When do Americans make calls and send messages?
On an average weekday, the share of Americans on calls, mail, or messages peaks at 9:00 PM, when 1.2% of people age 15 and older (about 3.1 million) are on calls, mail, or messages. On weekends it peaks at 8:00 PM (1.1%). Averaged over all days, Americans spend 7 min a day on calls, mail, or messages.
See calls & messages minute by minute ↗
Calls & messages by hour
Share and number of Americans on calls, mail, or messages at the top of each hour.
| Time | Weekdays | People | Weekends | People |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 AM | 0.3% | 859,000 | 0.3% | 789,000 |
| 1 AM | 0.2% | 395,000 | 0.2% | 537,000 |
| 2 AM | <0.1% | 214,000 | 0.1% | 270,000 |
| 3 AM | <0.1% | 143,000 | <0.1% | 172,000 |
| 4 AM | <0.1% | 72,000 | <0.1% | 90,000 |
| 5 AM | <0.1% | 71,000 | <0.1% | 57,000 |
| 6 AM | <0.1% | 173,000 | <0.1% | 99,000 |
| 7 AM | 0.1% | 317,000 | 0.1% | 261,000 |
| 8 AM | 0.3% | 719,000 | 0.2% | 570,000 |
| 9 AM | 0.4% | 1.1 million | 0.4% | 958,000 |
| 10 AM | 0.5% | 1.4 million | 0.6% | 1.4 million |
| 11 AM | 0.5% | 1.4 million | 0.6% | 1.5 million |
| 12 PM | 0.5% | 1.2 million | 0.5% | 1.3 million |
| 1 PM | 0.5% | 1.2 million | 0.6% | 1.5 million |
| 2 PM | 0.6% | 1.6 million | 0.6% | 1.5 million |
| 3 PM | 0.7% | 1.8 million | 0.7% | 1.8 million |
| 4 PM | 0.7% | 1.9 million | 0.8% | 1.9 million |
| 5 PM | 0.7% | 1.9 million | 0.8% | 2.0 million |
| 6 PM | 0.9% | 2.2 million | 0.8% | 1.9 million |
| 7 PM | 1.1% | 2.6 million | 1.0% | 2.5 million |
| 8 PM | 1.2% | 3.0 million | 1.1% | 2.7 million |
| 9 PM | 1.2% | 3.1 million | 1.0% | 2.5 million |
| 10 PM | 1.0% | 2.5 million | 0.8% | 2.1 million |
| 11 PM | 0.6% | 1.4 million | 0.5% | 1.4 million |
What it includes
Average time per weekday, for the activities in this group that take the most time.
- Telephone calls to/from friends, neighbors, or acquaintances: 3 min a day
- Telephone calls to/from family members: 2 min a day
- Telephone calls, other: 2 min a day
More
- When do Americans sleep?
- When do Americans work?
- When do Americans relax and socialize?
- When do Americans do housework and chores?
- When do Americans eat?
- When are Americans driving?
- When do Americans care for children and others?
- When do Americans shower, groom, and get ready?
- When do Americans study and go to class?
- When do Americans go shopping?
- When do Americans exercise?
- When are Americans on the move (not driving)?
- When do Americans attend religious services?
- When do Americans volunteer?
- When do Americans do civic duties?
About these numbers
Estimates come from all 258,954 diaries in the American Time Use Survey (Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census Bureau), 2003–2025, weighted to the U.S. civilian population age 15 and older and pooled across years. Times are local clock time. Counts are people on an average day of that type, not a live count. Weekdays are Monday–Friday. How the estimates work.