WASHINGTON, May 24, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The idea of Father's Day was conceived 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.

How Many Fathers?

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
http://www.nber.org/sipp/2008/2008w13tm.pdf

24.9 million
Number of fathers who were part of married-couple families with children younger than 18 in 2015.

• 21 percent were raising three or more children younger than 18 (among married-couple family households only).
• 3 percent were living in someone else's home with their families.

Source: Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Tables FG1 and FG3
https://www.census.gov/hhes/families/index.html

1.9 million
Number of single fathers in 2015; 16 percent of single parents were men.

• 9 percent were raising three or more children younger than 18.
• About 45 percent were divorced, 33 percent were never married, 17 percent were separated, and 6 percent were widowed.
• About 47 percent had an annual family income of $50,000 or more.

Source: Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Table FG6
https://www.census.gov/hhes/families/index.html

Thinking of You, Dad

22,508
The number of clothing stores, department stores, warehouse clubs and supercenters around the country where you could buy dad a dress shirt in 2012. Sales totaled an estimated $2.6 billion at these locations.
Source: 2012 Economic Census, Product Lines Statistics by Industry for the U.S. and States
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ECN/2012_US/44SLLS1//naics~4481|4521|452910/prodsvc~20207

$20.4 billion
The estimated sales of hardware stores in 2012. There were 15,454 establishments in 2012 that sold tools and plumbing and electrical supplies. Included in those hardware stores were 8,514 establishments that sold ladders and scaffolding.
Source: 2012 Economic Census, Product Lines Statistics by Industry for the U.S. and States
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ECN/2012_US/44SLLS1//naics~444130/prodsvc~20600|20601|20603|20604|20605|20606|20607|20608|20609

21,132
The number of sporting goods and recreational establishments in 2012, reporting $40.7 billion in total sales. Golf equipment was sold in 5,591 of those establishments, accounting for $2.1 billion in total sales.
Source: 2012 Economic Census, Product Lines Statistics by Industry for the U.S. and States http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ECN/2012_US/44SLLS1//naics~451110/prodsvc~20530|20531|20532|20533|20534|20535|20536|20537|20538|20539

7,100
Number of men's clothing stores around the country in 2014, a good place to buy dad a tie or shirt.
Source: County Business Patterns, NAICS code (44811) http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~44811/

15,331
Number of hardware stores in 2014, a place to buy hammers, wrenches, screwdrivers and other items high on the list of Father's Day gifts. Additionally, there were 6,561 home centers across the country in 2014.
Source: County Business Patterns, NAICS codes (444130) and (444110)
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~444130
http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~444110

21,830
Number of sporting goods stores in 2014. These stores were good places to purchase traditional gifts for dad, such as fishing rods and golf clubs.
Source: County Business Patterns, NAICS code (451110) http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/BP/2014/00A1//naics~451110

Stay-at-Home Dads

199,000
Estimated number of stay-at-home dads in 2015. 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 368,000 children.
Source: Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Table SHP-1
http://www.census.gov/hhes/families/data/families.html 

29.0%
In spring 2013, 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 2013
http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p70-135.pdf

Child-Support Payments

$3.1 billion
Amount of child support received by custodial fathers in 2013; they were due $4.2 billion. In contrast, custodial mothers received $19.4 billion of the $28.7 billion in support that was due.
Source: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2013, Page 11 
https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2016/demo/P60-255.pdf  

40.7%
Percentage of custodial fathers who received all child support that was due in 2013, not statistically different from the corresponding percentage for custodial mothers, 46.2 percent.
Source: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2013, Page 3, Table 1 https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2016/demo/P60-255.pdf

70.3%
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 59.9 percent.
Source: Custodial Mothers and Fathers and Their Child Support: 2013, Page 12
https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2016/demo/P60-255.pdf  

Following is a list of observances typically covered by the Census Bureau's Facts for Features series:

African-American History Month (February)
Super Bowl (1st Sunday in February)
Valentine's Day (Feb. 14)
Women's History Month (March)
Unmarried and Single Americans Week (3rd week of September)
Irish-American Heritage Month (March)/St. Patrick's Day (March 17)
Earth Day (April 22)
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May)
Older Americans Month (May)
Mother's Day (2nd Sunday in May)
Hurricane Season Begins (June 1)
Father's Day (3rd Sunday in June)
The Fourth of July (July 4)
Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act (July 26)
Back to School (August)
Labor Day (1st Monday in September)
Grandparents Day (1st Sunday after Labor Day)
Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)
Halloween (Oct. 31)
American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month (November)
Veterans Day (Nov. 11)
Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday in November)
The Holiday Season (December)

Editor's note: The preceding data were collected from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Facts for Features are customarily released about two months before an observance in order to accommodate magazine production timelines.

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SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau