MEDIA RELEASE
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Source: Survey of Income and Program Participation unpublished tabulations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
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/fertility/cps2006.html
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
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/fertility/cps2006.html
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 http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
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
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/fertility/cps2006.html
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 http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/
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
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1072
11,662
Number of employees of the 126 greeting-card publishing establishments in 2007.
Source: County Business Patterns: 2007 http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/.
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 http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/
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 http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/
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
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/
www/releases/archives/families_households/014540.html
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
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/014266.html
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
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/fertility/cps2006.html
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 http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/
and Nonemployer Statistics
http://www.census.gov/epcd/nonemployer/index.html
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
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/employment_occupations/011536.html
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
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/employment_occupations/011536.html
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
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/employment_occupations/011536.html
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
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/employment_occupations/011536.html
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
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam/cps2009.html
5.6 million
Number of custodial mothers who were due child support in 2007.
Source: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2007
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/childsupport/cs07.html
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
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam/cps2009.html
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