Weekday meal preparation in the United States includes more than cooking. In 2024, people age 15 and over spent an average of 0.65 hours per weekday on food preparation and cleanup, while 63.8% did at least one of those activities on an average weekday. The figures below come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) American Time Use Survey and describe annual averages for diary days, not a count of meals prepared.
Contents
- How much weekday time goes to food preparation
- How many people prepare food on weekdays
- How long weekday participants spend
- Grocery shopping and household planning
- Weekdays compared with weekends and holidays
- Gender patterns in weekday meal routines
How much weekday time goes to food preparation
The BLS measure combines food and drink preparation with kitchen and food cleanup. For the U.S. civilian population age 15 and over, the combined activity averaged 0.65 hours per weekday in 2024. That is the population-wide daily average, including people who did not report the activity on that diary day. The source is BLS Table A-2, “Time spent in detailed primary activities and percent of the civilian population engaging in each activity,” 2024 annual averages.
Food and drink preparation accounted for 0.52 hours per weekday. Kitchen and food cleanup accounted for 0.13 hours per weekday. Together, those two reported components equal the table’s 0.65-hour food-preparation-and-cleanup average. The measures are hours per day and should not be read as the length of a single cooking session.
The participation figures add context. On an average weekday, 61.2% of people age 15 and over engaged in food and drink preparation, and 22.5% engaged in kitchen and food cleanup. The combined food preparation and cleanup measure had a 63.8% weekday participation rate. These percentages refer to the share doing the activity on the diary day.
How many people prepare food on weekdays
The participation rate for food and drink preparation was much broader than the rate for kitchen and food cleanup. In the 2024 BLS annual averages, 61.2% of the civilian population age 15 and over prepared food or drinks on an average weekday. Cleanup was reported by 22.5%, while 63.8% engaged in food preparation and cleanup when the combined category was used.
The combined percentage is not intended to be added to the two component percentages. A person can appear in both food preparation and cleanup, and the combined category counts people who engaged in either part. The distinction matters when interpreting weekday meal habits: cooking participation is widespread, while cleanup participation is narrower on any individual diary day.
The survey’s participation measure also differs from a weekly frequency measure. A 61.2% weekday rate means that share engaged in food and drink preparation on an average weekday diary day; it does not mean that exactly 61.2% cook the same number of times every Monday through Friday.
How long weekday participants spend
Among people who engaged in the activity on an average weekday, time was higher than the population-wide average because participant duration excludes nonparticipants. Weekday participants spent 1.02 hours on food preparation and cleanup in 2024. Participants in food and drink preparation spent 0.85 hours, while participants in kitchen and food cleanup spent 0.56 hours.
| Weekday activity, U.S. civilians age 15+ | Population average per weekday | Participation | Average among participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food preparation and cleanup | 0.65 hours | 63.8% | 1.02 hours |
| Food and drink preparation | 0.52 hours | 61.2% | 0.85 hours |
| Kitchen and food cleanup | 0.13 hours | 22.5% | 0.56 hours |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table A-2, 2024 annual averages.
These three views answer different practical questions. The population average describes the daily time burden spread across everyone age 15 and over. The participation percentage describes how common the activity was on a diary day. The participant average describes the typical duration among people who actually reported doing it. None of the measures identifies a particular meal, recipe, household, or preparation method.
For meal planning, the participant figures show why a weekday routine can feel substantial even when the population-wide average appears smaller. A person who prepared food on the diary day averaged 0.85 hours in that activity, and a person who cleaned the kitchen or food area averaged 0.56 hours in cleanup. The combined participant figure was 1.02 hours for food preparation and cleanup.
Grocery shopping and household planning
Weekday meal routines also sit alongside shopping and organization. Grocery shopping averaged 0.09 hours per weekday for the U.S. civilian population age 15 and over in 2024. The weekday grocery-shopping participation rate was 12.8%, and people who grocery-shopped on a weekday spent 0.70 hours on average.
Household and personal organization and planning averaged 0.10 hours per weekday across the population. Its weekday participation rate was 13.9%, and participants spent 0.74 hours on average. This is a broad BLS category, so it should not be treated as a direct measure of writing a meal plan or preparing a shopping list.
The adjacent activities were more common and longer on weekend or holiday days. Grocery shopping averaged 0.15 hours per weekend or holiday day, with 16.7% participating and 0.88 hours among participants. Household and personal organization and planning averaged 0.16 hours per weekend or holiday day, with 17.2% participating and 0.92 hours among participants.
| Routine activity | Weekday population average | Weekday participation | Weekday participant time | Weekend/holiday population average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grocery shopping | 0.09 hours | 12.8% | 0.70 hours | 0.15 hours |
| Household and personal organization and planning | 0.10 hours | 13.9% | 0.74 hours | 0.16 hours |
The BLS source is Table A-2, 2024 annual averages. Grocery shopping and household or personal organization are adjacent routine activities in the table, not direct indicators that someone followed a written weekday meal plan.
Weekdays compared with weekends and holidays
The BLS weekday/weekend comparison shows a modest shift in food-related time. Food preparation and cleanup averaged 0.65 hours per weekday and 0.70 hours per weekend or holiday day. Participation was 63.8% on an average weekday versus 61.5% on an average weekend or holiday day. Among participants, the activity lasted 1.02 hours on weekdays and 1.14 hours on weekend or holiday days.
Food and drink preparation averaged 0.52 hours per weekday versus 0.56 hours per weekend or holiday day. Its participation rate was 61.2% on weekdays and 57.9% on weekend or holiday days. Among participants, preparation lasted 0.85 hours on weekdays and 0.96 hours on weekend or holiday days.
Kitchen and food cleanup averaged 0.13 hours per weekday versus 0.14 hours per weekend or holiday day. Participation was 22.5% on weekdays and 22.1% on weekend or holiday days. Among participants, cleanup lasted 0.56 hours on weekdays and 0.65 hours on weekend or holiday days.
The comparison suggests that weekend or holiday participants spent longer when they engaged in food-related activities, even though the share engaging was slightly lower for each listed food category. This is a description of the reported annual averages for 2024; it does not identify why the weekday and weekend patterns differ.
Gender patterns in weekday meal routines
The 2024 BLS weekday figures also show differences by gender for the U.S. civilian population age 15 and over. For men, food preparation and cleanup averaged 0.45 hours per weekday, with 54.5% participating and 0.82 hours among weekday participants. For women, the corresponding figures were 0.84 hours, 72.6%, and 1.16 hours.
For food and drink preparation, men averaged 0.37 hours per weekday, 51.4% participated, and participants averaged 0.72 hours. Women averaged 0.67 hours, 70.5% participated, and women participants averaged 0.95 hours.
| Weekday measure | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Food preparation and cleanup: population average | 0.45 hours | 0.84 hours |
| Food preparation and cleanup: participation | 54.5% | 72.6% |
| Food preparation and cleanup: participant average | 0.82 hours | 1.16 hours |
| Food and drink preparation: population average | 0.37 hours | 0.67 hours |
| Food and drink preparation: participation | 51.4% | 70.5% |
| Food and drink preparation: participant average | 0.72 hours | 0.95 hours |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table A-2, 2024 annual averages.
Kitchen and food cleanup averaged 0.08 hours per weekday for men and 0.17 hours for women. The participation rates were 14.9% for men and 29.6% for women. Among weekday participants, cleanup lasted 0.52 hours for men and 0.58 hours for women.
Grocery shopping also differed in the weekday averages. Men spent 0.07 hours per weekday, 10.9% participated, and participants averaged 0.63 hours. Women spent 0.11 hours per weekday, 14.6% participated, and participants averaged 0.74 hours.
These are population and participant averages for the survey’s gender categories, not explanations of household roles or individual behavior. They also do not show how meal preparation, shopping, and cleanup were divided within a household. The geographic scope is the United States, the population is civilians age 15 and over, and the measurement period is the BLS 2024 annual average.