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On an average day in 2018, men spent 5.7 hours on leisure and sports, women spent 4.9 hours

July 05, 2019

On an average day in 2018, 96 percent of people age 15 and over engaged in some sort of sport or leisure activity, such as watching TV, socializing, or exercising. On average, men spent 5.7 hours in these activities, while women spent 4.9 hours engaged in sport or leisure activities. (These averages includes both people who did these activities and those who did not.)

Time spent in primary activities and percent of the civilian population engaging in each activity, averages per day, by sex, 2018
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 
Total (both sexes)  Men  Women Total (both sexes)  Men  Women Total (both sexes)  Men  Women

Total, all activities

24.00 24.00 24.00 - - - - - -

Personal care activities

9.58 9.35 9.78 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 9.58 9.36 9.78

Eating and drinking

1.19 1.23 1.15 95.6 95.6 95.6 1.24 1.28 1.21

Household activities

1.78 1.36 2.17 76.7 68.5 84.4 2.32 1.99 2.57

Purchasing goods and services

0.72 0.61 0.82 43.6 40.2 46.9 1.65 1.52 1.76

Caring for and helping household members

0.51 0.32 0.70 24.1 19.2 28.7 2.14 1.67 2.43

Caring for and helping nonhousehold members

0.21 0.19 0.24 11.4 9.7 12.9 1.89 1.97 1.83

Working and work-related activities

3.57 4.16 3.02 44.1 49.7 38.9 8.09 8.37 7.75

Educational activities

0.46 0.49 0.43 7.9 7.9 7.8 5.83 6.20 5.47

Organizational, civic, and religious activities

0.30 0.26 0.35 14.1 11.4 16.7 2.16 2.30 2.07

Leisure and sports

5.27 5.69 4.87 95.6 96.2 94.9 5.51 5.91 5.13

Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail

0.15 0.09 0.20 19.2 14.8 23.4 0.76 0.62 0.84

Other activities, not elsewhere classified

0.26 0.24 0.28 21.0 19.6 22.3 1.24 1.24 1.24

On an average day, 84 percent of women and 69 percent of men spent some time doing household activities, such as housework, cooking, lawn care, or household management. Women spent an average of 2.2 hours per day on household activities, while men spent 1.4 hours on these activities.

Working and work-related activities were performed by 50 percent of men and 39 percent of women on an average day in 2018. On average, men spent 4.2 hours per day on work and related activities, while women spend 3.0 hours— note that these averages account for all 7 days of the week. On days they engaged in working and work-related activities, men spent an average of 8.4 hours and women spent an average of 7.8 hours.

Everyone age 15 and over, 100 percent, engaged in some sort of personal care activities (which include sleeping) on an average day. Men spent 9.4 hours in personal care activities, women spent 9.8 hours.

These data are from the American Time Use Survey. For more information, see "American Time Use Survey — 2018 Results." Also see charts of the latest American Time Use Survey data.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, On an average day in 2018, men spent 5.7 hours on leisure and sports, women spent 4.9 hours at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2019/on-an-average-day-in-2018-men-spent-5-point-7-hours-on-leisure-and-sports-women-spent-4-point-9-hours.htm (visited October 31, 2024).

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