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With Labor Day just around the corner, Americans are already gearing up for how they’ll celebrate the long weekend. From travel and cookout plans to how they intend to spend, here’s what the most recent data reveals about Americans’ plans for Labor Day. 

After a slight dip in 2024, American travel plans for Labor Day are seeing a rebound this year. Travel by car and plane each look to be on the rise this year, with roughly one-quarter now saying they’ll be driving to their destination and nearly one in 10 opting to fly.  City-dwellers take the lead in both types of travel. However, car travel is still used by a substantial number of suburbanites (25%) and rural residents (23%).

Weigh In: What are your plans for Labor Day weekend?

Firing Up the Grill 

Labor Day has become almost synonymous with cookouts, so it’s worth noting that the percentage of those planning to host or attend a cookout is up slightly (from 22%) this year, with middle-income earners leading the way in cookout celebrations. Given that low-income earners are the least likely to participate in a Labor Day cookout, and high-income earners come in second place for cookout plans, a combination of finances and time may be somewhat related to this set of weekend intentions.

Labor Day Sale Intent Hits New High

With tariffs and broader economic uncertainty continuing to loom large, sales and discount events are becoming increasingly enticing to consumers. Labor Day sales are no exception. Fresh data show Labor Day shopping interest has reached a new peak– now up eight percentage points from 2022. This suggests that while cookouts may not be a top financial priority, shopping may very well be, especially as many consumers are already kicking off their winter holiday shopping.

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Additional Labor Day shopping data offers a clearer picture on the anticipated state of shopping plans this year: 

  • In-store shopping intent has fallen five percentage points (from 35% to 30%) since last year, suggesting more traction for online Labor Day sales. 
  • Americans plan to spend less. Currently, 79% of shoppers plan to spend $100 or less, while just 21% plan to spend over $100.
  • The top three categories Americans are most interested in purchasing are apparel (26%), electronics (24%), and furniture or home goods (18%). While this is on par with data from 2024, apparel has lost some of its lead. 
  • Beauty products saw a two percentage point increase in interest year-over-year.  

This year, Labor Day is one to be celebrated. With travel and cookout plans trending upwards, it’s clear that Americans are ready to make the most of the long weekend. However, budgets may still remain top of mind, as decreased overall spending casts an air of uncertainty over the upcoming sales, raising questions about how consumers will continue to navigate spending in the months ahead.

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