May 31, 2007 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Leisure time and older Americans

In 2005, employed individuals age 65 and over spent 2.4 fewer hours on average per day engaged in leisure time activities than those who were not employed.

Leisure time of individuals age 65 and over: employed vs. not employed, 2005
[Chart data—TXT]

Those who were not employed spent most of their additional leisure time watching TV (1.3 hours) and reading (0.5 hour). Watching TV was the most common leisure activity for both groups.

These data are from the American Time Use Survey. To learn more about how people spend their time, see Charts from the American Time Use Survey. These data include all days of the week and are annual averages for 2005.