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Employee Benefits
Bureau of Labor Statistics > Employee Benefits > Publications > Factsheets

Holiday Profiles

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 Holiday Profiles

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  • 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.

       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.
      • This information is available separately in the following formats: HTML and PDF.
  • 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.

       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.
      • This information is available separately in the following formats: HTML and PDF.
  • Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. ▸

    • 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.

       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.
      • This information is available separately in the following format: PDF.
  • 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.

       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.
      • This information is available separately in the following format: PDF.
  • 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.

      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.

      Highlights of the Good Friday paid holiday benefits include:

      • This information is available separately in the following format: PDF.
  • 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.

       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.
      • This information is available separately in the following format: PDF.
  • 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.

       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.
      • This information is available separately in the following format: PDF.
  • 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. 

       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.
      • This information is available separately in the following format: PDF.
  • 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.

       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.
      • This information is available separately in the following formats: HTML and PDF.
  • 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.

      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.
      • This information is available separately in the following formats: HTML and PDF.
  • 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.

       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.
      • This information is available separately in the following formats: HTML and PDF.
  • 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.

       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 more (43 percent).
      • This information is available separately in the following formats: HTML and PDF.
  • 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.

       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.
      • This information is available separately in the following formats: HTML and PDF.

March 2017 Holiday Profiles

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

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

Individual holiday profiles for 2017 are available for the following holidays:

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.


Last Modified Date: July 7, 2025