How Many Weekdays In A Year?

Understanding how many weekdays are in a year can be incredibly useful in many cases, such as when planning your work schedules or trying to understand how much time you have for vacations, personal projects, etc. In 2024, there are 104 weekend days and 262 weekdays (without factoring in public holidays yet). Wonder how to calculate these numbers and what factors may influence this count? Let’s explore this in today's blog post.

The Basics: What Are Weekdays?

Before diving into specific details, let's clarify what we mean by weekdays. Generally, the standard 5-day workweek consists of 5 weekdays, from Monday through Friday. The remaining two days—Saturday and Sunday—are considered the weekend and typically aren’t counted as weekdays and work days unless, well, you work on weekends.

How Many Weekdays in a Year: Basic Calculations

A regular year (or non-leap year) has 365 days, while a leap year has 366 days. To calculate the number of weekdays in a year, we can break it down as follows:

Step 1. Determine the total number of weeks:

Divide 365 by 7 to determine how many full weeks are in a year.

• 365 ÷ 7 = 52 weeks and 1 day.

Step 2. Note down the number of weekdays in a full week, which is 5 (Monday through Friday).

Step 3. Account for the additional day:

The extra day left over from dividing 365 by 7 could be either a weekday or a weekend day, depending on which day the year starts.

Step 4. Determine the total number of weekdays. 

In a non-leap year, you get: 52 full weeks x 5 weekdays = 260 weekdays.

• If the year starts on a Monday through Friday, that extra day will add one more weekday, bringing the total to 261 weekdays.
• If the year begins on a weekend, the extra day won’t add one more weekday.

That means the number of weekdays in a standard year can be 260 or 261 (without factoring in public holidays), depending on the calendar alignment.

Step 5. Leap year adjustment: Since a leap year has 366 days, there are 2 additional days instead of only one like in a standard year. 

• If these 2 days, including February 29, fall on a weekday, you will have 262 weekdays.
• If one falls on a weekday, you will have 261 weekdays.
• If both fall on weekend days, you’ll still have 260 weekdays.

Factors That May Impact Weekday and Working Days Calculations

While the basic calculation gives us a good estimate, the total actual working days depends on several factors, like:

• Leap Years: As mentioned earlier, leap years add an extra day to the calendar, which can slightly increase the number of weekdays if the extra day falls on a weekday.
• Public Holidays: Public holidays reduce the actual number of workdays available in a year. In the U.S., there are typically 11 federal holidays, including New Year's Day, the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
• Work Schedules: Some professions don’t follow the typical Monday-to-Friday workweek. In such cases, the number of actual "workdays" may differ based on your specific schedule.
• Company Policies: Some companies may observe additional holidays or have specific days off, such as company retreats or personal leave days, which can further reduce the number of weekdays available for work.

Why Knowing the Number of Weekdays in a Year Matters

Understanding the total number of weekdays in a year is crucial for businesses and individuals in several ways, such as:

• Understanding pay: Accurate knowledge of weekdays allows for precise calculation of earnings and budgeting, whether you are an hourly employee, salaried employee, freelancer, or contractor.
• Work Planning: Employers and employees can use this information to plan work schedules, project timelines, and deadlines more effectively.
• Planning work-life balance: Having clarity on the number of weekdays also helps individuals allocate time for work, leisure, and personal activities more effectively, adding to planning work-life balance. This balance, without a doubt, is essential for maintaining mental and physical well-being.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the starting day of the year matter for calculating weekdays?

If the year starts on a weekday (Monday through Friday), the extra day(s) in both regular and leap years can add at least one more weekday. If it starts on a weekend, the extra day does not add another weekday.