The average daily time spent reading by individuals in the United States in 2022 amounted to 0.26 hours, or 15.6 minutes. According to the study, adults over the age of 75 were the most avid readers, spending over 40 minutes reading each day. Meanwhile, those aged between 15 and 19 years read for less than 15 minutes per day on average.
A 2020 survey on preferred book formats found that 70 percent of U.S. adults favored print books over e-books or audiobooks. However, engagement with digital books is growing. Figures from an annual study on book consumption revealed that the share of adults who reported reading an audiobook in the last year almost doubled between 2011 and 2019, and e-book readership also grew overall during that period.
Average daily time spent reading per capita in the United States from 2018 to 2022, by age group
(in hours)
Characteristic
2018
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2020
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2022
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Bureau of Labor Statistics. (June 22, 2023). Average daily time spent reading per capita in the United States from 2018 to 2022, by age group (in hours) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 18, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/412454/average-daily-time-reading-us-by-age/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Average daily time spent reading per capita in the United States from 2018 to 2022, by age group (in hours)." Chart. June 22, 2023. Statista. Accessed June 18, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/412454/average-daily-time-reading-us-by-age/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023). Average daily time spent reading per capita in the United States from 2018 to 2022, by age group (in hours). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 18, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/412454/average-daily-time-reading-us-by-age/
Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Average Daily Time Spent Reading per Capita in The United States from 2018 to 2022, by Age Group (in Hours)." Statista, Statista Inc., 22 Jun 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/412454/average-daily-time-reading-us-by-age/
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Average daily time spent reading per capita in the United States from 2018 to 2022, by age group (in hours) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/412454/average-daily-time-reading-us-by-age/ (last visited June 18, 2024)
Average daily time spent reading per capita in the United States from 2018 to 2022, by age group (in hours) [Graph], Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 22, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/412454/average-daily-time-reading-us-by-age/