For release 10:00 a.m. (EDT) Thursday, June 20, 2013 USDL-13-1178 

Technical information: (202) 691-6339 • atusinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/tus 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov 

AMERICAN TIME USE SURVEY — 2012 RESULTS

In 2012, on days they worked, 23 percent of employed persons did some or all of their work at home, 

the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Among workers age 25 and over, those with a 

bachelor’s degree or higher were more likely to work at home than were persons with less education—

38 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher performed some work at home on days worked 

compared with 5 percent of those with less than a high school diploma. 

These and other results from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) were released today. These data 

include the average amount of time per day in 2012 that individuals worked, did household activities, 

and engaged in leisure and sports activities. Additionally, 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 2008-12 are provided. For a further description of ATUS data and methodology, see the 

Technical Note. 

Working (by Employed Persons) in 2012 

 Employed persons worked an average of 7.7 hours on the days they worked. More hours were 

worked, on average, on weekdays than on weekend days—8.0 hours compared with 5.7 hours. 

(See table 4.) 

 On the days they worked, employed men worked 55 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—8.5 hours compared with 7.9 hours. (See table 4.) 

 Many more people worked on weekdays than on weekend days—83 percent of employed 

persons worked on an average weekday, compared with 34 percent on an average weekend day. 

(See table 4.) 

 On the days they worked, 85 percent of employed persons did some or all of their work at their 

workplace and 23 percent did some or all of their work at home. They spent more time working 

at the workplace than at home—7.9 hours compared with 3.0 hours. (See table 6.) 

 Multiple jobholders were more likely to work on an average day than were single jobholders—

83 percent compared with 67 percent. (For a definition of average day, see the Technical Note.) 
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Multiple jobholders also were more likely to work at home than were single jobholders—34 

percent compared with 22 percent. (See table 6.) 

 Self-employed workers were nearly three times more likely than wage and salary workers to 

have done some work at home on days worked—56 percent compared with 20 percent. Selfemployed workers also were more likely to work on weekend days than were wage and salary 

workers—42 percent compared with 31 percent. (See tables 5 and 7.) 

 On the days they worked, 38 percent of employed people age 25 and over with a bachelor’s 

degree or higher did some work at home, compared with only 5 percent of those with less than a 

high school diploma. (See table 6.) 

Household Activities in 2012 

 On an average day, 82 percent of women and 65 percent of men spent some time doing 

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

management. (See table 1.) 

 On the days 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 48 percent of women. Thirty-nine percent of men did food preparation or 

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

Leisure Activities in 2012 

 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 (6.0 hours) than did women (5.2 

hours). (See table 1.) 

 Watching TV was the leisure activity that occupied the most time (2.8 hours per day), 

accounting for about half of leisure time, on average, for those age 15 and over. Socializing, 

such as visiting with friends or attending or hosting social events, was the next most common 

leisure activity, accounting for nearly three-quarters of an hour per day. (See table 1.) 

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

day—22 percent compared with 17 percent. On the days that they participated, men also spent 

more time in these activities than did women—1.9 hours compared with 1.4 hours. (See table 1.) 

 On an average day, adults age 75 and over spent 7.7 hours engaged in leisure activities—more 

than any other age group; 25- to 34-year-olds spent 4.4 hours and 35- to 44-year-olds spent 4.3 

hours engaged in leisure and sports activities—less than other age groups. (See table 11.) 

 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 1.0 hour of reading per weekend day 

and 20 minutes playing games or using a computer for leisure. Conversely, individuals ages 15 
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to 19 read for an average of 7 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 age 18 engaged in leisure activities 

for 4.7 hours per day, about 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 2008-12 

 Adults living in households with children under age 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—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 day, among adults living in households with children under age 6, women spent 

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

contrast, men spent 26 minutes providing physical care. (See table 9.) 

 Adults living in households with at least one child under age 6 spent an average of 5.4 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 age 6 was most commonly provided while doing leisure 

activities (2.1 hours) or household activities (1.3 hours). (See table 10.) 

 Adults living in households with children under age 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—4.5 hours compared with 7.6 hours. (See tables 9 and 10.) 

Additional Data 

ATUS 2012 data files are available for users 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 data files and some responses have been edited. The 2012 data files are available 

on the BLS website at 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; Federal Relay Service: (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 2012, approximately 12,500 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 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. Questions to identify eldercare 

providers and activities done as eldercare were added to the 

survey in 2011. 

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 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 2012 ATUS Coding Lexicon can be accessed at 

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 2012, 

persons in the U.S. age 15 and over did work and workrelated activities for 3.5 hours, slept 8.7 hours, spent 5.4 

hours doing leisure and sports activities, and spent 1.7 

hours doing household activities. The remaining 4.7 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 9.4 

hours doing work and work-related activities, 7.6 hours 

sleeping, 2.9 hours doing leisure and sports activities, and 

0.8 hour doing household activities. The remaining 3.3 

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 42 percent of all persons age 

15 years and over worked on an average day in 2012 

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. Estimates represent the 

earnings of full-time wage and salary workers 

with one job only (both incorporated and 

unincorporated self-employed are excluded), 

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 between the CPS and ATUS 

interviews 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 (both incorporated and 

unincorporated self-employed are excluded) 

who held only one job. For example, 25 percent 

of full-time wage and salary workers with one 

job only had weekly earnings of $530 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 siblings) 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 2012, the telephone call center was 

closed the day after New Year’s Day, so data were not 

collected about this holiday. Data were not collected about 

Christmas Day in 2008 and 2011, and the Fourth of July in 

2010. 

Major activity category definitions 

The following definitions describe the activity 

categories shown in this report. All major time-use 

categories in Tables 1-12 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. In general, 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. 

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 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 incomegenerating 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 face-to-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 quarterly 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 represent about 2/7 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, estimates differ 

from the true population values they represent. The 

component of this difference that occurs because samples 

differ by chance is known as sampling error, and its 

variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. 

 Sample estimates from a given survey design are 

unbiased when an average of the estimates from all possible 

samples would yield, hypothetically, the true population 

value. In this case, the sample estimate and its standard 

error can be used to construct approximate confidence 

intervals, or ranges of values that include the true 

population value with known probabilities. If the process of 

selecting a sample from the population were repeated many 

times, an estimate made from each sample, and a suitable 

estimate of its standard error calculated for each sample, 

then approximately 90 percent of the intervals from 1.645 

standard errors below the estimate to 1.645 standard errors 

above the estimate would include the true population value. 

BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90-percent 

level of confidence. 

 The ATUS data also are affected by nonsampling

error, which is the average difference between population 

and sample values for samples generated by a given 

process. 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. 

Publication requirements 

 Estimates of average hours per day and participation 

rates are not published unless there are a minimum number 

of respondents representing the given population. 

Additional publication criteria are applied that include the 

number of respondents who reported doing a specified 

activity and the standard error or coefficient of variation for 

the estimate. Estimates that are considered “close to zero” 

or that round to 0.00, are published as approximately zero 

or “~0.” For a detailed description of the statistical 

reliability criteria necessary for publication, please contact 

ATUS staff at ATUSinfo@bls.gov. 
Table 1. Time spent in primary activities 1 and percent of the civilian population engaging in each activity, averages p

by sex, 2012 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 ................................................. 9.49 9.22 9.74 100.0 99.9 100.0 9.49 9.22  Sleeping ..................................................................... 8.73 8.60 8.86 99.9 99.9 99.9 8.74 8.61  Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.25 1.30 1.20 96.0 95.9 96.0 1.30 1.35  Household activities ...................................................... 1.74 1.29 2.17 73.7 64.5 82.3 2.36 1.99  Housework ................................................................. .60 .28 .90 34.6 19.8 48.4 1.73 1.40  Food preparation and cleanup ................................... .53 .28 .75 52.5 39.2 64.9 1.00 .72  Lawn and garden care ............................................... .18 .25 .12 9.8 11.7 8.0 1.87 2.11  Household management ........................................... .13 .10 .15 16.3 13.6 18.8 .78 .77  Purchasing goods and services .................................... .72 .60 .84 41.4 37.2 45.3 1.74 1.60  Consumer goods purchases ...................................... .35 .27 .43 37.5 34.0 40.8 .94 .80  Professional and personal care services ................... .08 .06 .10 7.4 5.6 9.0 1.10 1.05  Caring for and helping household members ................. .51 .35 .66 24.5 19.7 28.9 2.09 1.79  Caring for and helping household children ................ .40 .27 .53 20.4 15.6 24.8 1.98 1.71  Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .18 .16 .20 11.2 9.9 12.3 1.62 1.59  Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .06 .06 .05 7.3 7.0 7.5 .80 .91  Working and work-related activities .............................. 3.53 4.17 2.94 43.9 48.8 39.3 8.05 8.54  Working ..................................................................... 3.19 3.74 2.67 41.8 46.5 37.4 7.63 8.05  Educational activities .................................................... .50 .53 .47 8.5 8.8 8.2 5.87 6.01  Attending class .......................................................... .28 .30 .26 5.4 5.8 5.1 5.16 5.17  Homework and research ........................................... .17 .18 .16 6.2 6.1 6.2 2.75 2.89  Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .32 .26 .38 13.8 10.9 16.6 2.33 2.42  Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .15 .12 .18 9.0 6.7 11.1 1.66 1.72  Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .13 .11 .15 6.0 5.0 7.0 2.13 2.21  Leisure and sports ........................................................ 5.37 5.79 4.97 96.2 96.9 95.6 5.58 5.98  Socializing and communicating ................................. .74 .72 .76 37.2 35.4 38.9 2.00 2.04  Watching television .................................................... 2.83 3.07 2.61 80.1 80.9 79.3 3.54 3.80  Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .32 .41 .24 19.3 21.7 17.0 1.67 1.90  Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .16 .11 .20 19.8 15.7 23.6 .78 .70  Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .24 .23 .25 14.1 12.8 15.3 1.69 1.80 

 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, 2012 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

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays

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

 Personal care activities ................................................. 9.21 10.13 100.0 99.9 9.21 10.13 Sleeping ..................................................................... 8.45 9.39 99.9 99.9 8.45 9.41 Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.19 1.39 96.0 95.8 1.24 1.45 Household activities ...................................................... 1.59 2.08 73.0 75.3 2.19 2.77 Housework ................................................................. .54 .74 33.4 37.5 1.62 1.96 Food preparation and cleanup ................................... .51 .56 53.4 50.5 .96 1.11 Lawn and garden care ............................................... .16 .23 9.5 10.5 1.71 2.19 Household management ........................................... .12 .15 16.2 16.5 .72 .91 Purchasing goods and services .................................... .68 .81 40.9 42.5 1.67 1.91 Consumer goods purchases ...................................... .30 .48 36.0 41.2 .83 1.16 Professional and personal care services ................... .10 .03 9.1 3.3 1.13 .92 Caring for and helping household members ................. .54 .44 26.3 20.4 2.06 2.15 Caring for and helping household children ................ .42 .37 21.7 17.3 1.93 2.12 Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .17 .21 10.9 11.8 1.55 1.76 Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .05 .07 7.1 7.8 .75 .90 Working and work-related activities .............................. 4.49 1.29 53.3 21.9 8.43 5.91 Working ..................................................................... 4.06 1.15 51.1 20.2 7.95 5.69 Educational activities .................................................... .63 .20 9.9 5.3 6.36 3.72 Attending class .......................................................... .39 .02 7.5 .6 5.24 2.81 Homework and research ........................................... .17 .16 6.8 4.7 2.54 3.47 Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .22 .55 11.3 19.7 1.98 2.79 Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .07 .33 6.1 15.9 1.23 2.05 Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .12 .15 6.0 6.1 1.97 2.50 Leisure and sports ........................................................ 4.85 6.57 96.0 96.9 5.06 6.78 Socializing and communicating ................................. .61 1.05 35.8 40.4 1.71 2.61 Watching television .................................................... 2.58 3.42 79.3 81.8 3.26 4.18 Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .30 .37 20.0 17.7 1.50 2.11 Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .16 .13 21.2 16.5 .78 .81 Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .25 .21 14.7 12.7 1.71 1.64

 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 3. Time spent in primary activities 1 for the civilian population by age, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, m

educational attainment, 2012 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 ....................... 9.49 1.25 1.74 0.72 0.51 0.18 3.53 0.50 0.32  15 to 19 years ..................................... 10.44 1.00 .67 .55 .13 .18 1.05 3.35 .27  20 to 24 years ..................................... 9.82 1.20 .85 .54 .58 .14 3.61 1.09 .18  25 to 34 years ..................................... 9.46 1.23 1.49 .71 1.03 .13 4.59 .40 .19  35 to 44 years ..................................... 9.21 1.20 1.82 .73 1.05 .12 4.82 .21 .30  45 to 54 years ..................................... 9.20 1.19 1.87 .70 .39 .20 4.92 .06 .33  55 to 64 years ..................................... 9.27 1.31 2.07 .86 .15 .27 3.68 .03 .39  65 to 74 years ..................................... 9.41 1.41 2.53 .85 .11 .25 1.39 .01 .49  75 years and over ............................... 9.89 1.52 2.42 .73 .12 .17 .31 ~0 .52  Men, 15 years and over ....................... 9.22 1.30 1.29 .60 .35 .16 4.17 .53 .26  15 to 19 years ..................................... 10.09 1.04 .58 .37 .10 .19 .86 3.53 .25  20 to 24 years ..................................... 9.42 1.17 .64 .47 3 ( ) .15 3.51 1.02 .22 

 25 to 34 years ..................................... 9.17 1.24 1.06 .56 .62 .13 5.39 .42 .15  35 to 44 years ..................................... 8.94 1.28 1.20 .62 .74 .09 6.02 .19 .24  45 to 54 years ..................................... 9.01 1.25 1.34 .58 .34 .15 5.65 .05 .26  55 to 64 years ..................................... 8.95 1.36 1.65 .72 .11 .23 4.43 3 ( ) .28 

 65 to 74 years ..................................... 9.22 1.56 2.06 .72 .09 .23 1.72 ~0 .46  75 years and over ............................... 9.77 1.66 1.89 .67 .10 .16 .55 ~0 .42  Women, 15 years and over ................. 9.74 1.20 2.17 .84 .66 .20 2.94 .47 .38  15 to 19 years ..................................... 10.81 .96 .76 .73 .17 .17 1.25 3.15 .29  20 to 24 years ..................................... 10.21 1.23 1.06 .61 .86 .13 3.70 1.16 .14  25 to 34 years ..................................... 9.74 1.21 1.92 .85 1.42 .12 3.81 .39 .24  35 to 44 years ..................................... 9.48 1.13 2.40 .84 1.34 .15 3.67 .24 .35  45 to 54 years ..................................... 9.38 1.14 2.37 .81 .44 .25 4.22 .06 .39  55 to 64 years ..................................... 9.57 1.25 2.46 .99 .18 .31 2.98 .03 .49  65 to 74 years ..................................... 9.57 1.28 2.95 .97 .13 .26 1.09 ~0 .51  75 years and over ............................... 9.97 1.42 2.78 .77 .13 .18 .15 ~0 .60  White, 15 years and over ..................... 9.43 1.27 1.82 .72 .51 .19 3.59 .49 .30  Men ..................................................... 9.18 1.32 1.36 .59 .35 .16 4.26 .51 .25  Women ............................................... 9.67 1.23 2.26 .84 .66 .21 2.96 .46 .36 

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, 2012 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 .............................................. 9.83 0.92 1.32 0.82 0.44 0.18 3.01 0.45 0.46 

 Men ..................................................... 9.52 .93 .96 .70 .28 .16 3.37 .42 .37  Women ............................................... 10.09 .92 1.62 .92 .57 .19 2.71 .48 .53  Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 15 years

and over .............................................. 9.83 1.18 1.79 .67 .68 .15 3.51 .77 .29 

 Men ..................................................... 9.58 1.20 1.14 .57 .44 .13 4.11 .81 .21  Women ............................................... 10.07 1.15 2.43 .78 .93 .17 2.90 .73 .37 Marital status and sex:

Married, spouse present ..................... 9.21 1.34 2.07 .78 .73 .18 3.94 .08 .38 

Men ................................................... 8.97 1.39 1.51 .67 .54 .14 4.79 .05 .33 Women ............................................. 9.45 1.28 2.64 .89 .93 .22 3.06 .12 .42 

Other marital statuses ........................ 9.78 1.15 1.40 .66 .28 .18 3.11 .94 .26 

Men ................................................... 9.50 1.19 1.03 .51 .14 .18 3.45 1.08 .18 Women ............................................. 10.02 1.12 1.71 .78 .39 .18 2.82 .81 .33 

 Educational attainment, 25 years and

over:

Less than a high school diploma ........ 10.13 1.12 2.10 .59 .55 .14 2.53 ~0 .30 High school graduates, no college ..... 9.50 1.21 2.11 .69 .39 .25 3.39 .07 .30 Some college or associate degree ..... 9.27 1.23 1.95 .82 .56 .18 3.84 .20 .36 Bachelor’s degree and higher ............. 9.01 1.43 1.74 .83 .67 .15 4.54 .20 .39 

 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 Estimate is suppressed because it does not meet the American Time Use Survey publication standards.

~0 Estimate is approximately zero.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 1 and time spent working on days worked by full- and part-time status and sex, jo

status, educational attainment, and day of week, 2012 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

h

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

em

Full- and part-time status and sex

Total, 15 years and over 4 ........................................ 150,877 102,817 68.1 7.65 124,530 82.5 7.97 50,621  Full-time workers ................................................... 114,136 83,117 72.8 8.22 101,844 89.2 8.60 38,813  Part-time workers .................................................. 36,741 19,701 53.6 5.24 22,832 62.1 5.26 11,783  Men 4 ....................................................................... 79,458 55,361 69.7 8.07 67,033 84.4 8.44 27,368 

 Full-time workers ................................................... 66,470 48,759 73.4 8.46 59,467 89.5 8.87 23,541  Part-time workers .................................................. 12,988 6,602 50.8 5.16 7,675 59.1 5.18 3,773  Women 4 .................................................................. 71,419 47,456 66.4 7.16 57,499 80.5 7.44 23,251 

 Full-time workers ................................................... 47,666 34,358 72.1 7.87 42,378 88.9 8.21 15,265  Part-time workers .................................................. 23,754 13,099 55.1 5.29 15,164 63.8 5.30 7,993 

Jobholding status

Single jobholders ...................................................... 138,106 92,250 66.8 7.65 113,179 82.0 7.95 42,361 Multiple jobholders .................................................... 12,771 10,567 82.7 7.60 11,328 88.7 8.19 8,559 

Educational attainment, 25 years and over

Less than a high school diploma .............................. 9,879 6,563 66.4 7.76 8,099 82.0 8.05 3,337 High school graduates, no college ........................... 36,749 24,589 66.9 7.97 30,220 82.2 8.15 10,893 Some college or associate degree ........................... 33,843 22,569 66.7 7.86 27,596 81.5 8.14 10,493 Bachelor’s degree and higher ................................... 49,670 36,252 73.0 7.57 44,128 88.8 8.09 16,996 

 1 Includes work at main and other job(s), and excludes travel related to work. 2 Number was derived by multiplying the "Total employed" by the percent of employed persons who worked on an average weekday. 3 Number was derived by multiplying the "Total employed" by the percent of employed persons who worked on an average Saturday, Sunday, and holiday 4 Includes workers whose hours vary.

NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, data refer to persons 15 years and over.
Table 5. Employed persons working 1 on main job and time spent working on days worked by class of worker, occup

and day of week, 2012 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

h

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

em

Class of worker (main job only)

Wage and salary workers ......................................... 139,487 93,584 67.1 7.65 114,995 82.4 7.94 42,631 Self-employed workers 4 ........................................... 11,135 7,611 68.4 6.87 8,686 78.0 7.11 4,694 

Occupation (main job only) 5

Management, business, and financial operations .... 23,190 16,964 73.2 7.86 20,835 89.8 8.38 7,751 Professional and related ........................................... 36,444 24,962 68.5 7.31 30,225 82.9 7.68 11,265 Service ...................................................................... 25,770 15,576 60.4 7.45 18,265 70.9 7.57 9,627 Sales and related ...................................................... 15,798 10,493 66.4 7.29 11,744 74.3 7.58 7,210 Office and administrative support ............................. 18,628 12,087 64.9 7.49 15,815 84.9 7.68 3,340 Farming, fishing, and forestry ................................... 7 ( ) 7 ( ) 7 ( ) 6.92 7 ( ) 7 ( ) 6.94 7 ( ) 

Construction and extraction ...................................... 6,802 4,653 68.4 7.74 5,940 87.3 8.00 1,680 Installation, maintenance, and repair ........................ 5,395 3,627 67.2 8.35 4,815 89.2 8.59 1,277 Production ................................................................ 8,159 5,593 68.6 7.97 7,208 88.3 8.14 1,954 Transportation and material moving ......................... 8,825 6,036 68.4 8.27 7,563 85.7 8.42 2,487 

Earnings of full-time wage and salary workers

(single jobholders only) 6

$0 - $530 .................................................................. 23,959 17,024 71.1 8.10 20,962 87.5 8.23 7,646 $531 - $830 .............................................................. 23,397 15,694 67.1 8.20 20,606 88.1 8.37 5,989 $831 - $1,290 ........................................................... 23,405 15,959 68.2 8.39 20,504 87.6 8.73 5,660 $1,291 and higher ..................................................... 23,554 17,968 76.3 8.31 21,688 92.1 8.96 7,959 

 1 Includes work at main job only and excludes travel related to work. 2 Number was derived by multiplying the "Total employed" by the percent of employed persons who worked on an average weekday. 3 Number was derived by multiplying the "Total employed" by the percent of employed persons who worked on an average Saturday, Sunday, and holiday 4 Includes self-employed workers whose businesses are unincorporated. Self-employed workers whose businesses are incorporated are classified as wa

workers.

 5 These values were generated using the 2010 Census occupational classification system which was introduced with the 2011 estimates. Estimates are n

comparable to those from earlier years.

 6 These values are based on usual weekly earnings. The earnings data are limited to wage and salary workers (both incorporated and unincorporated se

are excluded). Each earnings range represents approximately 25 percent of full-time wage and salary workers who held only one job.

7 Estimate is suppressed because it does not meet the American Time Use Survey publication standards.

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, 2012 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 ........................................ 150,877 102,817 68.1 7.65 86,857 84.5 7.92 23,878  Full-time workers ................................................... 114,136 83,117 72.8 8.22 72,115 86.8 8.35 18,502  Part-time workers .................................................. 36,741 19,701 53.6 5.24 14,742 74.8 5.81 5,376  Men 4 ....................................................................... 79,458 55,361 69.7 8.07 47,369 85.6 8.27 12,828 

 Full-time workers ................................................... 66,470 48,759 73.4 8.46 42,695 87.6 8.56 10,828  Part-time workers .................................................. 12,988 6,602 50.8 5.16 4,673 70.8 5.63 2,000  Women 4 .................................................................. 71,419 47,456 66.4 7.16 39,488 83.2 7.50 11,050 

 Full-time workers ................................................... 47,666 34,358 72.1 7.87 29,419 85.6 8.05 7,674  Part-time workers .................................................. 23,754 13,099 55.1 5.29 10,069 76.9 5.89 3,377 

Jobholding status

Single jobholders ...................................................... 138,106 92,250 66.8 7.65 78,770 85.4 7.92 20,242 Multiple jobholders .................................................... 12,771 10,567 82.7 7.60 8,087 76.5 7.91 3,636 

Educational attainment, 25 years and over

Less than a high school diploma .............................. 9,879 6,563 66.4 7.76 6,141 93.6 7.90 357 High school graduates, no college ........................... 36,749 24,589 66.9 7.97 22,285 90.6 8.04 3,118 Some college or associate degree ........................... 33,843 22,569 66.7 7.86 19,032 84.3 8.18 4,769 Bachelor’s degree and higher ................................... 49,670 36,252 73.0 7.57 28,069 77.4 7.98 13,914 

 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 is not restricted to persons whose usual workplace is their home. 4 Includes workers whose hours vary.

NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, 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, 2012 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 ......................................... 139,487 93,584 67.1 7.65 81,764 87.4 7.91 18,428 Self-employed workers 4 ........................................... 11,135 7,611 68.4 6.87 4,047 53.2 7.08 4,270 

Occupation (main job only) 5

Management, business, and financial operations .... 23,190 16,964 73.2 7.86 13,107 77.3 8.19 6,028 Professional and related ........................................... 36,444 24,962 68.5 7.31 19,248 77.1 7.85 9,226 Service ...................................................................... 25,770 15,576 60.4 7.45 13,849 88.9 7.52 1,571 Sales and related ...................................................... 15,798 10,493 66.4 7.29 9,008 85.8 7.54 2,245 Office and administrative support ............................. 18,628 12,087 64.9 7.49 11,338 93.8 7.63 1,123 Farming, fishing, and forestry ................................... 7 ( ) 7 ( ) 7 ( ) 6.92 7 ( ) 7 ( ) 8.71 7 ( ) 

Construction and extraction ...................................... 6,802 4,653 68.4 7.74 4,139 89.0 7.92 743 Installation, maintenance, and repair ........................ 5,395 3,627 67.2 8.35 3,424 94.4 8.29 534 

Production ................................................................ 8,159 5,593 68.6 7.97 5,439 97.2 8.08 348 Transportation and material moving ......................... 8,825 6,036 68.4 8.27 5,472 90.7 8.51 432 

Earnings of full-time wage and salary workers

(single jobholders only) 6

$0 - $530 .................................................................. 23,959 17,024 71.1 8.10 16,164 94.9 8.17 1,139 

$531 - $830 .............................................................. 23,397 15,694 67.1 8.20 14,894 94.9 8.20 1,381 $831 - $1,290 ........................................................... 23,405 15,959 68.2 8.39 14,194 88.9 8.55 3,188 $1,291 and higher ..................................................... 23,554 17,968 76.3 8.31 14,872 82.8 8.59 6,075 

 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 is not restricted to persons whose usual workplace is their home. 4 Includes self-employed workers whose businesses are unincorporated. Self-employed workers whose businesses are incorporated are classified as wa

workers.

 5 These values were generated using the 2010 Census occupational classification system which was introduced with the 2011 estimates. Estimates are n

comparable to those from earlier years.

 6 These values are based on usual weekly earnings. The earnings data are limited to wage and salary workers (both incorporated and unincorporated se

are excluded). Each earnings range represents approximately 25 percent of full-time wage and salary workers who held only one job.

7 Estimate is suppressed because it does not meet the American Time Use Survey publication standards.

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, 2012 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 ................................................. 9.30 8.92 9.60 9.38 9.06 9.66 9.48 9.23  Sleeping ..................................................................... 8.67 8.36 8.92 8.61 8.43 8.77 8.70 8.60  Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.14 1.19 1.09 1.19 1.21 1.18 1.31 1.38  Household activities ...................................................... 1.77 1.11 2.28 1.90 1.27 2.43 1.79 1.41  Housework ................................................................. .69 .29 1.00 .71 .30 1.05 .58 .28  Food preparation and cleanup ................................... .70 .33 1.00 .64 .31 .93 .48 .29  Lawn and garden care ............................................... .08 .13 .04 .17 .24 .11 .22 .29  Household management ........................................... .10 .08 .12 .11 .06 .15 .15 .13  Purchasing goods and services .................................... .72 .59 .82 .72 .57 .84 .75 .64  Consumer goods purchases ...................................... .37 .30 .43 .37 .28 .44 .36 .28  Professional and personal care services ................... .07 .03 .10 .05 .03 .07 .10 .08  Caring for and helping household members ................. 2.09 1.51 2.54 .82 .62 .99 .06 .05  Caring for and helping household children ................ 1.87 1.34 2.28 .62 .45 .76 – –  Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .09 .07 .11 .10 .07 .13 .23 .20  Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .04 .04 .03 .04 .03 .04 .07 .08  Working and work-related activities ........................... 4.05 5.33 3.04 4.34 5.43 3.42 3.44 3.94 

 Working ................................................................... 3.68 4.80 2.80 3.93 4.89 3.12 3.09 3.53 

 Educational activities .................................................... .21 .23 .20 .36 .31 .41 .28 .28  Attending class .......................................................... .09 .15 .05 .15 .12 .17 .11 .09  Homework and research ........................................... .09 .06 .12 .17 .14 .19 .13 .14  Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .27 .28 .27 .36 .28 .43 .33 .26  Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .14 .14 .15 .15 .13 .16 .15 .11  Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .09 .11 .08 .16 .11 .20 .13 .12  Leisure and sports ........................................................ 4.04 4.49 3.69 4.47 4.90 4.11 5.92 6.26  Socializing and communicating ................................. .76 .81 .72 .68 .73 .64 .74 .70  Watching television .................................................... 2.08 2.26 1.93 2.37 2.63 2.16 3.23 3.46  Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .26 .31 .22 .29 .35 .23 .30 .39  Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .07 .05 .09 .11 .08 .13 .19 .13  Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .25 .22 .27 .25 .20 .28 .24 .23 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, 2012 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 ................................................. 8.98 8.75 9.24 9.18 8.90 9.46 9.15 8.93  Sleeping ..................................................................... 8.31 8.17 8.48 8.39 8.25 8.53 8.39 8.30  Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.17 1.24 1.08 1.20 1.23 1.17 1.29 1.35  Household activities ...................................................... 1.38 1.04 1.77 1.58 1.16 2.00 1.41 1.18  Housework ................................................................. .51 .26 .78 .52 .26 .79 .45 .26  Food preparation and cleanup ................................... .52 .31 .76 .52 .28 .78 .37 .25  Lawn and garden care ............................................... .09 .13 .04 .16 .24 .07 .15 .19  Household management ........................................... .10 .09 .10 .10 .06 .15 .12 .11  Purchasing goods and services .................................... .67 .56 .80 .68 .52 .83 .68 .57  Consumer goods purchases ...................................... .36 .28 .45 .35 .26 .44 .34 .27  Professional and personal care services ................... .05 .02 .07 .05 .02 .07 .07 .04  Caring for and helping household members ................. 1.77 1.40 2.18 .72 .54 .91 .04 .05  Caring for and helping household children ................ 1.55 1.24 1.89 .54 .40 .68 – –  Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .06 .06 .07 .10 .07 .13 .21 .17  Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .02 .03 .01 .03 .02 .04 .07 .07  Working and work-related activities ........................... 5.74 6.30 5.10 5.74 6.55 4.92 5.78 6.12 

 Working ................................................................... 5.27 5.72 4.75 5.25 5.96 4.53 5.29 5.57 

 Educational activities .................................................... .11 .08 .14 .23 .21 .26 .21 .17  Attending class .......................................................... .04 4 ( ) .04 .09 .07 .10 .07 .05 

 Homework and research ........................................... .06 .04 .08 .11 .11 .12 .11 .09  Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .24 .27 .21 .33 .28 .39 .25 .20  Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .13 .14 .12 .13 .12 .14 .11 .08  Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .08 .09 .06 .15 .12 .19 .11 .09  Leisure and sports ........................................................ 3.60 4.06 3.09 3.97 4.29 3.65 4.67 5.01  Socializing and communicating ................................. .74 .80 .66 .63 .67 .59 .65 .61  Watching television .................................................... 1.87 2.14 1.57 2.08 2.30 1.87 2.44 2.71  Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .23 .27 .19 .28 .34 .22 .26 .31  Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .05 .04 .07 .08 .05 .10 .14 .10  Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .23 .20 .25 .19 .19 .19 .18 .15 

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, 2012 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 ................................................. 10.03 9.80 10.10 9.99 9.79 10.09 9.95 9.74  Sleeping ..................................................................... 9.48 9.30 9.53 9.29 9.29 9.29 9.14 9.11  Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.07 .94 1.11 1.17 1.11 1.20 1.34 1.42  Household activities ...................................................... 2.64 1.50 2.99 2.86 1.76 3.39 2.32 1.81  Housework ................................................................. 1.10 4 ( ) 1.30 1.25 .50 1.62 .77 .32 

 Food preparation and cleanup ................................... 1.11 .38 1.33 1.00 .48 1.26 .64 .36  Lawn and garden care ............................................... .07 .14 .05 .22 .27 .19 .32 .45  Household management ........................................... .12 4 ( ) .15 .12 .09 .14 .18 .17  Purchasing goods and services .................................... .83 .75 .85 .85 .81 .87 .84 .76  Consumer goods purchases ...................................... .40 .41 .40 .42 .37 .44 .39 .30  Professional and personal care services ................... .11 4 ( ) .13 .07 4 ( ) .08 .14 .14 

 Caring for and helping household members ................. 2.81 2.06 3.05 1.09 .97 1.15 .08 .05  Caring for and helping household children ................ 2.59 1.82 2.82 .86 .72 .92 – –  Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .17 4 ( ) .17 .13 .10 .15 .25 .25 

 Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .07 4 ( ) .06 .05 .05 .05 .07 .09  Working and work-related activities 3 ........................... .25 4 ( ) 4 ( ) .15 .28 .08 .15 .17 

 Working 3 ................................................................... 4 ( ) 4 ( ) 4 ( ) ~0 4 ( ) ~0 .02 ~0 

 Educational activities .................................................... .44 4 ( ) 4 ( ) .74 4 ( ) .74 .37 .46  Attending class .......................................................... .21 4 ( ) .06 .34 4 ( ) .32 .16 .17  Homework and research ........................................... .16 4 ( ) .16 .32 4 ( ) .33 .16 .23  Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .34 4 ( ) .35 .45 4 ( ) .51 .44 .38  Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .17 4 ( ) .18 .19 .15 .21 .22 .15 

 Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .13 4 ( ) .12 .19 4 ( ) .24 .17 .17 

 Leisure and sports ........................................................ 5.01 6.67 4.51 5.96 7.68 5.12 7.67 8.41  Socializing and communicating ................................. .81 .86 .79 .83 1.01 .75 .86 .85  Watching television .................................................... 2.53 2.85 2.43 3.24 4.15 2.79 4.33 4.75  Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .33 .54 .27 .31 .39 .26 .36 .51  Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .11 .10 .11 .20 4 ( ) .19 .27 .19  Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .30 4 ( ) .30 .41 4 ( ) .50 .32 .38 

 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 American Time Use Survey definition for employed.

4 Estimate is suppressed because it does not meet the American Time Use Survey publication standards.

~0 Estimate is approximately zero.– 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 2008-12

Childcare activities

Average hours per day spent caring for household childre

Total Weekdays W

Total Men Women Total Men Women Total 

Persons in households with children under 18 years, total:

Caring for household children as a primary activity ................................ 1.33 0.91 1.69 1.42 0.92 1.85 1.1

Physical care ........................................................................................ .43 .24 .60 .46 .25 .64 .3Education-related activities ................................................................... .10 .06 .14 .13 .08 .18 .0Reading to/with children ....................................................................... .04 .03 .04 .04 .03 .05 .0Talking to/with children ......................................................................... .05 .03 .06 .05 .03 .07 .0Playing/doing hobbies with children ..................................................... .29 .27 .32 .27 .24 .30 .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 .12 .22 .21 .14 .27 .0Other childcare activities ...................................................................... .11 .06 .15 .13 .07 .18 .0Persons in households with youngest child 6 to 17 years:

Caring for household children as a primary activity ............................ .79 .55 1.01 .87 .57 1.13 .6

Physical care .................................................................................... .15 .08 .20 .17 .09 .23 .1Education-related activities ............................................................... .12 .07 .16 .15 .09 .21 .0Reading to/with children ................................................................... .01 .01 .02 .01 .01 .02 .0Talking to/with children ..................................................................... .06 .03 .08 .07 .04 .09 .0Playing/doing hobbies with children ................................................. .07 .09 .06 .06 .08 .05 .1Looking after children ....................................................................... .05 .04 .06 .04 .03 .06 .0Attending children’s events ............................................................... .08 .06 .09 .06 .05 .07 .1Travel related to care of household children .................................... .16 .11 .20 .19 .13 .24 .0Other childcare activities .................................................................. .09 .05 .13 .11 .06 .15 .0

Persons in households with youngest child under 6 years:

Caring for household children as a primary activity ............................ 1.98 1.37 2.47 2.08 1.36 2.66 1.7

Physical care .................................................................................... .78 .43 1.05 .81 .44 1.10 .7Education-related activities ............................................................... .09 .05 .11 .11 .07 .15 .0Reading to/with children ................................................................... .06 .05 .07 .06 .05 .07 .0Talking to/with children ..................................................................... .03 .02 .04 .03 .02 .04 .0Playing/doing hobbies with children ................................................. .56 .50 .61 .52 .44 .59 .6Looking after children ....................................................................... .11 .09 .13 .11 .08 .13 .1Attending children’s events ............................................................... .04 .03 .04 .03 .02 .05 .0Travel related to care of household children .................................... .19 .13 .24 .24 .15 .30 .0Other childcare activities .................................................................. .13 .07 .18 .16 .09 .22 .0

 1 Persons 18 years and over living in households with children under 18, whether or not they provided childcare.
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 2008-12

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 years, total .................................... 5.16 4.15 6.00 4.19 3.06 5.13 7.44 6

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

Personal care activities ..................................................................................... .25 .16 .33 .22 .14 .29 .33 Household activities .......................................................................................... 1.19 .68 1.61 1.01 .48 1.45 1.61 1Purchasing goods and services ........................................................................ .35 .26 .42 .27 .17 .35 .53 Working and work-related activities .................................................................. .20 .19 .21 .23 .20 .25 .14 Eating and drinking ........................................................................................... .65 .58 .71 .53 .44 .60 .93 Leisure and sports ............................................................................................ 2.08 1.95 2.19 1.59 1.39 1.76 3.22 3Other activities .................................................................................................. .44 .34 .53 .34 .24 .43 .68 Persons in households with youngest child 6 to 12 years, total ....................... 4.78 4.02 5.46 3.72 2.97 4.38 7.26 6

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

Personal care activities ................................................................................. .23 .16 .30 .20 .14 .26 .30 Household activities ...................................................................................... 1.07 .66 1.43 .83 .44 1.17 1.62 1Purchasing goods and services .................................................................... .28 .22 .34 .20 .14 .25 .49 Working and work-related activities .............................................................. .21 .20 .22 .23 .21 .25 .16 Eating and drinking ....................................................................................... .58 .52 .64 .46 .40 .51 .87 Leisure and sports ........................................................................................ 1.99 1.94 2.03 1.51 1.43 1.57 3.11 3Other activities .............................................................................................. .42 .33 .51 .30 .22 .37 .71 

Persons in households with youngest child under 6 years, total ...................... 5.42 4.24 6.37 4.52 3.12 5.62 7.56 6

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

Personal care activities ................................................................................. .27 .17 .35 .24 .14 .31 .34 Household activities ...................................................................................... 1.28 .70 1.74 1.14 .51 1.64 1.60 1Purchasing goods and services .................................................................... .39 .29 .47 .32 .19 .42 .56 Working and work-related activities .............................................................. .19 .18 .20 .22 .20 .24 .12 Eating and drinking ....................................................................................... .70 .62 .76 .58 .48 .65 .98 Leisure and sports ........................................................................................ 2.14 1.95 2.30 1.65 1.35 1.89 3.30 3Other activities .............................................................................................. .46 .34 .55 .37 .25 .47 .66 

 1 Persons 18 years and over living in households with children under 13 years, 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 years "in his or her care" while doing something else as a main activity; information 

childcare is not collected for children over 12 years. Estimates include a small amount of care provided to own, nonhousehold children.
Table 11. Time spent in leisure and sports activities for the civilian population by selected characteristics, 2012 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

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays

W

d

Sex

Men ....................................................... 5.79 5.15 7.28 0.36 0.54 0.60 1.00 2.71 3.93 0.25 0.29 0.33 0.33 Women ................................................. 4.97 4.57 5.90 .25 .21 .62 1.10 2.47 2.94 .36 .44 .24 .29 

Age

Total, 15 years and over ....................... 5.37 4.85 6.57 .30 .37 .61 1.05 2.58 3.42 .31 .37 .28 .31  15 to 19 years .................................... 5.86 5.25 7.26 .73 .71 .84 1.34 1.98 2.99 .11 .12 .17 .17  20 to 24 years .................................... 5.55 5.19 6.40 .34 .48 1.01 1.24 2.12 2.91 .16 .13 .16 .22  25 to 34 years .................................... 4.42 3.82 5.82 .27 .36 .46 1.20 2.10 2.81 .12 .19 .21 .21  35 to 44 years .................................... 4.27 3.59 5.85 .24 .37 .49 1.08 1.98 3.05 .17 .25 .21 .24  45 to 54 years .................................... 4.81 4.19 6.26 .19 .38 .53 .93 2.37 3.43 .25 .31 .25 .36  55 to 64 years .................................... 5.59 5.02 6.94 .23 .26 .52 .93 2.92 4.08 .42 .45 .34 .36  65 to 74 years .................................... 7.10 6.94 7.47 .36 .31 .76 .81 3.92 4.25 .63 .81 .43 .39  75 years and over .............................. 7.68 7.54 8.04 .27 .18 .69 .98 4.25 4.26 .94 1.03 .61 .62 

Race and Hispanic or Latino

ethnicity

White .................................................... 5.30 4.78 6.55 .31 .40 .62 1.06 2.50 3.34 .34 .40 .26 .28 Black or African American .................... 6.06 5.63 7.01 .21 .19 .62 1.08 3.38 4.23 .17 .17 .43 .48 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................... 4.76 4.20 6.06 .32 .41 .52 1.16 2.29 3.27 .09 .15 .35 .29 

Employment status

Employed .............................................. 4.34 3.68 5.92 .23 .36 .51 1.04 1.94 3.01 .21 .28 .21 .24  Full-time workers ............................... 4.09 3.34 5.87 .22 .40 .43 1.01 1.82 3.05 .19 .28 .20 .25  Part-time workers .............................. 5.11 4.72 6.08 .26 .25 .75 1.16 2.31 2.89 .28 .27 .23 .22 Not employed ....................................... 6.97 6.72 7.53 .41 .38 .78 1.07 3.61 4.03 .47 .50 .39 .41 

Earnings of full-time wage and

salary workers

(single jobholders only) 2

$0 - $530 .............................................. 4.41 3.82 5.80 .16 .19 .46 .96 2.36 3.22 .17 .18 .25 .31 $531 - $830 .......................................... 4.33 3.39 6.17 .17 .41 .47 1.14 1.81 3.21 .15 .24 .23 .32 $831 - $1,290 ....................................... 4.18 3.36 6.04 .27 .46 .47 .97 1.74 3.19 .20 .28 .18 .24 $1,291 and higher ................................. 3.82 3.00 6.02 .29 .54 .37 1.07 1.51 2.93 .23 .36 .12 .14 See footnotes at end of table.
Table 11. Time spent in leisure and sports activities for the civilian population by selected characteristics, 2012 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

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays

Weekdays

Weekends

and

holidays

W

d

Presence and age of children

No household children under 18 ........... 5.93 5.46 7.03 0.29 0.37 0.64 0.98 2.96 3.76 0.40 0.48 0.32 0.37 Household children under 18 ................ 4.45 3.86 5.82 .32 .37 .57 1.17 1.97 2.86 .15 .18 .22 .21  Children 13 to 17 years, none

younger ........................................... 5.00 4.48 6.31 .43 .51 .61 1.26 2.19 3.06 .21 .23 .25 .17 

 Children 6 to 12 years, none younger 4.44 3.82 5.90 .32 .32 .51 1.04 1.95 2.96 .16 .21 .24 .22  Youngest child under 6 years ............ 4.12 3.51 5.48 .25 .33 .60 1.22 1.84 2.68 .11 .13 .18 .23 

Marital status and sex

Married, spouse present ....................... 4.95 4.43 6.18 .26 .34 .55 1.02 2.42 3.27 .36 .40 .27 .28  Men .................................................... 5.30 4.68 6.79 .27 .43 .58 .96 2.63 3.88 .32 .34 .30 .29  Women .............................................. 4.59 4.19 5.54 .24 .25 .53 1.07 2.20 2.63 .40 .47 .23 .27 Other marital statuses .......................... 5.80 5.30 6.97 .34 .41 .67 1.09 2.76 3.57 .25 .34 .29 .34  Men .................................................... 6.36 5.71 7.82 .45 .67 .63 1.04 2.80 3.98 .18 .23 .36 .37  Women .............................................. 5.34 4.95 6.24 .25 .18 .71 1.13 2.72 3.22 .32 .42 .24 .30 

Educational attainment, 25 years

and over

Less than a high school diploma .......... 6.23 5.85 7.03 .14 .21 .66 1.00 3.72 4.38 .18 .19 .64 .66 High school graduates, no college ....... 5.78 5.27 7.01 .19 .30 .53 .98 3.26 4.06 .29 .38 .40 .41 Some college or associate degree ....... 5.17 4.64 6.38 .24 .34 .55 1.03 2.61 3.44 .35 .39 .21 .27 Bachelor’s degree and higher ............... 4.61 4.05 5.95 .35 .39 .52 1.00 1.88 2.74 .45 .57 .18 .17 

 1 Includes other leisure and sports activities, not elsewhere classified, and travel related to leisure and sports activities. 2 These values are based on usual weekly earnings. The earnings data are limited to wage and salary workers (both incorporated and unincorporated se

excluded). Each earnings range represents approximately 25 percent of full-time wage and salary workers who held only one job.

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, 2012 quarterly and annual av

(Not seasonally adjusted)

Activity

2012

Quarterly averages 

I II III IV

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

 Personal care activities ................................................................................................... 9.62 9.52 9.41 9.40  Sleeping ....................................................................................................................... 8.88 8.73 8.67 8.65 

 Eating and drinking ......................................................................................................... 1.24 1.26 1.25 1.24  Household activities ........................................................................................................ 1.67 1.74 1.77 1.79  Housework ................................................................................................................... .63 .54 .59 .64 

 Food preparation and cleanup ..................................................................................... .52 .49 .51 .59  Lawn and garden care ................................................................................................. .10 .27 .25 .12 

 Household management ............................................................................................. .13 .13 .13 .12  Purchasing goods and services ...................................................................................... .75 .63 .71 .79 

 Consumer goods purchases ........................................................................................ .35 .31 .33 .42 

 Professional and personal care services ..................................................................... .10 .06 .09 .07 

 Caring for and helping household members ................................................................... .52 .49 .47 .56 

 Caring for and helping household children .................................................................. .42 .38 .37 .44 

 Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ............................................................. .19 .19 .19 .16 

 Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............................................................... .06 .07 .06 .05 

 Working and work-related activities ................................................................................ 3.52 3.70 3.54 3.38  Working ....................................................................................................................... 3.17 3.34 3.20 3.05 

 Educational activities ...................................................................................................... .57 .46 .36 .61  Attending class ............................................................................................................ .35 .28 .17 .31 

 Homework and research ............................................................................................. .18 .13 .14 .23  Organizational, civic, and religious activities .................................................................. .33 .36 .30 .30 

 Religious and spiritual activities ................................................................................... .15 .16 .16 .13 

 Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ......................................................... .13 .15 .10 .13 

 Leisure and sports .......................................................................................................... 5.17 5.28 5.63 5.37  Socializing and communicating ................................................................................... .66 .82 .78 .71 

 Watching television ...................................................................................................... 2.78 2.60 2.97 2.99  Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation .......................................................... .32 .37 .37 .23 

 Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................................................................... .16 .13 .14 .18  Other activities, not elsewhere classified ........................................................................ .26 .25 .22 .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.

NOTE: Data refer to persons 15 years and over.