Research investigation / October 29, 2026
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that Americans age 15 and older spent an average of 2.61 hours per day watching television in 2025, about 50.6% of their 5.16 hours of daily leisure and sports time. That is a population average, including people who watched no TV on their diary day. Age-group averages ranged from 1.76 hours among ages 35–44 to 4.30 hours among people 65 and older. The article separates the observed survey figures from a clearly labeled annual time equivalent.
Research visual
Read the research
Question
Claim being tested
In 2025, U.S. residents age 15 and older averaged 2.61 hours of television watching per day, about 50.6% of their average 5.16 hours of leisure and sports time.
In 2025, U.S. residents age 15 and older averaged 2.61 hours of television watching per day, about 50.6% of their average 5.16 hours of leisure and sports time.
Competing story frames
Fact-based response
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2025 American Time Use Survey reports 2.61 hours of television watching per day for people age 15 and older. This is an average across all respondents and all days, including people who did not watch television on their sampled day. It is not a claim that every person watched for 2.61 hours.
The same survey reports 5.16 hours per day of leisure and sports activities. Dividing 2.61 by 5.16 gives 50.58%, so television accounts for about half of that reported time. Subtracting 2.61 from 5.16 leaves 2.55 hours for other leisure and sports activities combined. The chart below shows this division using the published rounded averages.
Average hours per day among U.S. residents age 15+, 2025. Other leisure is calculated as 5.16 minus 2.61 hours.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey, 2025. Daily averages across all people in each group, including those who did not watch TV on the diary day. Values rounded by BLS to hundredths of an hour.
On an average day in 2025, 74.3% of people age 15 and older reported watching television as a primary activity. Among people who did watch that day, the average was 3.51 hours. The 74.3% participation figure and the 3.51-hour participant average answer different questions from the overall 2.61-hour population average.
Average TV time varied by age: 1.77 hours a day for ages 15–24, 1.89 for 25–34, 1.76 for 35–44, 2.26 for 45–54, 3.06 for 55–64, and 4.30 for people age 65 and older. The oldest group averaged 2.53 more hours per day than ages 15–24. These are group averages, not evidence that aging itself causes more viewing.
Average hours per day watching TV, videos or movies as the primary activity, 2025.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey, 2025. Daily averages across all people in each group, including those who did not watch TV on the diary day. Values rounded by BLS to hundredths of an hour.
The survey's television category includes watching television, videos, and movies as the primary activity, including viewing through streaming services. Because time-use diaries record a main activity, this is not a measure of all screen time, social media use, or video playing in the background while doing something else. The estimates reflect 2025 diaries, not continuous observation of individuals.
For a sense of scale, 2.61 hours per day multiplied by 365 days equals 952.65 hours, or 39.69 full 24-hour days. This is an illustrative annual equivalent based on the rounded daily population average, not a BLS annual total or a prediction about any one person's habits.
39.7 full days
Multiplying the 2025 population daily average of 2.61 hours by 365 days yields 952.65 hours. Dividing by 24 gives 39.69 continuous 24-hour days. This is an illustrative annual equivalent, not a prediction of any individual person's viewing.
2.61 hours/day × 365 ÷ 24 = 39.69 days