.
Table 12. Average hours per day spent in primary activities 1 for the civilian population, 2008 quarterly and annual av

(Not seasonally adjusted)

Activity

2008

Quarterly averages 

I II III IV

Total, all activities 2 ........................................................................................................... 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 

 Personal care activities ................................................................................................... 9.58 9.32 9.34 9.33  Sleeping ....................................................................................................................... 8.78 8.52 8.57 8.55  Eating and drinking ......................................................................................................... 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.21  Household activities ........................................................................................................ 1.59 1.80 1.80 1.71  Housework ................................................................................................................... .58 .56 .60 .59  Food preparation and cleanup ..................................................................................... .52 .51 .51 .55  Lawn and garden care ................................................................................................. .06 .32 .28 .09  Household management ............................................................................................. .14 .13 .13 .11  Purchasing goods and services ...................................................................................... .77 .70 .77 .82  Consumer purchases .................................................................................................. .36 .34 .38 .45  Professional and personal care services ..................................................................... .10 .08 .08 .07  Caring for and helping household members ................................................................... .53 .53 .50 .57  Caring for and helping household children .................................................................. .42 .41 .40 .43  Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ............................................................. .23 .27 .19 .22  Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............................................................... .07 .09 .06 .07  Working and work-related activities ................................................................................ 3.70 3.84 3.66 3.72  Working ....................................................................................................................... 3.36 3.43 3.32 3.40  Educational activities ...................................................................................................... .53 .44 .32 .59  Attending class ............................................................................................................ .29 .27 .17 .35  Homework and research ............................................................................................. .19 .14 .11 .19  Organizational, civic, and religious activities .................................................................. .37 .32 .30 .35  Religious and spiritual activities ................................................................................... .16 .14 .14 .14  Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ......................................................... .17 .14 .13 .16  Leisure and sports .......................................................................................................... 5.07 5.15 5.44 5.05  Socializing and communicating ................................................................................... .68 .74 .78 .65  Watching television ...................................................................................................... 2.77 2.64 2.75 2.93  Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation .......................................................... .23 .36 .36 .23  Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................................................................... .22 .21 .19 .22  Other activities, not elsewhere classified ........................................................................ .20 .18 .24 .19 

 1 A primary activity refers to an individual’s main activity. Other activities done simultaneously are not included. 2 All major activity categories include related travel time. See Technical Note for activity category definitions.

NOTE: Data refer to persons 15 years and over.