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, 2007 annual averages
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, 2007 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................ 9.11 8.74 9.42 9.22 8.93 9.47 9.33 9.19 9.46
Sleeping............................. 8.47 8.19 8.69 8.46 8.31 8.59 8.55 8.56 8.53
Eating and drinking..................... 1.16 1.21 1.13 1.12 1.17 1.07 1.32 1.35 1.30
Household activities.................... 1.84 1.26 2.33 1.93 1.39 2.41 1.93 1.59 2.27
Housework............................ .70 .33 1.02 .67 .26 1.03 .65 .30 .99
Food preparation and cleanup......... .68 .32 .97 .61 .28 .89 .48 .29 .68
Lawn and garden care................. .13 .17 .08 .19 .30 .09 .26 .36 .15
Household management................. .11 .10 .11 .13 .09 .16 .16 .15 .17
Purchasing goods and services........... .81 .68 .91 .76 .59 .91 .81 .66 .96
Consumer goods purchases............. .44 .36 .51 .38 .28 .48 .40 .31 .48
Professional and personal care
services............................ .07 .05 .09 .08 .04 .12 .10 .06 .13
Caring for and helping household
members................................ 2.04 1.25 2.69 .76 .50 .98 .07 .06 .08
Caring for and helping household
children............................ 1.83 1.12 2.42 .57 .37 .76 - - -
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
members................................ .10 .11 .10 .19 .18 .20 .24 .18 .29
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
adults.............................. .05 .05 .04 .08 .10 .06 .08 .06 .09
Working and work-related activities..... 4.37 6.01 3.00 4.64 5.70 3.69 3.67 4.13 3.22
Working.............................. 3.99 5.46 2.76 4.22 5.14 3.40 3.35 3.74 2.97
Educational activities.................. .15 .10 .20 .28 .30 .27 .22 .19 .25
Attending class...................... .08 .05 .11 .15 .19 .12 .09 .08 .10
Homework and research................ .06 .04 .07 .11 .08 .13 .11 .09 .13
Organizational, civic, and religious
activities............................. .28 .31 .26 .37 .28 .45 .37 .28 .46
Religious and spiritual activities .. .12 .11 .13 .15 .12 .18 .16 .11 .20
Volunteering (organizational and
civic activities)................... .12 .16 .09 .17 .13 .21 .16 .13 .20
Leisure and sports...................... 3.83 4.08 3.62 4.42 4.70 4.17 5.63 6.01 5.25
Socializing and communicating........ .67 .63 .70 .70 .61 .78 .73 .69 .78
Watching television.................. 2.01 2.17 1.88 2.32 2.48 2.17 2.95 3.26 2.65
Participating in sports, exercise,
and recreation...................... .25 .31 .21 .27 .39 .16 .30 .39 .21
Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail....... .11 .06 .15 .13 .08 .17 .20 .14 .26
Other activities, not elsewhere
classified............................. .19 .18 .19 .18 .17 .19 .21 .23 .19
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................ 8.94 8.72 9.21 9.00 8.71 9.31 9.00 8.86 9.17
Sleeping............................. 8.27 8.17 8.40 8.23 8.11 8.37 8.22 8.21 8.22
Eating and drinking..................... 1.15 1.21 1.07 1.13 1.20 1.06 1.28 1.31 1.24
Household activities.................... 1.47 1.21 1.81 1.68 1.32 2.06 1.63 1.44 1.86
Housework............................ .52 .31 .79 .54 .24 .85 .54 .29 .82
Food preparation and cleanup......... .48 .30 .72 .49 .26 .73 .38 .26 .51
Lawn and garden care................. .13 .18 .06 .18 .26 .08 .19 .27 .11
Household management................. .10 .11 .09 .12 .09 .15 .13 .13 .14
Purchasing goods and services........... .72 .65 .83 .74 .60 .90 .76 .60 .93
Consumer goods purchases............. .38 .34 .43 .38 .29 .48 .38 .30 .49
Professional and personal care
services............................ .06 .04 .09 .07 .03 .11 .07 .05 .09
Caring for and helping household
members................................ 1.71 1.21 2.36 .69 .51 .89 .05 .05 .06
Caring for and helping household
children............................ 1.52 1.09 2.07 .52 .36 .67 - - -
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
members................................ .10 .11 .09 .15 .14 .15 .20 .16 .24
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
adults.............................. .04 .05 .02 .06 .07 .05 .06 .05 .06
Working and work-related activities..... 5.78 6.46 4.92 5.84 6.63 5.02 5.81 6.05 5.54
Working.............................. 5.31 5.88 4.58 5.36 6.03 4.65 5.36 5.55 5.14
Educational activities.................. .13 .08 .18 .21 .22 .20 .20 .17 .25
Attending class...................... .07 .05 .09 .10 .13 .06 .10 .09 .10
Homework and research................ .05 .03 .07 .09 .07 .12 .09 .06 .12
Organizational, civic, and religious
activities............................. .25 .29 .20 .32 .27 .38 .29 .25 .35
Religious and spiritual activities .. .11 .11 .11 .14 .11 .18 .12 .09 .16
Volunteering (organizational and
civic activities)................... .11 .14 .07 .14 .13 .15 .13 .12 . 15
Leisure and sports...................... 3.51 3.84 3.10 3.96 4.20 3.72 4.42 4.80 3.99
Socializing and communicating........ .63 .62 .64 .63 .56 .72 .63 .59 .68
Watching television.................. 1.79 2.00 1.53 2.03 2.20 1.85 2.28 2.56 1.96
Participating in sports, exercise,
and recreation...................... .25 .31 .17 .26 .36 .16 .28 .37 .18
Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail....... .07 .05 .10 .11 .06 .16 .16 .11 .22
Other activities, not elsewhere
classified............................. .16 .16 .15 .16 .16 .16 .19 .20 .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................ 9.63 9.04 9.72 10.01 10.21 9.92 9.87 9.87 9.87
Sleeping............................. 9.06 8.53 9.14 9.30 9.53 9.19 9.10 9.29 8.96
Eating and drinking..................... 1.22 1.22 1.22 1.07 1.01 1.11 1.40 1.43 1.38
Household activities.................... 2.95 1.83 3.12 2.85 1.79 3.37 2.44 1.90 2.84
Housework............................ 1.26 .59 1.36 1.15 .38 1.52 .84 .32 1.24
Food preparation and cleanup......... 1.26 .59 1.36 1.04 .40 1.35 .66 .35 .90
Lawn and garden care................. .12 .11 .12 .23 .49 .10 .36 .54 .22
Household management................. .12 .03 .13 .17 .10 .20 .21 .19 .22
Purchasing goods and services........... 1.06 1.19 1.05 .83 .59 .94 .90 .77 1.01
Consumer goods purchases............. .61 .58 .61 .40 .24 .47 .42 .35 .48
Professional and personal care
services............................ .09 .19 .08 .12 .08 .15 .14 .09 .18
Caring for and helping household
members................................ 3.01 1.80 3.19 .99 .50 1.23 .09 .09 .10
Caring for and helping household
children............................ 2.75 1.48 2.94 .78 .39 .98 - - -
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
members................................ .12 .09 .13 .34 .40 .31 .30 .23 .35
Caring for and helping nonhousehold
adults.............................. .07 .02 .08 .14 .29 .06 .11 .08 .13
Working and work-related activities (3). .10 .24 .08 .18 .34 .11 .12 .21 .05
Working (3).......................... .00 .00 .00 .01 .00 .01 .02 .03 .01
Educational activities.................. .24 .26 .23 .58 .76 .49 .25 .22 .26
Attending class...................... .11 .03 .13 .34 .52 .26 .08 .06 .10
Homework and research................ .10 .23 .08 .16 .13 .18 .15 .15 .16
Organizational, civic, and religious
activities............................. .38 .51 .36 .55 .37 .63 .49 .34 .61
Religious and spiritual activities .. .16 .09 .18 .17 .15 .18 .21 .15 .26
Volunteering (organizational and
civic activities)................... .16 .37 .13 .31 .17 .37 .22 .15 .27
Leisure and sports...................... 4.79 7.22 4.42 6.13 7.63 5.40 7.63 8.49 6.97
Socializing and communicating........ .79 .77 .80 .96 .95 .96 .90 .88 .92
Watching television.................. 2.66 4.31 2.41 3.39 4.09 3.04 4.07 4.70 3.58
Participating in sports, exercise,
and recreation...................... .27 .23 .27 .30 .57 .17 .33 .43 .25
Telephone calls, mail, and e-mail....... .23 .22 .23 .20 .17 .21 .26 .18 .33
Other activities, not elsewhere
classified............................. .27 .38 .25 .27 .23 .28 .25 .27 .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 Estimates include a small amount of work time done by persons who do not meet the ATUS definition
for employed.
- Not applicable.
Last Modified Date: June 25, 2008
Bureau of Labor Statistics
