Labor Day: Why Are We Celebrating?

The first observance of Labor Day is believed to have been a parade of 10,000 workers on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, organized by Peter J. McGuire, a Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary.

By 1893, more than half the states were observing “Labor Day” on one day or another, and Congress passed a bill to establish a federal holiday in 1894. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill soon afterward, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day.  
                                                                                                                      

Who Are We Celebrating?

153.2 million
Number of people 16 and older in the nation’s labor force in July 2011.
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 2009.
Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2009

Our Jobs

Americans work in a variety of occupations. Here is a sampling:

Occupation/Number of employees
Teachers (preschool – grade 12)/3,039,523
Computer Operators/101,889
Actors/10,980
Telephone Operators/32,394
Bus Drivers/265,429
Bakers/117,405
Telemarketers/55,733
Hairstylists and cosmetologists/395,503
Janitors and building cleaners/1,478,204
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey, Table B24124
        
26.2 million
Number of female workers 16 and older in management, professional and related occupations. Among male workers, 16 and older, 24.0 million were employed in management, professional and related occupations.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey, Table C24010

0.9%
Percentage change in employment in the United States between December 2009 and December 2010. Employment increased in 220 of the 326 largest counties (large counties are defined as having employment levels of 75,000 or more).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

5.2%
Percentage change in Elkhart County, Ind., between December 2009 and December 2010, the largest increase in employment among the 326 largest counties. New York County had the highest level increase of 37,500 jobs.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

-4.0%
Percentage decline in employment in Manatee, Fla., between December 2009 and December 2010, the largest percentage decrease among the nation’s 326 largest counties.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

5.9 million
The number of people who work from home.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey, Table B08128

Working at Home

8%
Percent of total U.S. workforce that were home-based workers in 2005, an increase from 7 percent in 1999.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 Survey of Income and Program Participation

8.1 million
Number who worked from home exclusively in 2005, an increase from 6.7 million in 1999.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 Survey of Income and Program Participation

11+ hours
About 11 percent of those who worked at home for some or all of their workweek reported working 11 or more hours in a typical day in 2005. Only about 7 percent of workers who worked outside the home reported doing so.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 Survey of Income and Program Participation

Another Day, Another Dollar

$47,127 and $36,278
The 2009 real median earnings for male and female full-time, year-round workers, respectively.
Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2009

$1,943
Average weekly wage in Santa Clara, Calif., for the fourth quarter of 2010, the highest among the nation’s 326 largest counties.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Hot Jobs

53%
Projected percentage growth from 2008 to 2018 in the number of network systems and data communication analysts. Forecasters expect this occupation to grow at a faster rate than any other. Meanwhile, the occupation expected to add more positions over this period than any other is registered nurses (581,500).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Early, Lonely and Long — the Commute to Work
16.5 million
Number of commuters who leave for work between midnight and 5:59 a.m. They represent 12.4 percent of all commuters.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey, Table B08132

76.1%
Percentage of workers who drive alone to work. Another 10.0 percent carpool and 5.0 percent take public transportation (excluding taxicabs).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey Data Profiles, Selected Economic Characteristics

25.1 minutes
The average time it takes people in the nation to commute to work. New York and Maryland had the most time-consuming commutes, averaging 31.4 and 31.3 minutes.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey, Table R0801

3.2 million
Number of workers who face extreme commutes to work of 90 or more minutes each day. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey, Table B08012