Fun Facts About Labor Day

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.

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 <http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf>
 
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 <http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/p60-238.pdf>

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<http://www.census.gov/acs/www/>

$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 <http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/p60-238.pdf >

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 <http://www.bls.gov/oco/>

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 <http://www.census.gov/acs/www/>
 
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 <http://www.census.gov/acs/www/>
 
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 <http://www.census.gov/acs/www/>

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 <http://www.census.gov/acs/www/>

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,<http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/employment_occupations/cb10-10.html>