For many, Labor Day means one last summer celebration or vacation before making the transition into fall. Not many people are aware of the reason why we celebrate Labor Day. Historically, Labor Day means celebrating the working force.

Labor Day is believed to be first observed on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, with a parade organized by Peter J. McGuire, a Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary.

In 1894, Congress passed a bill to establish a federal holiday and President Grover Cleveland signed the bill soon afterward, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day.

Below are some interesting facts about Labor Day from the U. S Census Bureau:

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2009, 155.1 million people 16 and older are in the nation’s labor force.
   
• The top 5 most popular jobs as reported in the Upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States are:
  

  Occupation	Number of employees
  Teachers	7.2 million
  Chief executives	1.7 million
  Janitors and building cleaners	2.1 million
  Computer software engineers	1.0 million
  Aerospace engineers	137,000

• The 'hot job' of the future is  network systems and data communications analysts which is projected to grow 53% from 2006 to 2016, according to a report by the Upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States.
• The national average for commute time to work was 25.3 minutes while New Yorkers had the longest commute time, 31.5 minutes, followed by Maryland with 31.1 minutes. Information from the 2007 American Community Survey.

To find more fun facts about Labor Day and many other holidays, check out the U. S. Census Bureau website.

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