June 12, 2015 — The idea of Father’s Day was conceived slightly more than a century ago by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Wash., while she listened to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. 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. A day in June was chosen for the first Father’s Day celebration, June 17, 1910, proclaimed by Spokane’s mayor because it was the month of Smart’s birth.  

The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Father’s Day has been celebrated annually since 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it permanent.

Graphic [PDF]

70.1 million

Estimated number of fathers across the nation in 2008, the most recent year for which data are available. 
Source: Wave 2 Fertility Topical Module from the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation 

24.7 million

Number of fathers who were part of married-couple families with children younger than 18 in 2014. 

• 21 percent had three or more children younger than 18 in the household (among married-couple families only). 
  
• 3 percent were living in someone else’s home with their families.  

Source: America’s Families and Living Arrangements
<//www.census.gov/hhes/families/data/cps2014FG.html> Tables FG1 

1.9 million

Number of single fathers in 2014; 16 percent of single parents were men.

• 9 percent had three or more children younger than 18 in the household.
• About 43.5 percent were divorced, 33.0 percent were never married, 18.8 percent were separated, and 4.7 percent were widowed.

Source: America’s Families and Living Arrangements
<//www.census.gov/hhes/families/data/cps2014FG.html> Table FG6 (One-parent)

7,157 

The number of men’s clothing stores around the country in 2013, a good place to buy dad a tie or shirt.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, NAICS code (448110), <//www.census.gov/econ/cbp/>

15,253

The number of hardware stores in 2013, a place to buy hammers, wrenches, screwdrivers and other items high on the list of Father’s Day gifts. Additionally, there were 6,543 home centers across the country in 2013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, NAICS codes (444130) and (444110), <//www.census.gov/econ/cbp/>

21,559

Number of sporting goods stores in 2013. These stores are good places to purchase traditional gifts for dad, such as fishing rods and golf clubs.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, NAICS code (451110), <//www.census.gov/econ/cbp/>

971

The number of sports teams and clubs in 2013. These include professional or semiprofessional sports teams or clubs primarily engaged in participating in live sporting events that many dads either participate in or enjoy.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, NAICS code (711211), <//www.census.gov/econ/cbp/>

38,900

The number of electronics stores in 2013 selling new consumer-type electronic products, always great gifts for dads.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, NAICS code (443142), <//www.census.gov/econ/cbp/>

211,000

Estimated number of stay-at-home dads in 2014. These married fathers with children younger than 15 have remained out of the labor force for at least one year primarily so they can care for the family while their wife works outside the home. These fathers cared for about 420,000 children.
Source: America’s Families and Living Arrangements
<//www.census.gov/hhes/families/data/families.html> Table SHP-1

18%

In spring 2011, the percentage of preschoolers regularly cared for by their father during their mother’s working hours.
Source: Who’s Minding the Kids? Child Care Arrangements: Spring 2011
<//www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p70-135.pdf>

$2 billion

Amount of child support received by custodial fathers in 2011; they were due $3.7 billion. Custodial mothers received $19.5 billion of the $31.7 billion in support that was due.
Source: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2011
<//www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p60-246.pdf> Pages 11 and 12

41.4%

Percentage of custodial fathers who received all child support that was due in 2011, not statistically different from the corresponding percentage for custodial mothers, 43.6 percent.
Source: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2011
<//www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p60-246.pdf> Page 3, Table 1

63.9%

Percentage of custodial fathers receiving noncash support, such as gifts or coverage of expenses, on behalf of their children. The corresponding proportion for mothers was 55.0 percent.
Source: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2011
<https://www.census.gov/people/childsupport/data/files/chldsu11.pdf> Table 10