Americans have been celebrating Mother’s Day officially since 1914, when Congress designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. It’s a great time to show our moms how much we appreciate them and how much we love them.
Mother’s Day spending
Consumers plan to spend more than ever on Mother’s Day this year as they give their moms gifts ranging from jewelry to outings at favorite restaurants.
Mother’s Day shoppers are expected to spend an average of $186 for the holiday, up from last year’s $172, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation. With 85 percent of consumers surveyed celebrating the holiday, total spending is expected to reach $23.6 billion. That’s the highest number in the survey’s 14-year history, topping last year’s previous record of $21.4 billion.
Consumers plan to spend $5 billion on jewelry, purchased by 36 percent of shoppers; $4.2 billion on special outings such as dinner or brunch, 56 percent; $2.6 billion on flowers, 69 percent; $2.5 billion on gift cards, 45 percent; $2.1 billion on clothing, 37 percent; $2 billion on consumer electronics, 15 percent; and $1.9 billion on personal services such as a spa day, 24 percent, according to the survey.
The expected increase in spending is likely due to more purchases of jewelry, which is up 19 percent, and personal services, up 15 percent.
For gifts of experience, such as tickets to a concert or hot air balloon ride, 28 percent of moms want to receive these kinds of gift, compared with 24 percent last year. Younger consumers may be looking to create a special memory, with nearly half under the age of 35 planning to give such a gift.
American mothers
For who American mothers are, the U.S. Census Bureau offers these statistics:
How many moms
43.5 million
The number of mothers between the ages of 15 and 50 in 2014. These mothers gave birth to 95.8 million children.
3.9 million
The number of women between the ages of 15 and 50 in 2015 who had given birth in the past 12 months.
35.7%
The percentage of unmarried women ages 15 to 50 in 2015 who had a birth in the past 12 months. About 64.3 percent of women ages 15 to 50 who had a birth in the past 12 months were married.
How many children
62.5
The number of births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 in 2015, down 1 percent from 2014.
22.3%
The percentage of women ages 15 to 50 in 2014 who had given birth to 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
3.98 million
The number of registered births in 2015, down less than 1 percent from 2014. Of this number, 229,715 were to teens ages 15 to 19.
62.4%
The percentage of women ages 16 to 50 in the labor force in 2015 who had a birth in the past 12 months.
86.8%
The percentage of women ages 15 to 50 with at least a high school diploma or equivalent who gave birth in the past year.
63
The number of births in the past year per 1,000 women ages 15 to 50 with a graduate or professional degree. The number was 53 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, respectively, in 2015.
Stay-at-home moms
5 million
The number of stay-at-home moms in married-couple families in 2016.
Single moms
9.8 million
The number of single mothers living with children younger than age 18 in 2016, up from 7.7 million in 1985.
421,861
The number of women ages 15 to 50 living with a cohabiting partner in 2015 who had given birth in the past 12 months.
