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Technical information: (202) 691-6339

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

Media contact: 691-5902

USDL 07-0930

For release: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Thursday, June 28, 2007

AMERICAN TIME USE SURVEY—2006 RESULTS

 The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today that in 2006:

 • Employed persons worked 7.6 hours on average on the days that they worked. They worked more

hours on weekdays than on weekend days—8.0 versus 5.4 hours.

 • On the days that they worked, employed men worked about an hour more than employed women—

8.0 versus 7.1 hours.

 • 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.

 • On an average day (which includes weekends), persons ages 15 to 19 spent 3.3 hours engaged in

educational activities, more than quadruple the amount of time spent by individuals in any other age

group.

BLS has long produced statistics about the labor market, such as employment, hours of work, and

earnings. To provide a more complete picture of the context of employment, BLS also conducts the

American Time Use Survey (ATUS). The ATUS collects data on what activities people do during the

day and how much time they spend doing them.

This fourth annual release of ATUS data focuses on the time that Americans worked, did household

activities, cared for household children, participated in educational activities, and engaged in leisure and

sports activities in 2006. This report includes new measures of time use for younger and older Americans.

It also includes measures of the average time per day spent providing childcare—both as a primary activity

and while doing other things—for the combined years 2003-06.

Data collection for the ATUS began in January 2003. The survey is sponsored by the Bureau of Labor

Statistics and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. ATUS estimates for 2006 are based on interviews of

about 13,000 individuals. Respondents were interviewed only once and reported their activities for the 24-

hour period from 4 a.m. on the day before the interview until 4 a.m. on the day of the interview. If respondents reported doing more than one activity at a time, they were asked to identify which activity was primary.

(NOTE: This release was reissued on Thursday, July 19, 2007, to correct the

phrase in the first paragraph of “The Average Day” section that originally read

“remaining 5.1 hours” to read “remaining 4.7 hours.” This correction did not

affect any tables in the release.)
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Except for secondary childcare, activities done simultaneously with primary activities were not collected.

Activities were then grouped into categories for analysis. For a further description of the survey, see the

Technical Note.

The “Average Day”

“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, unemployed, or not in the labor force

(such as students or retirees). Data are collected for weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Thus, “average

day” measures reflect the average distribution of time across all persons and days. Activity profiles differ

based upon age, employment status, gender, and other characteristics. On an “average day” in 2006, persons in the U.S. age 15 and over slept about 8.6 hours, spent 5.1 hours doing leisure and sports activities,

worked for 3.8 hours, and spent 1.8 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 and who worked on that day

included 9.3 hours working, 7.6 hours sleeping, 3.0 hours doing leisure and sports activities, and 0.9 hour

doing household activities. The remaining 3.2 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 2006 because most employed persons did not work every day and some were not employed. (See

table 1.) For this reason, much of the analysis that follows uses time-use estimates that are restricted to

specific population groups, such as employed persons, or adults in households with children.

Working (by Employed Persons) in 2006

 • Employed persons worked 7.6 hours on average on the days that they worked. They worked longer

on weekdays than on weekend days—8.0 versus 5.4 hours. (See table 4.)

 • On the days that they worked, employed men worked about an hour 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 slightly longer than

women—8.4 versus 7.7 hours. (See table 4.)

 • Many more people worked on weekdays than on weekend days: 84 percent of employed persons

worked on an average weekday compared with 35 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. Hours worked at home averaged

2.6 hours per day while hours worked at a workplace averaged 7.9 hours per day. Men and women

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

 • Multiple jobholders were about twice as likely to work on an average weekend day as were single

jobholders—59 versus 32 percent. Multiple jobholders also were much more likely to work

at home than were single jobholders—39 versus 19 percent. (See tables 4 and 6.)
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 • Self-employed workers were more likely to work on an average weekend day (49 percent) than were

wage and salary workers (31 percent). Self-employed workers also were more likely than wage and

salary workers to have done some work at home—56 versus 17 percent. (See tables 5 and 7.)

Household Activities in 2006

 • On an average day, 84 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. (See

table 1.)

 • On the days that they did household activities, women spent an average of 2.7 hours on such activities

while men spent 2.1 hours. (See table 1.)

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

with 52 percent of women. Thirty-seven percent of men did food preparation or cleanup compared

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

Educational Activities in 2006

 • About 9 percent of the population engaged in educational activities on an average day. Those who

attended class spent an average of 4.5 hours doing so, and those who did homework and research

spent 2.4 hours in such activities. (See table 1.)

 • More people did homework on weekdays than on weekend days—7 versus 4 percent. However,

persons who did homework spent about the same amount of time doing it on weekdays (2.4 hours)

and weekend days (2.5 hours). (See table 2.)

 • On an average day, persons ages 15 to 19 spent 3.3 hours engaged in educational activities, more

than four times as long as individuals in any other age group. (See table 3.)

Leisure Activities in 2006

 • 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 (4.9 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, 20

versus 15 percent. On the days that they participated, men also spent more time in these activities than

women, 2.0 versus 1.2 hours, respectively. (See table 1.)

 • 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 1.4 hours of reading per weekend day and 0.2 hour (12

minutes) playing games or using a computer for leisure. Conversely, individuals ages 15 to 19 read for

an average of 0.1 hour (7 minutes) per weekend day and spent 1.0 hour playing games or using a

computer for leisure. (See table 11.)
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Care of Household Children (by Adults in Households with Children) for the combined years 2003-06

 • Adults living in households with children under 6 spent 2.0 hours providing primary childcare (such as

providing physical care or reading to children) 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). (See table 9.)

 • On weekdays, among adults living in households with children under 6, women spent 1.2 hours

providing physical childcare (such as bathing or feeding a child) to household children; by contrast,

men spent 0.4 hours (25 minutes). On weekends, women provided about an hour per day of

physical childcare while men provided about 30 minutes. (See table 9.)

 • Adults living in households with children under 6 spent an average of 5.6 hours per day providing

secondary childcare—that is, they had at least 1 child under age 13 in their care while doing other

things. Secondary childcare was most commonly performed while doing leisure activities (2.2 hours)

or household activities (1.4 hours). (See table 10.)

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

weekdays (2.1 hours) than on weekend days (1.7 hours). However, they spent less time providing

secondary childcare on weekdays than weekend days—4.8 versus 7.5 hours. (See tables 9

and 10.)

Microdata Release

Today, BLS also released ten 2006 ATUS microdata files for users who wish to do their own tabulations and analyses: the Respondent file, the Roster file, the Activity file, the Who file, the ATUS-CPS file,

the Activity summary file, the Case history file, the Call history file, the Trips file, and the Replicate weights

file. In accordance with BLS and Census Bureau policies that protect respondents’ privacy, identifying

information was removed from the microdata files and some responses have been edited. The 2006 microdata files are available on the BLS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/tus/datafiles_2006.htm. A brief description of the files follows:

 • The Respondent file contains information about ATUS respondents, including their labor force status

and earnings.

 • The Roster file contains information about household members and nonhousehold children (under age

18) of ATUS respondents. It includes information such as age and sex.

 • The Activity file contains information about how ATUS respondents spent 1 day. It includes information such as activity codes, activity start and stop times, and locations.

 • The Who file contains codes that indicate who was present during each activity.

 • The ATUS-CPS file contains information collected in the CPS about all individuals selected to participate in ATUS and those living with them. The information on the ATUS-CPS file was collected

2 to 5 months before the ATUS interview.

 • The Activity summary file contains information about the total time each ATUS respondent spent

doing each activity on the diary day (calculated from the Activity file) and selected variables from the

Respondent and the ATUS-CPS files.
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 • The Case history file contains information about the interview process, such as interviewer identifiers

and interview outcome codes.

 • The Call history file contains information about each interview attempt, including the call date and

outcome.

 • The Trips file contains information about times the respondent was away from home for 2 nights or

more in a specific reference month.

 • The Replicate weights file contains ATUS replicate weights and replicate base weights.

For More Information

For additional information, please see the Technical Note or the ATUS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/

tus/home.htm. Additional information about the ATUS also may be obtained by e-mailing

ATUSinfo@bls.gov or by calling (202) 691-6339. 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.
Technical Note

Survey methodology

Data collection for the American Time Use Survey (ATUS)

began in January 2003. Sample cases for the survey are

selected monthly and interviews are conducted continuously

throughout the year. In 2006, approximately 13,000 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, 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 designated person and his or her

spouse or unmarried partner. For designated persons 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 second- and 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 2006 ATUS Coding Lexicon

can be accessed at www.bls.gov/tus/lexicons.htm.

Concepts and definitions

 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 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 designated person reports. For example, the diary day of a designated person interviewed on Tuesday is Monday.

 Earnings

 Usual weekly earnings. Data represent the earnings of

full-time wage and salary workers before taxes and other

deductions and include any overtime pay, commissions,

or tips usually received (at the main job in the case of

multiple jobholders). 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,

monthly, annually, other) and how much they usually earn

in the reported time period. Earnings reported on a basis

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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. For example, 25 percent of full-time wage and sa-

 lary workers had weekly earnings of $460 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; and

2) All persons who 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 publication occurs 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 their own

children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews, or brothers or

sisters) or not related (such as foster children or children of

roommates). For secondary childcare calculations,

respondents are asked separately about care for own and nonown household children under age 13.

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/simultaneous activities. A secondary 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 something else,

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 other

activities. 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.

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, bathing, 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

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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 when identified by the respondent 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 respondents to maintain their households. These include

housework; cooking; yard care; pet care; vehicle maintenance

and repair; and home maintenance, repair, decoration, and

renovation. Food preparation, whether or not reported as done

specifically for another household member, is always classified

as a household activity, unless the respondent identified it as

a volunteer, work, or income-generating activity. For example,

“making breakfast for my son” is coded as a household activity,

not as childcare. Household management and organizational

activities—such as filling out paperwork, balancing a checkbook,

or planning a party—also are included in this category.

Purchasing goods and services. This category includes the

purchase of consumer goods as well as the purchase or use of

professional and personal care services, household services,

and government services. 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) are classified in this category. 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 respondents 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 or adult in the

respondent’s 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. Household members under age 18

are classified as children.

Primary childcare activities include physical care; playing

with children; reading to children; assistance with homework;

attending children’s events; taking care of children’s health

care 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 respondent’s

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 is care for children that is done while

doing something else. 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 wife 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 husband” is considered a helping activity.

Caring for and helping non-household members.

Activities done to care for and help any child or adult who is

not part of the respondent’s household, regardless of the

relationship to the respondent or the physical or mental health

status of the person being helped, are classified here. Caring

for and helping activities for non-household children and

adults are coded separately in subcategories. Non-household

members under age 18 are classified as children. When done

for or through an organization, time spent helping nonhousehold individuals is classified as volunteering, rather than

as helping non-household members. Non-household

childcare, even when done as a favor or helping activity for

another adult, is always classified as non-household childcare,

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. Activities done

outside of regular work hours are classified as work if identified

by respondents as part of their jobs. “Work-related activities”

include activities that are not obviously work but are identified

by the respondent as being 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 the
respondent’s regular job. Such activities might include selling

homemade crafts, babysitting, maintaining a rental property, or

having a yard sale. Respondents identify these activities as

ones they “are paid for or will be paid for.”

Travel time related to working and work-related activities

includes time spent commuting to and from one’s job, as well

as time spent traveling for work-related, income-generating,

and job search activities.

Educational activities. Educational activities include

taking classes (including Internet and other distance-learning

courses); doing research and homework; and taking care of

administrative tasks, 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. Activities are classified

separately by whether the educational activity was for a degree

or for personal interest. Educational activities do not include

time spent for classes or training that respondents identified as

part of their jobs. 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. 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 email 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 estimates due

to differences in sampling and response rates across

subpopulations and days of the week. Different methods were

used to produce weights for the originally published 2003, 2004

and 2005 data. For this release, data for those years were

reweighted in order to make them comparable to 2006 data.

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 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 persondays in the quarter for the population as a whole and for

selected subpopulations.

Suppression of estimates

Two modifications were made to the estimate suppression

method in this release. First, a review of the suppression

method used for previous news releases revealed an error that

caused more estimates to be suppressed then necessary. The

error was corrected for this release. Tables containing

estimates for 2003-05 incorporating this correction are available

upon request.

Second, for this release estimates below a weighted

population base of 1.2 million for single-year estimates or

300,000 for 4-year estimates were suppressed. In the past, a

weighted population base of 800,000 was required for singleyear estimates. The current standard is more restrictive than

in past years.

Taken together, implementation of these two changes

resulted in fewer estimates being suppressed than in previous

news releases.

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, 2006 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 ................................................. 9.41 9.21 9.59 100.0 100.0 100.0 9.41 9.22  Sleeping ..................................................................... 8.63 8.56 8.69 99.9 99.9 100.0 8.63 8.57  Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.23 1.25 1.22 96.0 96.0 96.1 1.29 1.31  Household activities ...................................................... 1.79 1.33 2.23 74.0 63.7 83.6 2.42 2.09  Housework ................................................................. .61 .25 .95 36.1 19.5 51.8 1.69 1.27  Food preparation and cleanup ................................... .53 .29 .75 51.6 37.1 65.2 1.02 .79  Lawn and garden care ............................................... .20 .26 .14 10.3 11.8 8.9 1.92 2.22  Household management ........................................... .13 .11 .14 18.5 15.4 21.4 .68 .70  Purchasing goods and services .................................... .81 .64 .96 45.5 40.3 50.3 1.78 1.60  Consumer goods purchases ...................................... .40 .29 .51 41.1 36.3 45.6 .98 .80  Professional and personal care services ................... .09 .06 .11 8.8 6.4 11.0 .98 .98  Caring for and helping household members ................. .53 .33 .71 25.2 19.9 30.2 2.09 1.64  Caring for and helping household children ................ .41 .24 .57 21.6 16.5 26.4 1.90 1.48  Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .21 .18 .24 13.1 11.3 14.8 1.63 1.63  Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .07 .07 .08 8.1 7.5 8.7 .92 .93  Working and work-related activities .............................. 3.75 4.53 3.02 46.5 52.6 40.8 8.06 8.60  Working ..................................................................... 3.40 4.10 2.74 44.8 51.0 39.0 7.59 8.04  Educational activities .................................................... .49 .45 .53 9.4 8.6 10.1 5.20 5.19  Attending class .......................................................... .30 .29 .32 6.8 6.4 7.1 4.51 4.55  Homework and research ........................................... .15 .12 .17 6.0 5.2 6.8 2.42 2.35  Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .30 .29 .31 13.3 12.0 14.5 2.26 2.39  Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .12 .11 .13 7.7 6.5 8.8 1.57 1.62  Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .13 .13 .13 6.7 6.2 7.1 2.00 2.14  Leisure and sports ........................................................ 5.09 5.47 4.72 96.4 96.4 96.4 5.28 5.68  Socializing and communicating ................................. .76 .71 .80 40.4 37.4 43.2 1.87 1.90  Watching television .................................................... 2.58 2.80 2.36 79.5 80.8 78.2 3.24 3.46  Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .28 .38 .18 17.1 19.5 14.8 1.64 1.96  Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .19 .12 .26 25.9 19.2 32.3 .73 .63  Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .21 .20 .22 13.9 12.2 15.5 1.50 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 2. Time spent in primary activities 1 and percent of the civilian population engaging in each

activity, averages per day on weekdays and weekends, 2006 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 ................................................. 9.12 10.08 100.0 100.0 9.12 10.08 Sleeping ..................................................................... 8.33 9.32 100.0 99.9 8.33 9.33 Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.18 1.37 96.1 95.7 1.22 1.43 Household activities ...................................................... 1.66 2.11 73.3 75.5 2.26 2.79 Housework ................................................................. .57 .70 35.1 38.5 1.62 1.82 Food preparation and cleanup ................................... .51 .57 52.1 50.5 .98 1.13 Lawn and garden care ............................................... .16 .27 9.6 11.9 1.72 2.30 Household management ........................................... .12 .15 18.7 18.0 .62 .83 Purchasing goods and services .................................... .76 .93 44.8 46.9 1.69 1.98 Consumer goods purchases ...................................... .34 .55 39.3 45.2 .87 1.22 Professional and personal care services ................... .10 .04 10.7 4.2 .98 1.02 Caring for and helping household members ................. .56 .45 26.6 21.8 2.10 2.04 Caring for and helping household children ................ .43 .37 22.8 18.8 1.87 1.99 Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .19 .26 12.5 14.5 1.53 1.81 Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .06 .11 7.6 9.5 .80 1.14 Working and work-related activities .............................. 4.77 1.36 56.2 23.9 8.48 5.70 Working ..................................................................... 4.33 1.23 54.2 22.8 7.98 5.42 Educational activities .................................................... .63 .16 10.7 6.4 5.90 2.49 Attending class .......................................................... .42 .04 8.5 2.7 4.90 1.63 Homework and research ........................................... .16 .10 6.9 4.0 2.38 2.54 Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .20 .53 10.4 20.0 1.95 2.63 Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .04 .30 4.1 16.0 1.06 1.88 Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .13 .15 6.7 6.7 1.89 2.25 Leisure and sports ........................................................ 4.54 6.37 95.9 97.6 4.73 6.52 Socializing and communicating ................................. .60 1.11 37.9 46.1 1.59 2.41 Watching television .................................................... 2.35 3.10 78.6 81.6 2.99 3.80 Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .26 .33 17.5 16.3 1.48 2.03 Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .20 .17 27.9 21.3 .71 .81 Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .20 .22 13.9 13.8 1.45 1.62

 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. 3 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, 2006 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 ....................... 9.41 1.23 1.79 0.81 0.53 0.21 3.75 0.49 0.30  15 to 19 years ..................................... 10.30 1.07 .76 .56 .15 .21 1.39 3.29 .34  20 to 24 years ..................................... 9.64 1.21 1.05 .67 .51 .20 4.23 .80 .21  25 to 34 years ..................................... 9.31 1.19 1.55 .81 1.07 .12 4.77 .39 .16  35 to 44 years ..................................... 9.12 1.18 1.87 .87 .98 .19 4.96 .15 .30  45 to 54 years ..................................... 9.10 1.17 1.97 .82 .36 .24 5.06 .09 .29  55 to 64 years ..................................... 9.19 1.31 2.11 .91 .16 .28 3.80 .04 .39  65 to 74 years ..................................... 9.68 1.44 2.64 .93 .13 .30 .94 .05 .38  75 years and over ............................... 9.83 1.50 2.32 .80 .12 .21 .34 .06 .43  Men, 15 years and over ....................... 9.21 1.25 1.33 .64 .33 .18 4.53 .45 .29  15 to 19 years ..................................... 10.26 1.02 .61 .38 .10 .20 1.53 3.08 .34  20 to 24 years ..................................... 9.36 1.23 .84 .46 .12 .22 4.62 .65 .23  25 to 34 years ..................................... 9.10 1.20 1.03 .62 .50 .11 6.00 .38 .15  35 to 44 years ..................................... 8.93 1.22 1.28 .66 .66 .14 6.13 .06 .28  45 to 54 years ..................................... 8.85 1.21 1.50 .64 .32 .21 5.85 .06 .29  55 to 64 years ..................................... 8.97 1.34 1.70 .79 .13 .21 4.26 .03 .37  65 to 74 years ..................................... 9.74 1.51 2.20 .87 .12 .30 1.07 .02 .34  75 years and over ............................... 9.60 1.52 1.77 .75 .17 .19 .61 .04 .44  Women, 15 years and over ................. 9.59 1.22 2.23 .96 .71 .24 3.02 .53 .31  15 to 19 years ..................................... 10.34 1.11 .92 .74 .19 .23 1.24 3.51 .33  20 to 24 years ..................................... 9.93 1.20 1.26 .87 .91 .17 3.83 .96 .19  25 to 34 years ..................................... 9.53 1.18 2.08 .99 1.64 .14 3.54 .40 .18  35 to 44 years ..................................... 9.31 1.15 2.45 1.07 1.30 .24 3.81 .23 .32  45 to 54 years ..................................... 9.35 1.12 2.42 1.00 .40 .27 4.31 .12 .29  55 to 64 years ..................................... 9.40 1.28 2.49 1.01 .19 .35 3.37 .05 .42  65 to 74 years ..................................... 9.63 1.39 3.01 .97 .14 .30 .83 .07 .41  75 years and over ............................... 9.98 1.48 2.68 .83 .09 .22 .17 .07 .43  White, 15 years and over ..................... 9.30 1.28 1.85 .81 .53 .21 3.76 .47 .29  Men ..................................................... 9.11 1.31 1.37 .64 .33 .19 4.61 .42 .28  Women ............................................... 9.49 1.25 2.31 .98 .71 .24 2.96 .52 .30 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, 2006 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 .............................................. 10.08 0.87 1.38 0.75 0.46 0.20 3.54 0.43 0.37 

 Men ..................................................... 9.93 .81 .98 .64 .22 .18 3.97 .50 .36  Women ............................................... 10.19 .92 1.72 .83 .67 .21 3.19 .38 .38  Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 15 years

and over .............................................. 9.67 1.18 1.85 .77 .60 .15 3.92 .69 .23 

 Men ..................................................... 9.60 1.20 1.17 .56 .31 .14 4.95 .71 .19  Women ............................................... 9.75 1.16 2.58 .99 .92 .16 2.81 .67 .28 Marital status and sex:

Married, spouse present ..................... 9.12 1.28 2.09 .88 .75 .21 4.08 .11 .33 

Men ................................................... 8.90 1.31 1.49 .73 .51 .18 5.04 .07 .33 Women ............................................. 9.35 1.25 2.69 1.04 1.00 .24 3.12 .15 .32 

Other marital statuses ........................ 9.75 1.18 1.43 .72 .25 .22 3.34 .94 .27 

Men ................................................... 9.63 1.18 1.13 .53 .09 .19 3.86 .93 .23 Women ............................................. 9.86 1.17 1.70 .88 .39 .24 2.89 .95 .30 

 Educational attainment, 25 years and

over:

Less than a high school diploma ........ 9.86 1.10 2.38 .80 .50 .20 2.57 .04 .25 High school graduates, no college 3 ... 9.42 1.19 2.05 .76 .46 .25 3.58 .07 .28 

Some college or associate degree ..... 9.21 1.24 1.94 .92 .58 .23 4.25 .22 .29 Bachelor’s degree and higher 4 .......... 8.94 1.41 1.77 .91 .71 .18 4.72 .22 .37 

 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, 2006 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 ........................................ 151,175 104,048 68.8 7.60 126,176 83.5 7.99 52,673  Full-time workers ................................................... 117,880 85,035 72.1 8.12 104,111 88.3 8.54 40,760  Part-time workers .................................................. 33,295 19,012 57.1 5.30 22,067 66.3 5.40 11,914  Men 5 ....................................................................... 80,637 57,426 71.2 8.04 69,041 85.6 8.47 30,198 

 Full-time workers ................................................... 68,954 50,722 73.6 8.44 61,214 88.8 8.89 25,697  Part-time workers .................................................. 11,684 6,704 57.4 5.08 7,747 66.3 5.01 4,491  Women 5 .................................................................. 70,538 46,622 66.1 7.06 57,124 81.0 7.41 22,506 

 Full-time workers ................................................... 48,926 34,314 70.1 7.65 42,891 87.7 8.03 15,146  Part-time workers .................................................. 21,611 12,308 57.0 5.42 14,320 66.3 5.60 7,390 

Jobholding status

Single jobholders ...................................................... 135,379 91,292 67.4 7.53 112,022 82.7 7.90 43,576 Multiple jobholders .................................................... 15,795 12,756 80.8 8.08 14,130 89.5 8.75 9,317 

Educational attainment, 25 years and over

Less than a high school diploma .............................. 11,035 7,301 66.2 7.87 9,279 84.1 7.96 2,713 High school graduates, no college 6 ......................... 36,699 24,815 67.6 8.05 30,589 83.4 8.28 11,539 

Some college or associate degree ........................... 34,941 24,388 69.8 7.74 29,668 84.9 8.13 11,780 Bachelor’s degree and higher 7 ................................ 44,584 32,735 73.4 7.38 39,511 88.6 8.06 17,335 

 1 Holidays are New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas 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, 2006 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 ......................................... 139,901 94,208 67.3 7.61 115,885 82.8 7.95 43,855 Self-employed workers ............................................. 11,115 7,964 71.6 6.40 9,031 81.3 6.92 5,458 

Occupation (main job only)

Management, business, and financial operations .... 21,568 16,135 74.8 7.69 19,626 91.0 8.33 8,103 Professional and related ........................................... 32,540 22,872 70.3 7.21 28,124 86.4 7.79 10,336 Services .................................................................... 25,897 15,804 61.0 7.07 18,051 69.7 7.19 10,355 Sales and related ...................................................... 17,208 11,879 69.0 7.28 13,530 78.6 7.60 8,234 Office and administrative support ............................. 20,337 12,669 62.3 7.32 16,287 80.1 7.54 4,075 Farming, fishing, and forestry ................................... 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 6 ( ) 

Construction and extraction ...................................... 8,202 5,338 65.1 8.08 7,274 88.7 8.34 1,331 Installation, maintenance, and repair ........................ 5,510 3,880 70.4 8.16 4,871 88.4 8.37 1,441 Production ................................................................ 9,745 6,627 68.0 8.13 8,560 87.8 8.39 2,590 Transportation and material moving ......................... 9,055 6,300 69.6 8.32 7,824 86.4 8.32 2,705 

Earnings of full-time wage and salary workers

(main job only) 5

0 - $460 .................................................................... 26,950 18,575 68.9 7.73 22,950 85.2 7.86 8,662 $461 - $710 .............................................................. 26,514 17,650 66.6 8.05 22,026 83.1 8.34 6,772 $711 - $1,100 ........................................................... 27,002 19,427 71.9 8.24 24,633 91.2 8.58 7,462 $1,101 and higher ..................................................... 26,546 19,256 72.5 8.08 23,784 89.6 8.72 9,022 

 1 Holidays are New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas 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. 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, 2006 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 ........................................ 151,175 104,048 68.8 7.60 89,664 86.2 7.87 21,980  Full-time workers ................................................... 117,880 85,035 72.1 8.12 74,487 87.6 8.31 17,729  Part-time workers .................................................. 33,295 19,012 57.1 5.30 15,177 79.8 5.74 4,251  Men 4 ....................................................................... 80,637 57,426 71.2 8.04 49,741 86.6 8.28 12,386 

 Full-time workers ................................................... 68,954 50,722 73.6 8.44 44,428 87.6 8.61 10,828  Part-time workers .................................................. 11,684 6,704 57.4 5.08 5,313 79.2 5.59 1,558  Women 4 .................................................................. 70,538 46,622 66.1 7.06 39,923 85.6 7.36 9,594 

 Full-time workers ................................................... 48,926 34,314 70.1 7.65 30,059 87.6 7.87 6,901  Part-time workers .................................................. 21,611 12,308 57.0 5.42 9,865 80.1 5.82 2,693 

Jobholding status

Single jobholders ...................................................... 135,379 91,292 67.4 7.53 79,351 86.9 7.85 17,054 Multiple jobholders .................................................... 15,795 12,756 80.8 8.08 10,313 80.8 8.05 4,926 

Educational attainment, 25 years and over

Less than a high school diploma .............................. 11,035 7,301 66.2 7.87 6,869 94.1 7.92 402 

High school graduates, no college 5 ......................... 36,699 24,815 67.6 8.05 22,402 90.3 8.15 3,227 

Some college or associate degree ........................... 34,941 24,388 69.8 7.74 21,212 87.0 8.04 4,983 Bachelor’s degree and higher 6 ................................ 44,584 32,735 73.4 7.38 25,496 77.9 7.88 12,104 

 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, 2006 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 ......................................... 139,901 94,208 67.3 7.61 84,013 89.2 7.85 15,557 Self-employed workers ............................................. 11,115 7,964 71.6 6.40 4,565 57.3 7.10 4,447 

Occupation (main job only)

Management, business, and financial operations .... 21,568 16,135 74.8 7.69 12,757 79.1 8.13 5,206 Professional and related ........................................... 32,540 22,872 70.3 7.21 18,739 81.9 7.69 7,592 Services .................................................................... 25,897 15,804 61.0 7.07 13,981 88.5 7.21 1,918 Sales and related ...................................................... 17,208 11,879 69.0 7.28 10,164 85.6 7.68 2,415 Office and administrative support ............................. 20,337 12,669 62.3 7.32 11,725 92.5 7.65 1,039 

Farming, fishing, and forestry ................................... 5 ( ) 5 ( ) 5 ( ) 5 ( ) 5 ( ) 5 ( ) 5 ( ) 5 ( ) Construction and extraction ...................................... 8,202 5,338 65.1 8.08 4,861 91.1 8.13 776 Installation, maintenance, and repair ........................ 5,510 3,880 70.4 8.16 3,618 93.2 8.19 423 Production ................................................................ 9,745 6,627 68.0 8.13 6,395 96.5 8.23 249 Transportation and material moving ......................... 9,055 6,300 69.6 8.32 5,670 90.0 8.35 384 

Earnings of full-time wage and salary workers

(main job only) 4

0 - $460 .................................................................... 26,950 18,575 68.9 7.73 17,561 94.5 7.81 1,431 

$461 - $710 .............................................................. 26,514 17,650 66.6 8.05 16,328 92.5 8.23 1,954 $711 - $1,100 ........................................................... 27,002 19,427 71.9 8.24 17,613 90.7 8.46 3,155 $1,101 and higher ..................................................... 26,546 19,256 72.5 8.08 16,212 84.2 8.49 5,576 

 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.

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, 2006 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 ................................................. 9.22 8.90 9.48 9.29 9.08 9.48 9.42 9.22  Sleeping ..................................................................... 8.60 8.35 8.80 8.51 8.42 8.60 8.59 8.55  Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.16 1.23 1.10 1.14 1.15 1.13 1.31 1.32  Household activities ...................................................... 1.94 1.25 2.49 1.93 1.36 2.43 1.82 1.43  Housework ................................................................. .73 .26 1.12 .70 .26 1.09 .58 .25  Food preparation and cleanup ................................... .69 .33 .99 .61 .33 .87 .50 .30  Lawn and garden care ............................................... .15 .23 .09 .17 .25 .11 .23 .29  Household management ........................................... .11 .09 .13 .12 .09 .14 .14 .12  Purchasing goods and services .................................... .83 .63 .99 .90 .71 1.06 .81 .67  Consumer goods purchases ...................................... .45 .33 .55 .46 .30 .60 .39 .29  Professional and personal care services ................... .07 .04 .09 .07 .04 .10 .10 .08  Caring for and helping household members ................. 1.98 1.24 2.57 .81 .55 1.03 .07 .05  Caring for and helping household children ................ 1.76 1.09 2.30 .61 .40 .80 – –  Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .12 .10 .14 .16 .16 .16 .26 .22  Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .06 .04 .08 .06 .07 .04 .09 .08  Working and work-related activities ........................... 4.21 6.06 2.71 4.44 5.44 3.57 3.68 4.24 

 Working ................................................................... 3.82 5.46 2.49 4.03 4.90 3.26 3.35 3.87 

 Educational activities .................................................... .16 .13 .18 .27 .20 .32 .29 .23  Attending class .......................................................... .07 .05 .09 .12 .11 .12 .14 .11  Homework and research ........................................... .08 .07 .08 .12 .08 .16 .12 .11  Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .24 .22 .25 .32 .29 .34 .30 .29  Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .10 .09 .11 .12 .10 .14 .12 .10  Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .10 .10 .10 .15 .14 .15 .13 .13  Leisure and sports ........................................................ 3.86 4.04 3.71 4.38 4.71 4.08 5.63 5.99  Socializing and communicating ................................. .75 .72 .78 .75 .72 .77 .74 .70  Watching television .................................................... 1.97 2.02 1.92 2.20 2.39 2.03 2.92 3.18  Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .21 .29 .15 .27 .39 .17 .26 .33  Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .12 .05 .18 .14 .10 .18 .21 .13  Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .17 .14 .19 .23 .24 .23 .21 .20 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, 2006 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 8.73 9.31 9.08 8.79 9.37 9.12 8.89  Sleeping ..................................................................... 8.34 8.19 8.54 8.31 8.17 8.46 8.31 8.19  Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.18 1.24 1.10 1.14 1.16 1.13 1.28 1.31  Household activities ...................................................... 1.49 1.16 1.92 1.68 1.30 2.07 1.39 1.15  Housework ................................................................. .51 .24 .86 .55 .22 .89 .39 .21  Food preparation and cleanup ................................... .48 .29 .73 .52 .31 .74 .36 .23  Lawn and garden care ............................................... .15 .21 .07 .18 .24 .11 .17 .20  Household management ........................................... .11 .10 .13 .11 .09 .13 .12 .11  Purchasing goods and services .................................... .78 .63 .98 .82 .69 .95 .75 .59  Consumer goods purchases ...................................... .41 .33 .52 .42 .31 .54 .37 .27  Professional and personal care services ................... .06 .03 .10 .06 .04 .09 .08 .06  Caring for and helping household members ................. 1.60 1.20 2.13 .72 .53 .91 .04 .03  Caring for and helping household children ................ 1.40 1.05 1.86 .54 .39 .70 – –  Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .09 .09 .09 .15 .17 .14 .23 .20  Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .03 .04 .03 .06 .07 .04 .09 .08  Working and work-related activities ........................... 5.78 6.61 4.70 5.66 6.44 4.86 5.88 6.26 

 Working ................................................................... 5.29 5.98 4.38 5.18 5.84 4.50 5.40 5.75 

 Educational activities .................................................... .14 .12 .16 .21 .16 .26 .26 .20  Attending class .......................................................... .06 .05 .09 .08 .08 .08 .12 .09  Homework and research ........................................... .06 .06 .06 .12 .07 .16 .12 .10  Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .23 .21 .25 .31 .30 .31 .24 .26  Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .10 .10 .11 .11 .10 .13 .09 .09  Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .09 .08 .10 .15 .16 .14 .10 .11  Leisure and sports ........................................................ 3.51 3.85 3.06 3.90 4.17 3.63 4.49 4.84  Socializing and communicating ................................. .73 .71 .75 .67 .63 .71 .66 .63  Watching television .................................................... 1.71 1.90 1.46 1.93 2.12 1.74 2.26 2.46  Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .22 .29 .12 .24 .33 .15 .26 .33  Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .10 .05 .16 .11 .08 .14 .17 .11  Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .14 .12 .16 .21 .20 .22 .16 .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, 2006 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 ................................................. 9.84 10.62 9.71 10.04 10.61 9.75 9.90 9.90  Sleeping ..................................................................... 9.26 9.97 9.14 9.21 9.72 8.95 9.06 9.27  Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.12 1.22 1.10 1.12 1.09 1.13 1.36 1.35  Household activities ...................................................... 3.08 2.13 3.24 2.80 1.72 3.35 2.53 1.98  Housework ................................................................. 1.32 .43 1.47 1.21 .44 1.60 .89 .35  Food preparation and cleanup ................................... 1.24 .69 1.33 .94 .42 1.21 .72 .42  Lawn and garden care ............................................... .15 .43 .10 .16 .26 .11 .34 .49  Household management ........................................... .11 .03 .13 .15 .13 .16 .18 .14  Purchasing goods and services .................................... .95 .63 1.00 1.17 .85 1.33 .90 .82  Consumer goods purchases ...................................... .56 .39 .59 .59 .25 .77 .41 .34  Professional and personal care services ................... .08 .07 .09 .10 .04 .13 .14 .12  Caring for and helping household members ................. 2.94 1.68 3.15 1.11 .63 1.36 .12 .10  Caring for and helping household children ................ 2.67 1.53 2.86 .86 .47 1.06 – –  Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .21 .18 .21 .18 .13 .20 .32 .27  Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .12 .06 .13 .06 .07 .05 .09 .09  Working and work-related activities 3 ........................... .18 .56 .12 .20 .23 .19 .10 .15 

 Working 3 ................................................................... .04 .10 .03 .03 .00 .04 .02 .05 

 Educational activities .................................................... .22 .25 .22 .44 .41 .46 .33 .30  Attending class .......................................................... .09 .03 .10 .25 .26 .24 .17 .15  Homework and research ........................................... .12 .19 .10 .15 .12 .17 .13 .12  Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .26 .31 .25 .35 .22 .41 .39 .34  Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .11 .07 .12 .16 .11 .18 .16 .13  Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .12 .22 .10 .14 .06 .18 .17 .17  Leisure and sports ........................................................ 4.76 5.97 4.56 6.02 7.55 5.25 7.48 8.33  Socializing and communicating ................................. .81 .75 .82 1.03 1.23 .93 .87 .84  Watching television .................................................... 2.63 3.22 2.53 3.14 3.79 2.80 4.00 4.64  Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .20 .31 .18 .38 .71 .21 .24 .35  Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .18 .04 .20 .26 .15 .31 .27 .16  Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .25 .40 .22 .31 .44 .24 .30 .29 

 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 2003-06

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 ................................ 1.31 0.82 1.73 1.40 0.79 1.92 1.1

Physical care ........................................................................................ .45 .22 .64 .48 .21 .70 .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 ..................................................... .25 .22 .28 .24 .19 .28 .2Looking after children ........................................................................... .07 .06 .09 .07 .05 .08 .0Attending children’s events ................................................................... .06 .05 .06 .05 .04 .05 .0Travel related to care of household children ........................................ .17 .11 .23 .21 .12 .28 .0Other childcare activities ...................................................................... .12 .06 .17 .14 .06 .21 .0Persons in households with youngest child 6 to 17 years:

Caring for household children as a primary activity ............................ .78 .49 1.02 .86 .51 1.16 .5

Physical care .................................................................................... .15 .07 .23 .17 .07 .26 .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 ................................................. .05 .07 .05 .05 .06 .04 .0Looking after children ....................................................................... .04 .03 .05 .04 .03 .05 .0Attending children’s events ............................................................... .07 .06 .08 .06 .05 .07 .1Travel related to care of household children .................................... .16 .10 .21 .19 .12 .25 .0Other childcare activities .................................................................. .10 .05 .13 .11 .05 .17 .0

Persons in households with youngest child under 6:

Caring for household children as a primary activity ............................ 1.96 1.22 2.58 2.06 1.15 2.83 1.7

Physical care .................................................................................... .81 .41 1.15 .85 .39 1.23 .7Education-related activities ............................................................... .08 .05 .10 .10 .06 .14 .0Reading to/with children ................................................................... .06 .03 .08 .06 .03 .09 .0Talking to/with children ..................................................................... .03 .02 .04 .04 .02 .05 .0Playing/doing hobbies with children ................................................. .49 .41 .56 .47 .35 .57 .5Looking after children ....................................................................... .12 .10 .13 .11 .08 .13 .1Attending children’s events ............................................................... .04 .03 .04 .03 .02 .04 .0Travel related to care of household children .................................... .18 .11 .25 .23 .12 .32 .0Other childcare activities .................................................................. .15 .07 .22 .18 .07 .27 .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

and Thanksgiving Day in 2003-05.
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 2003-06

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 4.11 6.30 4.37 3.00 5.50 7.49 6

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

Personal care activities ..................................................................................... .28 .20 .35 .25 .18 .31 .34 

Household activities .......................................................................................... 1.27 .70 1.74 1.08 .49 1.57 1.70 1Purchasing goods and services ........................................................................ .41 .26 .53 .31 .15 .45 .63 

Working and work-related activities .................................................................. .20 .16 .23 .22 .16 .27 .15 Eating and drinking ........................................................................................... .64 .56 .71 .53 .44 .61 .90 Leisure and sports ............................................................................................ 2.10 1.94 2.23 1.66 1.40 1.86 3.14 3Other activities .................................................................................................. .41 .29 .51 .31 .17 .42 .65 Persons in households with youngest child 6 to 12, total ................................. 4.88 3.94 5.65 3.79 2.75 4.63 7.43 6

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

Personal care activities ................................................................................. .27 .19 .33 .24 .17 .29 .34 

Household activities ...................................................................................... 1.13 .70 1.48 .88 .45 1.22 1.73 1Purchasing goods and services .................................................................... .32 .20 .42 .23 .11 .33 .54 Working and work-related activities .............................................................. .22 .18 .24 .23 .17 .29 .17 Eating and drinking ....................................................................................... .55 .50 .60 .44 .38 .49 .81 Leisure and sports ........................................................................................ 1.99 1.86 2.10 1.49 1.28 1.66 3.15 3Other activities .............................................................................................. .39 .30 .47 .27 .18 .35 .68 

Persons in households with youngest child under 6, total ................................ 5.62 4.24 6.78 4.79 3.18 6.13 7.54 6

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

Personal care activities ................................................................................. .28 .20 .35 .26 .19 .32 .33 

Household activities ...................................................................................... 1.37 .70 1.92 1.23 .52 1.83 1.67 1Purchasing goods and services .................................................................... .47 .30 .61 .37 .18 .53 .70 Working and work-related activities .............................................................. .19 .15 .22 .21 .15 .27 .13 Eating and drinking ....................................................................................... .71 .61 .78 .59 .48 .69 .96 Leisure and sports ........................................................................................ 2.18 2.00 2.34 1.77 1.49 2.01 3.13 3Other activities .............................................................................................. .42 .28 .54 .34 .17 .47 .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

Day in 2003 and Thanksgiving Day in 2003-05.
Table 11. Time spent in leisure and sports activities for the civilian population by selected characteristics, 2006 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 ....................................................... 5.47 4.83 6.98 0.35 0.47 0.57 1.05 2.49 3.53 0.28 0.38 0.31 0.34 Women ................................................. 4.72 4.26 5.80 .18 .20 .64 1.17 2.22 2.69 .38 .51 .28 .33 

Age

Total, 15 years and over ....................... 5.09 4.54 6.37 .26 .33 .60 1.11 2.35 3.10 .33 .44 .29 .33  15 to 19 years .................................... 5.40 4.85 6.68 .58 .69 .76 1.32 1.96 2.45 .11 .11 .15 .13  20 to 24 years .................................... 5.03 4.45 6.42 .38 .54 .77 1.26 1.95 2.66 .14 .24 .18 .22  25 to 34 years .................................... 4.30 3.64 5.86 .20 .30 .57 1.22 1.92 2.85 .15 .19 .17 .20  35 to 44 years .................................... 4.09 3.56 5.34 .21 .28 .48 1.04 1.88 2.65 .20 .26 .26 .26  45 to 54 years .................................... 4.52 3.90 5.98 .20 .34 .57 1.05 2.11 3.03 .29 .40 .25 .27  55 to 64 years .................................... 5.41 4.78 6.90 .21 .25 .57 1.05 2.59 3.59 .50 .65 .32 .46  65 to 74 years .................................... 6.97 6.64 7.75 .29 .16 .64 1.08 3.75 4.07 .70 .90 .49 .59  75 years and over .............................. 7.82 7.66 8.18 .18 .16 .69 .90 4.15 4.28 .97 1.35 .86 .83 

Race and Hispanic or Latino

ethnicity

White .................................................... 5.09 4.51 6.43 .27 .35 .62 1.12 2.31 3.12 .35 .48 .26 .31 Black or African American .................... 5.49 5.10 6.39 .19 .22 .59 1.02 2.85 3.44 .24 .23 .50 .54 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity ................... 4.63 4.09 5.90 .26 .31 .58 1.32 2.38 2.98 .12 .12 .21 .23 

Employment status

Employed .............................................. 4.18 3.51 5.74 .22 .33 .52 1.07 1.77 2.75 .24 .31 .19 .25  Full-time workers ............................... 4.09 3.36 5.78 .21 .33 .48 1.08 1.72 2.79 .20 .31 .19 .26  Part-time workers .............................. 4.52 4.06 5.58 .26 .36 .67 1.04 1.96 2.60 .35 .32 .19 .21 Not employed ....................................... 6.75 6.42 7.55 .32 .32 .76 1.19 3.41 3.76 .50 .68 .49 .48 

Earnings of full-time wage and

salary workers (main job only) 3

0 - $460 ................................................ 4.25 3.56 5.81 .17 .21 .44 1.14 1.88 2.92 .20 .21 .23 .32 $461 - $710 .......................................... 4.22 3.56 5.85 .18 .26 .51 .99 1.78 3.02 .15 .27 .23 .30 $711 - $1,100 ....................................... 4.15 3.37 5.96 .20 .32 .50 1.15 1.79 2.91 .20 .29 .20 .27 $1,101 and higher ................................. 3.88 3.12 5.61 .30 .48 .49 1.03 1.48 2.38 .26 .49 .11 .18 See footnotes at end of table.
Table 11. Time spent in leisure and sports activities for the civilian population by selected characteristics, 2006 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 ........... 5.63 5.09 6.90 0.25 0.31 0.61 1.06 2.66 3.47 0.44 0.60 0.35 0.41 Household children under 18 ................ 4.27 3.71 5.57 .27 .36 .59 1.19 1.88 2.55 .17 .21 .22 .22  Children 13 to 17 years, none

younger ........................................... 4.92 4.40 6.24 .41 .45 .73 1.14 1.97 2.87 .24 .28 .25 .19 

 Children 6 to 12 years, none younger 4.24 3.63 5.65 .27 .37 .54 1.18 1.97 2.50 .17 .24 .20 .24  Youngest child under 6 years ............ 3.92 3.36 5.17 .20 .32 .55 1.21 1.77 2.42 .13 .16 .21 .21 

Marital status and sex

Married, spouse present ....................... 4.79 4.23 6.10 .21 .27 .57 1.14 2.24 3.01 .34 .47 .30 .33  Men .................................................... 5.16 4.52 6.71 .25 .35 .53 1.06 2.45 3.55 .32 .45 .34 .35  Women .............................................. 4.41 3.95 5.50 .18 .19 .62 1.22 2.02 2.48 .36 .50 .25 .31 Other marital statuses .......................... 5.45 4.91 6.68 .31 .40 .64 1.07 2.49 3.20 .32 .41 .29 .33  Men .................................................... 5.87 5.24 7.31 .47 .62 .62 1.03 2.54 3.50 .23 .29 .27 .32  Women .............................................. 5.08 4.62 6.12 .18 .22 .66 1.11 2.45 2.93 .40 .51 .31 .34 

Educational attainment, 25 years

and over

Less than a high school diploma .......... 6.01 5.54 7.13 .13 .18 .56 1.14 3.51 4.13 .26 .21 .64 .79 High school graduates, no college 4 ..... 5.57 5.06 6.76 .17 .22 .58 1.03 2.97 3.78 .32 .49 .39 .42 

Some college or associate degree ....... 4.76 4.23 6.02 .23 .22 .55 1.08 2.15 2.99 .44 .47 .26 .28 Bachelor’s degree and higher 5 ............ 4.33 3.69 5.78 .28 .41 .57 1.09 1.62 2.40 .44 .66 .17 .19 

 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. 3 These values are based on usual weekly earnings. Each earnings range represents approximately 25 percent of full-time wage and salary workers. 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, 2003-06 quarterly and annual 

(Not seasonally adjusted)

Activity

Quarterly averages

I II

2003 r 2004 r 2005 r 2006 2003 r 2004 r 2005 

Total, all activities 2 ......................................................... 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.0

 Personal care activities ................................................. 9.38 9.44 9.52 9.42 9.28 9.33 9.3 Sleeping ..................................................................... 8.64 8.66 8.68 8.62 8.50 8.57 8.5 Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.14 1.24 1.25 1.25 1.26 1.31 1.2 Household activities ...................................................... 1.72 1.76 1.67 1.74 1.93 1.91 1.9 Housework ................................................................. .63 .60 .60 .60 .60 .60 .5 Food preparation and cleanup ................................... .56 .57 .52 .54 .52 .50 .4 Lawn and garden care ............................................... .08 .08 .07 .07 .33 .32 .3 Household management ........................................... .12 .13 .15 .14 .12 .14 .1 Purchasing goods and services .................................... .76 .78 .73 .79 .83 .78 .8 Consumer purchases ................................................ .37 .39 .37 .39 .40 .36 .4 Professional and personal care services ................... .10 .09 .08 .08 .10 .09 .0 Caring for and helping household members ................. .57 .57 .56 .58 .53 .54 .5 Caring for and helping household children ................ .45 .43 .45 .43 .40 .41 .4 Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .24 .23 .22 .20 .30 .31 .2 Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .09 .08 .07 .06 .11 .11 .0 Working and work-related activities .............................. 3.64 3.43 3.71 3.67 3.81 3.74 3.7 Working ..................................................................... 3.28 3.09 3.36 3.32 3.43 3.41 3.3 Educational activities .................................................... .54 .65 .51 .55 .43 .43 .4 Attending class .......................................................... .33 .40 .30 .35 .26 .26 .2 Homework and research ........................................... .14 .19 .16 .16 .13 .13 .1 Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .31 .32 .33 .27 .31 .32 .3 Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .15 .12 .13 .11 .13 .12 .1 Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .12 .16 .15 .12 .14 .16 .1 Leisure and sports ........................................................ 5.24 5.22 5.21 5.14 4.98 5.02 5.0 Socializing and communicating ................................. .70 .65 .72 .69 .83 .78 .6 Watching television .................................................... 2.85 2.83 2.77 2.78 2.40 2.44 2.4 Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .26 .25 .22 .24 .29 .33 .3 Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .20 .19 .18 .20 .18 .18 .1 Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .26 .17 .13 .18 .18 .14 .1

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 12. Average hours per day spent in primary activities 1 for the civilian population, 2003-06 quarterly and annual 

Continued

(Not seasonally adjusted)

Activity

Quarterly averages

III IV

2003 r 2004 r 2005 r 2006 2003 r 2004 r 2005 

Total, all activities 2 ......................................................... 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.0

 Personal care activities ................................................. 9.33 9.32 9.42 9.38 9.36 9.25 9.4 Sleeping ..................................................................... 8.52 8.51 8.64 8.61 8.61 8.45 8.6 Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.20 1.24 1.24 1.24 1.22 1.19 1.2 Household activities ...................................................... 1.85 1.87 1.91 1.77 1.83 1.70 1.7 Housework ................................................................. .59 .61 .63 .58 .63 .55 .6 Food preparation and cleanup ................................... .51 .50 .50 .51 .54 .50 .5 Lawn and garden care ............................................... .26 .25 .24 .25 .12 .13 .1 Household management ........................................... .13 .13 .14 .11 .15 .15 .1 Purchasing goods and services .................................... .82 .82 .80 .77 .84 .88 .8 Consumer purchases ................................................ .38 .40 .40 .38 .46 .47 .4 Professional and personal care services ................... .10 .09 .07 .08 .08 .09 .0 Caring for and helping household members ................. .52 .57 .50 .48 .62 .58 .5 Caring for and helping household children ................ .38 .45 .39 .38 .48 .42 .4 Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .30 .29 .22 .20 .28 .26 .2 Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .11 .14 .07 .08 .10 .09 .0 Working and work-related activities .............................. 3.77 3.68 3.81 3.84 3.56 3.80 3.5 Working ..................................................................... 3.40 3.32 3.46 3.52 3.21 3.49 3.2 Educational activities .................................................... .36 .26 .27 .38 .56 .57 .5 Attending class .......................................................... .20 .15 .16 .24 .35 .36 .3 Homework and research ........................................... .11 .08 .08 .11 .16 .16 .2 Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .33 .30 .29 .26 .33 .30 .3 Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .15 .13 .13 .12 .13 .11 .1 Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .14 .14 .12 .09 .15 .14 .1 Leisure and sports ........................................................ 5.15 5.35 5.19 5.23 5.07 5.15 5.1 Socializing and communicating ................................. .86 .87 .82 .82 .73 .72 .7 Watching television .................................................... 2.43 2.53 2.44 2.50 2.64 2.78 2.6 Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .36 .31 .32 .33 .25 .28 .2 Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .19 .16 .18 .20 .19 .19 .2 Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .18 .14 .18 .25 .13 .13 .2

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 12. Average hours per day spent in primary activities 1 for the civilian

population, 2003-06 quarterly and annual averages — Continued

(Not seasonally adjusted)

Activity

Annual averages

2003 r 2004 r 2005 r 2006

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

 Personal care activities ................................................. 9.34 9.33 9.43 9.41 Sleeping ..................................................................... 8.57 8.55 8.62 8.63 Eating and drinking ....................................................... 1.21 1.24 1.24 1.23 Household activities ...................................................... 1.83 1.81 1.83 1.79 Housework ................................................................. .61 .59 .61 .61 Food preparation and cleanup ................................... .53 .52 .51 .53 Lawn and garden care ............................................... .20 .20 .20 .20 Household management ........................................... .13 .14 .15 .13 Purchasing goods and services .................................... .81 .82 .80 .81 Consumer purchases ................................................ .40 .41 .41 .40 Professional and personal care services ................... .09 .09 .08 .09 Caring for and helping household members ................. .56 .56 .54 .53 Caring for and helping household children ................ .42 .43 .42 .41 Caring for and helping nonhousehold members ........... .28 .27 .24 .21 Caring for and helping nonhousehold adults ............. .10 .11 .08 .07 Working and work-related activities .............................. 3.69 3.66 3.70 3.75 Working ..................................................................... 3.33 3.33 3.36 3.40 Educational activities .................................................... .47 .48 .43 .49 Attending class .......................................................... .29 .29 .26 .30 Homework and research ........................................... .13 .14 .14 .15 Organizational, civic, and religious activities ................ .32 .31 .31 .30 Religious and spiritual activities ................................. .14 .12 .13 .12 Volunteering (organizational and civic activities) ....... .14 .15 .15 .13 Leisure and sports ........................................................ 5.11 5.19 5.13 5.09 Socializing and communicating ................................. .78 .76 .75 .76 Watching television .................................................... 2.58 2.65 2.58 2.58 Participating in sports, exercise, and recreation ........ .29 .29 .29 .28 Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail ................................. .19 .18 .18 .19 Other activities, not elsewhere classified ...................... .19 .14 .17 .21

 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.

 r = revised. Estimates for 2003, 2004, and 2005 have been revised to reflect the use of new weights. See the

Technical Note for additional information.

NOTE: Data refer to persons 15 years and over.