The celebration of Presidents Day originates with legislation signed by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1879 making George Washington's birthday a holiday for employees of the federal government. Since the holiday's first observance, the U.S. population grew has grown from 50,155,783 in 1880 to 340,110,988 in 2024.

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American soldiers first observed George Washington's February 22, 1732 birthday during the American Revolution with music and dancing. The French Army in Newport, Rhode Island, held a parade in General Washington's honor in 1781. By the 1790s, many cities and towns held dances, parades, and artillery salutes in honor of the first President of the United States.

Congress commemorated the 100th anniversary of his birth when it adjourned February 21–23, 1832, and held a special joint session during which Secretary of State Edward Livingston read Washington's 1796 Farewell Address. In 1856, Massachusetts became the first state to recognize Washington's Birthday as an official holiday.

On January 31, 1879, Congress made Washington's Birthday a federal holiday observed by federal employees in Washington, DC. It became a holiday for all federal government employees in 1885. Many states subsequently added provisions to state observances of the holiday to include Abraham Lincoln and other American presidents. 

The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 moved the federal holiday observances of Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, and Columbus Day to Mondays, creating three-day weekends beginning in 1971. As a result of the law, Washington's Birthday is no longer celebrated on February 22. The holiday now falls on a Monday between February 15 and 21.

Nearly three centuries since his birth, many American cities and towns continue to commemorate the nation's first president. Alexandria, Virginia, held its first annual Washington's Birthday Parade in 1780. Since the 1920s, Alexandria has celebrated its former presidential resident with one of the largest parades in the nation. Other cities and towns with notable Presidents Day celebrations include Laredo, Texas, which hosts a nearly month-long festival that typically draws more than 400,000 people. Georgefest in Eustis, Florida, features food, music, fireworks, a carnival and a parade. Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia, holds historical reenactments, music, and dances in Washington's honor. The Fraunces Tavern Museum in New York City, New York—the nation's first capital city from 1785 to 1790—holds an annual ball to honor Washington.

Along with honoring a hero of the American Revolution and our nation's first president, the Presidents Day holiday has increasingly become an important commercial holiday. According to employer establishment data collected by the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns series in 2023, many of the nation's 47,057 Automobile dealers (NAICS 4411) enticed customers with new and used car specials; shoppers found special deals on bedding produced by the nation's 385 Mattress Manufacturing (NAICS 337910) establishments; and bargain hunters crowded the 5,433 Household Appliance Stores (NAICS 443141) located throughout the United States for special pricing, financing deals, and free home delivery offers. The holiday also falls at the perfect time of year for home gardeners looking for inspiration at the 13,195 Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Stores (NAICS 444220) often featuring Washington-inspired advertising, decorations, and presidential impersonators.

For centuries, the Presidents Day holiday has served as a reminder of the enduring principles of democracy and the importance of the presidency in the American political system. Though the observance of the holiday has evolved, it continues to serve as an occasion to honor the history of the United States and the commanders in chiefs who have helped shape it.

You can learn more about Presidents Day using Census Bureau data and records. For example:

• In 1964, the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS) began collecting data on reported voting and registrations in election years and provides data by turnout, age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin. CPS data showed that 59.3 percent of the total U.S. population (about 154.4 million people) aged 18 and over voted in the November 2024 presidential election. Women have voted more than men in nearly every presidential election since the 1980s. In 2024, 81.5 million of the nation's registered females aged 18 years and older voted compared to 72.8 million registered males of the same age.
• Did you know that Gerald R. Ford is the only person to serve as vice president and president of the United States without a vote of the Electoral College? Following Vice President Spiro Agnew's resignation on October 10, 1973, Congress nominated Speaker of the House Gerald Ford to the vacant position and he was sworn into office on December 6, 1973. Eight months later, President Richard Nixon resigned from office. In accordance with the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Ford was sworn in as the nation's 38th president.
• Mount Rushmore National Memorial carved by sculptor Gutzon Borglum honors four of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States. Borglum chose the subjects of his sculpture to symbolize four key stages of American history: George Washington for the nation's birth, Thomas Jefferson for its expansion, Theodore Roosevelt for its development and growth, and Abraham Lincoln for the preservation of the United States during the Civil War. The memorial is located in Keystone, South Dakota. Established in the late 1800s from a group of mining camps, the Census Bureau did not report population data for the town until 1980 when it was home to 295 residents. In 2020, Keystone had a population of 240 people.
• On July 1, 1971, the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, lowering the legal voting age from 21 to 18. The following year, the CPS found that 63 percent of the civilian population of voting age, excluding people residing in institutions, voted in the 1972 presidential election. This compared with voting turnouts in previous CPS reports of 68 percent in 1968 and 69 percent in 1964.
• Current Population Survey data show that voter turnout was at its lowest during the 2014 mid-term election in which just 38.5 percent of the total U.S. population went to the polls. Turnout peaked with 69.3 percent in 1964, followed by 67.8 percent in 1968, and 61.3 percent in 1992.
• Two presidents had toys named for them—the Teddy Bear for Theodore Roosevelt by Morris and Rose Michtom and Lincoln Logs for Abraham Lincoln by inventor John Lloyd Wright. Today, these toys remain popular at many of the 8,803 Hobby, toy, and game stores (NAICS 451120) identified by the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns series in 2023.
• Americans have honored the nation's presidents by naming counties, cities, and towns for them. In addition to the state of Washington, the Census Bureau collects data on nearly 100 municipalities bearing George Washington's name, including Washington, DC; Washington County, Alabama; Washington, Iowa; Washington, Utah; and Washingtonville, New York. At least 72 places commemorate Abraham Lincoln including Lincoln, Illinois, and Lincoln County, Colorado. Jacksonville, Florida, was named for Andrew Jackson (Census Record page 1 / page 2), while Jeffersonville, Indiana—home to the Census Bureau's National Processing Center—honors Thomas Jefferson. Even less well known commanders in chiefs have left their mark on our nation's geography. Harrison, Ohio, was named for William Henry Harrison who died just 32 days into his presidency. Moreover Fillmore, Utah, pays homage to Millard Fillmore; Pierce County, Georgia, honors Franklin Pierce; and Hayes County, Nebraska was named for Rutherford B. Hayes. Harding County, New Mexico, was established and named to coincide with Warren Harding's 1921 inauguration. The city of East Passaic, New Jersey, renamed itself "Garfield" in 1881 to pay tribute to President James Garfield who was assasinated less than 7 months after taking office.

Mount Rushmore commemorates four American presidents (from left to right): George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

John Adams was the first president of the United States to live in the White House. The Residence Act of 1790 established Washington, DC, as the nation's capital, but Philadelphia served as the temporary capital while government buildings were constructed. Work on the executive mansion in Washington, DC, began in October 1792, and Adams moved in on November 1, 1800. 

During the War of 1812, the British burned the White House on August 24, 1814, forcing President James Madison and other government officials to evacuate the city. Also lost to the fires were many early census records, including George Washington's 1790 record from the state of Virginia. Madison returned to the White House in 1817 following an extensive restoration. 

Andrew Jackson was the first president to enjoy indoor plumbing at the White House. A White House telegraph office opened in 1866 during Andrew Johnson's administration. Rutherford B. Hayes made the first calls from the White House telephone in 1879. Benjamin Harrison feared electrocution and refused to operate light switches after electricity was installed in 1891. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt undertook a renovation of the mansion that moved his office to the newly built West Wing.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt installed an indoor swimming pool and air conditioning in 1933. In 1942, he added a movie theater and expanded the East Wing to include office space for the First Lady.

In 1948, President Harry S. Truman completely gutted the White House interior leaving only the exterior walls during a four-year renovation completed in 1952. Between 1961 and 1963, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy  oversaw an extensive interior remodel that restored the White House's historical iappearance and furnishings.

Presidents Truman and Dwight Eisenhower brought television and televised press conferences into the White House. Jimmy Carter installed the first computer in 1978 and solar panels in 1979. Bill Clinton used the first public email address and debuted the White House website in 1994. In 2025, President Donald Trump unveiled plans for and began construction of a ballroom with a seating capacity for 650 guests that is expected to be completed in 2029.

Image courtesy of the City of Arlington, Texas.