Technical information: (202) 691-6339 USDL 09-0704
http://www.bls.gov/tus/
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EDT)
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Wednesday, June 24, 2009
AMERICAN TIME USE SURVEY--2008 RESULTS
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor
today released 2008 results from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS).
This annual release of ATUS data focuses on the average amount of time
per day in 2008 that individuals worked, did household activities, cared
for household children, participated in educational activities, and en-
gaged in leisure and sports activities. It also includes measures of
the average time per day spent providing childcare--both as a primary
(or main) activity and while doing other things--for the combined years
2004-08. Except for childcare, activities done simultaneously with pri-
mary activities were not collected. For a further description of ATUS
data and methodology, see the Technical Note.
Working (by Employed Persons) in 2008
--Employed persons worked an average of 7.6 hours on the days that they
worked. They worked longer on weekdays than on weekend days--7.9 ver-
sus 5.6 hours. (See table 4.)
--On the days that they worked, employed men worked about 0.9 hour (52
minutes) more than employed women. This difference partly reflects
women's greater likelihood of working part time. However, even among
full-time workers (those usually working 35 hours or more per week),
men worked longer than women--8.3 versus 7.7 hours. (See table 4.)
--Many more people worked on weekdays than on weekend days; that is,
they spent some time doing tasks required for a job, regardless of
whether it was part of their usual work schedule or arrangement.
Eighty-three percent of employed persons worked on an average weekday
compared with 34 percent on an average weekend day. (See table 4.)
--On the days that they worked, 21 percent of employed persons did some
or all of their work at home, and 86 percent did some or all of their
work at their workplace. Men and women were about equally likely to
do some or all of their work at home. (See table 6.)
--Multiple jobholders were almost twice as likely to work on an average
weekend day as were single jobholders--59 versus 31 percent. Multiple
jobholders also were much more likely to work at home than were single
jobholders--36 versus 19 percent. (See tables 4 and 6.)
--Self-employed workers were more likely than wage and salary workers to
have done some work at home--55 versus 17 percent. (See table 7.)
--On the days that they worked, 35 percent of employed people age 25 and
over with a bachelor's degree or higher did some work at home compared
with only 9 percent of those with less than a high school diploma.
(See table 6.)
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Household Activities in 2008
--On an average day, 83 percent of women and 64 percent of men spent some
time doing household activities, such as housework, cooking, lawn care,
or financial and other household management. (For a definition of aver-
age day, see the Technical Note.) (See table 1.)
--On the days that they did household activities, women spent an average of
2.6 hours on such activities, while men spent 2.0 hours. (See table 1.)
--On an average day, 20 percent of men did housework--such as cleaning or
doing laundry--compared with 50 percent of women. Thirty-eight percent
of men did food preparation or cleanup compared with 65 percent of women.
(See table 1.)
Educational Activities in 2008
--About 10 percent of the population engaged in educational activities, such
as attending class or doing homework, on an average weekday. Those who
attended class on a weekday spent an average of 5.3 hours doing so, and
those who did homework and research on a weekday spent 2.7 hours in such
activities. (See table 2.)
Leisure Activities in 2008
--On an average day, nearly everyone age 15 and over (96 percent) engaged
in some sort of leisure activity, such as watching TV, socializing, or
exercising. Of those who engaged in leisure activities, men spent more
time in these activities (5.7 hours) than did women (5.1 hours). (See
table 1.)
--Watching TV was the leisure activity that occupied the most time, ac-
counting 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, ac-
counting for about three-quarters of an hour per day for both sexes.
(See table 1.)
--Men were more likely than women to participate in sports, exercise, or
recreation on any given day--21 versus 15 percent. On the days that
they participated, men also spent more time in these activities than
did women, 1.9 versus 1.3 hours. (See table 1.)
--On an average day, adults age 75 and over spent 7.6 hours engaged in
leisure activities--more than any other age group; 25- to 44-year-olds
spent just over 4 hours engaged in leisure and sports activities--less
than other age groups. (See table 11.)
--Time spent reading for personal interest and playing games or using a
computer for leisure varied greatly by age. Individuals age 75 and
over averaged 1.2 hours of reading per weekend day and 0.3 hour (17
minutes) playing games or using a computer for leisure. Conversely,
individuals ages 15 to 19 read for an average of 0.2 hour (10 minutes)
per weekend day while spending 1.0 hour playing games or using a com-
puter for leisure. (See table 11.)
--Employed adults living in households with no children under 18 engaged
in leisure activities for 4.5 hours per day, nearly an hour more than
employed adults living with a child under age 6. (See table 8.)
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Care of Household Children (by Adults in Households with Children) for
the period 2004-08
--Adults living in households with children under 6 spent an average of
2.0 hours per day providing primary childcare to household children.
Adults living in households where the youngest child was between the
ages of 6 and 17 spent less than half as much time providing primary
childcare to household children--0.8 hour (47 minutes) per day. Pri-
mary childcare is childcare that is done as a main activity, such as
physical care of children and reading to or talking with children.
(See table 9.)
--On an average weekday, among adults living in households with children
under 6, women spent 1.2 hours providing physical care (such as bathing
or feeding a child) to household children; by contrast, men spent 0.4
hour (25 minutes) providing physical care. On an average weekend day,
women provided an hour of physical care to household children, while men
provided half an hour. (See table 9.)
--Adults living in households with children under 13, with at least one
child under 6, spent an average of 5.6 hours per day providing secondary
childcare--that is, they had at least one child in their care while doing
activities other than primary childcare. Secondary childcare provided by
adults living in households with children under 6 was most commonly pro-
vided while doing leisure activities (2.2 hours) or household activities
(1.3 hours). (See table 10.)
--Adults living in households with children under 6 spent more time pro-
viding primary childcare on an average weekday (2.1 hours) than on an
average weekend day (1.7 hours). However, they spent less time providing
secondary childcare on weekdays than on weekend days--4.7 versus 7.6 hours.
(See tables 9 and 10.)
Microdata Release
Today, BLS also released ten 2008 ATUS microdata files for users who wish to do
their own tabulations and analyses. In accordance with BLS and Census Bureau poli-
cies that protect survey respondents' privacy, identifying information was removed
from the microdata files and some responses have been edited. The 2008 microdata
files are available on the BLS Web site at http://www.bls.gov/tus/data.htm.
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Technical Note
The estimates in this release are based on annual average data from
the American Time Use Survey (ATUS). The ATUS, which is conducted by
the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is a
continuous survey about how individuals age 15 and over spend their
time.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory im-
paired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; TDD
message referral phone: 1-800-877-8339.
Survey methodology
Data collection for the ATUS began in January 2003. Sample cases
for the survey are selected monthly and interviews are conducted con-
tinuously throughout the year. In 2008, approximately 12,700 indivi-
duals 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 house-
holds are selected to ensure that estimates will be nationally repre-
sentative.
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. Inter-
views occur on the day following the assigned day. For example, a
person assigned to report about a Monday would be contacted on the
following Tuesday. Ten percent of designated persons are assigned to
report about each of the five weekdays. Twenty-five percent are
assigned to report about each weekend day. Households are called for
up to 8 consecutive weeks (for example, 8 Tuesdays) in order to secure
an interview.
About the questionnaire
In the time diary portion of the ATUS interview, survey respondents
sequentially report activities they did between 4 a.m. on the day
before the interview ("yesterday") until 4 a.m. on the day of the
interview. For each activity, respondents are asked how long the
activity lasted. For activities other than personal care activities
(such as sleeping and grooming), interviewers also ask respondents
where they were. And for activities other than personal care and
work, they are asked who was in the room with them (if at home) or who
accompanied them (if away from home). If respondents report doing
more than one activity at a time, they are asked to identify which one
was the "main" (primary) activity. If none can be identified, then
the interviewer records the first activity mentioned. After completing
the time diary, interviewers ask respondents additional questions to
clearly identify work, volunteering, and secondary childcare activi-
ties. Secondary childcare is defined as having a child under age 13 in
one's care while doing other activities.
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In addition, the ATUS includes an update of the household composition
information from the last CPS interview (2 to 5 months prior to the ATUS
interview) and the employment status information of the respondent and
his or her spouse or unmarried partner. For respondents who became em-
ployed or changed jobs between the last CPS interview and the ATUS inter-
view, 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. Fin-
ally, 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 2008 ATUS Coding Lexicon can be accessed
online at http://www.bls.gov/tus/lexicons.htm.
Concepts and definitions
Average day. The average day measure reflects an average distribu-
tion across all persons in the reference population and all days of the
week. Average day measures for the entire population provide a mechan-
ism for seeing the overall distribution of time allocation for society
as a whole. The ATUS collects data about daily activities from all seg-
ments of the population age 15 and over, including persons who are em-
ployed and not employed. Activity profiles differ based upon age, em-
ployment status, gender, and other characteristics. On an average day
in 2008, persons in the U.S. age 15 and over did work and work-related
activities for 3.7 hours, slept 8.6 hours, spent 5.2 hours doing leisure
and sports activities, and spent 1.7 hours doing household activities.
The remaining 4.8 hours were spent doing a variety of other activities,
including eating and drinking, attending school, and shopping. (See
table 1.) By comparison, an average weekday for persons employed full
time on days that they worked included 9.2 hours doing work and work-
related activities, 7.6 hours sleeping, 2.9 hours doing leisure and
sports activities, and 0.9 hour doing household activities. The re-
maining 3.4 hours were spent in other activities, such as those des-
cribed above. (These estimates include related travel time.)
Many activities typically are not done on a daily basis, and some
activities only are done by a subset of the population. For example,
only 45 percent of all persons age 15 years and over worked on an
average day in 2008 because some were not employed and those who were
employed did not work every day. (See table 1.)
Average hours per day. The average number of hours spent in a 24-
hour day (between 4 a.m. on the diary day and 4 a.m. on the interview
day) doing a specified activity.
--Average hours per day, population. The average number of hours
per day is computed using all responses from a given population,
including those of respondents who did not do a particular acti-
vity on their diary day. These estimates reflect how many popul-
ation members engaged in an activity and the amount of time they
spent doing it.
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--Average hours per day, persons who did the activity. The aver-
age number of hours per day is computed using only responses from
those who engaged in a particular activity on their diary day.
Diary day. The diary day is the day about which the respondent
reports. For example, the diary day of a respondent interviewed on
Tuesday is Monday.
Earnings
--Usual weekly earnings. Data represent the earnings of full-time
wage and salary workers with one job only, before taxes and other
deductions. They include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips
usually received. Usual weekly earnings are only updated in ATUS
for about a third of employed respondents--if the respondent changed
jobs or employment status or if the CPS weekly earnings value was
imputed. This means that the earnings information could be out of
date because the CPS interview was done 2 to 5 months prior to the
ATUS interview. Respondents are asked to identify the easiest way
for them to report earnings (hourly, weekly, biweekly, twice monthly,
annually, or other) and how much they usually earn in the reported
time period. Earnings reported on a basis other than weekly are
converted to a weekly equivalent. The term "usual" is as perceived
by the respondent. If the respondent asks for a definition of usual,
interviewers are instructed to define the term as more than half the
weeks worked during the past 4 or 5 months.
--Weekly earnings ranges. The ranges used represent approximately
25 percent of full-time wage and salary workers who held only one
job. For example, 25 percent of full-time wage and salary workers
with one job only had weekly earnings of $500 or less. These dollar
values vary from year to year.
Employment status
--Employed. All persons who, at any time during the 7 days prior
to the interview:
1) Did any work at all as paid employees; worked in their own
business, profession, or on their own farm; or usually worked 15
hours or more as unpaid workers in a family-operated enterprise;
or
2) Were not working but had jobs or businesses from which they
were temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, vacation,
childcare problems, labor-management disputes, maternity or
paternity leave, job training, or other family or personal
reasons, whether or not they were paid for the time off or were
seeking other jobs.
--Employed full time. Full-time workers are those who usually
worked 35 hours or more per week at all jobs combined.
--Employed part time. Part-time workers are those who usually
worked fewer than 35 hours per week at all jobs combined.
--Not employed. Persons are not employed if they do not meet the
conditions for employment. The not employed include those clas-
sified as unemployed as well as those classified as not in the
labor force (using CPS definitions).
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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 col-
lected 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 employ-
ment data are not intended for analysis of current employment trends.
Compared with the CPS and other estimates of employment, the ATUS esti-
mates are based on a much smaller sample and are only available with a
substantial lag since ATUS data and estimates are published during the
year following data collection.
Household children. Household children are children under age 18
residing in the household of the ATUS respondent. The children may
be related to the respondent (such as his or her own children, grand-
children, nieces or nephews, or brothers or sisters) or not related
(such as foster children or children of roommates).
Primary activity. A primary activity is the main activity a re-
spondent was doing at a specified time. With the exception of second-
ary childcare in table 10, the estimates presented in this release
reflect time spent in primary activities only.
Secondary activities. A secondary (or simultaneous) activity is an
activity done at the same time as a primary activity. With the excep-
tion of the care of children under age 13, information on secondary
activities is not systematically collected in the ATUS.
Secondary childcare. Secondary childcare is care for children under
age 13 that is done while doing an activity other than primary childcare,
such as cooking dinner. Secondary childcare estimates are derived by
summing the durations of activities during which respondents had a house-
hold child or their own nonhousehold child under age 13 in their care
while doing activities other than primary childcare. It is restricted to
times the respondent was awake. Secondary childcare time for household
children is further restricted to the time between when the first house-
hold child under age 13 woke up and the last household child under age 13
went to bed. If respondents report providing both primary and secondary
care at the same time, the time is attributed to primary care only.
Weekday, weekend, and holiday estimates. Estimates for weekdays are
an average of reports about Monday through Friday. Estimates for weekend
days and holidays are an average of reports about Saturdays, Sundays, and
the following holidays: New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth
of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. In 2008, the
telephone call center was closed the day after Christmas Day, so data
were not collected about this holiday.
Major activity category definitions
The following definitions describe the activity categories shown in
this report. All major time-use categories in the tables include related
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travel time and waiting time. For example, time spent "driving to the
stadium" and time spent "waiting to get into the stadium to play ball"
are included in Leisure and sports.
Personal care activities. Personal care activities include sleeping,
grooming (such as bathing or dressing), health-related self-care, and
personal or private activities. Receiving unpaid personal care from
others (for example, "my sister put polish on my nails") also is cap-
tured in this category. Respondents are not asked who they were with
or where they were for personal care activities, as such information can
be sensitive.
Eating and drinking. All time spent eating or drinking (except eating
and drinking done as part of a work or volunteer activity), whether alone,
with others, at home, at a place of purchase, or somewhere else, is class-
ified here. Time spent purchasing or talking related to purchasing meals,
snacks, or beverages is not counted as part of this category; time spent
doing these activities is counted in Purchasing goods and services.
Household activities. Household activities are those done by persons
to maintain their households. These include housework; cooking; lawn and
garden care; pet care; vehicle maintenance and repair; home maintenance,
repair, decoration, and renovation; and household management and organiza-
tional activities (such as filling out paperwork, balancing a check-book,
or planning a party). Food preparation, whether or not reported as done
specifically for another household member, is always classified as a house-
hold activity, unless it was done as a volunteer, work, or income-gener-
ating activity. For example, "making breakfast for my son" is coded as a
household activity, not as childcare.
Purchasing goods and services. This category includes purchases of
consumer goods, professional and personal care services, household ser-
vices, and government services. Consumer purchases include most pur-
chases and rentals of consumer goods, regardless of the mode or place of
purchase or rental (in person, via telephone, over the Internet, at home,
or in a store). Gasoline, grocery, other food purchases, and all other
shopping are further broken out in subcategories.
Time spent obtaining, receiving, and purchasing professional and per-
sonal 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 es-
tate services, and veterinary services. Personal care services include
day spas, hair salons and barbershops, nail salons, and tanning salons.
Activities classified here include time spent paying, meeting with, or
talking to service providers, as well as time spent receiving the ser-
vice 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 activi-
ties to care for or help any child (under age 18) or adult in the house-
hold, regardless of relationship to the respondent or the physical or
mental health status of the person being helped, is classified here.
Caring for and helping activities for household children and adults are
coded separately in subcategories.
Primary childcare activities include time spent providing physical
care; playing with children; reading to children; assistance with home-
work; attending children's events; taking care of children's health
needs; and dropping off, picking up, and waiting for children. Passive
childcare done as a primary activity (such as "keeping an eye on my son
while he swam in the pool") also is included. A child's presence during
the activity is not enough in itself to classify the activity as child-
care. For example, "watching television with my child" is coded as a
leisure activity, not as childcare.
Secondary childcare occurs when persons have a child under age 13 "in
their care" while doing activities other than primary childcare. For a
complete definition, see the Concepts and definitions section of this
Technical Note.
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Caring for and helping household members also includes a range of
activities done to benefit adult members of house-holds, such as pro-
viding physical and medical care or obtaining medical services. Doing
something as a favor for or helping another household adult does not
automatically result in classification as a helping activity. For
example, a report of "helping my spouse cook dinner" is considered a
household activity (food preparation), not a helping activity, because
cooking dinner benefits the household as a whole. By contrast, doing
paperwork for another person usually benefits the individual, so a
report of "filling out an insurance application for my spouse" is
considered a helping activity.
Caring for and helping nonhousehold members. Caring for and helping
nonhousehold members includes activities persons do to care for or help
those--either children (under age 18) or adults--who do not live with
them. When done for or through an organization, time spent helping non-
household members is classified as volunteering, rather than as helping
nonhousehold members. Care of nonhousehold children, even when done as
a favor or helping activity for another adult, is always classified as
caring for and helping nonhousehold children, not as helping another
adult.
Working and work-related activities. This category includes time
spent working, doing activities as part of one's job, engaging in
income-generating activities (not as part of one's job), and job
search activities. "Working" includes hours spent doing the specific
tasks required of one's main or other job, regardless of location or
time of day. "Work-related activities" include activities that are
not obviously work but are done as part of one's job, such as having a
business lunch or playing golf with clients. "Other income-generating
activities" are those done "on the side" or under informal arrangement
and are not part of a regular job. Such activities might include sel-
ling homemade crafts, babysitting, maintaining a rental property, or
having a yard sale. These activities are those that persons "are paid
for or will be paid for."
Travel time related to working and work-related activities includes
time spent traveling to and from work, as well as time spent traveling
for work-related, income-generating, and job search activities
Educational activities. Educational activities include taking
classes (including Internet and other distance-learning courses) for a
degree as well as for personal interest; doing research and homework;
and taking care of administrative tasks related to education, such as
registering for classes or obtaining a school ID. For high school
students, before- and after-school extracurricular activities (except
sports) also are classified as educational activities. Educational
activities do not include time spent for classes or training received
as part of a job. Time spent helping others with their education-
related activities is classified in the Caring for and helping
categories.
Organizational, civic, and religious activities. This category
captures time spent volunteering for or through an organization,
performing civic obligations, and participating in religious and
spiritual activities. Civic obligations include government-required
duties, such as serving jury duty or appearing in court, and activi-
ties 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 speci-
fic 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 lei-
sure activities. Sports, exercise, and recreation activities include
participating in--as well as attending or watching--sports, exercise and
recreational activities. Recreational activities are leisure activities
that are active in nature, such as yard games like croquet or horseshoes.
Socializing and communicating includes face-to-face social communication
and hosting or attending social functions. Leisure activities include
watching television; reading; relaxing or thinking; playing computer,
board, or card games; using a computer or the Internet for personal in-
terest; playing or listening to music; and other activities, such as at-
tending arts, cultural, and entertainment events.
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Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail. This category captures telephone
communication and handling household or personal mail or e-mail. Tele-
phone and Internet purchases are classified in Purchasing goods and ser-
vices. Telephone calls, mail, or e-mail identified as related to work
or volunteering are classified as work or volunteering.
Other activities, not elsewhere classified. This residual category
includes security procedures related to traveling, traveling not asso-
ciated 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 impu-
tation procedure. Responses to CPS questions that are reasked 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 child-
care) also are imputed. Missing activities and missing values for who
was present during an activity are never imputed.
ATUS records are weighted to reduce bias in the estimates due to dif-
ferences in sampling and response rates across subpopulations and days of
the week. Specifically, the data are weighted to ensure the following:
--Weekdays represent about 5/7 of the weighted data, and weekend
days each represent about 1/7 of the weighted data for the pop-
ulation as a whole. The actual proportions depend on the number
of weekdays and weekend days in a given quarter.
--The sum of the weights is equal to the number of person-days in
the quarter for the population as a whole and for selected sub-
populations.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the ATUS are subject to both sampling and non-
sampling 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 per day by sex, 2008 annual averages
Average hours per day, Average percent engaged Average hours per day
civilian population in the activity per day for persons who engaged
Activity in the activity
Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women
Total, all activities (2)............... 24.00 24.00 24.00 - - - - - -
Personal care activities.............. 9.39 9.22 9.55 100.0 100.0 100.0 9.39 9.23 9.55
Sleeping........................... 8.60 8.56 8.64 99.9 99.9 99.9 8.61 8.57 8.64
Eating and drinking................... 1.23 1.28 1.18 96.0 96.5 95.6 1.28 1.33 1.23
Household activities.................. 1.73 1.30 2.13 73.7 64.2 82.6 2.34 2.02 2.58
Housework.......................... .58 .24 .90 35.5 19.7 50.3 1.64 1.23 1.79
Food preparation and cleanup....... .52 .30 .73 52.3 38.4 65.3 1.00 .78 1.12
Lawn and garden care............... .19 .26 .12 9.4 11.0 7.9 2.00 2.35 1.56
Household management............... .13 .10 .15 18.1 14.5 21.5 .70 .68 .71
Purchasing goods and services......... .77 .60 .92 44.8 39.2 50.0 1.71 1.53 1.85
Consumer goods purchases........... .38 .28 .48 40.7 35.6 45.4 .94 .79 1.05
Professional and personal care
services............................. .08 .06 .11 8.9 6.7 11.0 .92 .84 .97
Caring for and helping household
members.............................. .53 .36 .70 26.1 20.7 31.2 2.04 1.72 2.24
Caring for and helping household
children.......................... .42 .27 .55 22.4 17.2 27.2 1.86 1.59 2.01
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
members.............................. .23 .18 .27 13.3 11.0 15.6 1.69 1.66 1.72
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
adults............................ .07 .08 .07 8.5 7.8 9.1 .87 .98 .78
Working and work-related activities... 3.73 4.52 2.99 46.7 53.5 40.3 7.99 8.44 7.42
Working............................ 3.38 4.06 2.73 44.7 51.1 38.7 7.56 7.95 7.06
Educational activities................ .47 .42 .52 7.9 6.9 9.0 5.94 6.15 5.79
Attending class.................... .27 .27 .27 5.2 5.0 5.3 5.22 5.37 5.09
Homework and research.............. .16 .12 .20 5.8 4.6 7.0 2.72 2.49 2.87
Organizational, civic, and religious
activities........................... .33 .30 .37 14.6 12.4 16.7 2.29 2.42 2.20
Religious and spiritual activities .14 .12 .17 9.2 7.7 10.7 1.55 1.54 1.55
Volunteering (organizational and
civic activities)................. .15 .14 .16 7.0 6.0 7.9 2.15 2.38 1.99
Leisure and sports.................... 5.18 5.52 4.86 96.2 96.4 96.0 5.39 5.73 5.06
Socializing and communicating...... .71 .66 .76 38.9 36.1 41.6 1.83 1.83 1.82
Watching television................ 2.77 3.01 2.55 80.9 82.3 79.6 3.43 3.66 3.20
Participating in sports, exercise,
and recreation.................... .30 .40 .20 17.9 21.0 15.0 1.64 1.91 1.30
Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail..... .21 .14 .28 26.3 20.3 31.9 .80 .67 .89
Other activities, not elsewhere
classified........................... .20 .17 .24 14.6 12.6 16.5 1.39 1.32 1.44
1 A primary activity refers to an individual's main activity. Other activities done simultaneously are not
included.
2 All major activity categories include related travel time. See Technical Note for activity category
definitions.
- Not applicable.
NOTE: Data refer to persons 15 years and over.
Table 2. Time spent in primary activities (1) and percent of the civilian population engaging in each
activity, averages per day on weekdays and weekends, 2008 annual averages
Average hours per Average percent Average hours per
day, civilian engaged in the day for persons who
population activity per day engaged in the
activity
Activity
Weekends Weekends Weekends
Weekdays and Weekdays and Weekdays and
holidays- holidays- holidays-
(2) (2) (2)
Total, all activities (3).................... 24.00 24.00 - - - -
Personal care activities................... 9.10 10.07 100.0 99.9 9.11 10.07
Sleeping................................ 8.30 9.31 99.9 99.9 8.31 9.32
Eating and drinking........................ 1.18 1.35 96.3 95.5 1.22 1.41
Household activities....................... 1.57 2.08 73.3 74.6 2.15 2.80
Housework............................... .53 .70 34.4 38.0 1.53 1.86
Food preparation and cleanup............ .50 .59 53.0 50.6 .93 1.16
Lawn and garden care.................... .16 .25 8.8 10.8 1.86 2.28
Household management.................... .12 .15 18.1 18.1 .65 .83
Purchasing goods and services.............. .71 .91 43.8 47.0 1.61 1.93
Consumer goods purchases................ .32 .53 38.9 44.8 .82 1.19
Professional and personal care services .10 .04 10.8 4.4 .91 .97
Caring for and helping household members... .57 .44 27.8 22.0 2.05 2.00
Caring for and helping household
children............................... .44 .37 23.8 18.9 1.83 1.93
Caring for and helping nonhousehold members .22 .24 13.0 14.2 1.70 1.67
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
adults................................. .07 .09 8.0 9.6 .85 .91
Working and work-related activities........ 4.74 1.38 56.5 23.8 8.38 5.78
Working................................. 4.29 1.24 54.3 22.1 7.89 5.60
Educational activities..................... .61 .14 9.5 4.3 6.46 3.24
Attending class......................... .38 .01 7.3 .3 5.25 (4)
Homework and research................... .18 .12 6.6 4.0 2.65 3.00
Organizational, civic, and religious
activities................................ .25 .53 12.4 19.8 2.03 2.66
Religious and spiritual activities...... .08 .30 6.4 15.9 1.18 1.90
Volunteering (organizational and civic
activities)............................ .15 .16 7.1 6.9 2.08 2.32
Leisure and sports......................... 4.62 6.48 95.8 97.0 4.83 6.68
Socializing and communicating........... .54 1.12 36.2 45.4 1.49 2.46
Watching television..................... 2.55 3.29 80.2 82.6 3.18 3.98
Participating in sports, exercise, and
recreation............................. .27 .35 18.4 16.8 1.48 2.08
Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail.......... .23 .18 28.0 22.2 .80 .81
Other activities, not elsewhere classified .20 .21 14.7 14.6 1.36 1.45
1 A primary activity refers to an individual's main activity. Other activities done simultaneously are
not included.
2 Holidays are New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day,
and Christmas Day. In 2008, data were not collected about Christmas Day.
3 All major activity categories include related travel time. See Technical Note for activity category
definitions.
4 Data not shown where base is less than 1.2 million.
- Not applicable.
NOTE: Data refer to persons 15 years and over.
Table 3. Time spent in primary activities (1) for the civilian population by age, sex, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity,
marital status, and educational attainment, 2008 annual averages
Average hours per day spent in primary activities (2)
Orga- Other
Pur- Caring Caring Working niza- Tele- activi-
Characteristic Person- Eating House- chas- for and for and and Educa- tional, phone ties,
al care and hold ing helping helping work- tional civic, Leisure calls, not
activi- drink- activi- goods house- non- related activi- and and mail, else-
ties ing ties and hold house- activi- ties reli- sports and where
ser- members hold ties gious e-mail classi-
vices members activi- fied
ties
Total, 15 years and over..... 9.39 1.23 1.73 0.77 0.53 0.23 3.73 0.47 0.33 5.18 0.21 0.20
15 to 19 years............. 10.37 1.01 .67 .56 .12 .22 1.37 3.09 .26 5.69 .38 .25
20 to 24 years............. 9.63 1.10 1.06 .71 .53 .24 4.36 1.21 .11 4.70 .22 .12
25 to 34 years............. 9.29 1.17 1.47 .72 1.07 .14 4.93 .31 .22 4.34 .15 .18
35 to 44 years............. 9.12 1.19 1.86 .80 1.04 .17 4.93 .09 .31 4.16 .14 .20
45 to 54 years............. 9.11 1.19 1.89 .76 .40 .22 4.95 .09 .37 4.67 .19 .17
55 to 64 years............. 9.05 1.34 2.09 .87 .20 .40 3.54 .03 .41 5.66 .21 .22
65 to 74 years............. 9.51 1.46 2.27 .92 .09 .31 1.23 .02 .54 7.12 .25 .29
75 years and over.......... 10.02 1.52 2.34 .75 .08 .14 .37 .03 .54 7.62 .32 .27
Men, 15 years and over...... 9.22 1.28 1.30 .60 .36 .18 4.52 .42 .30 5.52 .14 .17
15 to 19 years............. 10.29 1.07 .59 .41 .08 .14 1.23 3.14 .27 6.32 .23 .23
20 to 24 years............. 9.59 1.08 .87 .47 .19 .19 5.31 .65 .10 5.30 .15 .11
25 to 34 years............. 9.15 1.22 1.06 .58 .62 .12 5.97 .32 .16 4.55 .11 .14
35 to 44 years............. 8.91 1.26 1.33 .58 .72 .18 6.14 .04 .26 4.32 .10 .16
45 to 54 years............. 8.83 1.26 1.48 .57 .35 .15 5.75 .03 .36 4.98 .11 .14
55 to 64 years............. 8.95 1.37 1.63 .67 .15 .30 4.15 .01 .32 6.15 .12 .18
65 to 74 years............. 9.40 1.54 1.77 .87 .08 .27 1.42 .00 .53 7.69 .17 .24
75 years and over.......... 9.84 1.62 1.70 .75 .09 .16 .55 .01 .61 8.29 .17 .22
Women, 15 years and over.... 9.55 1.18 2.13 .92 .70 .27 2.99 .52 .37 4.86 .28 .24
15 to 19 years............. 10.45 .94 .76 .71 .17 .30 1.52 3.04 .26 5.05 .53 .27
20 to 24 years............. 9.68 1.12 1.24 .96 .88 .30 3.39 1.79 .11 4.09 .30 .13
25 to 34 years............. 9.44 1.11 1.89 .87 1.52 .16 3.90 .30 .27 4.13 .19 .22
35 to 44 years............. 9.33 1.11 2.37 1.01 1.34 .15 3.76 .14 .37 4.01 .18 .23
45 to 54 years............. 9.38 1.11 2.29 .94 .45 .29 4.18 .14 .38 4.37 .26 .20
55 to 64 years............. 9.15 1.30 2.52 1.05 .24 .49 2.97 .05 .49 5.21 .29 .26
65 to 74 years............. 9.60 1.40 2.69 .96 .09 .35 1.06 .02 .56 6.63 .31 .33
75 years and over.......... 10.14 1.46 2.75 .76 .08 .13 .25 .04 .50 7.18 .41 .30
White, 15 years and over.... 9.33 1.27 1.80 .77 .54 .23 3.77 .45 .31 5.13 .20 .21
Men........................ 9.18 1.32 1.36 .59 .36 .18 4.62 .40 .28 5.42 .12 .17
Women...................... 9.49 1.22 2.22 .94 .71 .28 2.95 .50 .34 4.84 .27 .24
Black or African American,
15 years and over......... 9.80 .89 1.31 .72 .44 .23 3.26 .49 .51 5.87 .27 .20
Men........................ 9.55 .94 .98 .63 .30 .20 3.53 .65 .47 6.44 .19 .12
Women...................... 10.01 .85 1.58 .80 .56 .26 3.03 .36 .54 5.40 .34 .27
Hispanic or Latino
ethnicity, 15 years
and over................. 9.69 1.14 1.76 .80 .72 .18 3.93 .64 .23 4.60 .12 .18
Men........................ 9.63 1.17 1.03 .63 .40 .15 5.12 .44 .22 5.01 .08 .11
Women...................... 9.75 1.11 2.55 .98 1.06 .20 2.67 .85 .24 4.16 .16 .26
Marital status and sex:
Married, spouse present..... 9.11 1.32 2.01 .82 .76 .23 4.06 .10 .40 4.81 .16 .21
Men........................ 8.92 1.39 1.50 .65 .55 .18 4.94 .06 .38 5.17 .10 .17
Women...................... 9.31 1.26 2.53 .99 .97 .29 3.16 .15 .43 4.44 .22 .25
Other marital statuses...... 9.71 1.12 1.40 .71 .27 .22 3.35 .90 .26 5.60 .27 .19
Men........................ 9.61 1.15 1.05 .54 .12 .19 3.98 .88 .20 5.96 .18 .16
Women...................... 9.80 1.10 1.70 .85 .41 .25 2.82 .91 .31 5.30 .35 .22
Educational attainment,
25 years and over:
Less than a high school
diploma................... 9.98 1.14 1.98 .68 .52 .15 2.89 .02 .30 6.08 .11 .16
High school graduates, no
college (3).............. 9.31 1.21 2.04 .71 .45 .26 3.51 .04 .35 5.76 .16 .20
Some college or associate
degree................... 9.19 1.25 1.90 .86 .57 .26 3.91 .21 .36 5.04 .23 .21
Bachelor's degree and
higher (4)............... 8.98 1.38 1.76 .87 .73 .20 4.75 .15 .41 4.33 .22 .23
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,
jobholding status, educational attainment, and day of week, 2008 annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
Employed persons who Employed persons who Employed persons who
worked on an average worked on an average worked on an average
day weekday Saturday, Sunday, and
Total holiday (1)
Characteristic employ-
ed
Percent Average Percent Average Percent Average
Number of hours Number of hours Number of hours
employ- of (3) employ- of (4) employ- of
ed work(2) ed work(2) ed work(2)
Full- and part-time status and sex
Total, 15 years and over (5)............ 155,371 105,735 68.1 7.59 128,146 82.5 7.93 52,792 34.0 5.61
Full-time workers.................... 121,122 87,297 72.1 8.05 107,129 88.4 8.44 41,090 33.9 5.69
Part-time workers.................... 34,250 18,439 53.8 5.37 21,151 61.8 5.39 11,705 34.2 5.32
Men (5)................................ 83,045 58,744 70.7 7.97 71,008 85.5 8.33 29,667 35.7 5.88
Full-time workers.................... 71,006 52,368 73.8 8.27 63,652 89.6 8.65 25,257 35.6 5.95
Part-time workers.................... 12,039 6,376 53.0 5.47 7,275 60.4 5.45 4,404 36.6 5.52
Women (5).............................. 72,326 46,991 65.0 7.11 57,133 79.0 7.43 23,132 32.0 5.26
Full-time workers.................... 50,115 34,928 69.7 7.73 43,458 86.7 8.13 15,892 31.7 5.28
Part-time workers.................... 22,211 12,063 54.3 5.33 13,868 62.4 5.35 7,258 32.7 5.19
Jobholding status
Single jobholders....................... 140,936 93,810 66.6 7.57 114,733 81.4 7.90 44,289 31.4 5.51
Multiple jobholders..................... 14,436 11,925 82.6 7.73 13,423 93.0 8.17 8,451 58.5 6.13
Educational attainment, 25 years and
over
Less than a high school diploma......... 11,659 7,955 68.2 8.17 9,724 83.4 8.31 2,939 25.2 6.80
High school graduates, no college (6)... 36,749 24,843 67.6 7.86 31,339 85.3 8.07 10,699 29.1 6.53
Some college or associate degree........ 33,637 22,655 67.4 7.63 27,369 81.4 7.96 11,506 34.2 5.76
Bachelor's degree and higher (7)........ 48,938 35,669 72.9 7.42 43,317 88.5 7.99 17,643 36.1 4.07
1 Holidays are New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas
Day. In 2008, data were not collected about 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, occupation, earnings, and day of
week, 2008 annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
Employed persons who worked Employed persons who worked Employed persons who worked
on an average day on an average weekday on an average Saturday,
Sunday, and holiday (1)
Characteristic Total
employed
Percent Average Percent Average Percent Average
Number of hours of Number(3) of hours of Number(4) of hours of
employed work(2) employed work(2) employed work(2)
Class of worker (main job only)
Wage and salary workers................... 143,898 96,088 66.8 7.58 117,859 81.9 7.89 44,639 31.0 5.64
Self-employed workers..................... 11,170 7,773 69.6 6.43 9,062 81.1 6.81 4,706 42.1 4.70
Occupation (main job only)
Management, business, and financial
operations............................. 24,405 18,295 75.0 7.85 22,449 92.0 8.43 7,978 32.7 3.80
Professional and related.................. 33,260 22,179 66.7 7.16 27,922 84.0 7.60 9,328 28.0 4.25
Services.................................. 26,974 16,622 61.6 6.84 18,734 69.4 6.89 11,075 41.1 6.62
Sales and related......................... 16,961 11,991 70.7 7.59 13,408 79.1 7.99 8,388 49.5 5.96
Office and administrative support......... 19,613 11,751 59.9 7.18 15,902 81.1 7.32 3,748 19.1 6.03
Farming, fishing, and forestry............ (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6) (6)
Construction and extraction............... 9,097 6,246 68.7 8.05 7,659 84.2 8.25 1,967 21.6 (6)
Installation, maintenance, and repair..... 4,610 3,274 71.0 8.38 4,099 88.9 8.59 1,267 27.5 (6)
Production................................ 9,805 6,455 65.8 7.94 8,207 83.7 8.08 2,198 22.4 (6)
Transportation and material moving........ 9,346 6,338 67.8 8.19 7,724 82.7 8.45 3,401 36.4 6.95
Earnings of full-time wage and salary
workers (single jobholders only)(5)
0 - $500.................................. 25,926 17,273 66.6 8.06 21,274 82.1 8.24 8,232 31.8 7.03
$501 - $780............................... 23,205 15,793 68.1 8.07 20,598 88.8 8.25 5,014 21.6 6.40
$781 - $1,210............................. 24,531 17,091 69.7 7.91 21,246 86.6 8.36 7,544 30.8 5.00
$1,211 and higher......................... 24,584 17,979 73.1 8.17 22,427 91.2 8.77 7,704 31.3 4.13
1 Holidays are New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. In 2008, data were
not collected about 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 who held only one job.
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-
and part-time status and sex, jobholding status, and educational attainment, 2008 annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
Employed persons who Employed persons who Employed persons who
worked on an average worked at their worked at home on an
day workplace on an average average day (2) (3)
day (2)
Total
Characteristic employ-
ed Percent Average Percent
Percent Average of hours of Average
Number of hours Number those of work Number those hours
employ- of work who at who of work
ed worked work- worked at home
place
Full- and part-time status and sex
Total, 15 years and over (4)............ 155,371 105,735 68.1 7.59 90,443 85.5 7.88 22,272 21.1 2.90
Full-time workers.................... 121,122 87,297 72.1 8.05 75,647 86.7 8.31 18,232 20.9 3.01
Part-time workers.................... 34,250 18,439 53.8 5.37 14,796 80.2 5.73 4,040 21.9 2.36
Men (4)................................ 83,045 58,744 70.7 7.97 50,883 86.6 8.17 11,751 20.0 3.03
Full-time workers.................... 71,006 52,368 73.8 8.27 45,700 87.3 8.44 10,522 20.1 3.13
Part-time workers.................... 12,039 6,376 53.0 5.47 5,183 81.3 5.77 1,229 19.3 2.23
Women (4).............................. 72,326 46,991 65.0 7.11 39,560 84.2 7.52 10,521 22.4 2.74
Full-time workers.................... 50,115 34,928 69.7 7.73 29,947 85.7 8.10 7,710 22.1 2.86
Part-time workers.................... 22,211 12,063 54.3 5.33 9,613 79.7 5.71 2,811 23.3 2.42
Jobholding status
Single jobholders....................... 140,936 93,810 66.6 7.57 81,323 86.7 7.86 18,025 19.2 2.88
Multiple jobholders..................... 14,436 11,925 82.6 7.73 9,120 76.5 8.13 4,247 35.6 2.95
Educational attainment, 25 years and
over
Less than a high school diploma......... 11,659 7,955 68.2 8.17 7,238 91.0 8.34 680 8.6 (7)
High school graduates, no college (5)... 36,749 24,843 67.6 7.86 22,113 89.0 8.03 3,203 12.9 3.49
Some college or associate degree........ 33,637 22,655 67.4 7.63 19,458 85.9 7.95 4,647 20.5 3.03
Bachelor's degree and higher (6)........ 48,938 35,669 72.9 7.42 28,008 78.5 7.90 12,604 35.3 2.70
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 location by class of worker,
occupation, and earnings, 2008 annual averages
(Numbers in thousands)
Employed persons who worked Employed persons who worked Employed persons who worked
on an average day at their workplace on an at home on an average
average day (2) day (2) (3)
Total
Characteristic employed
Percent Average Percent Average Percent Average
Number of hours of Number of those hours of Number of those hours of
employed work who work at who work at
worked workplace worked home
Class of worker (main job only)
Wage and salary workers................... 143,898 96,088 66.8 7.58 85,115 88.6 7.87 16,361 17.0 2.50
Self-employed workers..................... 11,170 7,773 69.6 6.43 3,954 50.9 6.96 4,299 55.3 4.08
Occupation (main job only)
Management, business, and financial
operations............................. 24,405 18,295 75.0 7.85 14,311 78.2 8.33 5,459 29.8 3.18
Professional and related.................. 33,260 22,179 66.7 7.16 17,575 79.2 7.72 7,129 32.1 2.54
Services.................................. 26,974 16,622 61.6 6.84 14,522 87.4 7.09 2,163 13.0 3.67
Sales and related......................... 16,961 11,991 70.7 7.59 10,309 86.0 7.84 2,914 24.3 2.84
Office and administrative support......... 19,613 11,751 59.9 7.18 10,563 89.9 7.53 1,444 12.3 2.11
Farming, fishing, and forestry............ (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5) (5)
Construction and extraction............... 9,097 6,246 68.7 8.05 6,003 96.1 8.19 343 5.5 (5)
Installation, maintenance, and repair..... 4,610 3,274 71.0 8.38 3,149 96.2 8.53 300 9.2 (5)
Production................................ 9,805 6,455 65.8 7.94 6,106 94.6 8.21 358 5.5 (5)
Transportation and material moving........ 9,346 6,338 67.8 8.19 5,903 93.1 8.01 464 7.3 (5)
Earnings of full-time wage and salary
workers (single jobholders only) (4)
0 - $500.................................. 25,926 17,273 66.6 8.06 16,308 94.4 8.07 1,384 8.0 (5)
$501 - $780............................... 23,205 15,793 68.1 8.07 15,098 95.6 8.20 1,187 7.5 1.77
$781 - $1,210............................. 24,531 17,091 69.7 7.91 15,334 89.7 8.29 2,788 16.3 1.97
$1,211 and higher......................... 24,584 17,979 73.1 8.17 14,990 83.4 8.59 5,559 30.9 2.46
1 Includes work at main job only and at locations other than home or workplace. Excludes travel related to work.
2 Individuals may have worked at more than one location.
3 "Working at home" includes any time persons did work at home and it is not restricted to persons whose usual workplace is their home.
4 These values are based on usual weekly earnings. Each earnings range represents approximately 25 percent of full-time wage and salary
workers who held only one job.
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, presence and age of youngest household child, and sex, 2008 annual averages
Total
Average hours per day spent in primary activities
Activity Youngest household Youngest household No household
child under 6 child 6-17 children under 18
Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women
Total, all activities (2)................. 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00
Personal care activities................ 9.13 8.85 9.37 9.18 8.99 9.34 9.44 9.29 9.60
Sleeping............................. 8.46 8.28 8.62 8.40 8.34 8.45 8.62 8.60 8.64
Eating and drinking..................... 1.15 1.17 1.14 1.14 1.23 1.06 1.30 1.34 1.26
Household activities.................... 1.84 1.20 2.38 1.87 1.30 2.34 1.76 1.41 2.11
Housework............................ .68 .23 1.07 .67 .25 1.02 .56 .25 .85
Food preparation and cleanup......... .70 .36 .99 .60 .30 .84 .49 .31 .67
Lawn and garden care................. .11 .14 .08 .16 .26 .08 .23 .31 .16
Household management................. .10 .09 .11 .13 .09 .17 .14 .11 .17
Purchasing goods and services........... .71 .54 .85 .78 .54 .98 .81 .66 .95
Consumer goods purchases............. .38 .29 .46 .40 .27 .52 .39 .30 .47
Professional and personal care
services............................ .06 .03 .09 .07 .04 .09 .10 .07 .12
Caring for and helping household
members................................ 1.98 1.38 2.48 .90 .65 1.10 .06 .04 .07
Caring for and helping household
children............................ 1.73 1.21 2.16 .69 .48 .86 - - -
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
members................................ .12 .12 .12 .17 .13 .21 .28 .22 .34
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
adults.............................. .05 .08 .03 .07 .05 .08 .09 .09 .08
Working and work-related activities..... 4.33 5.99 2.92 4.53 5.56 3.68 3.61 4.26 2.97
Working.............................. 3.90 5.36 2.68 4.12 5.02 3.37 3.28 3.84 2.72
Educational activities.................. .20 .13 .26 .32 .25 .38 .25 .16 .33
Attending class...................... .10 .05 .14 .13 .12 .15 .09 .06 .12
Homework and research................ .08 .06 .09 .14 .10 .18 .14 .09 .19
Organizational, civic, and religious
activities............................. .24 .20 .28 .39 .39 .39 .35 .30 .40
Religious and spiritual activities... .13 .10 .16 .15 .15 .15 .15 .12 .18
Volunteering (organizational and
civic activities)................... .08 .07 .08 .19 .19 .19 .16 .14 .18
Leisure and sports...................... 3.97 4.16 3.80 4.35 4.69 4.07 5.72 6.02 5.43
Socializing and communicating........ .71 .59 .81 .66 .63 .68 .71 .66 .75
Watching television.................. 2.21 2.43 2.02 2.37 2.55 2.22 3.14 3.40 2.88
Participating in sports, exercise,
and recreation...................... .19 .24 .15 .28 .35 .21 .27 .36 .18
Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail....... .13 .07 .17 .19 .09 .27 .23 .15 .30
Other activities, not elsewhere
classified............................. .20 .17 .23 .19 .18 .19 .20 .16 .25
Employed
Total, all activities (2)................. 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00
Personal care activities................ 8.91 8.74 9.13 9.00 8.86 9.14 9.13 9.00 9.28
Sleeping............................. 8.24 8.16 8.34 8.21 8.20 8.22 8.32 8.33 8.30
Eating and drinking..................... 1.16 1.18 1.13 1.15 1.24 1.06 1.25 1.30 1.20
Household activities.................... 1.46 1.14 1.86 1.66 1.20 2.10 1.43 1.17 1.74
Housework............................ .47 .21 .80 .58 .23 .92 .44 .23 .69
Food preparation and cleanup......... .54 .35 .77 .51 .28 .74 .38 .25 .54
Lawn and garden care................. .10 .15 .04 .15 .23 .07 .17 .22 .11
Household management................. .10 .08 .11 .13 .09 .17 .12 .10 .15
Purchasing goods and services........... .63 .53 .76 .72 .55 .89 .76 .60 .94
Consumer goods purchases............. .33 .27 .40 .38 .27 .48 .37 .28 .47
Professional and personal care
services............................ .05 .02 .08 .06 .04 .08 .07 .04 .11
Caring for and helping household
members................................ 1.69 1.34 2.15 .82 .63 1.01 .04 .03 .05
Caring for and helping household
children............................ 1.47 1.18 1.84 .62 .48 .77 - - -
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
members................................ .11 .12 .10 .15 .13 .16 .24 .19 .29
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
adults.............................. .06 .08 .03 .05 .05 .06 .08 .08 .08
Working and work-related activities..... 5.75 6.54 4.77 5.79 6.53 5.08 5.74 6.20 5.19
Working.............................. 5.27 5.94 4.44 5.33 5.98 4.69 5.25 5.64 4.79
Educational activities.................. .17 .12 .22 .21 .15 .27 .27 .14 .42
Attending class...................... .08 .05 .11 .09 .08 .11 .09 .05 .15
Homework and research................ .07 .06 .08 .09 .05 .13 .15 .07 .24
Organizational, civic, and religious
activities............................. .21 .19 .24 .37 .38 .37 .30 .25 .37
Religious and spiritual activities... .11 .10 .13 .14 .16 .13 .12 .10 .14
Volunteering (organizational and
civic activities)................... .07 .08 .07 .18 .17 .19 .15 .12 .19
Leisure and sports...................... 3.63 3.87 3.34 3.82 4.10 3.54 4.51 4.84 4.13
Socializing and communicating........ .61 .57 .65 .59 .56 .63 .62 .60 .65
Watching television.................. 2.00 2.19 1.76 2.05 2.22 1.88 2.40 2.64 2.11
Participating in sports, exercise,
and recreation...................... .20 .24 .16 .27 .32 .21 .28 .36 .19
Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail....... .09 .06 .12 .16 .09 .23 .18 .14 .23
Other activities, not elsewhere
classified............................. .18 .16 .20 .16 .16 .16 .15 .13 .17
Not employed
Total, all activities (2)................. 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00
Personal care activities................ 9.75 9.88 9.72 9.81 9.71 9.86 9.95 9.88 10.01
Sleeping............................. 9.10 9.32 9.05 9.06 9.10 9.04 9.11 9.17 9.07
Eating and drinking..................... 1.14 1.10 1.15 1.10 1.15 1.08 1.37 1.43 1.33
Household activities.................... 2.92 1.73 3.16 2.59 1.87 2.92 2.31 1.91 2.60
Housework............................ 1.28 .39 1.47 .98 .33 1.29 .75 .31 1.07
Food preparation and cleanup......... 1.18 .46 1.33 .88 .42 1.10 .67 .44 .85
Lawn and garden care................. .12 .10 .13 .23 .43 .13 .34 .49 .22
Household management................. .12 .13 .12 .16 .12 .17 .16 .12 .19
Purchasing goods and services........... .95 .70 1.00 .97 .48 1.20 .88 .78 .96
Consumer goods purchases............. .54 .40 .57 .50 .23 .62 .41 .34 .47
Professional and personal care
services............................ .10 .11 .10 .11 .04 .14 .14 .14 .14
Caring for and helping household
members................................ 2.78 1.77 2.99 1.16 .75 1.35 .09 .06 .10
Caring for and helping household
children............................ 2.45 1.54 2.64 .91 .51 1.09 - - -
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
members................................ .15 .16 .15 .27 .14 .33 .34 .26 .40
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
adults.............................. .05 .07 .04 .12 .07 .14 .10 .11 .09
Working and work-related activities (3). .29 1.02 .13 .24 .48 .13 .11 .15 .08
Working (3).......................... .03 .07 .02 .01 .00 .01 .02 .01 .02
Educational activities.................. .30 .20 .32 .69 .78 .65 .21 .22 .21
Attending class...................... .16 .06 .18 .28 .35 .25 .07 .08 .07
Homework and research................ .10 .12 .09 .32 .34 .32 .12 .12 .13
Organizational, civic, and religious
activities............................. .32 .22 .34 .45 .46 .45 .43 .43 .44
Religious and spiritual activities... .19 .12 .20 .16 .12 .19 .21 .17 .23
Volunteering (organizational and
civic activities)................... .08 .07 .09 .23 .28 .21 .18 .20 .16
Leisure and sports...................... 4.91 6.86 4.50 6.15 7.80 5.39 7.71 8.51 7.12
Socializing and communicating........ 1.02 .83 1.05 .89 1.04 .82 .84 .77 .89
Watching television.................. 2.78 4.56 2.41 3.46 4.26 3.09 4.36 5.02 3.88
Participating in sports, exercise,
and recreation...................... .14 .24 .12 .32 .54 .22 .25 .37 .16
Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail....... .24 .17 .26 .27 .10 .35 .30 .17 .40
Other activities, not elsewhere
classified............................. .27 .20 .29 .29 .29 .29 .30 .22 .36
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 week, average for the
combined years 2004-08
Average hours per day spent caring for household children
Childcare activities Total Weekdays Weekends and holidays (2)
Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women
Persons in households with children under 18, total:
Caring for household children as a primary activity...... 1.32 0.84 1.73 1.41 0.82 1.91 1.11 0.88 1.31
Physical care........................................... .45 .24 .63 .47 .23 .68 .39 .24 .52
Education-related activities............................ .10 .06 .13 .13 .08 .17 .03 .02 .04
Reading to/with children................................ .04 .02 .05 .04 .02 .05 .03 .02 .04
Talking to/with children................................ .05 .03 .07 .06 .03 .08 .03 .02 .05
Playing/doing hobbies with children..................... .26 .23 .29 .25 .20 .29 .30 .30 .30
Looking after children.................................. .08 .06 .09 .07 .05 .09 .09 .08 .09
Attending children's events............................. .06 .05 .07 .05 .04 .06 .08 .07 .09
Travel related to care of household children............ .17 .11 .23 .21 .12 .28 .09 .07 .10
Other childcare activities.............................. .11 .05 .16 .14 .06 .20 .06 .05 .07
Persons in households with youngest child 6 to 17 years:
Caring for household children as a primary activity.... .79 .51 1.02 .88 .53 1.17 .57 .45 .67
Physical care......................................... .15 .08 .22 .18 .09 .25 .10 .06 .13
Education-related activities.......................... .12 .07 .16 .15 .09 .20 .05 .04 .05
Reading to/with children.............................. .02 .01 .02 .02 .01 .02 .02 .01 .02
Talking to/with children.............................. .07 .03 .10 .08 .04 .11 .05 .03 .06
Playing/doing hobbies with children................... .06 .07 .05 .05 .07 .04 .08 .09 .07
Looking after children................................ .04 .03 .06 .04 .03 .06 .05 .04 .06
Attending children's events........................... .07 .06 .09 .06 .05 .07 .10 .08 .11
Travel related to care of household children.......... .16 .10 .21 .19 .12 .25 .09 .08 .10
Other childcare activities............................ .09 .05 .13 .11 .05 .16 .05 .04 .06
Persons in households with youngest child under 6:
Caring for household children as a primary activity.... 1.95 1.24 2.55 2.05 1.18 2.77 1.74 1.38 2.03
Physical care......................................... .80 .42 1.12 .83 .41 1.18 .74 .46 .97
Education-related activities.......................... .07 .05 .10 .10 .06 .13 .02 .01 .03
Reading to/with children.............................. .06 .04 .08 .07 .04 .09 .05 .04 .07
Talking to/with children.............................. .03 .02 .04 .04 .02 .05 .02 .02 .03
Playing/doing hobbies with children................... .51 .43 .57 .48 .37 .58 .56 .56 .56
Looking after children................................ .11 .09 .13 .10 .07 .13 .13 .12 .14
Attending children's events........................... .04 .03 .05 .03 .02 .04 .05 .05 .05
Travel related to care of household children.......... .19 .11 .25 .23 .12 .31 .09 .07 .10
Other childcare activities............................ .14 .06 .21 .17 .07 .25 .08 .05 .10
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 about Thanksgiving Day in 2004-05; New Year's Day in 2007; and Christmas Day in 2008.
Table 10. Time spent providing secondary childcare for household children under 13 by sex of adult (1) and age of youngest child by
day of week, average for the combined years 2004-08
Average hours per day spent caring for household children (3)
Childcare activities (2) Total Weekdays Weekends and holidays (4)
Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women
Persons in households with children under 13, total................ 5.31 4.15 6.28 4.34 3.00 5.45 7.55 6.76 8.22
Caring for household children as a secondary activity in
conjunction with:
Personal care activities...................................... .28 .19 .35 .25 .17 .31 .34 .24 .43
Household activities.......................................... 1.26 .71 1.72 1.07 .48 1.55 1.70 1.23 2.10
Purchasing goods and services................................. .40 .26 .51 .31 .15 .43 .60 .49 .70
Working and work-related activities........................... .20 .17 .22 .22 .17 .26 .15 .17 .13
Eating and drinking........................................... .65 .57 .72 .54 .44 .62 .92 .87 .96
Leisure and sports............................................ 2.11 1.96 2.23 1.64 1.40 1.84 3.19 3.23 3.15
Other activities.............................................. .42 .29 .52 .32 .18 .43 .65 .54 .74
Persons in households with youngest child 6 to 12, total...... 4.87 3.93 5.64 3.76 2.73 4.62 7.44 6.69 8.09
Caring for household children as a secondary activity in
conjunction with:
Personal care activities.................................... .26 .18 .33 .23 .16 .28 .34 .23 .44
Household activities........................................ 1.14 .71 1.49 .88 .44 1.23 1.75 1.34 2.11
Purchasing goods and services............................... .30 .18 .40 .22 .10 .32 .50 .38 .60
Working and work-related activities......................... .21 .17 .23 .22 .16 .27 .17 .19 .15
Eating and drinking......................................... .57 .51 .61 .45 .38 .51 .84 .81 .86
Leisure and sports.......................................... 1.99 1.87 2.10 1.50 1.29 1.66 3.15 3.17 3.13
Other activities............................................ .40 .30 .49 .28 .19 .35 .70 .57 .80
Persons in households with youngest child under 6, total...... 5.62 4.30 6.72 4.74 3.19 6.04 7.62 6.81 8.30
Caring for household children as a secondary activity in
conjunction with:
Personal care activities.................................... .29 .19 .36 .26 .17 .34 .34 .24 .43
Household activities........................................ 1.34 .70 1.87 1.20 .51 1.77 1.67 1.15 2.10
Purchasing goods and services............................... .46 .31 .59 .37 .19 .52 .67 .57 .76
Working and work-related activities......................... .20 .17 .22 .22 .17 .26 .14 .16 .12
Eating and drinking......................................... .71 .62 .79 .60 .49 .69 .98 .92 1.02
Leisure and sports.......................................... 2.19 2.02 2.33 1.74 1.48 1.97 3.21 3.26 3.17
Other activities............................................ .43 .29 .55 .35 .18 .48 .62 .52 .70
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 secondary 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 about Thanksgiving Day in 2004-05; New Year's Day in 2007; and Christmas Day in 2008.
Table 11. Time spent in leisure and sports activities for the civilian population by selected characteristics, 2008 annual
averages
Average hours per day spent in leisure and sports activities
Partici- Other
pating in Playing leisure
Total, all sports, Socializ- games and and
leisure and exercise, ing and Watching Reading Relaxing/ computer sports
sports and communi- TV thinking use for activi-
activities recreation cating leisure ties,
including
Characteristic travel (1)
Week- Week- Week- Week- Week- Week- Week- Week-
To- Week- ends Week- ends Week- ends Week- ends Week- ends Week- ends Week- ends Week- ends
tal, days and days and days and days and days and days and days and days and
all holi- holi- holi- holi- holi- holi- holi- holi-
days days days days days days days days days
(2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2)-
Sex
Men..................................... 5.52 4.84 7.11 0.36 0.50 0.49 1.06 2.72 3.70 0.27 0.32 0.28 0.26 0.33 0.55 0.39 0.72
Women................................... 4.86 4.42 5.88 .19 .21 .59 1.17 2.39 2.90 .37 .46 .26 .26 .28 .31 .33 .58
Age
Total, 15 years and over................ 5.18 4.62 6.48 .27 .35 .54 1.12 2.55 3.29 .32 .39 .27 .26 .31 .43 .36 .65
15 to 19 years....................... 5.69 5.04 7.15 .73 .64 .73 1.39 1.92 2.69 .17 .16 .12 .17 .70 .98 .67 1.11
20 to 24 years....................... 4.70 3.91 6.59 .26 .56 .67 1.35 1.86 3.01 .12 .13 .18 .19 .33 .70 .48 .64
25 to 34 years....................... 4.34 3.69 5.93 .22 .31 .51 1.38 2.04 2.76 .11 .13 .19 .18 .33 .46 .28 .70
35 to 44 years....................... 4.16 3.52 5.66 .21 .35 .43 1.08 2.01 2.96 .18 .22 .17 .12 .25 .31 .28 .61
45 to 54 years....................... 4.67 4.11 5.97 .22 .31 .41 .97 2.59 3.18 .23 .36 .26 .29 .12 .31 .28 .55
55 to 64 years....................... 5.66 5.20 6.76 .22 .27 .59 .98 3.02 3.86 .52 .55 .29 .26 .23 .25 .33 .60
65 to 74 years....................... 7.12 6.87 7.70 .29 .32 .62 .98 3.96 4.12 .77 .82 .41 .54 .35 .40 .47 .52
75 years and over.................... 7.62 7.46 7.98 .20 .11 .57 .78 4.05 4.54 .96 1.23 .82 .55 .44 .28 .41 .49
Race and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity
White................................... 5.13 4.56 6.46 .28 .37 .53 1.12 2.46 3.21 .36 .42 .24 .24 .31 .43 .37 .67
Black or African American............... 5.87 5.42 6.92 .26 .28 .63 1.10 3.36 4.10 .16 .20 .45 .37 .25 .32 .30 .55
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity............ 4.60 3.98 6.10 .23 .31 .54 1.21 2.29 3.23 .11 .18 .33 .30 .22 .29 .25 .59
Employment status
Employed................................ 4.22 3.51 5.88 .24 .36 .44 1.07 1.92 2.95 .22 .30 .18 .19 .20 .37 .31 .63
Full-time workers.................... 4.10 3.35 5.85 .23 .36 .40 1.05 1.86 3.00 .19 .28 .18 .19 .18 .34 .30 .63
Part-time workers.................... 4.63 4.07 6.00 .28 .37 .59 1.16 2.10 2.74 .31 .39 .17 .21 .26 .50 .36 .64
Not employed............................ 6.99 6.73 7.58 .32 .32 .72 1.20 3.76 3.92 .52 .56 .44 .39 .51 .52 .46 .67
Earnings of full-time wage and salary
workers (single jobholders only) (3)
0 - $500................................ 4.50 3.79 6.10 .19 .35 .47 .98 2.11 3.47 .18 .17 .29 .19 .19 .42 .37 .52
$501 - $780............................. 4.43 3.61 6.25 .19 .33 .54 1.30 1.93 3.36 .15 .23 .18 .20 .26 .27 .37 .57
$781 - $1,210........................... 4.11 3.43 5.69 .32 .34 .35 .90 1.98 3.06 .17 .28 .17 .21 .14 .33 .29 .58
$1,211 and higher....................... 3.79 2.94 5.76 .21 .46 .32 .96 1.64 2.58 .24 .42 .12 .15 .15 .33 .26 .86
Presence and age of children
No household children under 18.......... 5.73 5.21 6.95 .28 .32 .56 1.08 2.88 3.63 .44 .50 .29 .30 .35 .47 .41 .66
Household children under 18............. 4.32 3.71 5.73 .26 .40 .51 1.17 2.04 2.76 .14 .22 .23 .20 .24 .35 .29 .63
Children 13 to 17 years, none younger. 4.75 4.13 6.15 .26 .48 .56 1.08 2.09 2.90 .19 .35 .27 .23 .37 .44 .38 .66
Children 6 to 12 years, none younger.. 4.42 3.82 5.82 .36 .48 .49 1.13 2.07 2.78 .16 .22 .22 .15 .22 .38 .30 .67
Youngest child under 6 years.......... 4.01 3.41 5.42 .18 .29 .49 1.24 2.00 2.66 .10 .15 .23 .22 .18 .27 .24 .58
Marital status and sex
Married, spouse present................. 4.81 4.27 6.06 .23 .30 .47 1.07 2.45 3.13 .34 .42 .28 .25 .20 .32 .31 .57
Men.................................. 5.17 4.59 6.54 .30 .41 .38 .99 2.76 3.55 .31 .37 .33 .26 .18 .35 .34 .60
Women................................ 4.44 3.95 5.57 .17 .19 .56 1.16 2.13 2.71 .36 .46 .23 .24 .22 .28 .27 .53
Other marital statuses.................. 5.60 5.02 6.96 .31 .41 .62 1.17 2.67 3.47 .31 .36 .26 .27 .42 .55 .43 .73
Men.................................. 5.96 5.16 7.83 .43 .62 .62 1.16 2.67 3.89 .23 .26 .22 .25 .52 .79 .47 .86
Women................................ 5.30 4.91 6.22 .21 .23 .61 1.17 2.67 3.11 .38 .45 .30 .29 .34 .35 .40 .62
Educational attainment, 25 years
and over
Less than a high school diploma......... 6.08 5.64 7.14 .16 .20 .53 1.14 3.67 4.30 .15 .24 .65 .57 .19 .20 .27 .49
High school graduates, no college (4)... 5.76 5.32 6.79 .18 .28 .54 1.07 3.35 3.87 .36 .39 .32 .33 .26 .33 .30 .53
Some college or associate degree........ 5.04 4.58 6.16 .23 .25 .51 1.01 2.53 3.25 .38 .43 .24 .22 .32 .45 .37 .55
Bachelor's degree and higher (5)........ 4.33 3.67 5.87 .29 .38 .45 1.06 1.78 2.65 .43 .59 .17 .16 .24 .30 .31 .74
1 Includes other leisure and sports activities, not elsewhere classified, and travel related to leisure and sports activities.
2 Holidays are New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. In 2008, data were not collected
about 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 who held
only one job.
4 Includes persons with a high school diploma or equivalent.
5 Includes persons with bachelor's, master's, professional, and doctoral degrees.
NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, data refer to persons 15 years and over. Persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity may be of any race.
Table 12. Average hours per day spent in primary activities (1) for the civilian population, 2008 quarterly and
annual averages
(Not seasonally adjusted)
2008
Activity Quarterly averages
Annual
average
I II III IV
Total, all activities (2).................... 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00 24.00
Personal care activities................... 9.58 9.32 9.34 9.33 9.39
Sleeping................................ 8.78 8.52 8.57 8.55 8.60
Eating and drinking........................ 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.21 1.23
Household activities....................... 1.59 1.80 1.80 1.71 1.73
Housework............................... .58 .56 .60 .59 .58
Food preparation and cleanup............ .52 .51 .51 .55 .52
Lawn and garden care.................... .06 .32 .28 .09 .19
Household management.................... .14 .13 .13 .11 .13
Purchasing goods and services.............. .77 .70 .77 .82 .77
Consumer purchases...................... .36 .34 .38 .45 .38
Professional and personal care services .10 .08 .08 .07 .08
Caring for and helping household members... .53 .53 .50 .57 .53
Caring for and helping household
children............................... .42 .41 .40 .43 .42
Caring for and helping nonhousehold members .23 .27 .19 .22 .23
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
adults................................. .07 .09 .06 .07 .07
Working and work-related activities........ 3.70 3.84 3.66 3.72 3.73
Working................................. 3.36 3.43 3.32 3.40 3.38
Educational activities..................... .53 .44 .32 .59 .47
Attending class......................... .29 .27 .17 .35 .27
Homework and research................... .19 .14 .11 .19 .16
Organizational, civic, and religious
activities................................ .37 .32 .30 .35 .33
Religious and spiritual activities...... .16 .14 .14 .14 .14
Volunteering (organizational and civic
activities)............................ .17 .14 .13 .16 .15
Leisure and sports......................... 5.07 5.15 5.44 5.05 5.18
Socializing and communicating........... .68 .74 .78 .65 .71
Watching television..................... 2.77 2.64 2.75 2.93 2.77
Participating in sports, exercise, and
recreation............................. .23 .36 .36 .23 .30
Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail.......... .22 .21 .19 .22 .21
Other activities, not elsewhere classified .20 .18 .24 .19 .20
1 A primary activity refers to an individual's main activity. Other activities done simultaneously are not
included.
2 All major activity categories include related travel time. See Technical Note for activity category
definitions.
NOTE: Data refer to persons 15 years and over.
United States Department of Labor
