Mother’s Day is fast approaching. How will you be remembering your mom on her special day?
Gift giving
U.S. consumers are expected to spend an average of $172.22 on Mother’s Day, down slightly from last year’s record-high $172.63, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation.
Consumers plan to spend $4.2 billion on jewelry, given by 35.3 percent of shoppers; $4.1 billion on special outings such as dinner or brunch, given by 55.2 percent; $2.4 billion on flowers, given by 66.5 percent; $2.2 billion on gift cards, given by 43.2 percent; $1.9 billion respectively on clothing, given by 35.4 percent, and consumer electronics, given by 13.8 percent; and $1.6 billion on personal services, such as a day at the spa, given by 22.5 percent.
Greeting cards are the most commonly purchased gift at 78.4 percent of those surveyed but account for only $792 million of the projected spending.
Consumers also were asked about “gifts of experience” such as tickets to a concert or sporting event. According to the survey, 24.2 percent want to receive a gift of experience and 22.3 percent plan to give it.
Our mothers
The U.S. Census Bureau offers the following information on moms:
How many mothers
43.5 million
Number of women between the ages of 15 and 50 who have children. These mothers gave birth to 95.8 million children.
3.9 million
Number of women between the ages of 15 and 50 who gave birth in the past 12 months.
35.8%
Percentage of women age 15 to 50 who had a birth in the past 12 months who were unmarried.
How many children
62.9
Number of births per 1,000 women age 15-44 in 2014, up slightly, less than 1 percent, from 2013
22.3%
Percentage of women age 15 to 50 who have had two children. About 42.4 percent had no children, 17 percent had one, 11.7 percent had three, and about 6.8 percent had four or more.
Characteristics of women with a recent birth
3.988 million
The number of registered births in 2014, which was 1 percent more than in 2013. Of this number, 249,078 were to teens 15 to 19.
61.8%
Percentage of women age 16 to 50 who had a birth in the past 12 months who were in the labor force.
31.3%
The percentage of women who had given birth in the past 12 months who had a bachelor’s degree or higher.
86.3%
Percentage of women age 15 to 50 who gave birth in the past year and who have at least a high school diploma or equivalent.
63
Number of births in the past year per 1,000 women age 15 to 50 with a graduate or professional degree. The number was 55 per 1,000 for women whose highest level of education was a bachelor’s degree.
Noah and Emma
The most popular baby names for boys and girls in 2014.
Stay-at-home moms
5.2 million
Number of stay-at-home moms in married couple family groups in 2015.
Single moms
9.9 million
The number of single mothers living with children younger than 18 in 2015, up from 7.7 million in 1985.
415,617
Number of women age 15 to 50 who had a birth in the past 12 months and were living with a cohabiting partner.
