How many moms?

If you tried to go out to brunch today, you probably noticed that there are a LOT of moms.

In the United States there are about 4.1 million babies born each year, despite a decrease during the recession. About 40 percent of those births were first births, meaning an estimated 1.6 million women are celebrating their first Mother's Day this year.

And while many moms have 2 or 3 children, those 4.1 million babies each year add up to a lot of moms over time. Today there are more than 31.7 million families where kids under the age of 18 are still living at home with their mom (excludes father-only families and children being raised by grandparents or others). And that doesn’t count those of us who have gotten old enough to move out, but still want to treat Mom on Mother’s Day, which brings the total number of mothers to more than 85 million moms in the United States.

Speaking of treating mom, the National Restaurant Association reports that Mother’s Day is the most popular day for dining out. More than a third of respondents planning to dine out said that they would go out for breakfast or brunch, and 20 percent report that they will take mom out for more than one meal that day. According to the National Retail Federation that adds up to more than $3 billion spent on meals for moms today.

The NRF also reports that gift-givers will spend $140 on average for mom, and a survey by Ebates.com showed that residents of California, Oregon, New York, and North Dakota spend the most, while residents of Alabama spend the least. Nationwide total spending for Mother's Day (on any type of gift) is expected to exceed $16 billion.


For San Diego specific stats, see "Moms are worth a lot this Mother's Day"

Photo courtesy of: Clevercupcakes - http://www.flickr.com/photos/clevercupcakes