Average annual hours worked by prime-age adults vary widely based on employment status, gender, race, and ethnicity: Average annual hours worked, and change in hours worked, weeks worked, and weekly hours, adults ages 25–54, 1979–2016
| Average annual hours | Percent change, 1979–2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 2016 | Annual hours | Weeks worked | Weekly hours | |
| All prime-age adults (includes nonearners) | |||||
| White men | 1,941.4 | 1,738.1 | -10.5% | -4.0% | -6.8% |
| Black men | 1,454.6 | 1,225.8 | -15.7% | -6.4% | -10.0% |
| Hispanic men | 1,743.9 | 1,610.7 | -7.6% | -0.9% | -6.8% |
| White women | 750.5 | 1,131.6 | 50.8% | 25.4% | 20.3% |
| Black women | 800.3 | 1,111.2 | 38.8% | 20.9% | 14.8% |
| Hispanic women | 553.2 | 838.5 | 51.6% | 31.3% | 15.4% |
| Prime-age earners only | |||||
| White men | 2,122.3 | 2,155.2 | 1.6% | 1.6% | -0.1% |
| Black men | 1,911.7 | 1,983.0 | 3.7% | 3.7% | 0.0% |
| Hispanic men | 1,965.0 | 2,047.4 | 4.2% | 4.6% | -0.4% |
| White women | 1,504.6 | 1,853.5 | 23.2% | 13.2% | 8.9% |
| Black women | 1,617.1 | 1,845.3 | 14.1% | 9.6% | 4.1% |
| Hispanic women | 1,508.3 | 1,796.2 | 19.1% | 16.7% | 2.0% |
Note: Nonearners are those who reported that they did not work any hours or earn any wages over the course of an entire year.
Source: Authors’ analysis of Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement microdata