Cooking time in the United States includes more than time at the stove. The latest American Time Use Survey found that people age 15 and older spent an average of 0.67 hours per day on food preparation and cleanup in 2024. That was an average across the population, including people who did and did not perform the activity that day. Among those who did it, the average was 1.06 hours. American Time Use Survey News Release - 2024 A01 Results
Table of contents
- The national cooking-time baseline
- Weekdays, weekends, and the daily rhythm
- Children, employment, and household workload
- Age, sex, and assistance-program participation
- Who usually prepares meals
- Fast food and preparation time
- Working from home and eating at home
The national cooking-time baseline
The 2024 national average was 0.67 hours per day for food preparation and cleanup among U.S. people age 15 and older. The participation rate was 63.1%, meaning that nearly two-thirds of people in this age group engaged in the activity on an average day. For people who participated, the average was 1.06 hours per day. These measures answer different questions: the population average describes time spread across everyone, while the participant average describes the time among people who actually prepared food or cleaned up.
The same source reported a substantial sex difference. Men spent an average of 0.46 hours per day on food preparation and cleanup, compared with 0.86 hours for women. Men’s participation rate was 54.2%, while women’s was 71.6%. Among participants, men averaged 0.86 hours and women averaged 1.20 hours per day. American Time Use Survey - 2024 A01 Results
| 2024 measure, people age 15 and older | Overall | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average hours per day, population | 0.67 | 0.46 | 0.86 |
| Participated on an average day | 63.1% | 54.2% | 71.6% |
| Average hours per day, participants | 1.06 | 0.86 | 1.20 |
The quarterly averages were fairly close across 2024. Average daily food preparation and cleanup time was 0.69 hours in the first quarter, 0.64 in the second, 0.67 in the third, and 0.66 in the fourth. These are quarterly averages for the U.S. population age 15 and older, not estimates of the time required for a particular recipe.
Earlier data measured a related but not identical category. In 2014–2017, 54% of Americans age 15 and older prepared food on an average day. Among those who prepared food on the recorded day, preparation averaged 51 minutes. Women who prepared food averaged 57 minutes, compared with 42 minutes for men. The USDA Economic Research Service reported that the largest hourly peak occurred from 5:00 to 5:59 p.m., when 28% of Americans were preparing food. Throughout most of the day, more women prepared food than did men in 2014–2017
Weekdays, weekends, and the daily rhythm
In 2024, people age 15 and older spent 0.65 hours per weekday on food preparation and cleanup. The average rose to 0.70 hours per weekend day or holiday. Participation moved in the opposite direction: 63.8% engaged in the activity on an average weekday, compared with 61.5% on an average weekend day or holiday.
Among people who participated, weekday activity averaged 1.02 hours per day. Weekend-day or holiday participants averaged 1.14 hours. Together, these figures describe a pattern in which fewer people participated on weekend days or holidays, but those who did spent longer on the activity. American Time Use Survey - 2024 A01 Results
The older USDA time-of-day data adds context to the evening meal period. During 2014–2017, the largest hourly peak for food preparation was 5:00–5:59 p.m., when 28% of Americans were preparing food. This is a population activity snapshot rather than a measure of how long dinner itself took. It also covers 2014–2017, so it should not be treated as a current 2024 estimate.
Children, employment, and household workload
Household composition and employment status were associated with different 2024 averages. Employed adults with children under 18 spent 0.74 hours per day on food preparation and cleanup. When the youngest child was under 6, the average was 0.72 hours; when the youngest child was 6 to 17, it was 0.75 hours.
Within employed households with children under 18, employed men averaged 0.51 hours per day and employed women averaged 0.97 hours. Employed adults in households without children under 18 averaged 0.54 hours. In those households, employed men averaged 0.43 hours and employed women 0.66 hours. American Time Use Survey - 2024 A01 Results
The averages were higher for adults who were not employed. Adults not employed with children under 18 spent 1.20 hours per day on food preparation and cleanup. The average was 1.46 hours when the youngest child was under 6 and 1.00 hour when the youngest child was 6 to 17. Adults not employed in households without children under 18 averaged 0.75 hours per day.
Among adults not employed with children under 18, women averaged 1.43 hours per day and men averaged 0.62 hours. These figures describe time-use averages for defined groups; they do not establish that employment or the presence of children caused a particular amount of cooking time.
Age, sex, and assistance-program participation
A 2014 USDA Economic Research Service analysis found that U.S. adults age 18 and older spent an average of 37 minutes per day on food preparation and cleanup. Its meal-preparation figures varied by age: adults age 18 to 24 averaged 21 minutes per day, adults age 25 to 64 averaged 38 minutes, and adults age 65 and older averaged 43 minutes.
Men age 18 and older averaged 22 minutes per day on meal preparation, while women averaged 51 minutes. The category and measurement year differ from the 2024 American Time Use Survey figures above, so the two sources should be compared cautiously rather than combined into a single trend line. Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up
The same 2014 analysis reported 50 minutes per day on meal preparation for SNAP participants and 62 minutes for WIC participants. Usual meal preparers in WIC households averaged 86 minutes per day. These statistics describe the groups identified in that analysis and should not be read as estimates for every household receiving assistance.
Who usually prepares meals
Meal-preparation roles were unevenly distributed in the 2014 data. About three-quarters of women identified themselves as their household’s usual meal preparer. Equal sharing was reported by 15% of men and 10% of women.
People who identified as their household’s usual meal preparer spent an average of 51 minutes per day on meal preparation. Among these usual preparers, men averaged 32 minutes and women averaged 60 minutes. Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up
The role-based figures help explain why household averages can conceal very different personal schedules. A household may report one overall cooking pattern, while the usual preparer carries a much larger share of the daily activity. The available figures quantify that difference without measuring every task or every household arrangement.
Fast food and preparation time
The 2014 USDA analysis also compared usual meal preparers who bought fast food on the diary day with those who did not. Usual meal preparers who bought fast food spent 27 minutes on meal preparation, compared with 58 minutes for those who did not buy fast food.
The comparison changed by employment and household composition. Among employed usual meal preparers, those who bought fast food spent 45 minutes on meal preparation, versus 21 minutes for those who did not. Among usual meal preparers in households with children, those who bought fast food spent 74 minutes, versus 39 minutes for those who did not. Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up
These results should be interpreted as diary-day comparisons, not as proof that buying fast food always reduces preparation time. The groups may differ in schedules, household demands, or the type of meal being prepared. The statistic measures reported meal-preparation time on the recorded day.
Working from home and eating at home
Data from 2017–2018 showed a connection between work location and food-related activity among prime working-age adults. On an average weekday, 64% engaged in food-preparation activities and spent an average of 31 minutes on them.
Among prime working-age adults who worked from home, 75% engaged in food-preparation activities on an average weekday. Their average time was 41 minutes. Among those who worked away from home, 63% engaged in the activities and averaged 30 minutes. Working From Home Leads to More Time Spent Preparing Food, Eating at Home
Eating-at-home measures followed a similar pattern. Overall, 78% of prime working-age adults ate at home on an average weekday and spent about 29 minutes doing so. The share was 89% among those working from home and 77% among those working away from home. Average time eating at home was 49 minutes for people working from home and 27 minutes for people working away from home.
The work-location findings cover 2017–2018 and describe prime working-age adults, not all adults or the 2024 population. They are best used as a historical comparison of weekday routines. Across the available years and definitions, cooking-time statistics consistently show that participation, household roles, work arrangements, and the type of day all shape how much time people spend preparing food and cleaning up.