The 2024 American Time Use Survey (ATUS) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals how Americans spent their time across work, household, leisure, and childcare activities.
While remote work continued to be popular, the survey of around 7,700 people found that more men returned to the office. The number of men working remotely decreased from 34% to 29%, while the rate of women working from home remained the same.
- Sleep: The average American reported sleeping 9.04 hours per day.
- Remote work: 33% of employed people worked from home on days they worked, a figure similar to 2023 and significantly higher than pre-pandemic 2019 levels (24%).
- Work patterns: Men worked an average of 33 minutes more per day than women, a gap that persists even among full-time workers (8.2 hours for men vs. 7.9 for women).
- Education and work location: Workers with at least a bachelor’s degree were more likely to work from home (50%) than those with only a high school diploma (18%).
- Household activities: 87% of women and 74% of men spent time on household activities daily. Women averaged 2.7 hours, men 2.3 hours. Nearly half of women (48%) did housework compared to 22% of men.
- Leisure and sports: 94% of people aged 15+ engaged in leisure or sports daily. Men spent more time (5.5 hours) than women (4.7 hours). Watching TV was the most common activity (2.6 hours/day), though TV watching has declined over the past decade.
- Childcare: Adults in households with children under 6 spent 2.5 hours daily on primary childcare. Women provided more physical care (1.2 hours) than men (34 minutes). Non-employed adults spent more time on childcare than employed adults (3.2 vs. 2 hours).
These findings reflect ongoing shifts in American life, including the persistence of remote work, gender differences in work and household responsibilities, and the continued importance of leisure—especially TV—in daily routines.
Disclaimer: For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft. An editor verified the accuracy of the information before publishing.
