What Is The Average Work Hours Per Week In The US? [2026]

The average American adult works 38.7 hours per week. This translates to approximately 7.74 hours per weekday and 2012.4 hours annually.

It’s often said that if you pursue your passion, you’ll never work a day in your life. However, for most individuals, the average work life spans around 90,000 hours over a lifetime, which equates to about one-third of our lives dedicated to work. Various factors influence how much time people spend working:

• Americans aged 25-54 work an average of 40.2 hours per week, the highest among age groups.

• Men average 40.5 hours per week, while women average 36.6 hours per week.

• Black or African American individuals work an average of 38.8 hours per week, the highest among racial and ethnic groups in the U.S.

• Married individuals tend to work more hours than their single counterparts, with married men averaging 41.9 hours per week and married women averaging 37.1 hours per week, which is 10% and 5% more than never-married men and women, respectively.

Average Weekly Work Hours by Age

Average Weekly Work Hours by Gender

Average Weekly Work Hours by Race/Ethnicity

Average Weekly Work Hours by Marital Status

References

Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey (2021) – Bureau of Labor Statistics

Average Hours Worked Per Week

The average hours worked per week by Americans is just over 34 but can vary due to several factors.

• Age. Teenagers aged 16 to 19 typically work an average of 25 hours, while young adults aged 20 to 24 work around 34.8 hours, slightly above the overall average. This is likely due to other commitments, such as education, affecting their work hours. In many states, there are also restrictions on the number of hours minors can work.

  For full-time workers within the typical age range, the national average stands at 40.2 hours per week, while those aged 55 and older work an average of 38 hours per week. This decrease may relate more to financial stability and the choice to work fewer hours rather than age itself.

• Gender. On average, men work 40.5 hours per week, whereas women average 36.6 hours. Factors influencing this include family responsibilities and the types of employment roles held by each gender.

• Marital status. Generally, married individuals work more hours than their single counterparts. Married men work approximately 3.9 hours more than single men, while married women work about 1.7 hours more than their single counterparts. This trend may reflect the added responsibilities of supporting families.

• Race and ethnicity. White Americans work an average of 38.7 hours per week, while Asian Americans average 38.6. African Americans lead slightly with an average of 38.8 hours, followed by Hispanic and Latino individuals at 38.1 hours per week. The variation in hours can be attributed to differences in job roles, experience, and available opportunities.

Average Hours Worked Per Day

Daily work hours can vary widely. Depending on whether you are an hourly or salaried employee, your daily work hours may fluctuate. However, the national average for daily work hours is approximately 8.5 hours, while weekend work averages around 5.4 hours.

Similar to weekly hours, daily hours can be influenced by several factors:

• Gender. Men report working about 34 additional minutes per day compared to women. This disparity can be linked to the higher proportion of women in part-time jobs.

  Although strides are being made to close the gender pay gap, women still spend more time on household responsibilities. Recent surveys indicate that 84% of women and 69% of men engage in household tasks, with women dedicating nearly 3 hours and men around 2 hours daily to these activities.

• Weekends. While full-time employees predominantly work weekdays, about 31% report utilizing part of their weekends to catch up on work. On average, employed individuals spend 5.4 hours on weekends working, with self-employed workers more likely to work during the weekend than salaried employees. Those with multiple jobs, such as teachers, are also more inclined to work on weekends.

Calculating Your Work Hours

If you work a standard 40-hour workweek, calculating your average hours can seem straightforward. However, when accounting for paid holidays and time off for vacations or sick leave, the math can become more complex.

For instance, if you work 40 hours weekly for 52 weeks, you would typically accumulate 2,080 hours annually. If your company offers 8 paid holidays, that accounts for 64 hours. Assuming you take 10 days off for vacations or other commitments, that’s another 80 hours deducted from your total.

Dividing those 1,936 hours by 52 weeks reveals that a 40-hour workweek with standard holiday and PTO schedule averages to about 37.2 hours worked each week.

Comparing that to the total available time, there are 365 days in a year. Multiplying by 24 hours each day gives 8,760 hours in a typical year.

This means that someone working a 40-hour workweek with standard holiday and PTO can expect to spend 22.1% of their time working.

The Importance of Work-Life Balance

With the averages outlined above, it’s beneficial to evaluate your own working hours against the national average. While it’s common to encounter unexpected situations requiring overtime, devoting all your time to work without allocating time for relaxation can adversely affect mental health.

For many, work is a critical aspect of survival. However, maintaining a balance is vital as you transition into the workforce. The number of hours devoted to work versus personal enjoyment is a topic of ongoing debate among employees and researchers alike.

Ultimately, there’s no universal answer to the ideal number of work hours for everyone. Work hours are influenced by personal circumstances, lifestyle choices, and individual preferences. Each person has unique capacities for responsibilities and projects, with some thriving as independent workers while others flourish in collaborative settings, often necessitating additional hours.

When seeking to find your balance, many discover that it doesn’t hinge on a specific number of hours or a fixed ratio of work to play. Instead, the satisfaction derived from your work or its perceived value plays a crucial role. Engaging in a job devoid of meaning can diminish productivity, leading to inefficiency compared to colleagues who are passionate about their work.

Research indicates a consensus that excessive work is detrimental. The widely accepted working week of 35-40 hours is acceptable; however, exceeding 50 hours can jeopardize mental health, productivity, attention to detail, and decision-making capabilities.

Moreover, overworking can adversely affect physical health, with links to issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. Mental health concerns, including heightened levels of anxiety, depression, and poor sleep quality, are also more prevalent among those exceeding standard work hours.

Conclusion

Keeping pace with colleagues in a competitive work environment can be challenging. However, it’s crucial to recognize that productivity has limits; working extended hours doesn’t guarantee greater output. In fact, productivity tends to decline after surpassing 50 hours a week, implying that excessive work can harm both individuals and organizations.

If you’re struggling to manage your work hours, it’s important to address this with your manager. You may be overwhelmed and need to delegate tasks to others on your team. Your manager might not be aware of your situation unless you communicate it, so bringing it up early is essential.

Regardless of your manager’s response, establishing boundaries around work hours is your responsibility. It’s acceptable to decline additional tasks or postpone certain projects if you require rest. Make time for yourself on weekends and disconnect from work. While it may feel counterproductive to relax, prioritizing your well-being will ultimately enhance your efficiency and productivity.

Author

Caitlin Mazur

Caitlin Mazur is a freelance writer at Zippia. Caitlin is passionate about helping Zippia’s readers land the jobs of their dreams by offering content that discusses job-seeking advice based on experience and extensive research. Caitlin holds a degree in English from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.