| Date | Official Name | Date established | Details |
| January 1(Fixed date) | New Year's Day | June 28, 1870 | Celebrates the beginning of the Gregorian calendar year. Festivities include counting down to 12:00 midnight on the preceding night, New Year's Eve, often with fireworks displays and parties. The ball drop at Times Square in New York City, broadcast live on television nationwide, has become a national New Year's festivity. Serves as the traditional end of the Christmas and holiday season. |
| January 15–21(Third Monday) | Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | November 2, 1983 | Honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a Civil rights movement leader who was born on January 15, 1929. Some municipalities hold parades, and since the 1994 King Holiday and Service Act, it has become a day of citizen action volunteer service, sometimes referred to as the MLK Day of Service. The holiday is observed on the third Monday of January, and is combined with other holidays in several states. |
| February 15–21(Third Monday) | Washington's Birthday | 1879 | Honors George Washington, Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army, and the first U.S. president, who was born on February 22, 1732. In 1968, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act shifted the date of the commemoration from February 22 to the third Monday in February, meaning the observed holiday never falls on Washington's actual birthday. Because of this, combined with the fact that Abraham Lincoln's birthday falls on February 12, many now refer to this holiday as "Presidents' Day" and consider it a day honoring all American presidents. The official name has never been changed. |
| May 25–31(last Monday) | Memorial Day | 1968 | Honors U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Many municipalities hold parades with marching bands and an overall military theme, and the day marks the unofficial beginning of the summer season. The holiday is observed on the last Monday in May. |
| June 19(Fixed date) | Juneteenth National Independence Day | June 17, 2021 | Commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States on the anniversary of the 1865 date when emancipation was announced in Galveston, Texas. Celebratory traditions often include readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs, rodeos, street fairs, family reunions, cookouts, park parties, historical reenactments, and Miss Juneteenth contests. |
| July 4(Fixed date) | Independence Day | 1870 (unpaid holiday for federal employees) 1938 (federal holiday) | Celebrates the 1776 adoption of the Declaration of Independence, from British colonial rule. Parades, picnics, and cookouts are held during the day and fireworks are set off at night. On the day before this holiday, the stock market trading session ends three hours early. |
| September 1–7(First Monday) | Labor Day | 1894 | Honors and recognizes the American labor movement. Over half of Americans celebrate Labor Day as the unofficial end of summer. Roughly 40% of employers require some employees to work on the holiday. The holiday is observed on the first Monday in September. |
| October 8–14(Second Monday) | Columbus Day | 1968 | Honors Christopher Columbus, whose voyages to the Americas from 1492 to 1504 marked the beginning of large scale European colonization of the Americas. The holiday is observed on the second Monday in October, and is one of two federal holidays where stock market trading is permitted. It celebrates Italian and Spanish culture and heritage. Most states do not celebrate Columbus Day as an official state holiday. Some locales use this date to celebrate Native Americans (Indigenous Peoples' Day). |
| November 11(Fixed date) | Veterans Day | 1938 | Honors all veterans of the United States armed forces. It is observed on November 11 due to its origins as Armistice Day, recalling the end of World War I on that date in 1918. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at 11:00, of the 11th day, of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. It became Veterans Day after World War II. It is one of two federal holidays where stock market trading is permitted. |
| November 22–28(Fourth Thursday) | Thanksgiving Day | 1870 (as yearly appointed holiday) 1941 (received permanent observation date) | Traditionally celebrates the giving of thanks for the autumn harvest, and commonly includes the sharing of a turkey dinner. Several large parades are broadcast on television, and football games are often held. The holiday is observed on the fourth Thursday in November. On the day after this holiday, the stock market trading session ends three hours early. |
| December 25(Fixed date) | Christmas Day | 1870 | The most widely celebrated holiday of the Christian year, Christmas is traditionally observed as a commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It's commonly celebrated by Christians and some non-Christians with various religious and secular traditions. On the day before this holiday, the stock market trading session ends three hours early. In some years where December 25 falls on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, various presidents have issued executive orders declaring a one-time holiday on either Christmas Eve (December 24) or the Day after Christmas (December 26), to provide federal workers with a longer weekend. |
