Contents
- Food preparation time statistics: average daily time and participation
- Food preparation time statistics by sex
- Food preparation time statistics across weekdays and weekends
- Food preparation time statistics by household child status
- food preparation time: Meal preparation time statistics by age and assistance program
- food preparation time: Food preparation responsibility and prepared-food purchases
- Sources
Food preparation time statistics: average daily time and participation
Food preparation time statistics describe more than one measure. An average across the whole population includes people who did no food preparation on the diary day. A participant average counts only people who reported the activity. Keeping those denominators separate helps explain why the time figures can differ substantially.
For the U.S. civilian population age 15 and over, the 2025 annual average was 0.71 hours per day in food preparation and cleanup. Among people who engaged in the activity, the average was 1.09 hours per day. An average of 65.2% of the population engaged on a given day. These are daily averages, not estimates of the time required to cook an individual meal. Source: BLS, American Time Use Survey — 2025 Results, Table 1
| 2025 measure | Population average | Average among participants |
|---|---|---|
| Food preparation and cleanup | 0.71 hours per day | 1.09 hours per day |
The BLS 2024 annual tables separate the activity into food and drink preparation and kitchen and food cleanup. The civilian population age 15 and over averaged 0.53 hours per day in preparation and 0.13 hours in cleanup. These 2024 categories are useful for understanding what a broader preparation-and-cleanup measure encompasses, but the figures are from a different year than the 2025 total above. Source: BLS, Table A-1: Time spent in detailed primary activities, 2024
Food preparation time statistics by sex
In the 2025 BLS data, women averaged 0.91 hours per day in food preparation and cleanup, compared with 0.51 hours for men. The participation figures show a similar difference in how commonly the activity was reported on an average day: 72.2% of women and 57.9% of men engaged. Source: BLS, American Time Use Survey — 2025 Results, Table 1
| 2025 group | Average hours per day, all people | Engaged on an average day | Hours per day among participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 0.51 | 57.9% | 0.88 |
| Women | 0.91 | 72.2% | 1.26 |
The final column uses only people who engaged in food preparation and cleanup. It should not be read as the average for all men or all women; the population averages are in the second column. The participant averages were 0.88 hours for men and 1.26 hours for women. All figures refer to the civilian population age 15 and over and the 2025 annual average. Source: BLS, American Time Use Survey — 2025 Results, Table 1
Food preparation time statistics across weekdays and weekends
The 2025 population average was 0.70 hours per weekday and 0.74 hours per weekend day or holiday. Participation moved in the other direction: 66.2% engaged on weekdays, compared with 62.9% on weekends and holidays. Among those who did prepare food and clean up, the average was 1.06 hours on weekdays and 1.18 hours on weekend days and holidays. Source: BLS, American Time Use Survey — 2025 Results, Tables 1–2
| 2025 day type | Average hours per day, all people | Engaged per day | Hours per day among participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekdays | 0.70 | 66.2% | 1.06 |
| Weekends and holidays | 0.74 | 62.9% | 1.18 |
The figures distinguish participation from time among participants. A smaller share of people engaged on weekends and holidays, while the participant average was higher on those days. The data describe average primary-activity time across the civilian population age 15 and over; they do not identify what caused the weekday and weekend differences. Source: BLS, American Time Use Survey — 2025 Results, Table 2
Food preparation time statistics by household child status
For adults age 18 and over, 2025 food preparation and cleanup averaged 0.91 hours per day among those living in a household with a child under 18. Adults with no household children under 18 averaged 0.66 hours. Within households with a child under 18, the average was 0.95 hours when the youngest child was under 6 and 0.88 hours when the youngest child was ages 6 to 17. Source: BLS, Table 8A: Time spent in primary activities by presence and age of youngest household child, 2025
| Household child grouping, adults age 18 and over | Average hours per day |
|---|---|
| Household child under 18 | 0.91 |
| No household children under 18 | 0.66 |
| Youngest child under 6 | 0.95 |
| Youngest child ages 6 to 17 | 0.88 |
The age-of-youngest-child categories apply to adults living with a household child under 18. Table 8A also reports a sex breakdown for adults in households with a child under 18: men averaged 0.59 hours per day and women averaged 1.19 hours. These are population averages for that household group, not participant-only averages. The table covers the civilian population age 18 and over and reports 2025 annual averages. Source: BLS, Table 8A, 2025
food preparation time: Meal preparation time statistics by age and assistance program
A USDA Economic Research Service analysis of the 2014 Eating & Health Module estimated that U.S. adults age 18 and over spent 37 minutes per day in meal preparation and cleanup. In that analysis, “meal prep” includes preparing food and beverages, serving food, and cleaning up afterward. It is a broader activity definition, and an older estimate, so it should be understood in its 2014 context rather than treated as a current figure. Source: USDA ERS, Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up
The same 2014 measure varied by age group. Adults ages 18–24 averaged 21 minutes per day; adults ages 25–64 averaged 38 minutes; and adults age 65 or older averaged 43 minutes. These are averages for the age groups, not time per meal or participant-only estimates. Source: USDA ERS, Meal preparation time varies across different U.S. demographic groups
The ERS report also gives figures for participants in food assistance programs. Individuals participating in SNAP averaged 50 minutes per day in meal preparation in 2014. WIC participants averaged 62 minutes per day. The WIC category is especially broad: the report says its classification includes preparing baby food and formula, breastfeeding, and pumping breast milk. These historical estimates therefore reflect the program groups and activity definitions used in the 2014 analysis. Source: USDA ERS, Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up
food preparation time: Food preparation responsibility and prepared-food purchases
The 2014 ERS analysis distinguishes usual household meal preparers from adults overall. People who identified as their household’s usual meal preparer averaged 51 minutes per day in meal preparation. Among these usual preparers, men averaged 32 minutes and women averaged 60 minutes. In the same report, about three-quarters of women said they were their household’s usual meal preparer. Equal sharing was reported by 15% of men and 10% of women. These responsibility responses and time estimates refer to the 2014 survey, not present-day household arrangements. Source: USDA ERS, Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up
For usual meal preparers on the diary day, ERS compared those who purchased prepared deli, carry-out, delivery, or fast food with those who did not. Purchasers averaged 27 minutes in meal preparation, compared with 58 minutes for non-purchasers. Among employed usual meal preparers, the corresponding figures were 45 minutes for purchasers and 21 minutes for non-purchasers. Among usual meal preparers in households with children, they were 74 minutes for purchasers and 39 minutes for non-purchasers. The subgroup comparisons do not establish that purchasing prepared food caused any difference in preparation time. Source: USDA ERS, Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up
A separate ERS analysis of pooled American Time Use Survey periods found that the share of U.S. people age 15 and over who prepared food on an average day was 47% in 2004–07 and 54% in 2014–17. Among those who prepared food the day before interview, average daily preparation time was 49.5 minutes in 2004–07 and 51.4 minutes in 2014–17. For 2014–17, participation was 65% among women and 41% among men age 15 and over. These pooled-period estimates use a food-preparation measure distinct from the separately reported food-cleanup measure, and they should not be conflated with the 2025 BLS combined preparation-and-cleanup figures. Source: USDA ERS, More Americans Spend More Time in Food-Related Activities Than a Decade Ago
Sources
- American Time Use Survey — 2025 Results
- Table A-1. Time spent in detailed primary activities and percent of the civilian population engaging in each activity, averages per day by sex, 2024
- Table A-2. Time spent in detailed primary activities and percent of the civilian population engaging in each activity, averages per day on weekdays and weekends, 2024
- Table 8A. Time spent in primary activities for the civilian population 18 years and over by presence and age of youngest household child and sex, 2025 annual averages, total
- Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up
- Meal preparation time varies across different U.S. demographic groups
- More Americans Spend More Time in Food-Related Activities Than a Decade Ago