This post is one day late, but as they say, better late than never.

For most Americans, particularly students, educators, and their families, Labor Day generally represents the last day of summer vacation before the new school year starts. But for me personally as a sociologist and a liberal, Labor Day is one of the more significant holidays since it represents a commemoration of the true foundations of this country -- the work and labor of its ordinary citizens.

To help us understand this particular aspect of Labor Day, the Census Bureau has a fact sheet that includes some very useful and interesting statistical information and data about labor in the U.S. Some of the more interesting stats are:

82%: Percentage of full-time workers 18 to 64 covered by health insurance during all or part of 2005. (Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2005).

7.6 million: Number of workers who hold down more than one job. So-called moonlighters comprise 5 percent of the working population. Of these moonlighters, 4 million work full time at their primary job and part time at their other job. (Source: Upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008).

15.4 million: Number of labor union members nationwide. About 12 percent of wage and salary workers belong to unions, with Hawaii and New York having among the highest rates of any state — 25 percent and 24 percent, respectively. South Carolina has one of the lowest rates, 2 percent. (Source: Upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008).

56%: Projected percentage growth from 2002 to 2014 in the number of home health aides. Forecasters expect this occupation to grow at a faster rate than any other. Meanwhile, the occupation expected to add more positions over this period than any other is retail salespeople (736,000). (Source: Upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008).

15.9 million: Number of commuters who leave for work between midnight and 5:59 a.m. These early birds represent 12 percent of all workers. (Source: 2005 American Community Survey).

77%: Percentage of workers who drove alone to work. Another 11 percent car pooled, and 5 percent took public transportation (excluding taxicabs). (Source).

For you stats junkies out there, you might also want to check out the Economic Policy Institute’s just-released report “The State of Working America 2006/2007.” This report provides a little more context and perspective on how typical working families are doing these days.

The results generally show that although worker productivity is at an all-time high and ranks at or near the top of all countries around the world, most American workers are not sharing in the record profits generated by Wall Street corporations.

Instead, wealth inequality is near an all-time high, companies are increasingly shifting their health care costs to workers but at the same time, adjusted for inflation, wages have been declining for most workers while those of CEOs keep increasing sharply.

Some food for thought as we reflect on what Labor Day really means.