House floor hours per day: 8.3 in 1995–96, 3.6 in 2023–24

Source. Brookings, Vital Statistics on Congress, Tables 6-1 and 6-2

Method and data

Method. Hours per day are hours divided by days. For the 104th Congress that gives 8.3 for the House (2,445 hours over 296 days), the value printed in the Chapter 6 PDF. Brookings’ separate 6-1.csv file prints 8.4 for that row and differs from the PDF in eight other House rows; the CSV holds both. House days are calendar days in session (Table 6-1 note f), and the notes do not say whether pro forma sessions count.

Congress	Years	House days	House hours	House hours per day	Senate days	Senate hours	Senate hours per day	House hours per day (6-1.csv)
80	1947-1948	254	1,224	4.8	257	1,462	5.7	4.8
81	1949-1950	341	1,501	4.4	389	2,410	6.2	4.4
82	1951-1952	274	1,163	4.2	287	1,648	5.7	4.2
83	1953-1954	226	1,033	4.6	294	1,962	6.7	4.3
84	1955-1956	228	937	4.1	224	1,362	6.1	4.1
85	1957-1958	276	1,148	4.2	271	1,876	6.9	4.2
86	1959-1960	271	1,039	3.8	280	2,199	7.9	3.9
87	1961-1962	305	1,227	4	323	2,164	6.7	4
88	1963-1964	334	1,251	3.7	375	2,395	6.4	3.7
89	1965-1966	337	1,548	4.6	345	1,814	5.3	4.6
90	1967-1968	326	1,595	4.9	358	1,961	5.5	4.9
91	1969-1971	349	1,613	4.6	384	2,352	6.1	4.6
92	1971-1972	298	1,429	4.8	348	2,295	6.6	4.8
93	1973-1974	334	1,603	4.8	352	2,152	6.1	4.8
94	1975-1976	311	1,788	5.7	320	2,210	6.9	5.7
95	1977-1978	324	1,898	5.9	337	2,510	7.4	5.9
96	1979-1980	326	1,876	5.8	333	2,324	7	5.8
97	1981-1982	305	1,420	4.7	312	2,160	6.9	4.7
98	1983-1984	267	1,705	6.4	281	1,951	6.9	6.4
99	1985-1986	282	1,794	6.4	313	2,531	8.1	6.4
100	1987-1988	299	1,659	5.5	307	2,342	7.6	5.6
101	1989-1990	288	1,688	5.9	274	2,254	8.2	6
102	1991-1992	278	1,796	6.5	287	2,292	8	6.5
103	1993-1994	266	1,887	7.1	291	2,514	8.6	7.1
104	1995-1996	296	2,445	8.3	343	2,876	8.4	8.4
105	1997-1998	252	2,002	7.9	296	2,188	7.4	8
106	1999-2000	276	2,179	7.9	303	2,202	7.3	8
107	2001-2002	272	1,694	6.2	322	2,280	7.1	6.4
108	2003-2004	248	1,894	7.6	300	2,486	8.3	7.8
109	2005-2006	247	1,918	7.8	297	2,250	7.6	7.8
110	2007-2008	286	2,138	7.5	374	2,364	6.3	7.5
111	2009-2010	290	2,127	7.3	349	2,495	7.1	7.3
112	2011-2012	330	1,718	5.2	323	2,032	6.3	5.2
113	2013-2014	298	1,472	4.9	292	2,003	6.9	4.9
114	2015-2016	288	1,438	5	333	1,855	5.6	5
115	2017-2018	368	1,517	4.1	386	2,182	5.7	4.1
116	2019-2020	357	1,353	3.8	379	1,912	5	3.8
117	2021-2022	336	1,330	4	370	2,042	5.5	4
118	2023-2024	350	1,253	3.6	354	1,641	4.6	3.6

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