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It’s National Hobby Month. How much time do you spend on your favorite activity?
January 02, 2025
With the new year upon us, many people consider being more intentional in how they spend their time. This could include focusing more on a current hobby, or even adding a new one to the mix. Let’s take a look at the time we spend on some popular hobbies.
Average hours spent per day in an activity among those engaging in activity, all days of the week, 2022–23 annual averages
Activity
2022
2023
Watching TV
3.65
3.62
Attending sporting or recreational events
3.17
3.16
Arts and entertainment (other than sports)
3.08
2.65
Playing games
2.59
2.48
Volunteer activities
2.33
2.11
Socializing and communicating
1.95
1.96
Lawn and garden care
2.01
1.87
Relaxing and thinking
1.64
1.84
Reading for personal interest
1.58
1.61
Participating in sports, exercise, or recreation
1.44
1.48
Computer use for leisure (excluding games)
1.48
1.46
Food and drink preparation
0.88
0.88
Walking
0.91
0.85
Walking, exercising, and playing with animals
0.86
0.81
Among people 15 and older, those who watched TV did so for an average of 3.62 hours on days they watched in 2023, compared with 3.65 hours in 2022.
Another prominent hobby was attending sporting or recreational events. Participants spent an average of 3.16 hours on days they attended these events in 2023, compared with 3.17 hours in 2022.
In 2023, arts and entertainment (other than sports) averaged 2.65 hours per day for its participants, compared with 3.08 hours in 2022. On days people spent time volunteering, they dedicated 2.11 hours to the activity in 2023 and 2.33 hours in 2022.
Reading for personal interest accounted for an average of 1.61 hours on days people read in 2023. Walkers were on the move for an average of 0.85 hours on days they walked.
United States Department of Labor
