Jobs are good. Most people need them to put money in the bank and food into their mouths. Typically, your job starts in the morning, falling between the hours of 9am and 5pm, unless your boss is a soulless rube.
But the United States is a country of 319 million people, boasting a workforce that cuts across all demographic and socioeconomic divides. So it’s worth asking: At what time do most of these worker-bees arrive at the office?
Enter Overflow Data, which crunched the numbers according to the most recent American Community Survey. Taking into consideration different business sectors -- including nonprofit, for-profit, and government sector work -- Overflow built a visualization according to different times of day, separated by 15-minute intervals. The visualization also factors in gender and data across all fifty states, tabulating what time people drag their bleary-eyed faces to work.
Somewhat unexpectedly, it turns out most American workers don’t show up to work at 9 am, but between 7:45 and 8:00, every morning. In total, 10,645,012 people across all the business sectors surveyed clock-in at this time. While most women across America get to work in that time slot, men occupy a different range. The data shows that most men gradually trickle into the workplace between 7:30 am and 8:14 am.
Alas, the findings don’t account for people who work at home. This obviously isn’t a complete data set, although it’s instructive to learn just how and when people get to work, and just how lazy you really are.
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Sam Blum is a News Staff Writer for Thrillist. He's also a martial arts and music nerd who appreciates a fine sandwich and cute dogs. Find his clips in The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The A.V. Club and Vice. He's on Twitter @Blumnessmonster.
FAQs
The standard working hours in the United States are Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Americans usually have 30 minutes for lunch, contrary to their fellow European coworkers who usually spend an hour on their lunch break.
What is the average time Americans spend at work? ›
There are about 2,080 working hours in a year for an employee who works a traditional 40-hour workweek. The average employee works around 8 hours per weekday, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you multiply a week's worth of work by the 52 weeks in a year, you get 2,080 hours.
What time does the average American start work? ›
Standard working hours in the USA are 8 hours per day from 9am to 5pm with a 30 minute lunch break.
What is the average time for a person to work? ›
In general in the world, the average work hours per week is around 35, shrinking the 2023 average to 1,820 hours per year. The average working hours per month is around 176. And part-time employees may work even less. But throughout history, employees haven't always worked the same hours.
How much free time does the average American have? ›
But that only tells half the story. Americans, on average, have between four to six hours of leisure time every day, according to the American Time Use Survey, which measures the amount of time people spend doing various activities.
Do most Americans work 40 hours a week? ›
The average American adult works 38.7 hours per week.
That works out to spending about one-third of your life at work. Of course, other factors influence how much time a person spends working: Americans aged 25-54 work an average of 40.2 hours per week, the most of any age group.
Which country is the most hard worker? ›
- Mexico. The people of Mexico work much harder than any of their fellow OECD members, clocking in an average of 2,148 hours per year at work. ...
- Costa Rica. Costa Rica is the second-hardest-working country in the OECD, working an average of 2,073 hours in 2021. ...
- Chile. ...
- South Korea. ...
- Greece. ...
- Poland. ...
- United States. ...
- Ireland.
Working hours in US
A full-time employee in the United States works 1,892 hours per year, or 36.4 hours per week, which is slightly more than other OECD countries. On average, employees from the US work around 10 hours per year more than workers from the EU.
What country works the most hours? ›
As of 2022, Colombia, Mexico, and Costa Rica ranked the highest number of hours worked per year. Greece ranked the highest In EU with 1886 average hours per year, while Germany ranked the lowest with 1340 average hours worked respectively.
What country works the least hours? ›
Countries with the lowest average weekly working hours worldwide 2022. Kiribati in the Pacific was the country with the lowest average weekly working hours per employee in 2022, with the most recent value showing that the population of Kiribati worked on average less than 28 hours per week.
Why does a traditional work day begin early and not late in the morning? Historically work days were tied to daylight. It's actually one of the reasons the US still has daylight savings time.
Which countries have a 6 day work week? ›
The 6 Day Workweek:
While less common in many parts of the world, the six-day workweek is still prevalent in certain industries, particularly in countries like Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and India. This work structure involves employees working for longer hours, often exceeding the standard eight-hour workday.
How long should you live from work? ›
Commuting from home to work should be less than 50 miles and within 30 minutes, and the surrounding area of your workplace should be within 50 miles of your home. It is ideal for commuters to take at least 5 minutes to commute to work, and the one-way commute should take more than 16 minutes.
How many hours is it healthy to work? ›
Researchers claim that there is a 60 percent increase in risk of cardiovascular diseases if you work more than 10 hours per day. That means that over 50 hours of work will cause heart issues. Working more than a 40-hour workweek consistently can lead to mental health issues.
How long should humans work a day? ›
Ideal work hours per day and week
Those who felt like they had the least time overall worked 8.6 hours, whereas those who felt like they had the most time worked just one hour less, or 7.6 hours. So to not feel starved for time, aim for a 7.6 hour workday. That would equate to a 38-hour workweek.
What is the most common work shift? ›
Standard shift
A standard shift refers to a regular business schedule where employees work Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., often referred to as a 9-to-5 job. This is a common schedule for businesses and offices that operate during regular business hours.
What shift do most people work? ›
The first shift is the most common shift among corporations. Employees perform work within standard working hours, typically starting after 7:00 a.m. and ending around 5:00 p.m. First shift employees often interact with each other and customers, as people typically share this schedule.
What time of day do people work best? ›
Our good spirits typically peak at noon, so working on high value tasks in the morning makes sense. Distractions are easier to ignore in the morning, and speed and accuracy are heightened in the morning as well. Critical analysis, deduction, and logical reasoning are also highest in the morning.
