Five Things To Know About Labor Day

Here are five things to know about Labor Day:

1.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.  

2. 153.2 million -- that’s the number of people 16 and older in the nation’s labor force in July 2011. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). 

3. 5.9 million -- that the number of people who work from home. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey, Table B08128). 

4. $47,127 and $36,278 -- that's 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). 

5. 25.1 minutes -- that 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. (They are not significantly different from each another.) (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey, Table R0801). 

So as you finish reading this, enjoy the rest of your day off because tomorrow it's back to work!