Paid Holiday Statistics [2023]: Average Paid Holidays In The United States - Zippia (2024)

Research Summary: Despite the fact that there are many holidays registered as federal or state holidays, employers are not required to grant employees time off or provide extra pay. As an employee, this can make it difficult to know what are typical paid holidays.

Luckily, we’ve gathered all of the most essential facts about the average number of paid holidays in the U.S. After extensive research, our data analysis team also concluded:

• The average employee in the U.S. receives an average of 7.6 paid holidays

• The United States is the only advanced economy in the world that does not guarantee its workers paid holidays, which means that one in four American workers don’t get any paid holidays.

• Three-quarters of American workers surveyed say it’s very important employers provide paid vacation time (76%), paid sick time (74%), and paid holidays (74%).

• Every year, U.S. employees leave roughly 430 million vacation days up for grabs. That’s 1,178,082 years of unused vacation time each year.

• Only 54% of Americans report using their paid time off for vacation or holidays, with 40% of Americans suggesting that this is because they don’t want to “return to a mountain of work.”

For further analysis, we broke down the data in the following ways:
Length and Usage | Industry | Location | Schedule

Most Common Paid Holidays

Though paid holidays aren’t required by the federal government, many companies still use the following list of federal holidays as a guide for their policies. The most common paid holidays in the United States are Thanksgiving, Christmas, Independence Day, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day.

• By far, the most popular paid holidays in the U.S. are Thanksgiving and Christmas, with 97% of civilian workers receiving paid holidays to celebrate each of them.

• Independence Day (July 4th) is the third most common paid holiday in the U.S., with 92% of civilian workers receiving a paid holiday for traditional fireworks and barbeque.

• 90% of all civilian workers receive a paid holiday on New Year’s Day (January 1st) to usher in the new year.

• Often leading to a three-day weekend, 90% of all civilian workers receive a paid holiday on Memorial Day.

• As the holiday that celebrates American workers, 91% receive a paid holiday on Labor Day (the first Monday in September).

• 32% of civilian workers receive a paid holiday in honor of the civil rights activist’s Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday (Third Monday in January).

• 24% of civilian workers receive a paid holiday for President’s Day (Third Monday in February).

• Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are all far less received than their holiday counterparts, with less than 30% of Americans receiving a paid holiday for either of them.

Paid Holiday Statistics for Full-Time Employees by Length and Usage

The length of paid holidays can vary depending on the type of job, company size, the number of hours worked, and more. Though, the highest averages in 2021 are between six to ten days.

• One in Four employees does not receive paid holidays.

  If you do the math, that’s almost 40 million people who aren’t getting paid for Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any other federal holiday.

• The median number of paid holidays is six days.

  Though the national average is 7.6, statistics show that 21% of U.S. employees receive six paid holidays per year.

• Only 3% of civilian workers in the U.S. receive more than 14 days of paid holidays.

  Having more than two total weeks of paid holidays might be the dream, but it’s extremely uncommon.

• 48% of companies provide “floating” holidays, which allows an employee to observe a holiday of their choosing.

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  Some companies provide extra paid holidays.

• 46% Americans choose not to use their paid holidays.

  Only 54% of Americans report using their paid time off for vacation or holidays, with 40% of Americans suggesting that this is because they don’t want to “return to a mountain of work.”

Paid Holiday Statistics by Industry

If you’re wondering which industries are the best for paid holidays and which one’s leave much to be desired, we have the answers. You’ll find the best overall paid holiday statistics in Manufacturing jobs, while Leisure and Hospitality fall behind in almost every aspect.

• Manufacturing has the best paid holiday for employees.

  With an impressive 97% of employees having access to an average of nine paid holidays, manufacturing jobs are the best of the bunch in this aspect.

• The Leisure and Hospitality industry is the worst for paid holidays.

  Only 37% of people in this industry receive paid holidays, which is leagues behind any other. On top of that, the average number of paid holidays is only six.

• The Information and Financial Activities industries provide exceptional access.

  97% of employees in the information industry and 94% in the Financial Activities industry are provided access to paid holidays.

• The Manufacturing and Financial Activities industries provide the most paid holidays.

  Both of these industries provide a substantial average of nine paid holidays. This is two extra days above the most common averages.

• Trade, Transportation and Utilities, and Construction are okay.

  These industries provide an average of seven paid holidays. In Construction, 73% of employees have access, whereas 81% of Trade, Transportation, and Utility employees have access.

Average Number of Days of Paid Holidays Per Industry

Paid Holiday Statistics by Geographic Location

The state and region in which you work can have a meaningful impact on the number of paid holidays provided to you, as well as the percentage of the population that works without them.

• These holidays are usually paid holidays in every state.

  Regardless of the state you live in, you should expect your job to have paid holidays for New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, as they’re recognized holidays in every state.

• The Northeast is great for paid holidays.

  Surveys have found that Maine, New York, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania offer the best paid holiday time, at a collective average of 18% above the national average.

• Most states don’t recognize or provide paid holidays for the day after Thanksgiving, Election Day, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve.

  In every instance, there are less than 20 states that recognize any of these days as holidays. Therefore, it’s uncommon to receive paid holidays for them.

• The U.S. is behind the rest of the world.

  In Finland, many people can receive up to 30 paid holidays, as opposed to the U.S. average of 7.6 days. Many other European and South American countries also surpass the U.S. in this regard.

Holidays and Which States Recognize Them

Typical Paid Holiday Statistics Schedule

Knowing the averaged paid holiday statistics, it becomes easier to understand the typically paid holiday schedule. Here’s what we’ve found:

• The Federal paid holiday schedule includes New Year’s Day, the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., President’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day, in that order.

• However, if you’re not a federal employee, the most common schedule companies employ are New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Friday after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day, in that order.

Paid Holiday FAQ

1. What does “paid holiday” mean?

   “Paid holidays” are days when employees are paid despite not working. Typically, these days are provided by employers who aim to show respect toward their employees celebrated national, state, or religious holidays.

   Paid holidays differ from paid time off (PTO) in that PTO typically refers to personal vacation days while paid holidays refer to company-wide days off from work.

2. What holidays do you get paid time and a half?

   The days you get paid time and a half will depend entirely on your employer. While there is nothing in state law that requires states to provide time and a half for federal holidays, employers typically choose to provide it anyway.

   For reference, federal holidays include New Year’s Day, the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., President’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

3. How many paid holidays are in a year?

   There are between 7.6 and 10 paid holidays per year depending on where you work. The Federal government provides at least 10 paid holidays per year, while the national average is still 7.6. Some employers also provide “floating” holidays, which allows you to take a paid holiday for a non-typical day you celebrate.

4. How many paid holidays does the average American worker get?

   The average American worker gets between 6-8 paid holidays per year in the U.S. More specifically, The average civilian worker receives 7.6 paid holidays, though the highest number represented in the workforce overall is six.

5. Which industry is the best for paid holidays?

   The manufacturing industry is by far the best for paid holidays, with an average of nine paid holidays given per year and 97% of employees having access to them. By contrast, only 37% of those working in the Leisure and Hospitality industry receive paid holidays.

6. What are the 9 major paid holidays?

   The 9 major paid holidays are New Year’s Day, MLK Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

   Of these 9 holidays, 8 are recognized in all 50 states and Juneteenth is recognized in every state except South Dakota. President’s Day is recognized in 41 states, making it the next most “major” paid holiday.

7. On average, companies give how many paid holidays in a year?

   Most companies give six paid holidays each year. 21% of companies provide six paid holidays a year, 14% give 10 days a year, and 13%, 12%, and 9% give 7, 8, and 9 days a year respectively.

   20% of employees are lucky enough to have 11+ paid holidays provided each year, and 11% are unlucky enough to have 5 paid holidays or fewer provided each year.

Conclusion

Though the Federal government and most state governments don’t enforce paid holidays as a part of the law, most companies still provide them to their employees. The average number of paid holidays Americans receive per year is 7.6, but this can vary based on industry, state, and the number of years in a profession.

Overall, the U.S. is behind many other countries in its paid holiday opportunities. And, this isn’t only because of companies or the government either. Nearly half of all Americans choose not to use their paid holidays.

Without a doubt, American citizens are workaholics.

References

• zenefits.com. “The Paid Holidays Most Small Businesses Will Give Their Employees in 2020 | Workest.” Accessed on August 9, 2021.

• officeholidays.com. “Columbus Day by state | Office Holidays.” Accessed on August 9, 2021.

• en.wikipedia.org. “Holidays with paid time off in the United States – Wikipedia.” Accessed on August 9, 2021.

• statista.com. “Percentage of U.S. workers, by number of paid holidays 2020 | Statista.” Accessed on August 9, 2021.

• bls.gov. “Workers in private industry received an average of 8 paid holidays in 2017 : The Economics Daily: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.” Accessed on August 9, 2021.

• ncsl.org. “ State Unemployment Rates | June 2021 .” Accessed on August 9, 2021.

• employmentlawhandbook.com. “Federal and State Holidays – Employment Law Handbook.” Accessed on August 9, 2021.

• bls.gov. “Table 5. Average paid holidays and days of vacation and sick leave for full-time employees.” Accessed on August 9, 2021.