Facts and figures for Father’s Day 2024

It made me happy this morning so see so many loving stories about fathers on Facebook today, when Americans gather to celebrate Father’s Day or remember their dads who have passed away.

Not everyone has positive memories of their dad and today may be a challenging day for them.

As you know, I’m into information, so here are facts and figures for Father’s Day this year. Sources include the National Retail Federation, U.S. Census Bureau, Pew Research Center, and others.

• The idea of Father’s Day was conceived more than a century ago by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson issued a proclamation setting aside the third Sunday in June to honor fathers. Father’s Day has been celebrated annually since 1972, when President Richard Nixon signed a law making it a permanent national holiday.

• Three-quarters of consumers plan to celebrate Father’s Day today. On average, those shopping for Father’s Day plan to spend $189.81 on gifts and celebrations. Consumers ages 25-34 are the biggest spenders this year, at an average of $275.67. 

• Father’s Day spending is expected to reach $22.4 billion this year.

• Greeting cards continue to be the most popular Father’s Day gifts, with 58 percent of shoppers planning to purchase one, followed by clothing, 54 percent; a special outing, 52 percent; gift cards, 48 percent; and personal care items, 31 percent.   

• Over a quarter of Father’s Day shoppers plan to give a gift of experience, such as tickets to a sporting event or concert.  

• There are an estimated 74 million dads in the United States, and 72 million of those are biological fathers.

• Four percent of U.S. fathers are married, 12.9 percent are divorced, 3.2 percent are widowed, and 2.3 percent are separated.

• Dads with kids under 18 in their household spend, on average, 1.02 hours caring for and helping them per day.

• Almost one in five stay-at-home parents in the U.S. are dads.

• There were about 7, 200 families with a single father in the U.S. in 2022.

• The more children a couple has, the more likely the husband is to be the family breadwinner.

Best wishes on Father’s Day. I hope you have a nice celebration or remembrance of your dad. If you’re not celebrating today, find an activity that will bring you joy.