Statistics from the American Time Use Survey

Statistics from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS)

The Work Hours sections of the ocouha website (on the "occupational group" information pages) contain estimates of hours worked per day for the average day, the average weekday (Monday - Friday), and the average weekend day or holiday. There are also estimates of average hours worked per day at workplace and at home. These data come from the American Time Use Survey at the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

The American Time Use Survey (ATUS) collects information on how people living in the United States spend their time. Estimates show the kinds of activities people do and the time spent doing them by sex, age, educational attainment, labor force status, and other characteristics, as well as by weekday and weekend day. Published tables and micro data files are available on the ATUS website.

The ATUS sample is drawn from households that have completed their final month of interviews for the Current Population Survey, the Federal survey that is the source of the nation's unemployment rate. Households are selected to ensure that estimates can be made across major demographic groups. One individual from each selected household is chosen to participate in the ATUS, and this person is interviewed only once about his or her time use. In 2003, the sample consisted of approximately 39,000 cases, which yielded about 21,000 completed interviews. In 2004, the sample was reduced to approximately 27,000 cases, which yielded about 14,000 completed interviews.

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