American Time Use Survey

Working and Work-related Activities

Working and work-related activities includes time spent working, doing activities as part of one’s job, engaging in income-generating activities (not as part of one’s job), and job search activities. Work-related activities include activities that are not obviously work but are done as part of one’s job, such as having a business lunch or playing golf with clients. Other income-generating activities are those done under informal arrangement such as selling homemade crafts, babysitting, maintaining a rental property, or having a yard sale. For a more detailed description of this activity category, see the ATUS 2011 Technical Note.

Tables on this page:

Other sources of ATUS data

Working and work-related activities on weekdays and weekend days in 2011

Time spent working and in work-related activities (1) and percent of the civilian population working and engaging in work-related activities, averages per day on weekdays and weekends, 2011 annual averages
Activity Average hours per day, civilian population Average percent engaged in the activity per day Average hours per day for persons who engaged in the activity
Weekdays Weekends and holidays (2) Weekdays Weekends and holidays (2) Weekdays Weekends and holidays (2)

Total, working and work-related activities

 4.49 1.38 53.6 23.5 8.39 5.88

Working

 4.04 1.23 50.8 21.6 7.95 5.67

Work-related activities

 .01 ~0 .7 .2 1.08 .52

Other income-generating activities

 .04 .04 1.1 .9 3.95 4.13

Job search and interviewing

 .05 .02 2.2 1.1 2.17 2.12

Travel related to work

 .35 .10 45.7 15.0 .77 .65

Footnotes:
(1) All estimates refer to work or work-related activities done as a main (primary) activity. Other activities done simultaneously are not included.
(2) Holidays are New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. In 2011, data were not collected about Christmas Day.
~0 Estimate is approximately zero.
NOTE: Data refer to persons 15 years and over, including persons who are employed (on days they did and did not work), as well as persons who are not employed.

These and other detailed activity estimates are also available in:

Table A-2: Time spent in detailed primary activities, and percent of the civilian population engaging in each detailed primary activity category, averages per day by sex on weekdays and weekends, 2011 annual averages (PDF)

For a further description of ATUS data and methodology, see the ATUS 2011 Technical Note.

Working and work-related activities done by men and women in 2011

Time spent working and in work-related activities (1) and percent of the civilian population working or engaging in work-related activities, averages per day by sex, 2011 annual averages
Activity Average hours per day, civilian population Average percent engaged in the activity per day Average hours per day for persons who engaged in the activity
Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women

Total, working and work-related activities

 3.57 4.23 2.95 44.6 50.4 39.2 7.99 8.39 7.52

Working

 3.20 3.81 2.63 42.1 47.9 36.7 7.60 7.96 7.17

Work-related activities

 .01 .01 ~0 .5 .6 .5 1.02 1.01 1.04

Other income-generating activities

 .04 .03 .05 1.0 .8 1.2 4.00 3.43 4.37

Job search and interviewing

 .04 .05 .04 1.9 2.2 1.6 2.16 2.11 2.23

Travel related to work

 .28 .34 .22 36.6 42.0 31.4 .76 .81 .69

Footnotes:
(1) All estimates refer to work or work-related activities done as a main (primary) activity. Other activities done simultaneously are not included.
~0 Estimate is approximately zero.
NOTE: Data refer to persons 15 years and over, including persons who are employed (on days they did and did not work), as well as persons who are not employed.

These and other detailed activity estimates are also available in:

Table A-1. Time spent in detailed primary activities and percent of the civilian population engaging in each detailed primary activity category, averages per day by sex, 2011 annual averages (PDF)

For a further description of ATUS data and methodology, see the ATUS 2011 Technical Note.

Other sources of ATUS data

ATUS news releases

ATUS tables

ATUS charts

ATUS papers and publications

Last Modified Date: June 22, 2012

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