Meal planning statistics that show how much time food still takes
Meal planning is usually talked about like a lifestyle habit, but the data shows something more concrete: it is a time question, a household labor question, and an access question all at once.
The statistics below make that clear. They show how long meal prep takes, who tends to do it, how it changes with grocery shopping behavior, and how online shopping fits into the picture.
At a glance
- In 2014, Americans age 18 and over spent 37 minutes per day in food preparation and cleanup (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- Women spent 51 minutes per day in meal prep and cleanup in 2014, compared with 22 minutes for men (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- Usual meal preparers spent 51 minutes per day in meal prep in 2014, and women who were the usual meal preparer spent 60 minutes per day (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- Purchasing prepared food saved about 30 minutes of meal-preparation time per day for a household’s usual meal preparer, equal to 7.7 days a year (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- In 2023, 19.5 percent of grocery shoppers bought groceries online at least once in the last 30 days (USDA ERS: Eating and Health Module (ATUS) - Summary Findings).
- In 2022, 19.3 percent of regular grocery shoppers bought groceries online at least once in the last 30 days (USDA ERS: Who Shops for Groceries Online?).
Contents
- How long meal planning and prep takes
- Who does the meal prep
- How food choice changes the time burden
- What grocery shopping behavior says about planning
- How online grocery shopping differs by group
- What MyPlate awareness adds to the picture
- A practical read on the numbers
How long meal planning and prep takes
The clearest headline number is straightforward: in 2014, Americans age 18 and over spent 37 minutes per day in food preparation and cleanup (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
That average matters because it turns meal planning from a vague household chore into a measurable daily time commitment. Thirty-seven minutes may not sound large in isolation, but over a week it becomes a meaningful block of routine labor.
The same USDA ERS source shows that meal-related time differs sharply by group:
- Men spent 22 minutes per day in meal prep and cleanup in 2014 (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- Women spent 51 minutes per day in meal prep and cleanup in 2014 (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- Adults ages 18 to 24 spent 21 minutes per day in meal prep and cleanup in 2014 (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- Adults ages 25 to 64 spent 38 minutes per day in meal prep and cleanup in 2014 (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- Adults age 65 and older spent 43 minutes per day in meal prep and cleanup in 2014 (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- SNAP participants spent 50 minutes per day in meal prep in 2014 (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- WIC participants spent 62 minutes per day in meal prep in 2014 (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
These differences suggest that meal planning statistics are not just about food. They are also about household role, age, and program participation.
Who does the meal prep
The data also points to a strong imbalance in who tends to carry the meal-preparation load.
About three-quarters of women said they were their household’s usual meal preparer (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
By contrast, only 15 percent of men said they split meal preparation equally with others in their household, while 10 percent of women said the same (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
That matters because the time burden changes when someone is the usual meal preparer:
- Usual meal preparers spent 51 minutes per day in meal prep in 2014 (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- Men who were the usual meal preparer spent 32 minutes per day in meal prep in 2014 (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- Women who were the usual meal preparer spent 60 minutes per day in meal prep in 2014 (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- WIC participants who were the usual meal preparer spent 86 minutes per day in meal prep in 2014 (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
A compact comparison of prep time
| Group | Meal prep and cleanup time |
|---|---|
| Americans age 18 and over | 37 minutes per day |
| Men | 22 minutes per day |
| Women | 51 minutes per day |
| Ages 18 to 24 | 21 minutes per day |
| Ages 25 to 64 | 38 minutes per day |
| Age 65 and older | 43 minutes per day |
| Usual meal preparers | 51 minutes per day |
| Women who were the usual meal preparer | 60 minutes per day |
| Men who were the usual meal preparer | 32 minutes per day |
That table makes the pattern obvious: the time burden rises when someone is the designated meal planner and cook, and it rises even more for women in that role.
How food choice changes the time burden
One of the most useful findings in the dataset is how much time is tied to purchased prepared food.
Usual meal preparers who bought fast food on the diary day spent 27 minutes in meal prep, versus 58 minutes for those who did not (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
That difference corresponds to a 31-minute meal-prep time savings for usual meal preparers (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
The pattern also shows up for subgroups:
- Employed usual meal preparers who bought fast food spent 21 minutes in meal prep on the diary day (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- Employed usual meal preparers who did not buy fast food spent 45 minutes in meal prep on the diary day (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- Usual meal preparers in households with children who bought fast food spent 39 minutes in meal prep on the diary day (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
- Usual meal preparers in households with children who did not buy fast food spent 74 minutes in meal prep on the diary day (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
The practical takeaway is not that fast food is a meal-planning strategy in every case. It is that prepared food shifts time budgets in a measurable way.
The USDA ERS source says purchasing prepared food saved about 30 minutes of meal-preparation time per day for a household’s usual meal preparer (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
It also estimates that the annual time savings from buying prepared food was equivalent to 7.7 days not spent in meal preparation (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
That is a useful framing because it converts a daily convenience choice into a yearly time budget.
What grocery shopping behavior says about planning
Meal planning is closely tied to grocery shopping behavior, and the statistics show that shopping is still a major planning task on its own.
In 2023, 52.6 percent of people age 15 and older usually did a lot or all of the grocery shopping in their households (USDA ERS: Eating and Health Module (ATUS) - Summary Findings).
Another 32.3 percent usually did a little or some of the grocery shopping in their households (USDA ERS: Eating and Health Module (ATUS) - Summary Findings).
That means grocery shopping responsibility is widely distributed, but it is still heavily centered inside households rather than outsourced.
The same 2023 data also shows online shopping behavior that affects meal planning logistics:
- 19.5 percent of grocery shoppers bought groceries online at least once in the last 30 days (USDA ERS: Eating and Health Module (ATUS) - Summary Findings).
- Among those online grocery shoppers, 30.6 percent bought groceries online once in the last 30 days (USDA ERS: Eating and Health Module (ATUS) - Summary Findings).
- Among those online grocery shoppers, 22.3 percent bought groceries online twice in the last 30 days (USDA ERS: Eating and Health Module (ATUS) - Summary Findings).
- Among those online grocery shoppers, 47.1 percent bought groceries online three times or more in the last 30 days (USDA ERS: Eating and Health Module (ATUS) - Summary Findings).
- Among past-month online grocery shoppers, 52.4 percent usually picked up their groceries (USDA ERS: Eating and Health Module (ATUS) - Summary Findings).
- Among past-month online grocery shoppers, 43.5 percent usually had groceries delivered (USDA ERS: Eating and Health Module (ATUS) - Summary Findings).
Those figures suggest that online shopping is not a niche add-on. For many shoppers, it is becoming part of the routine that supports meal planning.
How online grocery shopping differs by group
The 2022 and 2023 data show that online grocery shopping is uneven across demographic groups.
In 2022, 19.3 percent of regular grocery shoppers bought groceries online at least once in the last 30 days (USDA ERS: Who Shops for Groceries Online?).
Among past-month online grocery shoppers in 2022, 30.2 percent bought online once, 25.1 percent bought online twice, and 44.7 percent bought groceries online three or more times (USDA ERS: Nearly 20 percent of U.S. shoppers bought groceries online in 2022).
The reasons for buying online were also clear:
- In 2022, 40.5 percent of online grocery shoppers cited time constraints as the main reason for buying groceries online (USDA ERS: Who Shops for Groceries Online?).
- In 2022, 10.6 percent cited convenience as the main reason for buying groceries online (USDA ERS: Who Shops for Groceries Online?).
- In 2022, 47.4 percent of nononline grocery shoppers said they like being able to see and touch products in person (USDA ERS: Who Shops for Groceries Online?).
In 2023, the main reason pattern remained similar, with 48.1 percent citing time constraints and 13.9 percent citing convenience (USDA ERS: Eating and Health Module (ATUS) - Summary Findings). Among nonbuyers, 49.3 percent said they like being able to see and touch products in person (USDA ERS: Eating and Health Module (ATUS) - Summary Findings).
Likelihood of online grocery shopping by group
| Group | Likelihood of online grocery shopping |
|---|---|
| SNAP participants | 20 percent |
| Income-eligible SNAP nonparticipants | 16 percent |
| Adults ages 15 to 24 | 26 percent |
| Adults ages 25 to 54 | 24 percent |
| Adults age 55 and older | 12 percent |
| Women | 22 percent |
| Men | 16 percent |
| Individuals with children under age 18 | 23 percent |
| Individuals without children under age 18 | 18 percent |
| Non-Hispanic White individuals | 21 percent |
| Hispanic individuals | 17 percent |
| Non-Hispanic Black individuals | 18 percent |
| Other non-Hispanic racial backgrounds | 16 percent |
| High school diploma or GED | 15 percent |
| Not finished high school | 10 percent |
| Some college or associate’s degree | 21 percent |
| Bachelor’s degree | 22 percent |
| Advanced degree | 26 percent |
| Unemployed individuals | 21 percent |
| Employed individuals | 19 percent |
| Metropolitan areas | 20 percent |
| Nonmetropolitan areas | 18 percent |
That table shows a few important patterns. Online grocery shopping is highest among younger adults, women, and people with advanced degrees (all USDA ERS: Online Grocery Shopping Participation Varied by Sociodemographic Group in 2022 and 2023). It is also somewhat more likely among households with children than among those without children (USDA ERS: Online Grocery Shopping Participation Varied by Sociodemographic Group in 2022 and 2023).
What MyPlate awareness adds to the picture
Meal planning is not only about behavior. It is also about awareness of dietary guidance.
In 2017-March 2020, 25.3 percent of adults age 20 and older had heard of MyPlate (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
Women were more likely than men to know about it:
- 31.6 percent of women had heard of MyPlate (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
- 18.5 percent of men had heard of MyPlate (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
Trying to follow the recommendations was less common than simple awareness:
- 8.3 percent of adults age 20 and older had heard of MyPlate and tried to follow the recommendations (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
- 12.6 percent of women had heard of MyPlate and tried to follow the recommendations (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
- 3.6 percent of men had heard of MyPlate and tried to follow the recommendations (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
Among adults who had heard of MyPlate, 32.7 percent tried to follow the recommendations (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan). Among women who had heard of MyPlate, 40.0 percent tried to follow the recommendations (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan). Among men who had heard of MyPlate, 19.5 percent tried to follow the recommendations (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
Self-rated diet quality also gives context:
- 7.2 percent of adults age 20 and older rated their diet as excellent (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
- 22.0 percent rated their diet as very good (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
- 40.5 percent rated their diet as good (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
- 24.2 percent rated their diet as fair (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
- 6.1 percent rated their diet as poor (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
The odds ratios in the source show that diet quality and MyPlate awareness are linked in a meaningful way:
- Adults with fair or poor self-rated diet quality had a lower odds of hearing of MyPlate with an odds ratio of 0.65 (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
- Adults with fair or poor self-rated diet quality had a lower odds of hearing of and trying to follow MyPlate with an odds ratio of 0.53 (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
- Women with fair or poor self-rated diet quality had an adjusted odds ratio of 0.74 for hearing of MyPlate (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
- Men with fair or poor self-rated diet quality had an adjusted odds ratio of 0.79 for hearing of and trying to follow MyPlate (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
A practical read on the numbers
Taken together, the statistics suggest a few clear themes.
Meal planning is time-consuming enough that changes in routine matter. The average adult spent 37 minutes per day in food preparation and cleanup in 2014, but the burden was much heavier for women and for usual meal preparers (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
Food choices change the time equation. Buying fast food or prepared food reduced meal-prep time for usual meal preparers, and the annual equivalent of that saved time was 7.7 days (USDA ERS: Americans Spend an Average of 37 Minutes a Day Preparing and Serving Food and Cleaning Up).
Shopping behavior is part of meal planning, not separate from it. More than half of people age 15 and older usually did a lot or all of the grocery shopping in their households in 2023, and nearly one in five grocery shoppers bought groceries online at least once in the previous 30 days (USDA ERS: Eating and Health Module (ATUS) - Summary Findings).
Online grocery shopping is also shaped by life stage and household structure. It is more common among younger adults, women, people with children, and people with advanced degrees (USDA ERS: Online Grocery Shopping Participation Varied by Sociodemographic Group in 2022 and 2023).
Finally, the MyPlate data suggests that awareness alone is not enough to change behavior. Even among adults who had heard of MyPlate, only 32.7 percent tried to follow the recommendations (CDC NCHS: Awareness of the MyPlate Plan).
That gap is important for anyone trying to understand meal planning statistics in a real-world way. The numbers are not just about food preferences. They are about time, responsibility, access, shopping habits, and whether guidance turns into daily action.