Eating Out by Age

The great majority of Americans eat out during an average week. Among people aged 20 or older, 81 percent got at least one prepared meal from a restaurant, grocery store deli, or vendor in the past seven days. Age is one of the most important determinants of how often people eat out. The oldest adults are more than twice as likely as the youngest to not eat out at all during an average week (28 versus 12 percent). The youngest adults are nearly four times as likely as the oldest to eat out eight or more times per week (16 versus 4 percent).

Number of meals prepared away from home in past week: 0
Total people: 19.3%
Aged 20 to 39: 12.1%
Aged 40 to 54: 20.0%
Aged 55 to 64: 22.6%
Aged 65 or older: 28.2%

Number of meals prepared away from home in past week: 8+
Total people: 9.5%
Aged 20 to 39: 16.0%
Aged 40 to 54: 10.0%
Aged 55 to 64: 9.1%
Aged 65 or older: 4.4%

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, Flexible Consumer Behavior Survey, 2009-10