Meal preparation is a recurring part of daily life, but the time involved varies by participation, household structure, work location, and the age of the children at home. The latest annual American Time Use Survey results show that U.S. people age 15 and over spent 0.67 hours per day on food preparation and cleanup in 2024. Earlier USDA research adds context on home eating, family meals, convenience foods, restaurants, and food spending.
Contents
- Daily time spent preparing food
- Differences by sex
- Weekdays, weekends, and holidays
- Children and employment status
- Working from home and family meals
- Convenience foods and eating out
- Food spending and acquisition
Daily time spent preparing food
The 2024 American Time Use Survey measures food preparation and cleanup as a primary activity. It includes time spent preparing food and cleaning up afterward, but it does not count simultaneous secondary activities. Among U.S. people age 15 and over, the average was 0.67 hours per day during the 2024 annual average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey 2024 A01 Results).
Participation was also substantial. About 63.1% of people age 15 and over engaged in food preparation and cleanup on an average day in 2024. Looking only at people who did the activity, the average was 1.06 hours per day. The two figures answer different questions: the first describes the full population, while the second describes participants.
The results therefore show both the reach and the uneven distribution of meal-related work. A typical person-level average includes people who did not prepare food or clean up on the diary day, whereas the participant average represents the time commitment among those who did.
Differences by sex
The 2024 annual-average results show a measurable difference in both participation and time. Men age 15 and over spent an average of 0.46 hours per day on food preparation and cleanup. About 54.2% engaged in the activity on an average day, and men who participated averaged 0.86 hours per day.
Women age 15 and over spent an average of 0.86 hours per day on food preparation and cleanup. About 71.6% engaged in the activity on an average day, while women who participated averaged 1.20 hours per day (Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey 2024 A01 Results).
| Group, age 15 and over | Average time per day | Participated on an average day | Time among participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 0.46 hours | 54.2% | 0.86 hours |
| Women | 0.86 hours | 71.6% | 1.20 hours |
These measures are descriptive rather than explanations of why the difference exists. They also cover people age 15 and over, not only adults, and combine preparation with cleanup. The participant figures should not be read as the time every man or woman spends each day.
Weekdays, weekends, and holidays
Meal-related time was slightly higher on weekend days and holidays than on weekdays in the 2024 annual-average data. U.S. people age 15 and over spent an average of 0.65 hours per weekday on food preparation and cleanup, compared with 0.70 hours per weekend day or holiday.
Participation moved in the other direction: about 63.8% engaged in food preparation and cleanup on an average weekday, versus 61.5% on an average weekend day or holiday. Among participants, the weekday average was 1.02 hours, compared with 1.14 hours on weekend days and holidays (Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey 2024 A01 Results).
| Day type | Average time for all people | Participation | Average time among participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekday | 0.65 hours | 63.8% | 1.02 hours |
| Weekend day or holiday | 0.70 hours | 61.5% | 1.14 hours |
The distinction matters for meal planning. The average participant spent more time on a weekend day or holiday, even though a smaller share of people participated than on an average weekday. The survey describes primary activity, so it does not include cooking or cleanup performed simultaneously with another primary activity.
Children and employment status
Household composition is associated with different reported averages. Adults age 18 and over in households with children under age 18 spent 0.84 hours per day on food preparation and cleanup in 2024. Adults in households without children under age 18 spent 0.62 hours per day.
Within households with children, adults whose youngest child was under age 6 averaged 0.91 hours per day. Those whose youngest child was age 6 to 17 averaged 0.80 hours. The household-child tables cover adults age 18 and over, unlike the overall, sex, and weekday/weekend tables, which cover people age 15 and over (Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey 2024 A01 Results).
Employment status shows another difference. Employed adults in households with children under age 18 averaged 0.74 hours per day. The average was 0.72 hours when the youngest child was under age 6 and 0.75 hours when the youngest child was age 6 to 17. Employed adults in households without children under age 18 averaged 0.54 hours.
Not-employed adults in households with children averaged 1.20 hours per day. The average reached 1.46 hours when the youngest child was under age 6 and was 1.00 hour when the youngest child was age 6 to 17. Not-employed adults in households without children averaged 0.75 hours.
For adults in households without children, the 2024 sex-specific averages were 0.46 hours for men and 0.79 hours for women. These figures describe time use in the named groups and should not be treated as a causal estimate of the effect of employment or children.
Working from home and family meals
USDA research for 2017–2018 found that prime working-age adults who worked from home were more likely to prepare food on an average weekday than those who worked away from home: 75% versus 63%. Those who worked from home spent 41 minutes preparing food, compared with 30 minutes for people who worked away from home.
The same comparison found more time eating at home among people working from home: 49 minutes on an average weekday versus 27 minutes among those working away from home (USDA Economic Research Service, “People spent more time preparing food and eating at home when working from home, 2017–18”). These results describe 2017–2018 and should not be presented as a current 2026 estimate.
Separate USDA research examined family meals in households of working-age adults with children under age 17. Family meals rose from 5.8 to 6.3 per week between 2007–08 and 2009–10. Family meals prepared at home rose from 5.4 to 5.8 per week over the same period.
Among working-age adults in multiperson households, family meals prepared at home rose from 5.3 to 5.7 per week between 2007–08 and 2009–10 (USDA Economic Research Service, “More family meals prepared at home following the 2007–09 recession”). These are historical changes across the stated periods, not independently verified current trends.
Convenience foods and eating out
USDA’s Flexible Consumer Behavior Survey provides reported consumption and acquisition measures, not a direct measure of whether a household cooked from raw ingredients. U.S. adults reported an average of 4.0 food-away-from-home meals in the prior seven days in 2007–08, compared with 3.7 in 2017–March 2020.
Over the prior 30 days, adults reported eating ready-to-eat foods an average of 1.9 times in 2007–08 and 2.2 times in 2017–March 2020. Reported consumption of frozen meals or pizzas averaged 2.7 times in 2007–08 and 2.4 times in 2017–March 2020 (USDA Economic Research Service, Flexible Consumer Behavior Survey).
During 2017–March 2020, about 93% of U.S. adults bought food from a fast-food restaurant in the prior 12 months. About 83% ate in or got take-out from a sit-down restaurant. The measures refer to reported activity within the stated lookback periods.
Nutrition information became more visible on restaurant menus over the comparison period. The share of adults who saw nutrition information at their last fast-food visit rose from 20% in 2007–08 to 40% in 2017–March 2020. At sit-down restaurants, the share rose from 16% to 35%.
Among adults who saw the information, 40% used fast-food menu nutrition information when deciding what to buy in 2007–08, compared with 43% in 2017–March 2020. For sit-down menus, use fell from 53% to 43% over the same periods.
Food-away-from-home spending accounted for slightly more than half of U.S. consumers’ food budgets in 2010, up from 41% in 1984. That long-term comparison concerns food budgets, not the number of meals prepared at home (USDA Economic Research Service, Flexible Consumer Behavior Survey).
Food spending and acquisition
FoodAPS, a nationally representative U.S. household survey collected over one week from April 2012 through January 2013, found that per-capita food spending averaged $78 per week. The regional averages were $83 in the West Census region and $73 in the Midwest.
SNAP households spent an average of $52 per person per week on food, compared with $59–$88 for the non-SNAP income groups reported by FoodAPS. Because FoodAPS is an older survey, these figures retain the 2012–13 period and should not be treated as current 2026 estimates (USDA Economic Research Service, “FoodAPS Survey Shows Where Households Get Food in a Typical Week”).
Households reported 55% of weekly food expenditures at large grocery stores, 3% at small or specialty food stores, and 7% at other food stores. About 33% of reported household food expenditures went to restaurants and other eating places.
Restaurant spending differed by place of residence. Rural households spent $21.91 per person per week at restaurants and other eating places, versus $27.30 for urban households. Restaurants represented 29% of rural households’ reported food spending and 35% of urban households’ reported food spending.
Food acquisition was not limited to purchases. About 22% of all FoodAPS food acquisitions were free to the household. Six percent of households acquired food from their own or others’ production through hunting, fishing, or gardening; 1% acquired food from food pantries or Meals on Wheels; and 37% acquired food from family, friends, parties, or a place of worship.
Among SNAP households, 30% of food-acquisition events were reported as free. Among those households, 91% of school food acquisitions were reported as free. These acquisition figures describe the FoodAPS week in 2012–13 and reflect the survey’s reported sources and circumstances, not a current estimate of household food access.