The first observance of Labor Day was likely on Sept. 5, 1882, when some 10,000 workers assembled in New York City for a parade. That celebration inspired similar events across the country, and by 1894 more than half the states were observing a “workingmen’s holiday” on one day or another. Later that year, with Congress passing legislation and President Grover Cleveland signing the bill on June 29, the first Monday in September was designated “Labor Day.” This national holiday is a creation of the labor movement in the late 19th century — and pays tribute to the social and economic achievements of American workers.
Who Are We Celebrating?
155.7 million
Number of people 16 and over in the nation’s labor force in May 2013.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table A-1
Our Jobs
Largest Occupations, 2012 (Number of employees)
Retail salespeople 4,340,000
Cashiers 3,314,010
Combined food preparation and serving workers (including fast food), 2,943,810
Office clerks, general 2,808,100
Registered nurses 2,633,980
Waiters and waitresses 2,332,020
Customer service representatives 2,299,750
Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand 2,143,940
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping 2,097,380
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal 2,085,680
Largest Occupations, 1910 (Number of employees)
Farmers (owners and tenants) 6,132,000
Farm laborers, wageworkers 2,832,000
Farm laborers, unpaid family workers 2,514,000
Operatives and kindred workers, manufacturing 2,318,000
Laborers, nonmanufacturing industries 2,210,000
Laborers, manufacturing 1,487,000
Salesmen and sales clerks, retail trade 1,454,000
Housekeepers, private household – living out 1,338,000
Managers, officials, and proprietors, retail trade 1,119,000
Mine operatives and laborers, crude petroleum and 907,000
Source: Statistical Abstract, Bicentennial Edition: Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970, Chaper D: Labor, Part 1, Page 20 of pdf, Series D 233-682. Detailed Occupation of the Economically Active Population: 1900 to 1970 http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/CT1970p1-05.pdf
Note: 1910 data are not for comparison to current OES data since the two data sources are not comparable.
847,516
The number of paid employees (for pay period including March 12) who worked for a gasoline station in the U.S. in 2011. Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day a holiday in February 1887. Oregon (9,634 paid gasoline station employees), along with New Jersey (15,734 paid gasoline station employees), are the only states without self-service gasoline stations.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 County Business Patterns
15.9 million
The number of wage and salary workers age 16 and over represented by a union in 2012. This group includes both union members (14.4 million) and workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union contract (1.6 million).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table 1
14.5 million
Number of female workers 16 and over in service occupations in 2011. Among male workers 16 and over, 11.2 million were employed in service-related occupations.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey, Table C24010
1.9%
Percentage increase in employment in the U.S. between December 2011 and
December 2012. Employment increased in 287 of the 328 largest counties (large counties are defined as having employment levels of 75,000 or more).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
7.4%
Percentage increase over the year in employment in Elkhart, Ind., between December 2011 and December 2012, compared with national job growth of 1.9 percent. Within Elkhart, the largest employment increase occurred in manufacturing, which gained 5,479 jobs over the year.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Another Day, Another Dollar
$48,202 and $37,118
The 2011 real median earnings for male and female full-time, year-round workers, respectively.
Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011, Table A-4
Fastest Growing Jobs
70%
Projected percentage growth from 2010 to 2020 in the number of personal care aides (607,000). Analysts expect this occupation to grow much faster than the average for all occupations. Meanwhile, the occupation expected to add more positions over this period than any other is registered nurses (711,900).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Employee Benefits
84.7%
Percentage of full-time workers 18 to 64 covered by health insurance during all or part of 2011. Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011, derived from Table 7
Say Goodbye to Summer
Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer and the start of the back-to-school season.
25,448
The number of shoe stores for back-to-school shopping in 2011. Other choices of retail establishments abound: there were 28,128 family clothing stores, 7,093 children and infants clothing stores, 8,144 office supply and stationery stores, 8,407 bookstores and 8,625 department stores.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 County Business Patterns
21,227
The number of sporting goods stores nationwide in 2011. In U.S. sports, college football teams usually play their first games the week before Labor Day, with the NFL traditionally playing their first game the Thursday following Labor Day.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 County Business Patterns
48,548
The number of travel agents employed full time, year-round in 2011. In addition, there were 15,067 tour and travel guides employed full time, year-round nationwide, according to the 2011 American Community Survey. On a weekend intended to give U.S. workers a day of rest, many climb into their drivers’ seats or board an airplane for a quick end of the summer getaway.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey, Table B24124
The Commute to Work
5.7 million
Number of commuters who left for work between midnight and 4:59 a.m. in 2011. They represented 4.3 percent of all commuters.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey, Table B08132
4.3%
Percentage of workers 16 and over who worked from home in 2011.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey, Table B08128
76.4%
Percentage of workers 16 and over who drove alone to work in 2011. Another 9.7 percent carpooled and 2.8 percent walked from home.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey, Table S0801
25.5 minutes
The average time it took workers in the U.S. to commute to work in 2011. Maryland and New York had the most time-consuming commutes, averaging 32.2 and 31.5 minutes, respectively.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey, Table R080