Annual working hours per worker in United States
United States: Annual working hours per worker was 1,789 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1,789
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
86th
of 130 countries
All-time high
3,096
in 1870
All-time low
1,756
in 1938
Years of data
81
1870–2023
Annual working hours per worker in United States, 1870–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual working hours per worker in United States is 1,789, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual working hours per worker in United States peaked at 3,096 in 1870 and was at its lowest, 1,756, in 1938.
That places United States 86th out of 130 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 81 years of available data.
Annual working hours per worker in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 3,096 | — |
| 1880 | 3,044 | -1.7% |
| 1890 | 2,983 | -2.0% |
| 1900 | 2,938 | -1.5% |
| 1913 | 2,900 | -1.3% |
| 1929 | 2,316 | -20.1% |
| 1938 | 1,756 | -24.2% |
| 1950 | 2,022 | +15.1% |
| 1951 | 2,064 | +2.1% |
| 1952 | 2,060 | -0.2% |
| 1953 | 2,054 | -0.3% |
| 1954 | 2,031 | -1.1% |
| 1955 | 2,038 | +0.4% |
| 1956 | 2,023 | -0.7% |
| 1957 | 1,995 | -1.4% |
| 1958 | 1,961 | -1.7% |
| 1959 | 1,987 | +1.3% |
| 1960 | 1,968 | -0.9% |
| 1961 | 1,954 | -0.8% |
| 1962 | 1,974 | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 1,962 | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 1,972 | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 1,992 | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 2,001 | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 1,978 | -1.2% |
| 1968 | 1,974 | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 1,975 | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 1,931 | -2.3% |
| 1971 | 1,915 | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 1,912 | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 1,910 | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 1,882 | -1.5% |
| 1975 | 1,851 | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 1,847 | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 1,847 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1,854 | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 1,856 | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 1,840 | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 1,829 | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 1,810 | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 1,819 | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 1,836 | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 1,841 | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 1,821 | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 1,829 | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 1,839 | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 1,852 | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 1,836 | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 1,828 | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 1,816 | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 1,832 | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 1,850 | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 1,860 | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 1,866 | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 1,873 | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 1,883 | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 1,886 | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 1,888 | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 1,867 | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 1,848 | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 1,833 | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 1,832 | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 1,829 | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 1,831 | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 1,829 | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 1,809 | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 1,765 | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 1,773 | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 1,783 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 1,785 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 1,791 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 1,797 | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 1,809 | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 1,803 | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 1,796 | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 1,804 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 1,797 | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 1,778 | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 1,789 | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 1,790 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1,789 | -0.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 1,789 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1,668, 1.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 3,096 | 3,096 | 3,096 | 1 |
| 1880s | 3,044 | 3,044 | 3,044 | 1 |
| 1890s | 2,983 | 2,983 | 2,983 | 1 |
| 1900s | 2,938 | 2,938 | 2,938 | 1 |
| 1910s | 2,900 | 2,900 | 2,900 | 1 |
| 1920s | 2,316 | 2,316 | 2,316 | 1 |
| 1930s | 1,756 | 1,756 | 1,756 | 1 |
| 1950s | 2,024 | 1,961 | 2,064 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,975 | 1,954 | 2,001 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,880 | 1,847 | 1,931 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,832 | 1,810 | 1,852 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,853 | 1,816 | 1,886 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,833 | 1,765 | 1,888 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,794 | 1,773 | 1,809 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,786 | 1,778 | 1,790 | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More work & labour data for United States
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 113,208 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 61.24 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 178,849 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.4 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.05 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 159,991 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 141,322 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 58.55 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.27 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.3372 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual working hours per worker in United States?
- Annual working hours per worker in United States was 1,789 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours per worker recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 3,096 in 1870.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,756 in 1938.
- How does United States rank for annual working hours per worker?
- United States ranks 86th out of 130 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual working hours per worker rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Annual working hours per worker. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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