My family and I just got back from a short vacation to Michigan to visit some of my husband’s relatives. They live about an hour or so outside of Detroit. I couldn’t believe all the lakes in and around where they live! Everywhere we went, there was a lake.

During our stay, we visited The Henry Ford, a museum complex in Dearborn. It is a great place to visit! We also went to the Ford factory where they build F-150 trucks. We all loved watching the assembly line in action.

Now, though, it’s time to get back to school and work. The “unofficial” end of summer is Monday, when we celebrate Labor Day.

So, it’s time for some Labor Day facts and figures! These tidbits are courtesy of wallethub.com:

    • 1882: Year of the inaugural Labor Day celebration, when 10,000 workers assembled in New York City for a parade.
    • September 1894: Year Congress officially made the first Monday in September a federal holiday.
    • 40%: Work force that belonged to unions in the 1950s, compared with nearly 11% in 2017.
    • Number 3: Where Labor Day falls among America’s favorite holidays. (Number 1 being Christmas/Chanukah, and number 2 is Memorial Day.)
    • 2 million: Number of Americans age 16+ in the labor force
    • $55.32K: Median household income
    • $27.05: Average hourly earnings for employees on private nonfarm payrolls
    • $7.25: Federal minimum wage
    • $13.25: Highest minimum wage, in Washington, D.C.
    • Breakdown of the workforce by sector of the economy:
      • Retail: 4.44 million
      • Food preparation and serving workers: 3.58 million
      • Cashiers: 3.56 million
      • General office clerks: 2.97 million
      • Registered nurses: 2.91 million
      • Customer service representatives: 2.77 million
      • Laborers and movers: 2.71 million
      • Waiters and waitresses: 2.58 million
      • Secretaries and administrative assistants: 2.25 million
      • General and operations managers: 2.21 million

What are your Labor Day plans? Let us know!

Speaking of Labor Day, our Panel Support Center will be closed on Monday, September 3. We’ll be back at 9 a.m. ET on Tuesday, September 4.

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