Countdown to
Labor Day
Honoring the American worker, closing out summer
Today is Labor Day.
308 days until Labor Day, on Monday, September 6, 2027.
Labor Day is Monday, September 6, 2027. Happens the first Monday of September.
Labor Day arrives on the first Monday of September, giving the United States a long weekend that doubles as a national thank-you to the people who do the work. It is both a civic holiday with serious origins and, for most Americans, the unofficial close of summer.
From protest to federal holiday
The first Labor Day was not a day off handed down from Washington. On Tuesday, September 5, 1882, thousands of workers marched through New York City in a parade organized by the Central Labor Union — an unpaid, unofficial demonstration for shorter hours and safer conditions. The idea spread through the labor movement, and Oregon became the first state to make Labor Day a legal holiday in 1887. National status came in 1894, when Congress passed and President Grover Cleveland signed a bill establishing the federal holiday. The timing was pointed: the bill moved through Congress amid the Pullman Strike, the bitter railroad walkout that federal troops were sent to break, and many read the holiday as a gesture of reconciliation toward organized labor. Historians have never settled who first proposed it — the two leading candidates, Peter J. McGuire and Matthew Maguire, share almost the same name.
How Labor Day is observed
Today the holiday’s political edge has softened into a broad end-of-summer ritual. Cities still hold parades and unions still march, but for most families the weekend means cookouts, a final trip to the lake or shore, and the last stretch before school resumes. It marks the traditional start of the college and professional football seasons and the winding-down of summer travel. Retailers have turned the weekend into one of the year’s biggest sales events, especially for mattresses and appliances, and a long-standing fashion superstition holds that white clothing should be put away once Labor Day passes.
Whatever the ritual, the date keeps to a simple rhythm: always a Monday, always the first one in September. That fixed rule is why the holiday drifts across the calendar from one year to the next, landing anywhere from September 1 to September 7 — and why a countdown is the easiest way to see exactly how many days remain before the next long weekend begins.
🛠️ Fun facts about Labor Day
- The first Labor Day fell on a Tuesday, September 5, 1882, not a Monday, and the workers who marched in New York City gave up a day's pay to do it.
- Oregon recognized Labor Day as a legal holiday in 1887, seven years before it became a federal holiday.
- Congress rushed the federal Labor Day law through in 1894 amid the Pullman Strike, and many read it as an attempt to appease organized labor.
- Historians still can't agree whether the holiday was founded by Peter J. McGuire or Matthew Maguire, two labor leaders with nearly identical names.
- Canada observes its own Labour Day on the same first Monday of September.
Upcoming Labor Day dates
| Date | Days away |
|---|---|
| 308 days | |
| 672 days | |
| 1,036 days | |
| 1,400 days | |
| 1,764 days |
How people mark Labor Day
- Parades and union marches
- Backyard cookouts and barbecues
- A last trip to the lake or shore
- Labor Day retail and mattress sales
- Football season kickoff
- Retiring white summer clothing
Frequently asked
What day is Labor Day?
In the United States, Labor Day always falls on the first Monday of September, so the exact date changes each year, landing between September 1 and 7.
Why is it called Labor Day?
The holiday honors the American labor movement and the workers whose effort built the country's prosperity. It grew directly out of 1880s union demonstrations for shorter hours and better conditions.
When did Labor Day become a national holiday?
Congress made it a federal holiday in 1894, and President Grover Cleveland signed the law. Oregon had already recognized the holiday at the state level in 1887.
Is Labor Day the same as May Day?
No. Many countries mark International Workers' Day on May 1, but the United States observes its own Labor Day on the first Monday of September. Canada celebrates Labour Day on that same September date.