Although Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1914, Father’s Day didn’t become an official holiday until 1966.
The idea for Father’s Day is attributed to Sonora Dodd, of Spokane, Wash., who was raised by her father after her mother’s death during childbirth.
Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm.
In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson issued a proclamation setting aside the third Sunday in June to honor fathers. Father’s Day has been celebrated annually since 1972, when President Richard Nixon signed a law making it a permanent
Father’s Day spending
Father’s Day spending is expected to reach a record $27.9 billion this year, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation, a trade group. This is an increase from the previous record of $24 billion set last year.
Similar to previous years, 77 percent of consumers plan to celebrate Father’s Day this year. On average, consumers expect to spend $226.58, up from the previous record of $199.38 in 2025. Despite ongoing economic uncertainty, spending has increased across all categories, with the exception of shoppers ages 65 and older.
Forty-five percent of consumers plan to buy a gift for a father or stepfather, followed by a husband, 25 percent; son, 13 percent; brother, 10 percent; friend, 8 percent; and grandfather, 7 percent.
As in past years, greeting cards, 60 percent, are the most popular gift for Father’s Day, followed by clothing, 58 percent; a special outing, 55 percent; and gift cards, 52 percent.
Facts about dads
Here are facts about fathers from the U.S. Census Bureau:72 million
The estimated number of fathers across the nation.
29 million
The number of fathers who are grandfathers.
24 million
The number of fathers living in opposite-sex married-couple family groups with children younger than age 18 in 2023.
2 million
Of the about 10 million single parents living with their children under 18, 20% were fathers.
231,000
The estimated number of stay-at-home dads in 2023. The share of men taking paid parental leave has increased. About 50 percent of fathers who had their first child between 2014-2022 took paid leave compared with 18 percent of fathers who had their first child in 1994 or earlier.
Best and worst states for working dads
With 94.4 percent of married fathers working last year compared to 72.1 percent of married mothers, WalletHub, personal-finance website, evaluated the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia on 22 indicators of how supportive each state is for working dads. The analysis includes factors such as average workday length for men, childcare costs, and the percentage of men in good or better health.
| Best States for Working Dads | Worst States for Working Dads |
| 1. Massachusetts | 42. South Carolina |
| 2. Connecticut | 43. Arkansas |
| 3. District of Columbia | 44. Arizona |
| 4. New Jersey | 45. Oklahoma |
| 5. Rhode Island | 46. West Virginia |
| 6. Minnesota | 47. Alabama |
| 7. New Hampshire | 48. Mississippi |
| 8. Virginia | 49. Nevada |
| 9. Vermont | 50. Louisiana |
| 10. Washington | 51. New Mexico |
Best wishes for your Father’s Day celebration.
