How Many Holidays Were in 2020? The Real Count, the Fine Print, and What Actually Got You Off Work
Hello everyone, I am your dedicated public holiday assistant. Recently, a little friend consulted me about the title of how many holidays in 2020. Now I will summarize the related questions, hoping to help the little friends who want to know. And hey, I’ll keep it real and simple, no corporate nonsense.
Okay so, straight up: in the United States, there are 10 federal holidays every year, and 2020 was no exception. But if you’ve ever tried to figure out “how many holidays in 2020” by looking at your work calendar, you probably saw a few extra days off. That’s because some holidays land on weekends, and the government says “fine, we’ll give you the Friday or Monday off instead.” Also, certain states add their own holidays – you might live in a state that celebrates something like Patriots’ Day or Texas Independence Day, which are totally not federal but still might get you a day off. So the short answer is: 10 official federal holidays, but your actual number of paid days off can be anywhere from 10 to 13 or more depending on where you work and live.
Let me break down what those 10 federal holidays were in 2020, real quick:
New Year’s Day – January 1
Martin Luther King Jr. Day – January 20
Washington’s Birthday (Presidents’ Day) – February 17
Memorial Day – May 25
Independence Day (July 4th) – July 4, but observed on Friday July 3 because it fell on a Saturday
Labor Day – September 7
Columbus Day – October 12
Veterans Day – November 11
Thanksgiving Day – November 26
Christmas Day – December 25
So there you go, exactly ten. But wait – a bunch of my friends will say “hey, I also had the day after Thanksgiving off, and Christmas Eve!” That’s not a federal thing. That’s your company being generous (or cheap, depends how you look at it). And if you were a federal employee living in Washington, D.C., you might have gotten an extra paid holiday for Inauguration Day in 2017 or 2021 – but 2020 was not an inauguration year, so nah, not that either.
Questions related to how many holidays in 2020
“But Holiday Little Assistant,” you ask, “why do some websites say 2020 had 11 or 12 holidays?” Good question. Look, people count differently. Some sources include things like Easter Sunday, which is a big deal socially and sometimes a bank or company holiday, but it’s not a federal holiday. Others include Confederate Memorial Day or other state-specific days. And then there’s the whole “observed vs. actual” thing which confuses everyone. For instance, in 2020, Independence Day was on a Saturday, so the federal holiday was marked on Friday, July 3rd. That means you still got a three-day weekend, but technically the official calendar date was Saturday. A lot of folks just look at the days they didn’t work and say “oh, that’s 12 days off” – but legally and officially, the count is 10 federal holidays. Also, Juneteenth was not yet a federal holiday in 2020 (that didn’t happen until 2021), so don’t let anyone tell you that one was on the books for 2020.
Another thing that comes up a lot: “Did 2020 have a lot of holidays falling on weekends?” Yes, actually. Besides July 4th on Saturday, Christmas Day in 2020 was a Friday (so that was fine, you got it on the actual day), and New Year’s Day 2020 was a Wednesday, so no weird shift there either. The only awkward one was the 4th of July. Everything else landed on a weekday or was observed on the right day. So overall, 2020 felt pretty normal in terms of holiday scheduling – not like 2021 where Christmas fell on a Saturday and threw everything off. And of course, 2020 was a mess of weirdness anyway with the pandemic, so a lot of people didn’t even get to truly enjoy those holidays – no big gatherings, no fireworks, no crowded barbecues. The holidays existed, but they didn’t exactly feel the same.
Now, if you were counting “public holidays” internationally, oh buddy, that’s a whole other ballgame. Everyone thinks the U.S. has the fewest federal holidays among developed nations, and that’s roughly true – Mexico has around 7 national holidays, Canada has 5 nationwide but many provincial ones, and the UK has 8. But in the U.S., because of the “observed” rule and state-level additions, people often end up with more time off than they’d expect. Some employers in the U.S. also give floating holidays or personal days, which makes the number even murkier. So when someone asks “how many holidays in 2020,” you kind of have to ask them: federal holidays? State holidays? Paid days off? Because the number honestly depends on who you are and where you live.
To wrap it up: officially 10 federal holidays in 2020, but if you count observed days, there were still 10 – because July 4th was the only one that got shifted. If you count state holidays, some people had 11, 12, or even more. If you count “days my boss gave me off,” well, that’s between you and HR. Hope this clears things up!
public holiday calendar.COM Thank you for reading, I hope this article can help you fully understand the how many holidays in 2020 topic. If you’ve got more questions about this or anything holiday-related, just hit me up – I’m your Holiday Little Assistant and I’m always here to help. Stay safe and enjoy your days off, whenever they come!
