Cooking statistics at a glance
Cooking is one of the most common daily routines in U.S. homes, but the data shows that it also sits at the intersection of household appliances, energy choices, fire risk, and food waste. This article pulls together the most useful cooking statistics from household surveys, fire incident reports, and food-behavior research, with source labels kept visible near each fact.
Quick facts
- In 2020, 79% of U.S. households prepared at least one hot meal at home each day (EIA RECS 2020).
- 88% of Washington households prepared at least one hot meal at home each day in 2020, the highest figure in the supplied state comparison set (EIA RECS 2020).
- 38% of U.S. households used natural gas for cooking in 2020, while 89% had a range (EIA RECS 2020).
- Fire departments responded to an estimated average of 187,500 residential cooking fires per year from 2017 to 2019 (USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019).
- Cooking accounted for 51% of all residential building fires from 2017 to 2019 (USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019).
- Nearly nine in ten U.S. adults eat a home-cooked meal at least a few times a week (Pew Research Center 2025).
- About one-third of all food in the United States goes uneaten (EPA Preventing Wasted Food At Home).
Table of contents
- How often households cook
- Cooking equipment and fuel use
- Where cooking fires matter most
- How cooking habits changed over time
- Home cooking, takeout, and diet quality
- Food waste and the cost of cooking
- What the numbers suggest
How often households cook
The baseline takeaway from the household data is simple: cooking at home is still the norm. In 2020, 79% of U.S. households prepared at least one hot meal at home each day (EIA RECS 2020). That means four out of five households were still doing daily home meal preparation, even before you start separating by region, appliance type, or fuel source.
State patterns in the same dataset show that daily cooking was not evenly distributed across the country. Washington stood out at 88% of households preparing at least one hot meal at home each day in 2020 (EIA RECS 2020). Maine followed at 86% (EIA RECS 2020). At the lower end of the reported state values, Alabama was at 69% and Louisiana at 68% (EIA RECS 2020). Those gaps matter because they suggest cooking frequency is shaped by local household routines, housing stock, and access to kitchen infrastructure rather than by a single national pattern.
State comparison snapshot
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. households preparing at least one hot meal at home each day | 79% | EIA RECS 2020 |
| Washington households preparing at least one hot meal at home each day | 88% | EIA RECS 2020 |
| Maine households preparing at least one hot meal at home each day | 86% | EIA RECS 2020 |
| Alabama households preparing at least one hot meal at home each day | 69% | EIA RECS 2020 |
| Louisiana households preparing at least one hot meal at home each day | 68% | EIA RECS 2020 |
The appliance-use data inside the same source reinforces how embedded cooking is in daily life. The average U.S. household cooktop was used 8 times per week in 2020 (EIA RECS 2020). The average U.S. oven was used 3 times per week in 2020 (EIA RECS 2020). That split hints at a practical pattern: stovetop cooking is a more frequent, lower-friction task than full oven use.
Cooking equipment and fuel use
The supplied statistics also show how households combine equipment and energy choices. In 2020, 89% of U.S. households had a range (EIA RECS 2020). That is a broad base of access, and it helps explain why cooking remains such a universal household activity. By contrast, fuel choice is more divided. 38% of U.S. households used natural gas for cooking in 2020 (EIA RECS 2020). California was much higher at 70% of households using natural gas for cooking, and New Jersey was close behind at 69% (EIA RECS 2020).
The same dataset captures a few common countertop devices. 75% of U.S. households used an electric coffee maker at least occasionally in 2020, and 56% used one daily (EIA RECS 2020). That is a useful reminder that cooking statistics do not stop at stoves and ovens. Kitchen habits also include morning routines, beverage prep, and small appliance usage that shape electricity demand.
Instant pots and rice cookers show a different pattern. 16% of U.S. households used instant pots at least once a week in 2020 (EIA RECS 2020). 13% of U.S. households used rice cookers in 2020 (EIA RECS 2020). But the state comparison for rice cookers is far more concentrated. Hawaii had 74% household rice-cooker use in 2020, Louisiana had 29%, and California had 26% (EIA RECS 2020). That kind of spread is a strong signal that regional food traditions and household menus matter as much as product availability.
Equipment and fuel highlights
- 89% of U.S. households had a range in 2020 (EIA RECS 2020).
- 38% of U.S. households used natural gas for cooking in 2020 (EIA RECS 2020).
- 75% used an electric coffee maker at least occasionally in 2020 (EIA RECS 2020).
- 56% used an electric coffee maker daily in 2020 (EIA RECS 2020).
- 16% used instant pots at least once a week in 2020 (EIA RECS 2020).
- 13% used rice cookers in 2020 (EIA RECS 2020).
Where cooking fires matter most
Cooking is not only the most common household meal activity in the data set. It is also a major source of residential fire incidents. Fire departments responded to an estimated average of 187,500 residential cooking fires per year from 2017 to 2019 (USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019). Those fires caused an estimated average of 165 deaths per year, 3,325 injuries per year, and $444 million in property loss per year (USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019).
The share of all residential fires attributable to cooking is especially notable. Cooking accounted for 51% of all residential building fires from 2017 to 2019 (USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019). That means cooking was responsible for more than half of residential building fire incidents in the period.
A major reason the number looks large is that most of these fires were confined to a small area. Confined fires accounted for 93% of residential building cooking fires from 2017 to 2019 (USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019). That matters because it explains why cooking fires can be frequent even when many never spread far.
Incident profile
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Residential cooking fires per year | 187,500 | USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019 |
| Annual deaths from residential cooking fires | 165 | USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019 |
| Annual injuries from residential cooking fires | 3,325 | USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019 |
| Annual property loss from residential cooking fires | $444 million | USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019 |
| Share of residential building fires caused by cooking | 51% | USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019 |
| Share of cooking fires that were confined | 93% | USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019 |
For nonconfined residential cooking fires, the ignition and spread details are particularly useful. Oil, fat, and grease were the leading ignited materials in 45% of nonconfined residential cooking fires from 2017 to 2019 (USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019). Unattended equipment was the leading ignition factor in 37% of nonconfined residential cooking fires from 2017 to 2019 (USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019). 83% of nonconfined residential cooking fires were limited to the object or room of fire origin (USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019).
Those three facts point to a very practical theme: many cooking fires are less about the act of cooking itself than about momentary lapses, overheated grease, or leaving equipment alone for too long. That is also why the protection statistics matter. Smoke alarms were present in 67% of nonconfined cooking fires in occupied residential buildings from 2017 to 2019 (USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019). Automatic extinguishing systems were present in only 9% of nonconfined cooking fires in occupied residential buildings from 2017 to 2019 (USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019).
How cooking habits changed over time
The supplied trend data show that cooking participation increased for both men and women over two decades, although the pace differed. From 2003 to 2023, the share of men who cooked increased from 36% to 52% (Curr Dev Nutr 2025 ATUS cooking study). That is a 16 percentage-point increase. For women, the share who cooked increased from 69% to 72% over the same period (Curr Dev Nutr 2025 ATUS cooking study). That is a smaller shift, but it still points in the same direction: cooking became more common among men while remaining very common among women.
Time spent cooking also changed unevenly. From 2003 to 2023, average cooking time among men who cook increased from 45 to 50 minutes per day (Curr Dev Nutr 2025 ATUS cooking study). For women who cook, average cooking time stayed at 71 minutes per day (Curr Dev Nutr 2025 ATUS cooking study). The male cooking-time increase is especially relevant because it suggests more men were not just entering the category but spending meaningfully more time there.
Education differences show up as well. The largest increase in cooking prevalence among men was +18 percentage points for those with a college degree or higher (Curr Dev Nutr 2025 ATUS cooking study). The largest increase in cooking prevalence among women was +7 percentage points for those with a college degree or higher (Curr Dev Nutr 2025 ATUS cooking study). Women with less than a high school degree had a +24 minute/day increase in cooking time from 2003 to 2023 (Curr Dev Nutr 2025 ATUS cooking study). Men with a college degree or higher had an +11 minute/day increase in cooking time from 2003 to 2023 (Curr Dev Nutr 2025 ATUS cooking study).
These figures show that cooking is not moving in one uniform direction. Different demographic groups are changing at different speeds, and the time spent cooking is not rising everywhere in the same way.
Home cooking, takeout, and diet quality
Pew Research Center’s 2025 data show that home cooking remains central to how Americans eat. Nearly nine in ten U.S. adults eat a home-cooked meal at least a few times a week (Pew Research Center 2025). More specifically, 88% of U.S. adults eat a home-cooked meal every day or a few times a week (Pew Research Center 2025). By comparison, 17% eat delivery or takeout every day or a few times a week, and 12% eat at a restaurant every day or a few times a week (Pew Research Center 2025). Those numbers make home cooking the dominant pattern by a wide margin.
The same survey ties cooking frequency to how people perceive their diets. 29% of adults who eat a home-cooked meal every day say their diets are extremely or very healthy (Pew Research Center 2025). Only 12% of adults who eat home cooking less frequently say their diets are extremely or very healthy (Pew Research Center 2025). At the same time, 28% of Americans who eat home cooking a few times a week or less describe their diets as not too or not at all healthy, compared with 12% of Americans who eat home cooking daily (Pew Research Center 2025).
The income and cost data help explain why food decisions are not just about preference. 77% of lower-income adults say the rising cost of healthy food has made it a lot or a little more difficult to eat healthy (Pew Research Center 2025). 54% of upper-income adults say the same (Pew Research Center 2025). 31% of U.S. adults say the price of healthy food has become a lot more difficult for them to manage, and 15% say it has become a little more difficult (Pew Research Center 2025). Only 9% say the price of healthy food has not become more expensive for them (Pew Research Center 2025).
What adults say matters in food choices
- 58% of Black adults say food healthiness is extremely or very important (Pew Research Center 2025).
- 57% of Hispanic adults say the same (Pew Research Center 2025).
- 49% of White adults say the same (Pew Research Center 2025).
- 58% of women say food healthiness is extremely or very important, compared with 47% of men (Pew Research Center 2025).
- 86% of women say taste is extremely or very important, compared with 79% of men (Pew Research Center 2025).
- 66% of women say cost is extremely or very important, compared with 57% of men (Pew Research Center 2025).
- 50% of women say convenience is extremely or very important, compared with 43% of men (Pew Research Center 2025).
The final statistic in this set is almost a reminder to avoid overreading survey labels. 97% of adults who say healthiness is not too or not at all important also say they strongly prioritize healthiness (Pew Research Center 2025). That mismatch suggests wording, question framing, or scale interpretation can shape responses in ways that make survey design itself part of the story.
Food waste and the cost of cooking
Cooking statistics are not only about meal frequency or fire risk. They also connect to waste, household budgets, and how much of the food supply actually gets eaten. About one-third of all food in the United States goes uneaten (EPA Preventing Wasted Food At Home). About 96% of households’ wasted food ended up in landfills, combustion facilities, or down the drain in 2019 (EPA Preventing Wasted Food At Home). That means most wasted food does not cycle back into the food system.
The cost impact is substantial. The average family of four spends almost $3,000 per year on food that is not eaten (EPA Preventing Wasted Food At Home). Throwing away less food could save a family of four up to $56 per week (EPA Preventing Wasted Food At Home). Those two figures frame home cooking as both an opportunity and a risk: planning meals well can lower waste, but overbuying or preparing too much can become expensive fast.
The broader national estimates push the same point further. Consumers waste an estimated average of 1 pound of food per person per day at home and away from home (National Academies, A National Strategy to Reduce Food Waste at the Consumer Level). Approximately 30% of edible food produced in the United States is wasted (National Academies, A National Strategy to Reduce Food Waste at the Consumer Level).
Food-loss data for produce show that waste is not a small edge case. Supermarket loss for the 31 fresh vegetables totaled 6.2 billion pounds per year in 2016 (USDA ERS Food Loss). That fell to 5 billion pounds per year after removing nonedible peels, stalks, and other parts (USDA ERS Food Loss). Banana supermarket loss was 4.1%, while papaya supermarket loss was 43.1% (USDA ERS Food Loss). Even within a single food category, the spread is wide.
What the numbers suggest
Taken together, these cooking statistics describe a routine that is ordinary in frequency but consequential in impact. Home cooking is widespread, ranges are common, and stovetop use is frequent (EIA RECS 2020). At the same time, cooking remains the leading source of residential fires, with unattended equipment and oil, fat, and grease appearing repeatedly in the incident data (USFA Cooking Fires in Residential Buildings 2017-2019).
The most useful way to read the numbers is not as a single trend line. Instead, they show several layers at once: how often people cook, which appliances they use, how habits vary by state and demographic group, and what happens when food gets wasted or a kitchen fire starts. That makes cooking statistics useful for household planning, safety awareness, and any discussion of how Americans actually eat at home.