Financial Surveys & Statistics

Here are some random, but relevant statistics that I’ve collected the past week.

1% – Neckties are among the least-popular Father’s Day gifts, making up just 1% of presents. But it’s a huge day for tie makers: 10% of the 29 million ties sold in the U.S are for dad’s day. (It’s the second-biggest occasion, behind Christmas, for the $418 million business.) (Source: FastCompany.com)

FATHER’S DAY FACTS! – The First Fathers Day observance was in Spokane Washington, on June 19th, 1910, after Sonora Dodd, A child being raised by a single father, encouraged churches to honor dads upon hearing a Mother’s Day-themed sermon. (Source: FastCompany.com)

$91 – Consumers spent an average of $91 on Father’s Day in 2009. (Source: FastCompany.com)

13% – Thirteen percent of U.S. companies offer paid paternity leave. Of the top 15 Western economies, only the United States, Switzerland, and Australia do not mandate it. (Source: FastCompany.com)

2 Million – There are at least 2 million father-son businesses in the United States. Comcast, the New York Times Co., and Timberland are three of the larger companies that have been handed down from father to son. (Source: FastCompany.com)

158K – The United States has an estimated 158,000 stay-at-home dads, according to 2009 U.S. Census data. (Source: FastCompany.com)