Here are some facts about Labor Day, taken from the U.S. Census Bureau website:
- 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>
- 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>
