53 Cooking Habit Statistics

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These cooking habit figures cover the measurement periods and populations identified in the available source material. Estimates, surveys and forecasts retain their reported scope.

Key Cooking Habit Statistics

The main findings are:

  • In 2023, 61.2% of Americans spent time on food preparation and cleanup on an average day (2023 average day; United States, age 15+).
  • 62% of FDA survey respondents reported owning a food thermometer (October-November 2019; United States adults 18+).
  • U.S. food spending reached $2.57 trillion in 2023.
  • There were an estimated 189,800 residential building cooking fires in 2014 (United States residential buildings).
  • Residential cooking-fire deaths were estimated at 250 in 2014 (United States residential buildings).
  • Inflation-adjusted food-away-from-home spending increased an average 10% annually from 2021 through 2023 (2021-2023; United States per-capita spending).
  • People who engaged in food preparation and cleanup spent an average of 1.05 hours on it on an average day in 2023 (2023 average day; United States, age 15+).
  • Among thermometer owners who cooked the food, 85% reported using a thermometer for whole chickens (2019 survey; United States adults 18+).
  • 2023 U.S. food spending was $7,672 per person, up 7.5% from 2022 (2022-2023).
  • There were an estimated 193,400 residential building cooking fires in 2015 (United States residential buildings).
  • Residential cooking-fire deaths were estimated at 165 in 2015 (United States residential buildings).
  • Inflation-adjusted food-away-from-home spending in 2023 was 11.9% above 2019 (2019-2023; United States per-capita spending).
  • On 2023 weekdays, 61.4% engaged in food preparation and cleanup, compared with 60.8% on weekend days and holidays (2023 weekdays versus weekends/holidays; United States, age 15+).
  • Among thermometer owners who cooked the food, 79% reported using a thermometer for beef, lamb or pork roasts (2019 survey; United States adults 18+).
  • Food-away-from-home spending rose 12.0% to $4,485 per person in 2023 from $4,004 in 2022 (2022-2023).

Contents

Cooking habit statistics: how much time people spend preparing food

ATUS activity measure combines food preparation and cleanup; it is not a count of meals cooked.

Participant average excludes people who did not report the activity.

The category includes cleanup as well as preparation.

Participant averages are conditional on doing the activity.

Self-reported time-use estimates; category includes cleanup.

Survey activity participation, not frequency of cooking meals.

Cooking habit statistics and food-safety practices

Self-reported ownership in FDA’s national probability survey.

Conditional on thermometer ownership and cooking the item.

Conditional self-report; applies to roasts, not all meat.

Conditional self-report.

Self-reported behavior; the two occasions are not identical populations or tasks.

Self-reported behavior.

ERS food spending measure covers consumers, businesses and government entities.

Nominal per-capita spending; it is not a direct count of home-cooked meals.

Food away from home includes restaurant and other eating-out establishments.

Food at home is a spending proxy for food intended for home preparation, not proof that every item was cooked.

Spending shares are not shares of physical food quantities; away-from-home meals generally cost more.

Includes food at home and away from home.

Spending share, not cooking frequency.

Spending share, not restaurant visit frequency.

Labor costs cover linked production, processing, distribution and service; this is a food-system cost measure, not household cooking labor.

Cooking habit statistics: residential cooking fires and deaths

The reported there were an estimated figures cover United States residential buildings.

Measurement period There were an estimated (fires)
2014 189,800
2015 193,400
2016 183,300
2017 191,800
2018 192,700
2019 178,100
2020 192,600
2021 170,000
2022 178,600
2023 167,800

Source: Residential Building Cooking Fire Trends (2014-2023).

Residential cooking-fire deaths fell 49% from 2014 to 2023 (2014-2023; United States residential buildings). (Residential Building Cooking Fire Trends (2014-2023))

USFA national estimate based on reported incidents and its estimation methodology.

USFA estimate.

USFA trend uses its national estimates; methodology or data-collection changes may affect comparability.

Cooking habit statistics: cooking-fire injuries and property losses

The reported residential cooking-fire deaths were estimated figures cover United States residential buildings.

Measurement period Residential cooking-fire deaths were estimated (deaths)
2014 250
2015 165
2022 100
2023 125

Source: Residential Building Cooking Fire Trends (2014-2023).

The reported residential cooking-fire injuries were estimated figures cover United States residential buildings.

Measurement period Residential cooking-fire injuries were estimated (injuries)
2014 4,125
2015 3,775
2023 2,500

Source: Residential Building Cooking Fire Trends (2014-2023).

USFA estimate.

USFA trend measure.

USFA adjusts dollar loss for inflation to 2023 dollars.

USFA inflation-adjusted estimate.

Trend is in constant 2023 dollars.

What cooking habit statistics show about home cooking and eating away from home

Spending trend is not a direct measure of meals or cooking occasions.

Real spending comparison, not household-level cooking behavior.

Real spending measure; it does not distinguish raw ingredients from prepared foods bought for home.

Price measures explain spending context but do not measure cooking frequency.

Monthly real spending series, not a count of dining occasions.

Monthly real spending series, not a count of home-cooked meals.

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