Annual working hours per worker in United States
United States: Annual working hours per worker was 1,789 hours per worker in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1,789 hours per worker
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
86th
of 130 countries
All-time high
3,096 hours per worker
in 1870
All-time low
1,756 hours per worker
in 1938
Years of data
81
1870–2023
Annual working hours per worker in United States, 1870–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hours per worker.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual working hours per worker in United States is 1,789 hours per worker, 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 hours per worker in 1870 and was at its lowest, 1,756 hours per worker, 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 | hours per worker | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 3,096 hours per worker | — |
| 1880 | 3,044 hours per worker | -1.7% |
| 1890 | 2,983 hours per worker | -2.0% |
| 1900 | 2,938 hours per worker | -1.5% |
| 1913 | 2,900 hours per worker | -1.3% |
| 1929 | 2,316 hours per worker | -20.1% |
| 1938 | 1,756 hours per worker | -24.2% |
| 1950 | 2,022 hours per worker | +15.1% |
| 1951 | 2,064 hours per worker | +2.1% |
| 1952 | 2,060 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1953 | 2,054 hours per worker | -0.3% |
| 1954 | 2,031 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1955 | 2,038 hours per worker | +0.4% |
| 1956 | 2,023 hours per worker | -0.7% |
| 1957 | 1,995 hours per worker | -1.4% |
| 1958 | 1,961 hours per worker | -1.7% |
| 1959 | 1,987 hours per worker | +1.3% |
| 1960 | 1,968 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1961 | 1,954 hours per worker | -0.8% |
| 1962 | 1,974 hours per worker | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 1,962 hours per worker | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 1,972 hours per worker | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 1,992 hours per worker | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 2,001 hours per worker | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 1,978 hours per worker | -1.2% |
| 1968 | 1,974 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 1,975 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 1,931 hours per worker | -2.3% |
| 1971 | 1,915 hours per worker | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 1,912 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 1,910 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 1,882 hours per worker | -1.5% |
| 1975 | 1,851 hours per worker | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 1,847 hours per worker | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 1,847 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1,854 hours per worker | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 1,856 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 1,840 hours per worker | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 1,829 hours per worker | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 1,810 hours per worker | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 1,819 hours per worker | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 1,836 hours per worker | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 1,841 hours per worker | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 1,821 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 1,829 hours per worker | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 1,839 hours per worker | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 1,852 hours per worker | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 1,836 hours per worker | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 1,828 hours per worker | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 1,816 hours per worker | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 1,832 hours per worker | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 1,850 hours per worker | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 1,860 hours per worker | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 1,866 hours per worker | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 1,873 hours per worker | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 1,883 hours per worker | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 1,886 hours per worker | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 1,888 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 1,867 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 1,848 hours per worker | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 1,833 hours per worker | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 1,832 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 1,829 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 1,831 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 1,829 hours per worker | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 1,809 hours per worker | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 1,765 hours per worker | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 1,773 hours per worker | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 1,783 hours per worker | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 1,785 hours per worker | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 1,791 hours per worker | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 1,797 hours per worker | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 1,809 hours per worker | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 1,803 hours per worker | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 1,796 hours per worker | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 1,804 hours per worker | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 1,797 hours per worker | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 1,778 hours per worker | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 1,789 hours per worker | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 1,790 hours per worker | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1,789 hours per worker | -0.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 1,789 hours per worker is above the median for high income countries, which is 1,668 hours per worker, 1.1× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 3,096 hours per worker | 3,096 hours per worker | 3,096 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1880s | 3,044 hours per worker | 3,044 hours per worker | 3,044 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1890s | 2,983 hours per worker | 2,983 hours per worker | 2,983 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1900s | 2,938 hours per worker | 2,938 hours per worker | 2,938 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1910s | 2,900 hours per worker | 2,900 hours per worker | 2,900 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1920s | 2,316 hours per worker | 2,316 hours per worker | 2,316 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1930s | 1,756 hours per worker | 1,756 hours per worker | 1,756 hours per worker | 1 |
| 1950s | 2,024 hours per worker | 1,961 hours per worker | 2,064 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,975 hours per worker | 1,954 hours per worker | 2,001 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,880 hours per worker | 1,847 hours per worker | 1,931 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,832 hours per worker | 1,810 hours per worker | 1,852 hours per worker | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,853 hours per worker | 1,816 hours per worker | 1,886 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,833 hours per worker | 1,765 hours per worker | 1,888 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,794 hours per worker | 1,773 hours per worker | 1,809 hours per worker | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,786 hours per worker | 1,778 hours per worker | 1,790 hours per worker | 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 hours per worker in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual working hours per worker recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 3,096 hours per worker in 1870.
- What is the lowest annual working hours per worker recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,756 hours per worker 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 Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025); Huberman and Minns (2005) – with major processing by 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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About this data
Average working hours per worker in a given year.