Mothering is often called the hardest job in the world, which is why, in 1914, the United States Congress designated the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.

Here are some facts about moms across the nation and how we are celebrating them.

82.8 Million
Estimated number of mothers in the United States in 2004
Source: Survey of Income and Program Participation (unpublished tabulations)

55%
Percentage of 15- to 44-year-old women who were mothers in 2006; 80 percent of women aged 40-44 were mothers
Source: Fertility of American Women, 2006

4.3 Million
Number of births registered in the U.S. in 2006
Source: National Center for Health Statistics

40%
Percentage of births that were the mother’s first in 2006; another 32 percent were the second-born; 17 percent were the third; and 11 percent were the fourth or more (18,674 of births in 2006 were the mother’s eighth or more)
Source: National Center for Health Statistics

August
The month with the highest number of births, with 387,798 taking place that month in 2006
Source: National Center for Health Statistics

Wednesday
The most common day of the week to deliver, with an average of 13,482 births taking place on Wednesdays in 2006; this was the first time since at least 1990 that a day other than Tuesday had this distinction
Source: National Center for Health Statistics

WORKING MOTHERS

67
Number of births in 2006 per 1,000 women aged 15-50 with a graduate or professional degree; these women have a higher fertility rate than those with any other level of education
Source: Fertility of American Women, 2006

57%
Among mothers aged 15-50 with infants in 2006, the percentage in the workforce, many of whom are in the Midwest, Rhode Island, Maryland, Virginia and Connecticut
Source: Fertility of American Women, 2006

5.3 Million
Number of stay-at-home moms in 2008
Source: America’s Families and Living Arrangements, 2008

67%
Percentage of women who gave birth for the first time between 2001 and 2003 and worked during their pregnancy, compared to 44 percent who gave birth for the first time between 1961 and 1965
Source: Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns: 1961-2003

83%
Percentage of mothers who went back to work within a year of their child’s birth for the same employer; seven in 10 of these women returned to jobs at the same pay, skill level and hours worked per week
Source: Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns: 1961-2003

55%
Percentage of first-time mothers in the early part of this decade who were working by the sixth month after they gave birth, compared to 14 percent in the early 1960s
Source: Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns: 1961-2003

MOM-RELATED RETAIL

83.3%
Percentage of Americans who will celebrate Mother’s Day this year, the majority of whom will focus on the women they are closest
Source: National Retail Federation’s 2009 Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

62.4%
Percentage who will purchase gifts for their mother/stepmother or wife (21.7 percent) and scale back on gifts for daughters (8.8 percent), friends (6.8 percent) and godmothers (1.6 percent) to save some money
Source: NRF’s 2009 Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

$14.10 Billion
Total expected Mother’s Day spending this year, slightly more than Easter
Source: NRF’s 2009 Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

$123.89
Average amount of spending per person this Mother’s Day
Source: NRF’s 2009 Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

84.7%
Percentage of consumers expected to send mom a greeting card this Mother’s Day
Source: NRF’s 2009 Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

12,765
Number of employees of the 132 greeting-card publishing establishments in 2006.
Source: County Business Patterns, 2006

66.8%
Percentage of people expected to buy flowers for mom this year, spending a total of $1.9 billion on those purchases; this is down 5 percent from last year’s estimate
Source: NRF’s 2009 Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

20,227
Number of florist establishments nationwide in 2006, with the 98,373 employees in U.S. floral shops especially busy preparing, selling and delivering floral arrangements for Mother’s Day
Source: County Business Patterns, 2006

California
The leading provider of cut flowers in 2007, accounting for 77 percent of domestic flower production ($320 million out of $416 million) in the 15 surveyed states
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

13,591
Number of cosmetics, beauty supplies and perfume stores nationwide in 2006 — among the most popular gift-buying locations for Mother’s Day
Source: County Business Patterns, 2006

$1.1 Million
Amount consumers are expected to spend in treating their mothers to personal services such as a day at the spa
Source: NRF’s 2009 Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

$2.3 Billion
Amount Americans are expected to spend on jewelry this Mother’s Day
Source: NRF’s 2009 Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

28,300
Number of jewelry stores in the U.S. in 2006 — the place to purchase necklaces, earrings and other timeless pieces for mom
Source: County Business Patterns, 2006

We are in difficult times. But, considering this dismal state of the economy, mom will likely understand the reasoning behind smaller, less expensive gifts for Mother’s Day.

“No one will forgo celebrating Mother’s Day because of the bad economy, but they will put careful thought into what they buy and how much they spend,” according to a statement by Phil Rist, executive VP of Strategic Initiatives at BIGresearch, which conducted the NRF’s 2009 Mother’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey. “Moms will understand that kids may be spending on a budget, so inexpensive, personal gifts will go a long way.”

But then, who can put a price tag on honoring their mother?