Data / Time spent watching TV, hours per day / United States

Time spent watching TV, hours per day in United States

Time spent watching TV, hours per day in the United States was 2.61 hours per day in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is up 0.4% from 2024.

2025, hours per day2.61
Change on 2024+0.4%
Series high2.862021
Series low2.582003

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Time spent watching TV, hours per day in United States, 2003 to 2025

2.52.62.72.82.92003200720112015201920252003: 2.58 hours per day2004: 2.65 hours per day2005: 2.58 hours per day2006: 2.58 hours per day2007: 2.62 hours per day2008: 2.77 hours per day2009: 2.82 hours per day2010: 2.73 hours per day2011: 2.75 hours per day2012: 2.83 hours per day2013: 2.77 hours per day2014: 2.82 hours per day2015: 2.78 hours per day2016: 2.73 hours per day2017: 2.77 hours per day2018: 2.84 hours per day2019: 2.81 hours per day2021: 2.86 hours per day2022: 2.79 hours per day2023: 2.67 hours per day2024: 2.6 hours per day2025: 2.61 hours per day2.52.62.72.82.92003201120252003: 2.58 hours per day2004: 2.65 hours per day2005: 2.58 hours per day2006: 2.58 hours per day2007: 2.62 hours per day2008: 2.77 hours per day2009: 2.82 hours per day2010: 2.73 hours per day2011: 2.75 hours per day2012: 2.83 hours per day2013: 2.77 hours per day2014: 2.82 hours per day2015: 2.78 hours per day2016: 2.73 hours per day2017: 2.77 hours per day2018: 2.84 hours per day2019: 2.81 hours per day2021: 2.86 hours per day2022: 2.79 hours per day2023: 2.67 hours per day2024: 2.6 hours per day2025: 2.61 hours per day
hours per day. Source: BLS, American Time Use Survey: average hours per day watching TV, population aged 15 and over, all days (TUU10101AA01014236, activity 600025). Retrieved 2026-10-12, published 2026-06-25.
All 22 values
Periodhours per day
20252.61
20242.6
20232.67
20222.79
20212.86
20192.81
20182.84
20172.77
20162.73
20152.78
20142.82
20132.77
20122.83
20112.75
20102.73
20092.82
20082.77
20072.62
20062.58
20052.58
20042.65
20032.58

Definition

Average hours per day that people aged 15 and over in the United States spent watching TV as their main activity, from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (series TUU10101AA01014236, activity code 600025).

More on how it is measured
  • The average covers every day of the week and everyone in the population, including people who did not do the activity that day.
  • Watching television programs and movies, religious programs included.
  • Going out to the movies is counted with arts and entertainment, under leisure.

Only primary activities count: something done at the same time as another activity, such as watching TV while eating, is counted once, under the main activity. The population is people aged 15 and over living in households (the civilian noninstitutional population). United States only.

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How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. American Time Use Survey: average hours per day watching TV, population aged 15 and over, all days (TUU10101AA01014236, activity 600025). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/tu/tu.data.1.AllData. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). American Time Use Survey: average hours per day watching TV, population aged 15 and over, all days (TUU10101AA01014236, activity 600025) (Time spent watching TV, hours per day, United States, 2003 to 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/tu/tu.data.1.AllData

MLA 9

American Time Use Survey: average hours per day watching TV, population aged 15 and over, all days (TUU10101AA01014236, activity 600025), Time spent watching TV, hours per day, United States, 2003 to 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 25 June 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/tu/tu.data.1.AllData. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/time-spent-watching-tv/united-states. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. American Time Use Survey: average hours per day watching TV, population aged 15 and over, all days (TUU10101AA01014236, activity 600025). Time spent watching TV, hours per day, United States, 2003 to 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/tu/tu.data.1.AllData. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/time-spent-watching-tv/united-states.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) American Time Use Survey: average hours per day watching TV, population aged 15 and over, all days (TUU10101AA01014236, activity 600025), Time spent watching TV, hours per day, United States, 2003 to 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/tu/tu.data.1.AllData, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/time-spent-watching-tv/united-states (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_time_spent_watching_tv_2025,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{American Time Use Survey: average hours per day watching TV, population aged 15 and over, all days (TUU10101AA01014236, activity 600025): Time spent watching TV, hours per day, United States, 2003 to 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/tu/tu.data.1.AllData},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/time-spent-watching-tv/united-states. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. American Time Use Survey: average hours per day watching TV, population aged 15 and over, all days (TUU10101AA01014236, activity 600025). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/tu/tu.data.1.AllData. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - American Time Use Survey: average hours per day watching TV, population aged 15 and over, all days (TUU10101AA01014236, activity 600025): Time spent watching TV, hours per day, United States, 2003 to 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/25
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/tu/tu.data.1.AllData
L2  - https://invokely.ai/en/time-spent-watching-tv/united-states
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/time-spent-watching-tv/united-states.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. American Time Use Survey: average hours per day watching TV, population aged 15 and over, all days (TUU10101AA01014236, activity 600025). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/tu/tu.data.1.AllData. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

What is the time spent watching TV, hours per day in United States?

Time spent watching TV, hours per day in the United States was 2.61 hours per day in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is up 0.4% from 2024.

Where does this figure come from?

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. American Time Use Survey: average hours per day watching TV, population aged 15 and over, all days (TUU10101AA01014236, activity 600025). Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.

What was the highest time spent watching TV, hours per day in United States?

2.86 hours per day in 2021, the highest value since 2003 in this series.

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