American Time Use Survey

The American Time Use Survey (ATUS) is the Nation’s only federally administered, continuous survey on time use in the United States. It measures, for example, time spent with children, working, providing eldercare, sleeping or doing leisure activities. In the United States, several existing Federal surveys collect income and wage data for individuals and families, and analysts often use such measures of material prosperity as proxies for quality of life. Time-use data substantially augment these quality-of-life measures. The data also can be used in conjunction with wage data to evaluate the contribution of non-market work to national economies. This enables comparisons of production between nations that have different mixes of market and non-market activities. The ATUS supports the mission of the Bureau of Labor Statistics by providing data on when, where, and how much employed Americans work. Individuals aged 15 and up are selected from a nationally representative sample of households each month for the ATUS.

The latest form for American Time Use Survey expires 2028-09-30 and is listed under ICR 202512-1220-003.