Eating and drinking time statistics
Published September 23, 2026 · StatsGalore
average hours per day spent eating and drinking by the civilian population [1]
This reference summarizes the American Time Use Survey figures for eating and drinking in the 2025 annual averages table. The source reports time as averages per day and separates three related measures: average hours for the civilian population, the percent of the population engaged in the activity on an average day, and average hours among people who engaged in the activity. For eating and drinking, the headline all-population average was 1.21 hours per day. [1]
The numbers
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Period | 2025 annual averages | [1] |
| Population scope | people 15 years and over | [1] |
| Average hours per day, civilian population: total | 1.21 | [1] |
| Average hours per day, civilian population: men | 1.24 | [1] |
| Average hours per day, civilian population: women | 1.18 | [1] |
| Average percent engaged in eating and drinking per day: total | 96.9 | [1] |
| Average percent engaged in eating and drinking per day: men | 97.2 | [1] |
| Average percent engaged in eating and drinking per day: women | 96.5 | [1] |
| Average hours per day for people who engaged: total | 1.25 | [1] |
| Average hours per day for people who engaged: men | 1.28 | [1] |
| Average hours per day for people who engaged: women | 1.23 | [1] |
What the measure covers
The eating and drinking line is part of a table on time spent in primary activities. A primary activity is the individual's main activity, so the figures should not be read as a complete capture of every moment when food or drink was present if another activity was recorded as the main activity.
The table gives averages per day, not medians. It also distinguishes between the full civilian population average and the conditional average for people who engaged in eating and drinking on the diary day. Those denominators answer different questions and should not be combined as though they were the same measure.
[1]Core 2025 result
For the civilian population, eating and drinking averaged 1.21 hours per day in the 2025 annual averages. The same row reports that 96.9 percent engaged in eating and drinking per day, showing the share of the population with the activity recorded as a primary activity on an average day.
Among only the people who engaged in eating and drinking, the average was 1.25 hours per day. That conditional figure is higher than the all-population average because it excludes people who did not have eating and drinking recorded as a primary activity on the diary day.
[1]Breakdown by sex
The all-population average hours per day were 1.24 for men and 1.18 for women. These are mean daily hours for the civilian population groups shown in the table, not counts of meals, visits, purchases, or accounts.
The percent engaged per day was 97.2 for men and 96.5 for women. Among people who engaged in eating and drinking, the average hours per day were 1.28 for men and 1.23 for women. The source table reports these descriptive values without giving reasons for the differences.
[1]How to use the figures carefully
Use the 1.21-hour figure when describing the average day across the full civilian population age 15 years and over. Use the 1.25-hour figure only when describing people who engaged in eating and drinking. The 96.9 percent figure is a participation rate for the activity on an average day, not a duration.
The statistics are tied to the 2025 annual averages table and the source page was last modified June 25, 2026. Because the source defines the measure as primary activity time and says simultaneous activities are not included, the figures should be interpreted as primary eating and drinking time rather than total time connected to food and beverages in every possible context.
[1]Sources & notes
Source definitions and limits: a primary activity is an individual's main activity; other simultaneous activities are not included. Data refer to people 15 years and over. All major activity categories include related travel time. The underlying period is 2025 annual averages, and the source page states Last Modified Date: June 25, 2026.
The 2025 ATUS did not collect diaries for September 30–November 11 during the federal shutdown. Under the existing weighting method, later fourth-quarter diaries represent the missing days as well. See the BLS collection notice before making year-to-year comparisons.
Source review: 2026-09-23. Article publication and underlying data dates are separate. How we use statistics · Suggest a correction