Father Facts

With Father’s Day right around the corner on June 21, we thought we’d share some Father Facts from the U.S. Census Bureau. For instance, did you know that there were 7,157 men’s clothing stores around the country in 2013 (hint, hint)?

Father’s Day began as the brainchild of Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington, who became inspired — during a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909 – to honor her father.

That man, William Smart, was a Civil War veteran who lost his wife, and raised his six children on a farm.

In 2014, there were 1.9 million single fathers in the U.S. They comprised 16% of all single parents in the country.

About 43.5% of these single dads were divorced, 33% were never married while 18.8% were separated. Only 4.7% were widowed, like William Smart.

Overall, there were around 70.1 million fathers across the nation in 2008, (the most recent year for which data are available.)

In 2014, 24.7 million of America’s dads were part of married-couple families with children younger than 18. That’s the future of America on its way. Thanks, Dads!