Mother’s Day: May 10, 2009

The driving force behind Mother’s Day was Anna Jarvis, who organized observances in Grafton, W.Va., and Philadelphia exactly 101 years ago: 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Source: Survey of Income and Program Participation unpublished tabulations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/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012510.html>

80%
Percentage of women 40 to 44 who were mothers in 2006. In 1976, 90 percent
of women in that age group were mothers. Source: Fertility of American
Women: 2006 http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012510.html>

How Many Children

2.1
The total fertility rate (TFR) or number of births per woman in the U.S. in
2006 (based on current birth rates by age). This is the first time since
1971 that the nation’s TFR was above replacement, which is the birth rate
required for a given generation to replace itself.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

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
were Vermont, the District of Columbia and Rhode Island, with TFRs of 1.7
births per women.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

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 stepchildren, 2 percent with adopted
children and less than 1 percent with foster children. Source: Living
Arrangements of Children: 2004http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/children/011507.html>

Moms Who’ve Recently Given Birth

4.3 million
Number of births registered in the United States in 2006. Of this number,
435,436 were to teens 15 to 19, 112,513 to mothers 40 or older and 494 to
those 50 or older.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

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 http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

40%
Percentage of births that were the mother’s first in 2006. Another 32
percent were the
second-born; 17 percent, third; and 11 percent, fourth or more.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

18,674
Number of births in 2006 that were the mother’s eighth or more.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

38,568
Number of births in 2006 that did not occur in hospitals.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

32.1
Number of twin births per 1,000 total births in 2006.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

153.3
Number of triplet and higher order multiple births per 100,000 total births
in 2006.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

August
The month with the highest number of births, with 387,798 taking place that
month
in 2006.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

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 http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/births.htm>

Jacob and Emily
The most popular baby names for boys and girls, respectively, in 2007.
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/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012510.html>

Mothers Remembered

20,227
Number of florist establishments nationwide in 2006. The 98,373 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: 2006 http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/county_business_patterns/012181.html>

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 2007, accounting for 77 percent of domestic
flower production ($320 million out of $416 million) in those states.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1072>

12,765
Number of employees of the 132 greeting-card publishing establishments in
2006. Source: County Business Patterns: 2006 http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/county_business_patterns/012181.html>.

13,591
The number of cosmetics, beauty supplies and perfume stores nationwide in
2006. Perfume is one of the most popular gifts given on Mother’s Day.
Source: County Business Patterns: 2006 http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/county_business_patterns/012181.html>

28,300
Number of jewelry stores in the United States in 2006 — the place to
purchase necklaces, earrings and other timeless pieces for mom. Source:
County Business Patterns: 2006 http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/county_business_patterns/012181.html>

Working Moms (and Moms-to-Be)

5.3 million
Number of stay-at-home moms in 2008. Source: America’s Families and Living
Arrangements: 2008 http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/013378.html>

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/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012510.html>

757,616
Number of child care centers across the country in 2006. These include
73,755 centers employing 831,361 workers and another 683,861 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: 2006 http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/county_business_patterns/012181.html> 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%
The percentage of first-time mothers who worked one month or less before
giving birth in the early part of this decade. 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 part of this decade 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

9.8 million
The number of single mothers living with children younger than 18, up from
3.4 million in 1970. Source: America’s Families and Living Arrangements:
2008http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/families_households/013378.html>

6.1 million
Number of custodial mothers entitled to child support in 2005.
Source: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and their Child Support: 2005 http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/children/010634.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: 2006http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012510.html>

Meals with Mommy

58% and 80%
Percentages of children younger than 6 who ate breakfast and dinner,
respectively, with their mother every day in 2006. The corresponding
percentages who ate with their father were 53 percent and 71 percent. (The
percentages of children who ate breakfast with their mother or father,
respectively, were not significantly different from one another.)
Source: A Child’s Day: 2006 http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/children/013383.html>