WASHINGTON — The driving force behind Mother’s Day was Anna Jarvis, who
organized observances in Grafton, W.Va., and Philadelphia on May 10, 1908. As
the annual celebration became popular around the country, Jarvis asked members
of Congress to set aside a day to honor mothers. She finally succeeded in 1914,
when Congress designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
How Many Mothers: 82.8 million
Estimated number of mothers in the United States in 2004.
Source: Survey of Income and Program Participation unpublished tabulations
55%: Percentage of 15- to 44-year-olds who were mothers in 2006.
Source: Fertility of American Women: 2006
80%: Percentage of women 40 to 44 who had given birth as of 2006. In 1976, 90
percent of women in that age group had given birth.
Source: Fertility of American Women: 2006
How Many Children
2.1: The total fertility rate (TFR) or number of births per woman in the U.S. in
2007 (based on current birth rates by age). This marks the second consecutive
year in which the rate has been above replacement level.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
2.6: The TFR or number of births in 2006 per woman in Utah (based on current
birth rates by age), which led the nation. At the other end of the spectrum is
Vermont, with a TFR of 1.7 births per women.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
94%: Among the 37.8 million mothers living with children younger than 18 in
2004, the percentage who lived with their biological children only. In addition,
3 percent lived with any stepchildren, 2 percent with any adopted children and
less than 1 percent with any foster children.
Source: Living Arrangements of Children: 2004
Moms Who’ve Recently Given Birth
4.3 million: Number of births registered in the United States in 2007. Of this
number, 445,045 were to teens 15 to 19 and 7,349 to mothers 45 to 54.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
25.0: Average age of women in 2006 when they gave birth for the first time, down
from 25.2 years in 2005. This marks the first decline since this measure became
available in 1968.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
40%: Percentage of births that were the mother’s first in 2007. Another 32
percent were the second-born; 17 percent, third; and 11 percent, fourth or more.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
18,674: Number of births in 2006 that were the mother’s eighth or more.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
38,568: Number of births in 2006 that did not occur in hospitals. Of these,
24,970 births occurred at home and 10,781 were in free-standing birthing
centers.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
32.1: Number of twin births per 1,000 total births in 2006.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
153.3: Number of triplet and higher order multiple births per 100,000 total
births in 2006.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
August: The month with the highest number of births, with 387,798 taking place
that month in 2006.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Wednesday: The most common day of the week to deliver, with an average of 13,482
births taking place on Wednesdays during 2006. This is the first time since at
least 1990 that a day other than Tuesday had this distinction.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
Jacob and Emma: The most popular baby names for boys and girls, respectively, in
2008.
Source: Social Security Administration
67: Number of births in the past year per 1,000 women 15 to 50 with a graduate
or professional degree. These women have a higher fertility rate than those with
any other level of education.
Source: Fertility of American Women: 2006
Mothers Remembered
19,759: Number of florist establishments nationwide in 2007. The 93,779
employees in floral shops across our nation will be especially busy preparing,
selling and delivering floral arrangements for Mother’s Day.
Source: County Business Patterns: 2007
The flowers bought for mom have a good chance of having been grown in
California. Among the 15 surveyed states, California was the leading provider of
cut flowers in 2008, accounting for
78 percent of domestic flower production ($314 million out of $403 million) in
those states.
(The data pertain only to operations with sales greater than or equal to
$100,000.)
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
11,662: Number of employees of the 126 greeting-card publishing establishments
in 2007.
Source: County Business Patterns: 2007
14,194: The number of cosmetics, beauty supplies and perfume stores nationwide
in 2007. Perfume is one of the most popular gifts given on Mother’s Day.
Source: County Business Patterns: 2007
27,484: Number of jewelry stores in the United States in 2007 the place to
purchase necklaces, earrings and other timeless pieces for mom.
Source: County Business Patterns: 2007
Stay-at-Home Moms
5.1 million: Number of stay-at-home moms in 2009 down from 5.3 million in
2008. In 2009, 22.6 percent of married-couple family groups with children under
15 had a stay-at-home mother, down from 23.7 percent in 2008.
Source: America’s Families and Living Arrangements
Compared with other moms, stay-at-home moms in 2007 were more likely to be:
- Younger (44 percent were under 35 compared with 38 percent of mothers in
the labor force). - Hispanic (27 percent compared with 16 percent).
- Foreign-born (34 percent compared with 19 percent).
- Living with a preschool-age child (57 percent compared with 43 percent)
- Without a high school diploma (19 percent versus 8 percent).
Source: America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2007
Employed Moms (and Moms-to-Be)
57%: Among mothers 15 to 50 with infants in 2006, the percentage in the labor
force. A cluster of states in the Midwest and also Rhode Island, Maryland,
Virginia and Connecticut had rates higher than the national average.
Source: Fertility of American Women: 2006
766,052: Number of child care centers across the country in 2007. These
include 74,763 centers employing 853,648 workers and another 691,289
self-employed people or other businesses without paid employees. Many mothers
turn to these centers to help juggle motherhood and careers.
Source: County Business Patterns: 2007 and Nonemployer Statistics
67%: Percentage of women who gave birth for the first time between 2001 and
2003 and worked during their pregnancy. This compares with 44 percent who gave
birth for the first time between 1961 and 1965.
Source: Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns: 1961-2003
80%: Among first-time mothers who worked during their pregnancy, the percentage
who worked one month or less before giving birth in the early 2000s. This
compares with 35 percent who did so between 1961 and 1965.
Source: Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns: 1961-2003
55%: The percentage of first-time mothers in the early 2000s who were working by
the sixth month after they gave birth. In the early 1960s, the corresponding
percentage was 14 percent.
Source: Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns: 1961-2003
83%: The percentage of mothers who went back to work within a year of their
child’s birth who returned to the same employer. Seven in 10 of these women
returned to jobs at the same pay, skill level and hours worked per week.
Source: Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns: 1961-2003
Single Moms
9.9 million: The number of single mothers living with children younger than 18
in 2009, up from 3.4 million in 1970.
Source: America’s Families and Living Arrangements
5.6 million: Number of custodial mothers who were due child support in 2007.
Source: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2007
36%: Percentage of women 15 to 50 with a birth in the past year who were not
currently married.
Source: Fertility of American Women: 2006
Source:
U.S. Census Bureau