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It’s Read Across America Day!

March 02, 2026

National Read Across America Day is celebrated every year on March 2—also the birthday of Dr. Seuss. The goal of the annual event is to encourage reading in children, but all the Whos in Whoville can take advantage of the opportunity to pick up a book.

In 2024, Americans over the age of 14 spent 0.28 hours—about 17 minutes—on an average day reading for personal interest. Time spent reading varied widely across age groups, with 20- to 24-year-olds averaging 0.13 hours (8 minutes) per day, while those 75 and older averaged 0.77 hours, or 46 minutes per day. A decade earlier in 2014, one age group—people 75 years and older—spent more than an hour a day reading.

Chart Image
Chart Data

Average hours per day spent reading for personal interest, annual averages, by age
Age	2024
Total, 15 years and over	0.28
15 to 19 years	0.15
20 to 24 years	0.13
25 to 34 years	0.17
35 to 44 years	0.15
45 to 54 years	0.18
55 to 64 years	0.33
65 to 74 years	0.47
75 years and over	0.77

Time spent reading also varied by sex in 2024. Men averaged 0.25 hours (15 minutes) per day while women averaged 0.31 hours, or 19 minutes.

Chart Image
Chart Data

Average hours per day spent reading for personal interest, annual averages, by sex
Year	Men	Women
2014	0.27	0.37
2015	0.27	0.37
2016	0.25	0.33
2017	0.22	0.33
2018	0.24	0.29
2019	0.23	0.31
2020	-	-
2021	0.23	0.32
2022	0.21	0.32
2023	0.20	0.32
2024	0.25	0.31
Note: Data collection issues due to COVID-19 prevented the publication of 2020 annual estimates.

These data are from the American Time Use Survey. For more information, see “American Time Use Survey — 2024 Results.” We also have more charts on activities and time use.

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, It’s Read Across America Day! at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/its-read-across-america-day.htm (visited March 03, 2026).

OF INTEREST

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