United States
The United States observes 11 federal holidays, all defined by 5 U.S.C. section 6103. Most states also observe a small set of state-level holidays. Several federal days - most notably Columbus Day - have generated active rename or replacement movements at the state and city level.
Federal holidays (5 U.S.C. section 6103)
- New Year's Day - January 1
- Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. - third Monday of January
- Washington's Birthday (Presidents' Day) - third Monday of February
- Memorial Day - last Monday of May
- Juneteenth National Independence Day - June 19
- Independence Day - July 4
- Labor Day - first Monday of September (US/Canada)
- Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples Day - second Monday of October
- Veterans Day - November 11
- Thanksgiving Day - fourth Thursday of November
- Christmas Day - December 25
Notable non-federal observances
The United States has a long tradition of widely-celebrated days that are not federal holidays. These include Halloween (October 31), Valentine's Day (February 14), St. Patrick's Day (March 17), Mother's Day (second Sunday of May), Father's Day (third Sunday of June), and Halloween. They are commercial and cultural rather than legal; the federal government and most employers do not grant time off.
Contested holidays
Columbus Day is the most actively contested federal holiday, with at least 14 states and the District of Columbia recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day in its place or alongside it. See the Columbus Day brief.
How the US federal holiday calendar works
The federal government observes 11 federal holidays under 5 U.S.C. §6103, codified in the 1885 establishment (which named four) and the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1971 (which moved Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day (later reversed), and Columbus Day to designated Mondays). The 11 federal holidays are: New Year's Day, MLK Day, Inauguration Day (DC only), Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. State and local governments may observe more days than the federal 11 - Texas observes Confederate Heroes Day, Vermont observes Town Meeting Day, and most states observe additional state holidays.
Federal holidays affect: federal workers (closed), banks (closed), postal mail (suspended), federal courts (closed), and the New York Stock Exchange (closed). Private employers are not legally required to give the day off; many do, but retail, hospitality, healthcare, and emergency services routinely operate. Federal holidays do not close private businesses.
Religious and secular composition
The United States is roughly 67% Christian (Protestant 43%, Catholic 21%, Mormon 2%, Orthodox 1%), 27% religiously unaffiliated, 6% non-Christian (Jewish 2%, Muslim 1%, Hindu 1%, Buddhist 1%, other), according to Pew Research 2022-2024 surveys. The federal holiday calendar overwhelmingly reflects Christian observance and civil-religious US moments (Veterans Day, Memorial Day, MLK Day, Presidents Day, Juneteenth); religious observances of Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions are not federal holidays but are widely observed at the local level.
Region-by-region variation
The South has heavier Confederate-celebration legacies: Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and others observed Confederate Memorial Day in April until the 2010s - the days remain on state calendars even where the heroes designation has been retired. Massachusetts uniquely observes Evacuation Day (March 17, also St. Patrick's Day) in Suffolk County; Wisconsin observes Casimir Pulaski Day in March; Hawaii observes Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day (March 26) and King Kamehameha Day (June 11) reflecting its Polynesian-cultural citizenship. Alaska has Alaska Day (October 18).
Recent shifts and contested history
The federal holiday calendar has shifted significantly in the past 40 years. Juneteenth was added as a federal holiday in 2021 following the 2020 racial-justice protests, marking the June 19, 1865 emancipation in Galveston, Texas. Columbus Day has been renamed Indigenous Peoples Day at the state or local level in 14 states plus DC, although the federal day retains the Columbus name. The pattern is toward incremental recalibration rather than wholesale federal renaming.
Where the holidays come from culturally
Federal holidays reflect three historical layers. Layer 1 (1789-1865): civic origin holidays including Washington's Birthday, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving. Layer 2 (1865-1925): post-Civil War reconciliation holidays including Decoration Day/Memorial Day (1868), Labor Day (1894), Columbus Day (1934). Layer 3 (1970s-present): civic-diversity holidays including MLK Day (1986, after years of state-level observance), Veterans Day consolidation (1954 from Armistice Day), and Juneteenth (2021). The pattern is a roughly 50-year cycle expanding the federal calendar.
Indian Country and federal recognition of tribal holidays
US federal law has no explicit recognition of Indigenous holidays, but tribal nations and the federal government both observe several Native American days. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) recognizes Native American Heritage Day on the day after Thanksgiving (since 2008 by presidential proclamation). Several states recognize Indigenous Peoples Day, often alongside or instead of Columbus Day on the second Monday of October. Tribal governments set their own holiday calendars and federal employees working in Indian Country often follow tribal observance. The Cherokee Nation, Navajo Nation, and others have published formal tribal holiday calendars. The Quapaw, Osage, and other tribes observe specific cultural days not on federal calendars.
Confederate-celebration legacy and recent shifts
Until the 2010s, several southern states still observed Confederate Memorial Day (April) and Robert E. Lee Day (January) on state calendars. Mississippi observed Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday of April; Alabama on the fourth Monday of April; Georgia on April 26. South Carolina still observes Confederate Memorial Day on May 10. The wave of statue removals and Confederate-symbol debates in 2015-2021 has not led to wholesale state holiday removal but has prompted formal renaming in some states - Alabama renamed Robert E. Lee Day to "National Memorial Day" in 2022, then in 2023 redesignated it as "State Day of Service."
State holiday sovereignty and the federal floor
US federal law establishes the federal 11 holidays as a floor; states may observe additional holidays. Most states observe their own state holidays (Texas has 16+ state holidays), and several states observe more state holidays than the federal 11. States may also choose not to observe a federal holiday - South Carolina does not observe Columbus Day as a paid state holiday (although it remains a federal day for federal employees in the state). New Hampshire does not observe Columbus Day as a state holiday either. Some states rename federal holidays at the state level: Vermont February holiday is officially Presidents Day but also called Washington Birthday depending on the year and the proclamation.
Major holiday briefs on this page
Each of the holidays discussed on this regional overview has a full standalone brief covering its origins, observance practices, and modern controversies:
- New Year’s Day
- MLK Jr. Day
- Presidents’ Day
- Memorial Day
- Juneteenth
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Columbus Day
- Indigenous Peoples Day
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
- Halloween
- Valentine’s Day
- St. Patrick’s Day
- Mother’s Day
- Father’s Day
- Easter
- Cinco de Mayo
- Election Day
- Inauguration Day
- Patriot Day
- Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
- Flag Day
- César Chávez Day
- Lincoln’s Birthday
- Leif Erikson Day
- Constitution Day
- Hispanic Heritage Month
- October 12 (multi-observance day)