It used to be that workers celebrated Labor Day not only to acknowledge their accomplishments, but also to air their grievances and discuss strategies for securing better working conditions and salaries. Nowadays, the national holiday is associated less with union activities and protest marches and more with barbeques, sports and summer's last hurrah.

So, in tribute to today's working professional, here are some facts and figures on the make-up and activity of the United States workforce.

WHO WE ARE

154.5 million
Number of people 16 and older in the nation's labor force as of May 2008, including 82.6 million men and 71.9 million women
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

101
Percentage increase of employed workers 65 and over between 1977 and 2007; the number of employed men 65 and over rose 75 percent, but employment of women 65 and older increased by nearly twice as much, climbing 147 percent
Source: BLS

Source: Current Population Survey (CPS)

20
Approximate percentage of the workforce that will be made up of workers over the age of 65 by 2014
Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor/Inc.com

1.6 Million
The increase of unemployed persons over the past 12 months, with the unemployment rate having risen by 1 percentage point; from January 2005 through December 2007, 3.6 million workers were displaced from jobs they had held for at least 3 years
Source: BLS 1 and 2

15.7 Million
The number of workers belonging to a labor union in 2007 (or about 12 percent of wage and salary worker), a 311,000 increase over the year prior; Hawaii and New York have among the highest rates of any state, and North Carolina has one of the lowest rates (3 percent)
Source: BLS and Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (2009)

468,108
Number of active apprentices in the U.S. in 2007, up from 409,040 in 2005
Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor

WHAT WE DO

10.4 Million
Number of self-employed workers
Source: Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (2009)

59 Million
Estimated number of members of the U.S. workforce employed by small businesses
Source: SurePayroll

7.7 Million
Number of workers who hold down more than one job, with so-called moonlighters comprising 5 percent of the working population
Source: Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (2009)

4 Million
Number of moonlighters working full time at their primary job and part time at their other job; about 288,000 moonlighters work full time at both jobs
Source: Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (2009)

10.3 Million
Number of independent contractors; other workers with alternative work arrangements include 2.5 million on-call workers, 1.2 million temporary help agency workers and 813,000 workers provided by contract firms
Source: Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (2009)

3.57
Number of contractors for every 100 employees working for small businesses in July 2008
Source: SurePayroll

8.4 Million
Up to this many so-called baby boomers are embarking on "encore" careers — or late-life second careers — that combine social goals and extra income; many are turning to the nonprofit, education and health sectors
Source: D. Hart Research Associates/Inc.com

22 Million
Number of female workers 16 and older in educational services, and health care and social assistance industries
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey

11.5 Million
Number of male workers, among those 16 and older, employed in manufacturing industries
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey

28
Percentage of workers 16 and older who work more than 40 hours a week; 8 percent work 60+ hours a week
Source: Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (2009)

4
Median number of years that workers have been with their current employer; about 9 percent of those employed have been with their current employer for 20 or more years
Source: Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (2009)

WHERE WE DO

73.5
Percentage growth of labor force in Frisco, Texas, between 2000 and 2005 — the highest among cities with populations of 25,000 or more — followed by fellow Texas cities Cedar Park (66 percent growth) and McKinney (52.5 percent growth), then by Carmel, Ind. (49.9 percent growth) and Dania Beach, Fla. (45 percent growth)
Source: County and City Data Book: 2007

74,700
Number of jobs added in Harris County (Houston), Texas, between September 2006 and September 2007, the largest increase in employment among the nation's 328 largest counties
Source: BLS

5.4 Million
Number of people who work at home
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey

16.7 million
Number of commuters who leave for work between midnight and 5:59 a.m.; these early birds represent 13 percent of all workers
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey

76
Percentage of workers who drive alone to work; another 11 percent carpool and 5 percent took public transportation (excluding taxicabs)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey

25 Minutes
National average time it takes to commute to work; it takes 30.9 minutes for New York state residents, who have the most time-consuming commute in the nation, followed by Maryland residents (30.6 min.)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey

3.1 Million
Number of workers who face extreme commutes to work of 90 or more minutes each day
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey

53
Percentage of workers 16 and older living in Virginia who worked and lived in different counties, the highest rate in the nation
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey

HOW AND WHY WE DO

$42,261 and $32,515
The 2006 annual median earnings for male and female full-time, year-round workers, respectively
Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States (2006)

$1,585
Average weekly wage in Santa Clara County, Calif., the highest among the nation's 328 largest counties, in the third quarter of 2007; Clayton, Ga., led the nation in growth of average weekly wages the third quarters of 2006 to 2007, with an increase of 24 percent to $919
Source: BLS

1.4
Percentage decrease in compensation costs (which includes costs for both wages and benefits) for non-farm business between April and June 2008
Source: BLS

6
Top employees can expect a pay increase of up to this percentage next year, despite current economic uncertainties.
Source: Watson Wyatt

82
Percentage of full-time workers, aged 18 to 64, covered by health insurance during all or part of 2006
Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States (2006)

39 Million
Approximately this many small business employees (an estimated 59 million) do not have access to a 401(k) savings plan; more than 26 million small business employees do not have access to any form of company-sponsored retirement savings plan
Source: SurePayroll

77
Percentage of private-industry workers who receive a paid vacation as one of their employment benefits; 77 percent of workers receive paid holidays; 15 percent have access to employer assistance for child care; 12 percent have access to long-term care insurance; 71 percent have access to medical care, 46 percent to dental care, 29 percent to vision care and 64 percent to outpatient prescription drug coverage
Source: Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (2009)

1 in 3
Proportion of North American workers who are fully engaged in their jobs (29 percent) — the highest proportion of engaged workers worldwide(!)
Source: BlessingWhite Intelligence, Employee Engagement Report (2008)

2.2
Percentage of productivity growth in non-farm business over the second quarter of 2008, down from 2.6 percent at the start of the year
Source: BLS