The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has just released its annual American Time Use Survey, a fascinating look at how Americans spend their time.
How long does the average American sleep? How much time is spent engaging in leisure activities, or on grooming? How long does it take to get to and from work, and how much time is spent at the office?
Those are the types of questions the Time Use Survey seeks to answer.
So let’s jump right in and look at how Alabamians spend their time, then we’ll step back and compare Alabamians to the rest of the country.
HOW ALABAMIANS SPEND THEIR TIME
The stat that probably jumps out at people first is that Alabamians get over 9 hours of sleep per night. Seems like a lot, doesn’t it? That’s because it is. The sleep numbers in the Time Use Survey are likely skewed a little high, but that affects the data across the country, not just in Alabama. The Washington Post refers to Alabama and Mississippi as “the nation’s sleep capitals” for good reason.
After getting a good night’s rest, Alabamians spend a lot of time in the morning making sure they look good. The average Alabamian spends 45 minutes a day on personal grooming. That’s the second most in the country. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the average Vermonter only spends 28 minutes a day on personal grooming.
Unsurprisingly, Alabamians (and southerners in general) spend more time per day on religious activities than most Americans, especially those that live in the northeast or on the west coast. At 15 minutes per day, Alabamians spend more time on religious activities than any other Americans, except for those living in Mississippi and Louisiana (16). Rhode Islanders, on the other hand, only spend an average of two minutes per day engaged in religious activities.
At 5 hours and 45 minutes per day, Alabamians spend more time engaging in leisure activities than almost any other Americans (Roll Tide/War Eagle). Only West Virginians (6:07) and Louisianans (5:52) spend more time having fun.
A big chunk of that time is spent watching television. Alabamians spend a whopping 3 hours and 32 minutes per day glued to the tube. That’s second in the country behind only West Virginia (3:37).
Alabamians are not, however, spending their time reading books. At 15 minutes per day spent reading, Alabamians are some of the least well-read individuals in the country.
But just because Alabamians aren’t book worms doesn’t mean they aren’t deep thinkers.
At 27 minutes per day, Alabamians spend more time thinking and relaxing than any other Americans, outside of Louisiana (30).
“Southerners spend the most time relaxing and thinking, which may be an extension of the time they spend on religious and spiritual activities,” explained Christopher Ingraham of the Washington Post. “In either case, all that relaxing and praying might contribute to an overall peace of mind, which could explain why Southerners sleep so much longer than people in other states.”
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.