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Employee Benefits

Holiday Profiles

Based on the National Compensation Survey - Employee Benefits in the United States.

The National Compensation Survey1(NCS) captures the provisions and costs of employer-provided benefits in private industry and state and local government, including leave benefits such as vacation, sick leave, and holidays. In a series of holiday profiles, BLS is publishing data on the incidence of federal and other prominent holidays below. Over 3 in 4 civilian workers2 (77 percent) received paid holidays in March 2018, averaging 8 paid holidays per year.3 Paid holidays cost employers an average of 77 cents per employee hour worked.4

Standard errors are based only on collected holiday information. Data that satisfied relative standard error criteria for collected and matched holiday collection information were used in the holiday profiles (see the Technical Note for more information).

March 2018 Data

  • Labor Day (PDF)
    Labor Day
  • Independence Day (PDF)
    Indpendence Day
  • Memorial Day (PDF)
    Memorial Day
  • Good Friday (PDF)
    Good Friday
  • Washington's Birthday (President's Day) (PDF)
    Washington
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday
  • (PDF)

    MLK
  • New Year's Day
  • (PDF)
  • New Year's Day
  • New Year's Eve
  • (PDF)
  • New Year's Eve
  • Christmas Day
  • (PDF)
  • Christmas Day
  • Christmas Eve
  • (PDF)
  • Christmas Eve
  • Day after Thanksgiving
  • (PDF)
  • Day after Thanksgiving
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • (PDF)
  • Thanksgiving Day
  • Veterans Day
  • (PDF)
  • Veterans Day

    March 2017 Data

    The complete set of estimates and relative standard errors are available in the following formats: XLSX and HTML.

     Technical Note

    Labor Day

    Among civilian workers receiving paid holidays, 91 percent received Labor Day (the first Monday of September) as a paid holiday. Ninety-one percent of private industry workers and 96 percent of state and local government workers also received Labor Day as a paid holiday. (See Table 1.)

    Table 1. Percent of workers receiving the Labor Day paid holiday, March 2018
    (All workers with paid holidays = 100 percent)
    Characteristics Civilian Private industry State and local government
    Percent Standard Error Percent Standard Error Percent Standard
    Error

    All workers

    91
    0.8
    91
    0.9
    96
    0.7

    Occupational group:

      Management, business, and financial

    95
    2.6
    95
    2.9
    98
    0.6

      Professional and related

    97
    0.5
    98
    0.6
    94
    1.1

      Service

    84
    2.6
    81
    3.0
    96
    1.8

      Sales and office

    87
    1.4
    86
    1.6
    98
    0.6

      Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

    92
    1.0
    91
    1.1
    100
    0.2

      Production, transportation, and material moving

    93
    1.6
    93
    1.6
    92
    5.5

    Work status:

      Full-time

    93
    0.9
    92
    1.0
    97
    0.5

      Part-time

    79
    3.0
    78
    3.1
    85
    5.5

    Bargaining status (1):

      Union

    97
    0.8
    98
    1.1
    95
    1.0

      Nonunion

    90
    1.0
    90
    1.0
    97
    0.9

    Establishment size

      1-99 workers

    89
    1.0
    88
    1.1
    97
    1.0

      100 workers or more

    94
    1.3
    93
    1.5
    96
    0.9

    Census region (1):

      Northeast

    93
    1.8
    93
    2.0
    95
    1.8

      South

    89
    1.2
    88
    1.3
    98
    0.8

      Midwest

    94
    1.0
    94
    1.1
    92
    1.8

      West

    91
    2.6
    90
    2.9
    98
    1.9

    Footnotes:

    (1) For more information on bargaining status and census region definitions, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, National Compensation Measures, www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/concepts.htm.



    Highlights of the Labor Day paid holiday benefits include:

    • The incidence ranged from 97 percent of civilian workers in professional and related occupations to 84 percent of workers in service occupations.
    • Private industry union workers (98 percent) received the paid holiday at a higher rate than nonunion workers (90 percent).
    • Private industry workers in establishments of 100 workers or more (93 percent) received the paid holiday at a higher rate than workers in establishments of 1 to 99 workers (88 percent).
    • Ninety-seven percent of full-time state and local government workers received the paid holiday, compared to 85 percent of part-time workers.



    Independence Day

    Among civilian workers receiving paid holidays, 92 percent received Independence Day (the Fourth of July) as a paid holiday. Ninety-four percent of private industry workers and 84 percent of state and local government workers also received Independence Day as a paid holiday. (See Table 1.)

    Table 1. Percent of workers receiving the Independence Day paid holiday, March 2018
    (All workers with paid holidays = 100 percent)
    Characteristics Civilian Private industry State and local government
    Percent Standard Error Percent Standard Error Percent Standard
    Error

    All workers

    92
    0.6
    94
    0.7
    84
    1.0

    Occupational group:

      Management, business, and financial

    98
    0.7
    98
    0.8
    97
    0.7

      Professional and related

    91
    0.7
    98
    0.8
    68
    2.6

      Service

    87
    2.1
    86
    2.5
    91
    1.0

      Sales and office

    90
    1.0
    90
    1.1
    95
    0.9

      Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

    96
    1.2
    95
    1.3
    99
    0.4

      Production, transportation, and material moving

    96
    1.5
    96
    1.5
    80
    5.5

    Work status:

      Full-time

    94
    0.6
    95
    0.6
    85
    1.0

      Part-time

    78
    2.8
    79
    3.0
    68
    4.8

    Bargaining status (1):

      Union

    90
    1.2
    98
    1.6
    80
    1.8

      Nonunion

    93
    0.7
    93
    0.7
    88
    1.4

    Establishment size

      1-99 workers

    92
    0.9
    93
    0.9
    83
    2.0

      100 workers or more

    92
    0.9
    94
    1.0
    84
    1.2

    Census region (1):

      Northeast

    94
    1.4
    95
    1.5
    89
    2.8

      South

    91
    0.8
    92
    0.9
    82
    1.6

      Midwest

    94
    0.8
    96
    0.8
    78
    2.0

      West

    93
    1.9
    93
    2.1
    89
    1.6

    Footnotes:

    (1) For more information on bargaining status and census region definitions, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, National Compensation Measures, www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/concepts.htm.



    Highlights of the Independence Day paid holiday benefits include:

    • The incidence ranged from 98 percent of civilian workers in management, business, and financial occupations to 87 percent of workers in service occupations.
    • State and local government union workers (80 percent) received the paid holiday at a lower rate than union workers (88 percent).
    • Ninety-six percent of private industry workers in the Midwest region received the paid holiday, compared with 92 percent in the South.
    • In state and local government, 99 percent of workers in natural resources, construction and maintenance occupations received the paid holiday, compared to 68 percent of workers in professional and related occupations.



    Memorial Day

    Among civilian workers receiving paid holidays, 90 percent received Memorial Day (the last Monday in May) as a paid holiday. Eighty-nine percent of private industry workers and 93 percent of state and local government workers also received Memorial Day as a paid holiday. (See Table 1.)

    Table 1. Percent of workers receiving the Memorial Day paid holiday, March 2018
    (All workers with paid holidays = 100 percent)
    Characteristics Civilian Private industry State and local government
    Percent Standard Error Percent Standard Error Percent Standard
    Error

    All workers

    90
    0.7
    89
    0.8
    93
    0.6

    Occupational group:

      Management, business, and financial

    96
    0.9
    96
    1.0
    97
    0.7

      Professional and related

    95
    0.6
    97
    0.7
    88
    1.1

      Service

    83
    2.3
    80
    2.8
    95
    1.8

      Sales and office

    84
    1.3
    83
    1.4
    98
    0.6

      Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

    90
    1.6
    89
    1.7
    99
    0.4

      Production, transportation, and material moving

    92
    1.5
    92
    1.6
    90
    5.2

    Work status:

      Full-time

    91
    0.7
    91
    0.8
    94
    0.5

      Part-time

    76
    3.2
    75
    3.5
    86
    4.4

    Bargaining status (1):

      Union

    96
    0.8
    97
    1.1
    94
    0.8

      Nonunion

    89
    0.8
    88
    0.8
    93
    0.9

    Establishment size

      1-99 workers

    88
    1.1
    87
    1.2
    98
    0.8

      100 workers or more

    92
    1.0
    91
    1.1
    92
    0.8

    Census region (1):

      Northeast

    94
    1.7
    93
    1.9
    97
    1.6

      South

    85
    1.4
    84
    1.6
    90
    0.6

      Midwest

    95
    0.6
    95
    0.7
    93
    0.6

      West

    90
    1.8
    89
    2.0
    96
    1.9

    Footnotes:

    (1) For more information on bargaining status and census region definitions, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, National Compensation Measures, www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/concepts.htm.



    Highlights of the Memorial Day paid holiday benefits include:

    • The incidence ranged from 96 percent of civilian workers in management, business, and financial occupations to 83 percent of workers in service occupations.
    • Civilian workers in establishments of 100 workers or more (92 percent) received the paid holiday at a higher rate than workers in establishments of 1 to 99 workers (88 percent).
    • Ninety-five percent of private industry workers in the Midwest region received the paid holiday, compared with 84 percent in the South.



    Good Friday

    Among civilian workers receiving paid holidays, 21 percent received Good Friday (the Friday prior to Easter) as a paid holiday. Nineteen percent of private industry workers and 31 percent of state and local government workers also received Good Friday as a paid holiday. (See Table 1.)

    Table 1. Percent of workers receiving the Good Friday paid holiday, March 2018
    (All workers with paid holidays = 100 percent)
    Characteristics Civilian Private industry State and local government
    Percent Standard Error Percent Standard Error Percent Standard
    Error

    All workers

    21
    1.0
    19
    1.1
    31
    1.4

    Occupational group:

      Management, business, and financial

    22
    2.2
    21
    2.4
    27
    2.3

      Professional and related

    20
    2.0
    19
    2.4
    27
    1.9

      Service

    16
    1.7
    12
    1.9
    34
    2.9

      Sales and office

    18
    1.3
    16
    1.3
    35
    2.0

      Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

    20
    2.2
    18
    2.3
    40
    3.9

      Production, transportation, and material moving

    28
    2.4
    28
    2.4
    32
    4.9

    Work status:

      Full-time

    22
    1.0
    20
    1.1
    31
    1.4

      Part-time

    11
    2.2
    8
    2.4
    36
    4.8

    Bargaining status (1):

      Union

    27
    3.8
    28
    5.2
    27
    2.3

      Nonunion

    19
    1.0
    18
    1.1
    34
    1.6

    Establishment size

      1-99 workers

    17
    1.2
    16
    1.2
    37
    3.0

      100 workers or more

    24
    1.4
    22
    1.6
    29
    1.6

    Census region (1):

      Northeast

    27
    2.1
    25
    2.3
    39
    4.8

      South

    23
    1.7
    20
    1.8
    40
    2.2

      Midwest

    21
    2.2
    20
    2.4
    26
    2.1

      West

    12
    2.1
    11
    2.3
    15
    2.9

    Footnotes:

    (1) For more information on bargaining status and census region definitions, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, National Compensation Measures, www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/concepts.htm.




    Washington's Birthday (President's Day)

    Among civilian workers who received paid holidays, 24 percent received Washington's Birthday (President's Day) as a paid holiday, along with 19 percent of private industry workers and 58 percent of state and local government workers.

    Table 1. Percent of workers receiving the Washington's Birthday (President's Day) paid holiday, March 2018
    (All workers with paid holidays = 100 percent)
    Characteristics Civilian Private industry State and local government
    Percent Standard Error Percent Standard Error Percent Standard
    Error

    All workers

    24
    1.2
    19
    1.2
    58
    1.7

    Occupational group:

      Management, business, and financial

    38
    3.2
    35
    3.4
    65
    3.0

      Professional and related

    32
    2.8
    26
    3.2
    53
    2.8

      Service

    25
    2.7
    17
    2.9
    57
    2.7

      Sales and office

    24
    1.1
    19
    1.1
    64
    2.1

      Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

    15
    1.7
    9
    1.8
    66
    3.6

      Production, transportation, and material moving

    11
    1.1
    10
    1.1
    55
    5.7

    Work status:

      Full-time

    25
    1.2
    20
    1.3
    58
    5.7

      Part-time

    16
    3.3
    12
    3.5
    57
    4.9

    Bargaining status (1):

      Union

    45
    3.3
    25
    4.7
    73
    2.2

      Nonunion

    21
    1.2
    19
    1.2
    47
    2.5

    Establishment size

      1-99 workers

    20
    1.8
    17
    1.9
    67
    3.5

      100 workers or more

    28
    1.6
    21
    1.7
    56
    1.7

    Census region (1):

      Northeast

    37
    3.0
    31
    3.3
    84
    3.1

      South

    17
    1.9
    14
    1.8
    37
    3.6

      Midwest

    13
    1.8
    9
    2.0
    47
    3.5

      West

    39
    2.5
    31
    2.8
    85
    2.1

    Footnotes:

    (1) For more information on bargaining status and census region definitions, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, National Compensation Measures, www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/concepts.htm.



    Highlights of the Washington's Birthday (President's Day) paid holiday benefits include:

    • The incidence ranged from 38 percent of civilian workers in management, business, and financial and professional and related occupations to 11 percent of workers in production, transportation, and material moving occupations.
    • Union workers (45 percent) were nearly twice as likely as nonunion workers (21 percent) to receive the paid holiday.
    • Civilian workers in establishments of 100 workers or more (28 percent) received the paid holiday at a higher rate than workers in establishments of 1 to 99 workers (20 percent).
    • Thirty-one percent of private industry workers in the Northeast and West regions received the paid holiday, compared with 9 percent in the Midwest.



    Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday

    Among civilian workers who received paid holidays, 32 percent received Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday as a paid holiday, along with 24 percent of private industry workers and 86 percent of state and local government workers.

    Table 1. Percent of workers receiving the Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday paid holiday, March 2018
    (All workers with paid holidays = 100 percent)
    Characteristics Civilian Private industry State and local government
    Percent Standard Error Percent Standard Error Percent Standard
    Error

    All workers

    32
    1.1
    24
    1.2
    86
    1.1

    Occupational group:

      Management, business, and financial

    44
    2.7
    38
    3.0
    94
    1.8

      Professional and related

    44
    3.0
    33
    3.3
    84
    1.5

      Service

    36
    3.5
    25
    4.5
    82
    2.7

      Sales and office

    30
    1.4
    24
    1.4
    90
    1.6

      Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

    18
    2.1
    11
    2.2
    87
    2.4

      Production, transportation, and material moving

    13
    1.6
    11
    1.7
    83
    6.0

    Work status:

      Full-time

    32
    1.3
    24
    1.4
    87
    1.1

      Part-time

    26
    5.7
    21
    6.1
    74
    4.9

    Bargaining status (1):

      Union

    54
    3.3
    32
    4.4
    86
    1.8

      Nonunion

    28
    1.2
    23
    1.3
    86
    1.6

    Establishment size

      1-99 workers

    23
    1.7
    19
    1.7
    86
    1.6

      100 workers or more

    39
    1.7
    28
    1.8
    86
    1.3

    Census region (1):

      Northeast

    38
    2.8
    31
    2.9
    90
    2.9

      South

    30
    2.0
    20
    2.0
    90
    1.4

      Midwest

    23
    1.8
    17
    2.0
    71
    2.1

      West

    38
    2.2
    30
    2.5
    90
    2.7

    Footnotes:

    (1) For more information on bargaining status and census region definitions, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, National Compensation Measures, www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/concepts.htm.



    Highlights of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday paid holiday benefits include:

    • The incidence ranged from 44 percent of civilian workers in management, business, and financial and professional and related occupations to 13 percent of workers in production, transportation, and material moving occupations.
    • Union workers (54 percent) were nearly twice as likely as nonunion workers (28 percent) to receive the paid holiday.
    • Civilian workers in establishments of 100 or workers (39 percent) received the paid holiday at a significantly higher rate than workers in establishments of 1 to 99 workers (23 percent).
    • Thirty-one percent of private industry workers in the Northeast region received the paid holiday, compared with 17 percent in the Midwest.



    New Year's Day

    Among civilian workers who received paid holidays, 90 percent of civilian, private industry, and state and local government workers received New Year's Day as a paid holiday.

    Table 1. Percent of workers receiving the New Year's Day paid holiday, March 2018
    (All workers with paid holidays = 100 percent)
    Characteristics Civilian Private industry State and local government
    Percent Standard Error Percent Standard Error Percent Standard
    Error

    All workers

    90
    0.8
    90
    0.8
    90
    1.3

    Occupational group:

      Management, business, and financial

    93
    1.1
    92
    1.2
    93
    1.5

      Professional and related

    95
    0.5
    97
    0.5
    87
    1.7

      Service

    85
    2.1
    83
    2.4
    90
    2.4

      Sales and office

    87
    1.1
    86
    1.2
    94
    1.3

      Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

    91
    1.6
    90
    1.7
    96
    1.8

      Production, transportation, and material moving

    91
    2.0
    91
    2.1
    86
    5.3

    Bargaining status (1):

      Union

    92
    0.8
    95
    0.9
    89
    1.5

      Nonunion

    90
    0.8
    90
    0.9
    91
    1.8

    Establishment size

      1-99 workers

    89
    1.0
    89
    1.1
    93
    2.6

      100 workers or more

    91
    1.2
    91
    1.3
    89
    1.4

    Census region (1):

      Northeast

    93
    1.1
    93
    1.3
    91
    3.5

      South

    88
    1.4
    88
    1.6
    88
    2.3

      Midwest

    91
    1.4
    91
    1.5
    91
    1.1

      West

    90
    1.7
    90
    1.7
    92
    2.8

    Footnotes:

    (1) For more information on bargaining status and census region definitions, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, National Compensation Measures, www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/concepts.htm.



    Highlights of the New Year's Day paid holiday benefits include:

    • The incidence ranged from 85 percent of civilian workers in service occupations to 95 percent of civilian workers in professional and related occupations.
    • Private industry union workers (95 percent) were likely than nonunion workers (90 percent) to receive the paid holiday.
    • Ninety-three percent of private industry workers in the Northeast census region received the benefit, compared to 88 percent in the South.
    • Establishment size had little or no effect on receiving the benefit for civilian, private industry, and state and local government workers.



    New Year's Eve

    Among civilian workers who received paid holidays, 15 percent received New Year's Eve as a paid holiday, along with 14 percent of private industry workers and 20 percent of state and local government workers.

    Table 1. Percent of workers receiving the New Year's Eve paid holiday, March 2018
    (All workers with paid holidays = 100 percent)
    Characteristics Civilian Private industry State and local government
    Percent Standard Error Percent Standard Error Percent Standard
    Error

    All workers

    15
    1.1
    14
    1.1
    20
    1.4

    Occupational group:

      Management, business, and financial

    20
    2.8
    20
    3.0
    25
    2.7

      Professional and related

    15
    2.0
    14
    2.3
    21
    2.1

      Service

    9
    1.5
    7
    1.7
    19
    1.9

      Sales and office

    12
    1.4
    11
    1.5
    22
    1.9

      Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

    14
    2.5
    14
    2.7
    17
    3.1

      Production, transportation, and material moving

    19
    1.7
    19
    1.8
    13
    3.4

    Bargaining status (1):

      Union

    20
    3.1
    19
    4.1
    21
    2.1

      Nonunion

    14
    1.0
    13
    1.0
    20
    1.9

    Establishments size

      1-99 workers

    14
    1.7
    14
    1.7
    23
    2.2

      100 workers or more

    15
    1.6
    14
    1.7
    20
    1.7

    Census region (1):

      Northeast

    13
    1.4
    12
    1.4
    23
    4.0

      South

    11
    1.1
    10
    1.2
    14
    2.1

      Midwest

    22
    2.7
    21
    2.9
    28
    2.8

      West

    15
    2.8
    14
    3.1
    22
    2.6

    Footnotes:

    (1) For more information on bargaining status and census region definitions, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, National Compensation Measures, www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/concepts.htm.



    Highlights of the New Year's Eve paid holiday benefits include:

    • The incidence ranged from 9 percent of civilian workers in service occupations to 20 percent in management, business, and financial occupations.
    • Union workers (20 percent) received the paid holiday at a higher rate than nonunion workers (14 percent).
    • Twenty-one percent of private industry workers in the Midwest region received the paid holiday, compared with 10 percent in the South.
    • Establishment size had little effect on civilian, private industry, and state and local government workers to receive the paid holiday.



    Christmas Day

    Among civilian workers who received paid holidays, 97 percent received Christmas Day as a paid holiday, along with 97 percent of private industry workers and 93 percent of state and local government workers.

    Table 1. Percent of workers receiving the Christmas Day paid holiday, March 2018
    (All workers with paid holidays = 100 percent)
    Characteristics Civilian Private industry State and local government
    Percent Standard Error Percent Standard Error Percent Standard
    Error

    All workers

    97
    0.3
    97
    0.3
    93
    0.8

    Occupational group:

      Management, business, and financial

    98
    0.6
    98
    0.6
    95
    1.6

      Professional and related

    96
    0.4
    98
    0.3
    88
    1.7

      Service

    97
    0.8
    97
    1.0
    96
    1.1

      Sales and office

    96
    0.8
    96
    0.8
    97
    0.9

      Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

    97
    0.9
    97
    0.9
    98
    1.4

      Production, transportation, and material moving

    97
    0.6
    97
    0.6
    96
    2.3

    Bargaining status (1):

      Union

    94
    0.8
    97
    0.9
    90
    1.5

      Nonunion

    97
    0.3
    97
    0.4
    95
    0.8

    Establishments size

      1-99 workers

    97
    0.5
    97
    0.6
    94
    1.9

      100 workers or more

    97
    0.3
    98
    0.3
    93
    0.9

    Census region (1):

      Northeast

    98
    0.6
    98
    0.6
    98
    0.9

      South

    97
    0.4
    98
    0.5
    93
    1.2

      Midwest

    96
    0.9
    96
    0.9
    91
    1.8

      West

    96
    0.6
    96
    0.6
    93
    2.2

    Footnotes:

    (1) For more information on bargaining status and census region definitions, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, National Compensation Measures, www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/concepts.htm.



    Highlights of the Christmas Day paid holiday benefits include:

    • The incidence ranged from 98 percent of civilian workers in management, business, and financial occupations to 96 percent in professional and related and sales and office occupations.
    • Nonunion workers (97 percent) were more likely than union workers (94 percent) to receive the paid holiday.
    • Establishment size had little to no effect on receiving the benefit for civilian, private industry, and state and local government workers.
    • Ninety-eight percent of state and local government workers in the Northeast region received the paid holiday, compared with 91 percent in the Midwest.



    Christmas Eve

    Among civilian workers who received paid holidays, 28 percent received Christmas Eve as a paid holiday, along with 26 percent of private industry workers and 45 percent of state and local government workers.

    Table 1. Percent of workers receiving the Christmas Eve paid holiday, March 2018
    (All workers with paid holidays = 100 percent)
    Characteristics Civilian Private industry State and local government
    Percent Standard Error Percent Standard Error Percent Standard
    Error

    All workers

    28
    1.2
    26
    1.3
    45
    2.0

    Occupational group:

      Management, business, and financial

    36
    3.3
    34
    3.6
    47
    3.2

      Professional and related

    33
    2.7
    30
    3.1
    44
    2.9

      Service

    18
    2.4
    12
    2.7
    45
    3.2

      Sales and office

    23
    1.1
    20
    1.2
    48
    2.9

      Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

    26
    2.6
    23
    2.8
    50
    5.2

      Production, transportation, and material moving

    36
    3.1
    36
    3.1
    32
    4.9

    Bargaining status (1):

      Union

    36
    3.1
    34
    4.1
    38
    2.4

      Nonunion

    27
    1.2
    25
    1.2
    52
    2.7

    Establishments size

      1-99 workers

    26
    2.2
    24
    2.3
    55
    3.3

      100 workers or more

    31
    1.4
    28
    1.7
    43
    2.4

    Census region (1):

      Northeast

    20
    1.8
    19
    1.8
    33
    5.1

      South

    30
    1.4
    26
    1.7
    52
    3.2

      Midwest

    36
    3.5
    34
    3.7
    49
    3.4

      West

    24
    2.7
    22
    2.9
    39
    3.4

    Footnotes:

    (1) For more information on bargaining status and census region definitions, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, National Compensation Measures, www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/concepts.htm.



    Highlights of the Christmas Eve paid holiday benefits include:

    • The incidence ranged from 36 percent of civilian workers in management, business, and financial occupations to 18 percent in service occupations.
    • Union workers (36 percent) received the paid holiday at a higher rate than nonunion workers (27 percent).
    • Thirty-four percent of private industry workers in the Midwest region received the paid holiday, compared with 19 percent in the Northeast.
    • State and local government workers in establishments of 1-99 workers received the paid holiday at a higher rate (55 percent) than workers in establishments of 100 workers or (43 percent).



    Day after Thanksgiving

    Among civilian workers who received paid holidays, 43 percent received the Day after Thanksgiving as a paid holiday, with 39 percent of private industry workers and 69 percent of state and local government workers receiving the holiday.

    Table 1. Percent of workers receiving the Day after Thanksgiving paid holiday, March 2018
    (All workers with paid holidays = 100 percent)
    Characteristics Civilian Private industry State and local government
    Percent Standard Error Percent Standard Error Percent Standard
    Error

    All workers

    43
    1.2
    39
    1.3
    69
    1.8

    Occupational group:

      Management, business, and financial

    56
    3.1
    54
    3.4
    70
    2.5

      Professional and related

    54
    2.8
    50
    3.4
    69
    2.9

      Service

    30
    3.1
    21
    3.6
    68
    3.3

      Sales and office

    35
    1.3
    31
    1.3
    71
    2.3

      Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

    40
    3.2
    37
    3.3
    73
    5.5

      Production, transportation, and material moving

    43
    2.6
    42
    2.6
    62
    7.3

    Bargaining status (1):

      Union

    55
    2.7
    49
    3.8
    65
    2.9

      Nonunion

    40
    1.2
    37
    1.2
    72
    2.2

    Establishments size

      1-99 workers

    36
    1.9
    34
    2.1
    66
    4.0

      100 workers or more

    48
    1.9
    43
    2.2
    70
    2.0

    Census region (1):

      Northeast

    40
    3.0
    39
    3.3
    47
    5.2

      South

    43
    1.8
    38
    2.1
    77
    3.1

      Midwest

    40
    2.1
    37
    2.3
    65
    2.4

      West

    46
    2.8
    41
    3.2
    74
    2.4

    Footnotes:

    (1) For more information on bargaining status and census region definitions, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, National Compensation Measures, www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/concepts.htm.



    Highlights of the Day after Thanksgiving paid holiday benefits include:

    • The incidence ranged from 56 percent of civilian workers in management, business, and financial occupations to 30 percent in service occupations.
    • Union workers (55 percent) were likely than nonunion workers (40 percent) to receive the paid holiday.
    • Private industry workers in establishments of 100 workers or received the paid holiday at a higher rate (43 percent) than workers in establishments of 1-99 workers (34 percent).
    • Seventy-seven percent of state and local government workers in the South region received the paid holiday, compared with 47 percent in the Northeast.



    Thanksgiving Day

    The National Compensation Survey1 (NCS) captures the provisions and costs of employer-provided benefits in private industry and state and local government, including leave benefits such as vacation, sick leave, and holidays. In a series of holiday profiles, BLS is publishing new data on the incidence of federal and other prominent holidays. Thanksgiving Day is observed on the fourth Thursday of November.

    Over 3 in 4 civilian workers2 (77 percent) received paid holidays in March 2018.3 Paid holidays cost employers an average of 77 cents per employee hour worked.4 Among civilian workers who received paid holidays, 97 percent received Thanksgiving Day as a paid holiday, with 97 percent of private industry workers and 99 percent of state and local government workers receiving the holiday.

    Table 1. Percent of workers receiving the Thanksgiving Day paid holiday, March 2018
    (All workers with paid holidays = 100 percent)
    Characteristics Civilian Private industry State and local government
    Percent Standard Error Percent Standard Error Percent Standard
    Error

    All workers

    97
    0.5
    97
    0.6
    99
    0.5

    Occupational group:

      Management, business, and financial

    99
    0.5
    99
    0.6
    99
    0.4

      Professional and related

    99
    0.5
    99
    0.6
    99
    0.4

      Service

    91
    1.8
    90
    2.0
    98
    1.7

      Sales and office

    96
    0.8
    96
    0.8
    99
    0.4

      Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

    98
    0.5
    98
    0.5
    100
    0.2

      Production, transportation, and material moving

    98
    0.8
    98
    0.8
    100
    0.3

    Bargaining status (1):

      Union

    99
    0.7
    99
    0.9
    99
    0.6

      Nonunion

    97
    0.6
    96
    0.6
    99
    0.6

    Establishments size

      1-99 workers

    96
    0.6
    96
    0.6
    99
    0.5

      100 workers or more

    98
    0.6
    98
    0.7
    99
    0.7

    Census region (1):

      Northeast

    98
    1.2
    98
    1.3
    99
    0.4

      South

    96
    1.0
    95
    1.1
    99
    0.2

      Midwest

    98
    0.7
    98
    0.7
    98
    0.9

      West

    97
    1.1
    96
    1.2
    98
    1.9

    Footnotes:

    (1) For more information on bargaining status and census region definitions, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, National Compensation Measures, www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/concepts.htm.



    Highlights of Thanksgiving Day paid holiday benefits include:

    • The incidence ranged from 99 percent of civilian workers in management, business, and financial and professional and related occupations to 91 percent in service occupations.
    • Union workers (99 percent) were likely than nonunion workers (97 percent) to receive the paid holiday.
    • Ninety-eight percent of private industry workers in the Northeast and Midwest regions received the paid holiday, compared with 95 percent in the South.
    • Nearly all state and local government workers (99 percent) received the paid holiday.



    Veterans Day

    Among civilian workers who received paid holidays, 19 percent received Veterans Day as a paid holiday, with 11 percent of private industry workers and 70 percent of state and local government workers receiving the holiday.

    Table 1. Percent of workers receiving the Veterans Day paid holiday, March 2018
    (All workers with paid holidays = 100 percent)
    Characteristics Civilian Private industry State and local government
    Percent Standard Error Percent Standard Error Percent Standard
    Error

    All workers

    19
    0.9
    11
    0.9
    70
    1.8

    Occupational group:

      Management, business, and financial

    26
    2.4
    19
    2.7
    75
    2.7

      Professional and related

    23
    1.8
    11
    1.8
    66
    2.6

      Service

    21
    2.4
    9
    2.7
    67
    2.6

      Sales and office

    19
    1.0
    13
    1.0
    77
    2.1

      Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

    16
    1.8
    10
    2.0
    82
    3.6

      Production, transportation, and material moving

    8
    1.3
    6
    1.3
    66
    7.0

    Bargaining status (1):

      Union

    42
    3.0
    17
    3.6
    80
    2.1

      Nonunion

    15
    0.8
    11
    0.8
    63
    2.5

    Establishments size

      1-99 workers

    16
    1.4
    12
    1.4
    78
    2.7

      100 workers or more

    22
    1.3
    11
    1.3
    68
    2.0

    Census region (1):

      Northeast

    22
    2.1
    14
    2.0
    81
    3.5

      South

    15
    1.3
    8
    1.2
    63
    3.0

      Midwest

    14
    1.3
    9
    1.3
    56
    3.8

      West

    28
    2.3
    18
    2.5
    87
    4.3

    Footnotes:

    (1) For more information on bargaining status and census region definitions, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Handbook of Methods, National Compensation Measures, www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/concepts.htm.



    Highlights of Veterans Day paid holiday benefits include:

    • The incidence ranged from 26 percent of civilian workers in management, business, and financial occupations to 8 percent in production, transportation, and material moving occupations.
    • Union workers (42 percent) were likely than nonunion workers (15 percent) to receive the paid holiday.
    • State and local government workers in establishments of 1-99 workers or received the paid holiday at a higher rate (78 percent) than workers in establishments of 100 workers or (68 percent).
    • Eighteen percent of private industry workers in the West region received the paid holiday, compared with 8 percent in the South.



    Technical Note

    The estimates of specific paid holiday percentages are based on information field economists collected for sample establishments. Missing data were not subject to standard imputation procedures used in other NCS publications. Workers were included as having paid holiday leave for either partial or full workday paid holidays. Data are rounded to the nearest whole number. Use caution in applying these estimates because they are only based on collected data, part of the overall sample, and not subject to standard imputation and processing methods. Those methods can affect estimates based on establishment and worker characteristics of available and missing holiday information.5

    To assist users in ascertaining the reliability of the NCS holiday profile data, standard errors of all published estimates are found in each profile. Standard errors provide users a tool to judge the quality of an estimate to ensure that it is within an acceptable range for their intended purpose.

    Benefits data used in the holiday profile are derived from a sample survey used for the National Compensation Survey and thus, it is subject to sampling errors. Sampling errors are differences that occur between the results computed from a sample of observations and those computed from all observations in a population. Caution should be applied in using holiday profile estimates because they are only based on a subsample of the overall sample using collected establishments that provide workers with paid holidays. Estimates derived from subsamples using the same sample design may differ from each other.

    The standard error is a measure of the variation among these differing estimates. It can be used to measure the precision with which an estimate from a particular sample approximates the expected result of all possible samples. The standard errors can be used to define a range or level of confidence (confidence interval) around an estimate. For instance, the 90 percent confidence level means that if all possible samples were selected and an estimate of a value and its sampling error were computed for each, then for approximately 90 percent of the samples, the intervals from 1.6 standard errors below the estimate to 1.6 standard errors above the estimate would include the "true" average value. For example, the 90 percent confidence interval for an estimate of 5.0 percent with a standard error of 1.1 percentage points would be 5.0 percent plus or minus 1.8 percentage points (1.6 standard errors times 1.1 percentage points) or 3.2 to 6.8 percent.

    The chances are about 68 out of 100 percent that an estimate differs from the true population figure within one standard error. The chances are about 90 out of 100 percent that this difference would be within 1.6 standard errors. This means that in the example above, the chances are 90 out of 100 percent that the estimated index percent change is between 3.2 and 6.8 percent.

    Comparative statements appearing in each holiday profile are statistically significant at the 90 percent level of confidence, unless otherwise indicated. This means that for differences cited, the estimated difference is greater than 1.6 times the standard error of the difference.

    Additional estimates on holidays are available at www.bls.gov/ebs/publications/pdf/bulletin-2789-september-2018-employee-benefits-in-the-united-states-march-2018.pdf.

    END NOTES

    (1) The National Compensation Survey (NCS) collects information on employee wages and salaries and benefits from a nationally representative sample of about 8,000 responding establishments. (See March 2018 Appendix 1). The NCS program produces the Employment Cost Index (ECI) and Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC). The ECI tracks changes over time in average employer costs for pay and benefits, while the ECEC expresses average employer costs for pay and benefits in dollars and cents. The NCS also tracks coverage and provisions of employer-sponsored benefits such as healthcare, retirement, and leave benefits. For more information, see www.bls.gov/eci/.

    (2) Civilian workers includes both private industry and state and local government workers.

    (3) Bureau of Labor Statistics: National Compensation Survey: Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2018, PDF.

    (4) Bureau of Labor Statistics: National Compensation Survey: Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, March 2018, www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/ecec_06082018.pdf.

    (5) Bureau of Labor Statistics: Handbook of Methods, National Compensation Measures, www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ncs/home.htm.


    March 2017 Data

    Holiday Profiles, Civilian, Private Industry, and State and Local Government workers, March 2017
    Ownership Characteristic Reference year Reference month Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Washington's Birthday (President's Day) Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day
    Percent Standard error Percent Standard error Percent Standard error Percent Standard error Percent Standard error

    Civilian workers

    All workers 2017 March 33 0.9 26 0.9 90 0.6 92 0.5 92 0.6

    Civilian workers

    Management, business, and financial 2017 March 43 1.8 37 1.9 97 0.7 98 0.4 98 0.4

    Civilian workers

    Professional and related 2017 March 46 2.0 33 1.8 94 0.7 89 0.8 97 0.6

    Civilian workers

    Service 2017 March 38 2.3 25 2.2 78 3.2 85 2.6 83 2.9

    Civilian workers

    Sales and office 2017 March 33 1.3 27 1.2 88 0.8 92 0.7 89 1.2

    Civilian workers

    Natural resources, construction, and maintenance 2017 March 20 1.7 17 1.5 90 1.4 96 0.8 91 1.3

    Civilian workers

    Production, transportation, and material moving 2017 March 15 1.3 13 1.2 92 0.9 95 1.0 94 1.1

    Civilian workers

    Union 2017 March 58 2.3 48 2.3 94 0.8 89 0.9 96 0.8

    Civilian workers

    Nonunion 2017 March 29 1.0 22 0.8 89 0.7 93 0.5 92 0.6

    Civilian workers

    1 to 99 workers 2017 March 24 1.3 21 1.0 87 1.2 91 0.7 89 0.9

    Civilian workers

    100 workers or more 2017 March 43 1.2 31 1.4 93 0.5 93 0.5 95 0.6

    Civilian workers

    Northeast 2017 March 43 1.6 39 2.1 91 1.4 93 1.5 93 1.8

    Civilian workers

    South 2017 March 32 1.2 19 1.2 85 1.0 90 0.7 90 0.9

    Civilian workers

    Midwest 2017 March 26 2.6 15 0.8 96 0.5 94 0.6 95 1.1

    Civilian workers

    West 2017 March 37 2.3 42 2.7 90 1.5 93 1.3 93 1.0

    Private industry workers

    All workers 2017 March 24 1.1 21 1.0 89 0.7 94 0.5 91 0.7

    Private industry workers

    Management, business, and financial 2017 March 35 2.0 33 2.0 96 0.8 99 0.4 98 0.5

    Private industry workers

    Professional and related 2017 March 33 2.5 27 2.3 96 1.0 97 0.6 97 0.7

    Private industry workers

    Service 2017 March 24 3.0 15 2.7 73 4.1 83 3.4 80 3.6

    Private industry workers

    Sales and office 2017 March 25 1.5 22 1.3 86 0.9 91 0.8 88 1.4

    Private industry workers

    Natural resources, construction, and maintenance 2017 March 12 1.8 11 1.6 89 1.6 95 0.9 90 1.4

    Private industry workers

    Production, transportation, and material moving 2017 March 12 1.4 12 1.3 92 0.9 96 1.0 94 1.1

    Private industry workers

    Union 2017 March 33 4.4 28 4.3 96 1.3 98 1.0 97 1.1

    Private industry workers

    Nonunion 2017 March 23 1.0 20 0.8 88 0.7 93 0.6 91 0.7

    Private industry workers

    1 to 99 workers 2017 March 19 1.3 18 1.0 86 1.2 92 0.8 89 1.0

    Private industry workers

    100 workers or more 2017 March 30 1.6 24 1.8 93 0.7 96 0.6 95 0.7

    Private industry workers

    Northeast 2017 March 36 1.7 32 2.0 90 1.5 93 1.5 92 1.9

    Private industry workers

    South 2017 March 22 1.5 16 1.4 85 1.1 92 0.7 89 1.0

    Private industry workers

    Midwest 2017 March 17 3.1 9 1.0 96 0.6 97 0.7 95 1.3

    Private industry workers

    West 2017 March 26 2.6 33 3.1 89 1.9 94 1.5 92 1.3

    State and local government workers

    All workers 2017 March 86 1.1 57 1.5 93 0.6 84 1.0 96 0.8

    State and local government workers

    Management, business, and financial 2017 March 94 1.4 64 3.1 97 0.7 97 0.7 98 0.7

    State and local government workers

    Professional and related 2017 March 85 1.5 50 2.0 88 1.1 67 2.5 95 1.1

    State and local government workers

    Service 2017 March 82 2.8 57 2.7 94 1.9 90 1.5 96 1.9

    State and local government workers

    Sales and office 2017 March 91 1.4 63 1.9 98 0.6 95 0.9 98 0.7

    State and local government workers

    Natural resources, construction, and maintenance 2017 March 88 2.2 63 4.5 99 0.7 99 0.4 100 0.3

    State and local government workers

    Production, transportation, and material moving 2017 March 82 6.0 54 6.7 89 4.8 79 5.4 92 5.1

    State and local government workers

    Union 2017 March 86 1.5 72 1.8 93 0.9 79 1.4 95 0.9

    State and local government workers

    Nonunion 2017 March 86 1.4 45 2.4 93 0.8 87 1.8 97 0.8

    State and local government workers

    1 to 99 workers 2017 March 87 2.1 66 4.1 98 0.9 82 2.3 97 0.9

    State and local government workers

    100 workers or more 2017 March 86 1.4 54 1.5 91 0.9 84 1.0 96 0.9

    State and local government workers

    Northeast 2017 March 90 2.7 83 2.9 97 1.7 90 2.5 95 1.8

    State and local government workers

    South 2017 March 88 1.6 36 3.0 89 0.8 80 2.0 97 1.3

    State and local government workers

    Midwest 2017 March 76 2.1 50 2.5 94 0.5 82 1.2 94 0.9

    State and local government workers

    West 2017 March 90 3.0 83 3.0 96 2.1 88 1.9 98 2.0

     

    Last Modified Date: April 17, 2019