Mother’s Day

$28.1 billion

Mother’s Day sees spending at $28.1 billion nationally.

$1.9 billion

Flowers rake in $1.9 billion each year. 72% of those celebrating send their mothers flowers.

75%

75% of Americans celebrating send greeting cards.

27

As of 2019, the average age of first-time mothers is 27. Most women in the U.S have their first child in their twenties, with 20% waiting until after 35.

Mother’s Day, the day we all heap wellearned love and praise on the ladies who gave us life. And of course, the occasion isn’t only reserved for biological mothers. In 2023, Mother’s Day embraces step-parents, in-laws, grandmothers, maternal figures, and even dog moms.

While today’s version of Mother’s Day is all about fêteing mamas, the origins of the holiday are a bit more somber. It began when writer Anna Jarvis wanted to create a day to honor the sacrifices of mothers, following the death of her own, Ann Reeves Jarvis, in 1905.

On May 12, 1907, she held a memorial service at her late mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia. Within just five years, virtually every state was observing the occasion. President Woodrow Wilson sanctioned the first official Mother’s Day in 1914.

This year, it falls on May 14. Read on to learn more about this special day:

2.2

There are an estimated 2.2 billion mothers in the world now.

1/3

Mother’s Day is the busiest day for restaurants with more than ⅓ of adults sitting down at a dining establishment on that day.

$671 million

Greeting cards are the most common gift, with an estimated $671 million being spent.

100

More than 100 countries observe Mother’s Day in some form.

22 million

It’s estimated that 22 million calls are placed in the U.S. on Mother’s Day.

May 9, 1914

Mother’s Day became an official U.S. holiday on May 9, 1914.

$245.76

The National Retail Federation found that per-person spending for the occasion was $245.76 in 2022.

WORDS BY RONDA RICH