Mother’s Day Facts & Statistics (2026): Date, Spending, Gifts, Dining, Birth Stats

Mother’s Day is a holiday honoring mothers and maternal figures. In the United States, it is observed on the second Sunday in May and is also one of the biggest seasonal moments for gifting, dining out, and fresh flower purchases.

On this page:

• When is Mother’s Day?
• Origin and U.S. history
• Mother’s Day spending and gifting stats
• Mother’s Day dining stats
• Motherhood and birth stats (U.S.)
• Flower industry stats
• Methodology
• Sources & references

When is Mother’s Day?

In the United States, Mother’s Day is observed on the second Sunday in May. In 2026, it falls on May 10, 2026. (timeanddate.com)

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Origin and U.S. history

Modern U.S. Mother’s Day is closely associated with Anna Jarvis, who advocated for a day honoring mothers after her own mother’s death. In 1914, a joint resolution designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day and President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation calling for national observance. (Library of Congress; The American Presidency Project)

Mother’s Day spending and gifting stats

Total Mother’s Day spending in the U.S. (NRF estimate):
$34.1 billion (expected spending for 2025, NRF / Prosper Insights & Analytics)

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Average spending per person (NRF estimate):
$259.04 (NRF / Prosper Insights & Analytics, 2025)

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Most popular Mother’s Day gift categories (NRF survey):

• Flowers: 74%
• Greeting cards: 73%
• Special outing (dinner/brunch, etc.): 61%

Source: NRF (2025)

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Selected spending totals by category (NRF estimate):

• Jewelry: $6.8 billion
• Special outings: $6.3 billion
• Gift cards: $3.5 billion
• Flowers: $3.2 billion
• Greeting cards: $1.1 billion

Source: NRF (2025)

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Mother’s Day dining stats

Mother’s Day restaurant plans (National Restaurant Association research):
National Restaurant Association research reported that 43% of consumers planned to use restaurants to celebrate Mother’s Day (including dining out and takeout) in its 2024 reporting. (National Restaurant Association)

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Mother’s Day as a high-volume restaurant day (OpenTable reporting):
OpenTable has described Mother’s Day as one of the busiest dining days of the year. (OpenTable)

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Motherhood and birth stats (U.S.)

Births in the United States (final data):
3,596,017 births in 2023. (CDC (NCHS) FastStats)

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Mean age at first birth (U.S.):
27.5 years. (CDC (NCHS) FastStats)

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Stay-at-home mothers (U.S. Census historical estimate):
The U.S. Census Bureau reported 5.0 million stay-at-home moms in 2010 (from its “Facts for Features” release). (U.S. Census Bureau)

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Flower industry stats

Mother’s Day holiday ranking for floral purchases (SAF):
The Society of American Florists’ holiday ranking lists Mother’s Day among the top occasions for floral purchases (with rankings shown by transaction share and dollar volume). (Society of American Florists)

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So there you have it—date, origin, spending, dining, and U.S. motherhood statistics, all tied to primary or industry-standard sources.

Methodology

• Authority-first: National observance history uses official proclamation documentation; consumer spending uses NRF / Prosper survey reporting; birth metrics use CDC (NCHS).
• No speculation: This page excludes forecasts that are not clearly labeled as survey estimates and avoids any forward-looking projections.

Sources & references

• timeanddate.com — Mother’s Day date (U.S.)
• The American Presidency Project — Proclamation 1268 (Mother’s Day, 1914)
• Library of Congress — Today in History (May 9) / Mother’s Day proclamation context
• NRF — Mother’s Day spending and gift category stats (2025)
• National Restaurant Association — Mother’s Day restaurant usage research
• OpenTable — Mother’s Day dining insights
• CDC (NCHS) FastStats — Births, mean age at first birth
• U.S. Census Bureau — “Facts for Features” (stay-at-home moms historical estimate)
• Society of American Florists — Mother’s Day floral statistics / holiday ranking