With a little help from Grok, here are recent numbers from the BLS Time Use Survey…
Grok: Key Highlights from the 2024 American Time Use Survey
The American Time Use Survey (ATUS) tracks how Americans aged 15 and older spent their time in 2024, focusing on work, household activities, leisure, and childcare. Data is based on daily averages, distinguishing between weekdays and weekends where relevant.
Work Patterns (Among Employed Individuals)
- **Participation and Hours**: 80% of employed people worked on an average weekday (averaging 8.4 hours), compared to 30% on weekends (averaging 5.6 hours). Full-time workers averaged 8.1 hours overall on days worked.
- **Demographic Differences**: Multiple jobholders were more likely to work weekends (50% vs. 29% for single jobholders). Lower-educated workers (high school graduates) averaged more weekend hours (6.4) than those with a bachelor’s degree or higher (4.2).
- **Remote Work**: 33% worked from home on days worked (down from 35% in 2023, mainly for men). Higher-educated workers (50% with bachelor’s+) were far more likely to work remotely than those with a high school diploma (18%).
- **Gender Gap**: Employed men worked 33 minutes more per day than women overall; even among full-time workers, men averaged 8.2 hours vs. women’s 7.9 hours.
Household Activities
- **Overall Engagement**: 80% of people participated daily, averaging 2 hours. Women were more likely to do so (87% vs. 74% for men) and spent more time (2.7 hours vs. 2.3 hours).
- **By Employment and Family Status**: Non-employed adults with children under 18 averaged 2.9 hours, vs. 1.8 hours for employed ones.
- **Activity Types**: Housework was more common on weekends (41% participation) than weekdays (36%), while food preparation/cleanup was slightly more common on weekdays (64% vs. 62%).
Leisure and Sports Activities
- **Overall Engagement**: 94% participated daily, averaging 5.1 hours (men: 5.5 hours; women: 4.7 hours).
- **Age Variations**: Adults 75+ averaged 7.6 hours (most among age groups), while those 35-44 averaged the least (3.8 hours). Older adults spent more time reading (46 minutes for 75+ vs. 9 minutes for 15-19), but younger ones spent more on games/computer leisure (1.3 hours for 15-19 vs. 26 minutes for 75+).
- **Top Activities**: Watching TV dominated (2.6 hours, over half of leisure time). Socializing/communicating averaged 35 minutes (down from 43 minutes in 2014; participation fell from 38% to 30%), and games/computer leisure averaged 34 minutes. Socializing doubled on weekends (56 minutes) vs. weekdays (26 minutes).
- **By Family Status**: Employed adults without children under 18 averaged 4.5 hours, vs. 3.0 hours for those with a child under 6.
Childcare (Among Adults Living with Household Children)
- **Primary Childcare**: For households with kids under 6, adults averaged 2.5 hours daily (women: 3.0 hours; men: 2.0 hours), including more physical care and travel by women. For kids 6-17, it was 50 minutes. Non-employed adults spent more (3.2 hours) than employed ones (2.0 hours). Time was similar on weekdays (2.6 hours) and weekends (2.4 hours).
- **Secondary Childcare** (care while doing other activities): For kids under 13, adults averaged 5.2 hours, mostly during leisure (1.8 hours) or household tasks (1.2 hours). It was higher on weekends (7.5 hours) than weekdays (4.5 hours) for kids under 6.
For full data files and methodology, visit www.bls.gov/tus/data.htm.
Also, Grok’s summary of fresh produce news today….
Grok: As of November 2025, here are a few notable top stories from the fresh produce industry:
- **USDA Announces $30 Million Food Purchase to Support U.S. Producers:** Secretary Rollins revealed a major initiative to bolster the nation’s food supply, including $15 million allocated specifically for fresh oranges and additional funds for other produce items.
- **California Almond Acreage Continues to Shrink:** For the fourth straight year, almond-bearing acreage in California has declined, dropping to around 104,900 acres for non-productive and young plantings, reflecting ongoing challenges in the nut sector.
- **Braga Fresh Acquires Organicgirl, Leading to Facility Closure and Layoffs:** In a significant shake-up for the packaged salad market, Braga Fresh is closing its Salinas, California facility after acquiring organicgirl, resulting in 260 job cuts across various roles, phased through spring 2026.
