What are your plans for Labor Day? Will you be visiting
family or friends? Going to a great, new vacation spot? Hosting a barbecue?
Just relaxing at home? Or, unfortunately, working?
Here’s what’s going on around America this year:
Travel
About 34.1 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more
from home during the upcoming Labor Day holiday, a 4.2 percent increase from
the 32.7 million people who traveled last year.
The rise in holiday travel is mainly due to increased
consumer spending and the improving housing market, said AAA Travel. The
total number of 2013 Labor Day holiday travelers is expected to be the highest
since the Great Recession.
Eighty-five percent of travelers, 29.2 million, will travel
by automobile, an increase of 4.3 percent from 28 million last year
Holiday air travel is expected to increase nearly 3 percent
to 2.61 million.
The average traveler is expected to travel a round-trip
distance of 594 miles and spend $804.
Shopping
Millions of Americans will be shopping this Labor Day weekend. You’ll be
able to find plenty of bargains during Labor Day sales if shopping what you
want to do.
The summer’s
best clothing sales aren’t over yet, according to dealnews.com. You’ll also be
able to find sales for back-to-school items, patio furniture, grills, and
mattress.
To prevent overspending, figure out how much
you can afford to spend then make a list of what you need. Be sure you know the
regular price range of what you plan to buy so a “fake” sale doesn’t trick you.
Facts and figures on workers
Who is the American worker?
Here are the numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau:
About 155.7 million people 16 and older make up the American
labor force.
Retail sales is the largest category of workers
at 4.3 million, followed by cashiers at 3.3 million, food preparation and
serving including fast food at 2.9 million, office clerks at 2.8 million,
registered nurses at 2.6 million, waiters and waitresses at 2.3 million,
customer service representatives at 2.3 million, and laborers, janitors, and secretaries
at 2.1 million each.
The median earnings for men are $48,202 and
$37,118 for women.
Just over 76 percent of workers drive alone
to work, taking an average of 25.5 minutes to get there. Another 9.7
percent carpooled and 2.8 percent walked from home.
Whatever your plans, I hope the weather is fantastic where you live and you have a great Labor Day.
