Home cooking statistics at a glance
Home cooking is not just a lifestyle preference. The data shows it is a measurable part of daily time use, shaped by gender, work location, and broader food spending patterns.
Table of contents
- What home cooking statistics measure
- Daily time spent on food preparation and cleanup
- Who is more likely to cook at home
- Work from home and food preparation
- How home cooking fits into U.S. food spending
- Reading the trend lines
What home cooking statistics measure
In the source dataset, home cooking is represented most directly by time spent on food preparation and cleanup, plus related measures such as whether people did food preparation on a given day, how long they ate at home, and how work-from-home patterns changed the amount of food preparation people did.
That matters because “home cooking” can mean different things in casual conversation.
For some people it means making a full meal from scratch. For others it includes prep, cleanup, and eating in. The statistics here focus on that broader, practical version of home cooking: the household time spent preparing food and cleaning up afterward, along with closely related eating-at-home behavior (BLS ATUS 2024 household activities chart; BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 1; USDA ERS Working From Home Leads to More Time Spent Preparing Food, Eating at Home).
Daily time spent on food preparation and cleanup
A clear baseline comes from the 2024 time-use data. U.S. adults age 15 and over spent 0.67 hours per day on food preparation and cleanup on average in 2024 (BLS ATUS 2024 household activities chart). That is a little over 40 minutes per day, which is enough time to show that home cooking is not a rare event or a niche habit. It is a regular daily activity for a large share of the population.
The same 2024 source shows a gender gap:
- Men spent 0.46 hours per day on food preparation and cleanup in 2024 (BLS ATUS 2024 household activities chart).
- Women spent 0.86 hours per day on food preparation and cleanup in 2024 (BLS ATUS 2024 household activities chart).
That difference is substantial. Women spent nearly double the time men spent on food preparation and cleanup in the 2024 data. The pattern also appears in earlier years. In 2019, the average person spent 0.62 hours per day on food preparation and cleanup, and in 2020 the figure rose to 0.66 hours per day (BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 1). Those totals are close to the 2024 level, which suggests the daily time commitment has stayed fairly stable in the short run.
At-a-glance comparison
| Measure | 2019 | 2020 | 2024 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average hours per day on food preparation and cleanup | 0.62 | 0.66 | 0.67 | BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 1; BLS ATUS 2024 household activities chart |
| Men, hours per day | 0.41 | 0.42 | 0.46 | BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 2; BLS ATUS 2024 household activities chart |
| Women, hours per day | 0.82 | 0.89 | 0.86 | BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 2; BLS ATUS 2024 household activities chart |
That compact comparison shows two things at once. First, total time spent on food preparation and cleanup moved only modestly from 2019 through 2024. Second, the gender gap is persistent across the years shown in the data.
The 2021 BLS release also gives the share of people who did food preparation and cleanup on a given day. In 2019, 59.0% of people age 15 and over did food preparation and cleanup on a given day, and in 2020 that rose to 59.8% (BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 1). That means the activity is not just lengthy for a small group of people. It is widespread across the population.
Who is more likely to cook at home
The statistics show that home cooking participation varies by gender, not just time spent. In 2019 and 2020, women were more likely than men to do food preparation and cleanup on an average day.
- In 2019, 48.0% of men did food preparation and cleanup on an average day (BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 2).
- In 2020, 47.1% of men did food preparation and cleanup on an average day (BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 2).
- In 2019, 69.4% of women did food preparation and cleanup on an average day (BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 2).
- In 2020, 71.7% of women did food preparation and cleanup on an average day (BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 2).
That spread matters more than the percentage-point differences alone might suggest. It means the gender gap appears in both frequency and duration. Women are more likely to do the work, and when they do it, they also spend more time on it.
The time spent among those who actually did the work is also informative. For men who did food preparation and cleanup, time spent was 0.86 hours per day in 2019 and 0.89 hours per day in 2020 (BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 2). For women who did the same work, the figures were 1.18 hours per day in 2019 and 1.24 hours per day in 2020 (BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 2).
Participation and time among those who cooked
| Group | 2019 did food prep | 2020 did food prep | 2019 hours if did prep | 2020 hours if did prep | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 48.0% | 47.1% | 0.86 | 0.89 | BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 2 |
| Women | 69.4% | 71.7% | 1.18 | 1.24 | BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 2 |
The pattern is consistent. Women appear more likely to participate, and the women who do participate also spend more time than comparable men. From a household perspective, that indicates home cooking time is not shared evenly.
Work from home and food preparation
One of the most useful angles in the dataset is the connection between work location and home cooking. The USDA ERS data shows that prime working-age adults who worked from home were more likely to prepare food than those who worked away from home in 2019: 75% versus 63% (USDA ERS Working From Home Leads to More Time Spent Preparing Food, Eating at Home). That is a notable gap. It suggests that the home-work environment is linked to a stronger home-food routine.
The same USDA source shows that eating at home is also more common among people who work from home. In 2017-18, 89% of people who worked from home ate at home on an average weekday, compared with 77% of people who worked away from home (USDA ERS Working From Home Leads to More Time Spent Preparing Food, Eating at Home). The same source says prime working-age adults who worked from home spent 49 minutes eating at home on an average weekday, while those who worked away from home spent 27 minutes eating at home (USDA ERS Working From Home Leads to More Time Spent Preparing Food, Eating at Home).
That makes the home cooking picture broader than food prep alone. It also includes eating behavior. A household with more time at home may naturally create more opportunities to cook, eat, and clean up in the same place.
The USDA numbers on food preparation time support that idea. In 2017-18, prime working-age adults who worked from home spent 41 minutes on food preparation activities on an average weekday, compared with 30 minutes for those who worked away from home (USDA ERS Working From Home Leads to More Time Spent Preparing Food, Eating at Home). The same source says 64% of prime working-age adults engaged in food preparation activities on an average weekday, and the overall average was 31 minutes per day (USDA ERS Working From Home Leads to More Time Spent Preparing Food, Eating at Home).
Home work and home food time
- Working from home is associated with more food preparation time.
- Working from home is associated with more eating at home.
- The gap shows up in both frequency and duration.
- The numbers are consistent with a simple time-allocation story: more time at home creates more room for home-based meals and prep (USDA ERS Working From Home Leads to More Time Spent Preparing Food, Eating at Home).
The BLS data from 2020 gives a complementary view of working from home itself. In 2020, employed persons who worked at home on an average day did so 41.7% of the time they worked, up from 22.4% in 2019 (BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 4). That is a large jump in a single year. It also aligns with the broader shift in daily routines that likely affected food preparation at home.
Among employed people who worked at home, the average time working at home rose from 3.64 hours in 2019 to 5.78 hours in 2020 (BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 4). For employed men, the increase was from 3.48 hours to 5.98 hours (BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 4). For employed women, it rose from 3.80 hours to 5.61 hours (BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 4).
Comparing work patterns by group
The 2021 BLS tables also show that working from home varied by education and occupation. That matters because home cooking statistics are often discussed as though they were only about preference. The data suggest they are also tied to job structure.
| Group | 2019 worked at home | 2020 worked at home | 2020 hours working at home | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Some college or associate degree | 16.8% | 36.2% | not stated | BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 4 |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher | 37.2% | 65.3% | not stated | BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 4 |
| Only bachelor’s degree | 33.8% | 59.0% | not stated | BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 4 |
| Advanced degree | 41.5% | 73.9% | not stated | BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 4 |
| Wage and salary workers | 19.4% | 39.5% | not stated | BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 5 |
| Multiple jobholders | 38.8% | 50.2% | not stated | BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 4 |
| Self-employed workers | 4.02 hours | 5.01 hours | 5.01 hours in 2020 | BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 5 |
| Management, business, and financial operations workers | 34.4% | 68.1% | 6.59 hours | BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 5 |
| Professional and related workers | 34.6% | 59.9% | 5.64 hours | BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 5 |
Some groups were much more likely to work at home than others. Those differences matter because the home environment is where food preparation is most easily absorbed into the day. If work moves home, meals can also move home.
The occupation data are especially revealing. Management, business, and financial operations workers worked at home on 68.1% of days they worked in 2020, up from 34.4% in 2019, and spent 6.59 hours working at home (BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 5). Professional and related workers worked at home on 59.9% of days they worked in 2020, up from 34.6% in 2019, and spent 5.64 hours working at home (BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 5). These are not small adjustments. They are major changes in where the day happens, and that likely feeds into where food prep happens too.
Home cooking and eating at home
The USDA figures help show that home cooking is not isolated from eating habits. In 2017-18, 78% of prime working-age adults reported eating at home on an average weekday (USDA ERS Working From Home Leads to More Time Spent Preparing Food, Eating at Home). That is a broad base. It suggests that home food consumption is normal, not exceptional.
The same report also shows that people who worked from home ate at home more often than those who worked away from home, and spent more time on food preparation activities. That combination matters. Home cooking may not always mean elaborate meals. It often means a day that includes a few extra minutes of prep, a meal eaten at home, and cleanup that stays inside the household routine.
The food system context is also important. In 2023, food spending in the United States reached $2.57 trillion (USDA ERS U.S. Consumers Increased Spending on Food Away From Home in 2023, Driving Overall Food Spending Growth). And in 2018, food away from home accounted for 54.4% of total U.S. food expenditures, while food at home accounted for 45.6% (USDA ERS U.S. spending on food away from home outpaced food-at-home spending in 2018).
That split shows that Americans spend a bit more on eating away from home overall, but home food remains a very large part of the market. It also helps explain why home cooking remains worth measuring. Even when the spending balance leans toward away-from-home food, the household kitchen still absorbs a substantial share of the daily effort.
Reading the trend lines
Taken together, the statistics point to a few grounded takeaways.
First, home cooking is a routine activity. In 2024, adults age 15 and over spent 0.67 hours per day on food preparation and cleanup on average (BLS ATUS 2024 household activities chart). That level is steady enough to suggest an entrenched part of daily life rather than a passing trend.
Second, the workload is unevenly distributed. Women spent more time than men, were more likely to do the activity on a given day, and spent more time even among those who did the work (BLS ATUS 2021 news release table 2; BLS ATUS 2024 household activities chart). Any serious discussion of home cooking statistics has to account for that gap.
Third, work location matters. People who worked from home were more likely to prepare food, more likely to eat at home, and spent more time on food preparation activities than those who worked away from home (USDA ERS Working From Home Leads to More Time Spent Preparing Food, Eating at Home). The 2020 BLS work-from-home figures reinforce how quickly that environment can change.
Fourth, home cooking sits inside a large food economy. With total U.S. food spending at $2.57 trillion in 2023 and a majority share going to food away from home in 2018, home food remains a major but not exclusive part of how people eat and spend (USDA ERS U.S. Consumers Increased Spending on Food Away From Home in 2023, Driving Overall Food Spending Growth; USDA ERS U.S. spending on food away from home outpaced food-at-home spending in 2018).