Labor Day by the Numbers

Census Bureau facts for Labor Day

by the U.S. Census Bureau

Who Are We Celebrating?

155.2 million

Number of people 16 and older in the nation's labor force in June 2012.

Employee Benefits

85.0%

Percentage of full-time workers 18 to 64 covered by health insurance during all or part of 2010.

Our Jobs

Americans worked in a variety of occupations in 2010. Here is a sampling:

Occupation	Number of employees
Actors	7,835
Computer programmers	389,471
Cooks	1,051,896
Hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists	395,311
Janitors and building cleaners	1,445,991
Teachers (preschool - grade 12)	3,073,673
Telemarketers	48,455
Telephone Operators	33,057
Web developers	115,561

26.3 million

Number of female workers 16 and older in management, business, science, and arts occupations in 2010. Among male workers, 16 and older, 23.7 million were employed in management, professional and related occupations.

1.4%

Percentage increase in employment in the United States between December 2010 and December 2011. Employment increased in 266 of the 322 largest counties (large counties are defined as having employment levels of 75,000 or more).

5.3%

Percentage increase in Kern County, Calif., between December 2010 and December 2011, the largest increase in employment among the 322 largest counties. Harris County, Texas, had the highest level increase of 62,700 jobs.

3.4%

Percentage decline in employment in Benton County, Wash., between December 2010 and December 2011, the largest percentage decrease among the nation's 322 largest counties.

5.9 million

The number of people who worked from home in 2010.

Another Day, Another Dollar

$47,715 and $36,931

The 2010 real median earnings for male and female full-time, year-round workers, respectively.

Early, Lonely and Long — the Commute to Work

16.3 million

Number of commuters who left for work between midnight and 5:59 a.m. in 2010. They represent 12.5 percent of all commuters.

76.6%

Percentage of workers who drove alone to work in 2010. Another 9.7 percent carpooled and 4.9 percent took public transportation (excluding taxicabs).

25.3 minutes

The average time it took people in the nation to commute to work in 2010. Maryland and New York had the most time-consuming commutes, averaging 31.8 and 31.3 minutes, respectively.