Everyone has their own daily routine, but most of us spend time on the same essentials — working, sleeping, eating, relaxing and maybe exercising. What’s more revealing is how those hours are divided, and in New York, the way people spend their time looks different from elsewhere in the country.
The Times Union analyzed 2022 to 2024 data from the American Time Use Survey, which asks a nationally representative sample of Americans to detail how they spend a 24-hour day. Respondents report their activities chronologically — from early morning through the next day — including what they did, where they were and who they were with. Based on survey responses from 1,064 New Yorkers over the three years, we compared our daily routines to those outside the state.
New Yorkers tend to spend more of their day on the move, particularly commuting, and more time eating, drinking and chatting on the phone than the average American does. On the flip side, we spend less time at our main jobs and dedicate fewer hours to personal care and household chores.
How New Yorkers spend their days differently than people in the rest of the country
Based on broad time-use categories from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Government services & civic
obligations (e.g., paying taxes)
Religious & spiritual activities
Personal care (e.g., sleeping)
Caring for & helping
nonhousehold members
Household activities
(e.g., interior cleaning)
Sports, exercise & recreation
Work & work-related
activities
Professional & personal care
services (e.g., banking)
Socializing, relaxing & leisure
Caring for & helping
household members
Household services
(e.g., vehicle repair)
Government services & civic
obligations (e.g., paying taxes)
Religious & spiritual activities
Personal care (e.g., sleeping)
Caring for & helping
nonhousehold members
Household activities
(e.g., interior cleaning)
Sports, exercise & recreation
Work & work-related
activities
Professional & personal care
services (e.g., banking)
Socializing, relaxing & leisure
Caring for & helping
household members
Household services
(e.g., vehicle repair)
Government services & civic
obligations (e.g., paying taxes)
Religious & spiritual activities
Personal care (e.g., sleeping)
Caring for & helping
nonhousehold members
Household activities
(e.g., interior cleaning)
Sports, exercise & recreation
Work & work-related
activities
Professional & personal care
services (e.g., banking)
Socializing, relaxing & leisure
Caring for & helping
household members
Household services
(e.g., vehicle repair)
Chart: Julie Zhu/Times Union • Source: ATUS 2021-24, via IPUMS
While New Yorkers are famous for multitasking, this data typically only records the main activity a respondent was focused on (unless that second task was caring for a child). Despite the limitations of survey data, these numbers still provide a vivid snapshot of how the New York lifestyle differs from the rest of the country.
1. New Yorkers are on the move
Rushing through crowded morning commutes and long highway drives, New Yorkers typically spend 30% more time than other Americans traveling for work, mostly commuting or on business trips. Among the working-age population aged 18 to 64, people in New York spend an average of 23 minutes on their way to work, while those outside the state average 17 minutes.
While work-related travel is the primary driver of New York’s high transit figures, the state’s vibrant culture also plays a role. New Yorkers spend 77% more time traveling for arts and entertainment and 57% more time traveling for education-related activities than the national average, showing New York’s deep-rooted artistic and academic identity.
2. Always connected, but still finding time to do nothing
In a highly social and connected environment, New Yorkers regularly spend time interacting with others. Socializing is one of the main ways people unwind, taking up more than half an hour on average each day. We also spend about 10 minutes a day on phone calls, roughly 30% more than people outside the state. Of that time, about four minutes go to talking with friends and neighbors, and 3.5 minutes with family members.
We also love helping our neighbors. Average New Yorkers spend nearly four minutes caring for their children per day, 2.4 minutes maintaining their neighbors’ households and lawns (though we spend about three fewer minutes gardening at home), and 1 more minute helping with household management, such as running errands and filling out paperwork.
In our leisure time, we’re less likely to play games, read for pleasure or participate in arts and crafts. But there’s one thing we’re especially good at: doing nothing. New Yorkers spend nearly half an hour each day just thinking and relaxing, whether that means daydreaming, reflecting, meditating or simply lying around.
3. Less sleep, longer meals
New Yorkers spend slightly less time on self-care than those in the rest of the country, though the margin is slim. We sleep an average of 537 minutes, nearly nine hours, per day — just one minute less than the average for people outside the state.
Interestingly, despite shorter nights, New Yorkers spend 1.6 fewer minutes in the “sleeplessness” category (time spent struggling to fall asleep). That means while New Yorkers may spend less total time in bed, we actually fall asleep more easily than people elsewhere in the U.S.
While we might be efficient with our rest, we certainly don’t rush our meals. Each day, we spend an additional two minutes on meal preparation and another two minutes eating and drinking compared to those living outside the state. Given the deeply social nature of dining in New York, it is no surprise that we linger longer at the dinner table or at parties — savoring the time to eat, drink and connect with others.
4. Work less, shop more
On average, we spend about 10 minutes less working at our main jobs each day, but three more minutes at other jobs, compared to Americans outside the state. With income from both jobs, we know how to treat ourselves –– we spend around 20 minutes each day on shopping, including everything from essentials to luxuries.
But it’s not all about the basics. We spend 10% more time shopping for nonessential goods while spending slightly less time on errands like gas and groceries. In short, we just like buying things that make us happy.
New Yorkers average 20 minutes of daily shopping
Other shopping
11.3 minutes
Grocery shopping
6.9 minutes
Other shopping
11.3 minutes
Grocery shopping
6.9 minutes
Chart: Julie Zhu/Times Union • Source: ATUS 2021-24, via IPUMS
5. Urban fitness beats space-heavy outdoor hobbies
When it comes to staying active, we prefer a brisk walk or a general workout over slower-paced activities like fishing or bowling. We’re also big on strength training, cycling and yoga, as well as group activities like soccer and racquet sports.
Surprisingly, while upstate New York is famous for its mountains, we actually spend less time hiking than those outside the state. Instead, we prefer to hit the trails for hunting, skiing or more adventurous pursuits like climbing and caving.
6. New Yorkers are studious
New Yorkers are lifelong learners. We spend an average of four more minutes a day taking classes for degrees, certifications or licenses than people elsewhere in the country. In the Capital Region and Hudson Valley, Niskayuna in Schenectady County, Bethlehem in Albany County and Saratoga Springs in Saratoga County have the highest shares of residents age 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree among places with populations over 10,000.
But our curiosity doesn’t stop with a diploma: even when we’re not preparing for an exam, we still make time to learn, whether it’s language, art, cooking or ceramics classes.
Interestingly, while we spend more time in the classroom, we actually spend about two minutes less on homework or research for our degrees and licenses. Maybe it’s because we’re more productive — or perhaps we just prefer the energy of a group setting over the solitude of studying alone.
Share of residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher
Click on a city or town to see estimated numbers. Use the toggles to see the breakout for specific degree types.
Curious about what else we do differently? Explore the table below to see how our daily routines compare to the rest of the country across all activities.
Time spent on activities in New York compared to elsewhere, by broad category
Select a broad category from the filter to change the data in the table
Chart: Hanna Zakharenko/S.F. Chronicle, Julie Zhu/Times Union • Source: ATUS 2021-24, via IPUMS
About the data
The American Time Use Survey is a federal survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics that measures how, where, and with whom people spend their time. Participants in the ATUS are randomly selected from households that have just completed the Current Population Survey.
The survey first adjusts its sample to better represent the U.S. population, then groups households by characteristics like race and family structure, oversampling some groups to improve accuracy. Finally, one person age 15 or older from each selected household is randomly chosen to complete a one-day time diary.
There are 17 main activity categories, with more than 400 detailed activities, which were used in our analysis.
Your guide to the weekend and beyond, delivered to your inbox
CreditsReporting, data analysis & graphics by Julie Zhu. Editing by Erica Smith. Graphic design by Hanna Zakharenko/San Francisco Chronicle.