With spring around the corner, many Americans begin to
compile a least of the spring-cleaning chores they intent to accomplish after a
long winter. This time-honored tradition is loathed by many but is an essential
part of keeping a home looking nice. Whether it is outdoor yardwork or indoor
housework, many American dedicate significant time to keeping their homes
looking nice.
According to a recent study, the average American spends 1.5
hours per day doing housework. Using the most recent data from the Bureau of
Labor Statistics, CraftJack
set out to determine where in American people are spending the most time on
housework and how different demographics stack up. Whether you are doing a DIY
project or mowing the lawn, most forms of housework are indeed hard work. And
as the study shows, American’s are investing a sizeable part of their daily
routine to housework.
In this study CraftJack set out to determine the states in
American where people are spending the most amount of time on both indoor
housework and outdoor yardwork. They wanted to see how different demographics
were spending time on housework and chores. They compared homeowner’s vs
renters and men vs women among others. Let’s take a look into the main
takeaways from the study.
Which states are doing the most housework in America?
Using data from the 2018 American Time Use Survey, CraftJack
was able analyze the time spent on housework by state in terms of hours per
day. Listed below is the breakdown for all 50 states:
- Maine – 1.8 hours per day
- Connecticut – 1.7 hours per day
- Vermont – 1.7 hours per day
- Nevada – 1.7 hours per day
- Oklahoma – 1.7 hours per day
- Iowa – 1.7 hours per day
- Oregon – 1.7 hours per day
- Arizona – 1.6 hours per day
- Wyoming – 1.6 hours per day
- North Dakota – 1.6 hours per day
- Washington – 1.6 hours per day
- Minnesota – 1.6 hours per day
- Michigan – 1.6 hours per day
- Pennsylvania – 1.6 hours per day
- Nebraska – 1.6 hours per day
- Idaho – 1.5 hours per day
- Virginia – 1.5 hours per day
- South Dakota -1.5 hours per day
- California – 1.5 hours per day
- Arizona – 1.5 hours per day
- Colorado – 1.5 hours per day
- Utah – 1.5 hours per day
- Florida – 1.4 hours per day
- Wisconsin – 1.4 hours per day
- New Hampshire – 1.4 hours per day
- Kentucky – 1.4 hours per day
- New Jersey – 1.4 hours per day
- New York – 1.4 hours per day
- Indiana – 1.3 hours per day
- Ohio – 1.3 hours per day
- North Carolina – 1.3 hours per day
- New Mexico – 1.3 hours per day
- Delaware – 1.3 hours per day
- Louisiana - 1.3 hours per day
- West Virginia – 1.3 hours per day
- Alabama – 1.3 hours per day
- Tennessee – 1.3 hours per day
- Kansas – 1.3 hours per day
- Hawaii – 1.3 hours per day
- Texas – 1.2 hours per day
- Massachusetts – 1.2 hours per day
- Mississippi – 1.2 hours per day
- Illinois – 1.2 hours per day
- South Carolina – 1.2 hours per day
- Georgia – 1.2 hours per day
- Maryland – 1.2 hours per day
- Rhode Island – 1.2 hours per day
- Montana – 1.2 hours per day
- Alaska – 1.1 hours per day
- Missouri – 1.1 hours per day
One interesting takeaway from the study is that homeowners on average
spend more time on housework than people who rent. Homeowners spend on average
1.7 hours a day, where renters spend almost a half hour less per day at 1.2
hours. While men and
women contribute significantly to housework, we found that men spend more time
than women. This is true for both interior work (men spend 25% more time) and
exterior work (men spend 115% more time than women), however the specific task
of interior cleaning, they’re about even.
Which states
are doing the most yardwork?
The second part
of the analysis looks at which states spend the most time on average tending to
their yards. Listed below is a full breakdown of all 50 states.
- Oregon
- Mississippi
- New Mexico
- Nevada
- Arizona
- Oklahoma
- Washington
- Connecticut
- Louisiana
- Iowa
- Wisconsin
- Michigan
- Colorado
- Maine
- North Carolina
- Alabama
- Nebraska
- Hawaii
- Utah
- California
- Texas
- Wyoming
- Indiana
- Missouri
- South Carolina
- Virginia
- Georgia
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Florida
- Kansas
- Vermont
- Massachusetts
- Idaho
- Arkansas
- West Virginia
- Illinois
- Montana
- North Dakota
- New Hampshire
- Tennessee
- Kentucky
- Delaware
- Pennsylvania
- Maryland
- New jersey
- New York
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Alaska
As you can see
the breakdown of time spent on yardwork is quite varied by state. However, homeowner’s
commitment to their yards and outdoor spaces is relatively independent of
climate. Does this study resonate with how much time you are spending on both
housework and yardwork?
The full
analysis on home maintenance improvement statistics for both housework and
yardwork can be seen in the graphic below from CraftJack.
infographic by: craftjack.com
