Work-from-home use holds near one-third
The office came back, but not all the way: about one-third of employed Americans still work at home on days they work.
The commute came back. The badge swipe came back. But the old five-day office week did not fully return.
Working at home is still about nine points higher than before the pandemic.
- Workers got used to saving commute time and protecting flexible hours.
- Employers brought people back, but many kept hybrid weeks to retain talent.
- The benefit is uneven: college-educated workers are much more likely to get it.
Your week is now more negotiable than it used to be. Where you live, how you plan childcare, and which jobs you can take are all touched by this new floor.
Behind the numbersOpen
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics runs the American Time Use Survey, which asks people how they spent their day. This measure counts employed people who did some work at home on days they worked. The 2022 release says the share rose from 24% in 2019 to 38% in 2021 and then 34% in 2022. The 2024 release says it was 35% in 2023 and 33% in 2024. This is not the same as being fully remote; someone who works at home for part of the day can count.