{"id":7905,"date":"2025-10-07T12:16:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T16:16:27","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-10-07T12:16:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T16:16:30","slug":"columbus-day-indigenous-peoples-day-or-just-a-regular-monday-it-depends-on-where-you-are","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/10\/07\/columbus-day-indigenous-peoples-day-or-just-a-regular-monday-it-depends-on-where-you-are\/","title":{"rendered":"Columbus Day, Indigenous Peoples Day or just a regular Monday? It depends on where you are"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Depending on where in the United States you live and for whom you work, Columbus Day may be a paid day off, an unpaid commemorative day, another holiday entirely or a regular Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Columbus Day, the second Monday in October, has long been one of the most inconsistently celebrated\u00a0U.S. holidays. It\u2019s an\u00a0official federal holiday<\/a>, which means federal workers\u00a0normally\u00a0get a paid day off and there\u2019s\u00a0no mail delivery<\/a>.\u00a0(This year, many federal offices already are closed because of the ongoing government shutdown.) Most banks and the\u00a0bond markets<\/a>\u00a0that trade in U.S. government debt\u00a0also will be closed, but the\u00a0stock markets<\/a>,\u00a0most retailers and other businesses\u00a0will remain open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the holiday has faced scrutiny from Native American advocates and others, who\u2019ve argued that Christopher Columbus isn\u2019t an appropriate person to celebrate<\/a>. And observance at the state level varies widely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How we did this<\/summary>\n

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to assess the current status of Columbus Day, one of the most contentious and inconsistently celebrated holidays on the U.S. civic calendar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We wanted to determine how many states and territories designate Columbus Day as a paid holiday for state workers, often considered the marker of an \u201cofficial\u201d holiday, versus a less formal commemoration. We also wanted to know how many states and territories have substituted some other day \u2013 most commonly Indigenous Peoples Day \u2013 for Columbus Day or added an alternative name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our primary sources were state administrative, personnel and human resources websites that list official state holidays, along with official compilations of state statutes. When those weren\u2019t available or weren\u2019t clear, we consulted other agency websites, news reports and reputable unofficial sources such as local chambers of commerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some states spell Indigenous Peoples Day as \u201cPeople\u2019s\u201d or \u201cPeoples\u2019.\u201d In this analysis, we\u2019ve standardized the spelling as \u201cPeoples,\u201d without the apostrophe, for simplicity and consistency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: In recent years, the governors of California and American Samoa have routinely <\/strong>recognized the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day (as well as Columbus Day, in the case of American Samoa) via annual proclamation or memorandum. As of our publication date, neither governor had yet done so, but we have categorized their jurisdictions <\/strong>under the assumption that they will.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Honoring Columbus \u2013 or others<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

On one hand, 30 states and three U.S. territories recognize Columbus Day in some form, based on a Pew Research Center review of state statutes, human resources websites and other sources. The holiday falls on the second Monday in October in all of those places except Washington state (where it\u2019s fixed on Oct. 12) and Puerto Rico (where it\u2019s commemorated on Nov. 19).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, only 20 states and two territories make Columbus Day a paid<\/em> holiday for state workers, meaning that state government offices will generally be closed. And in seven of those states and two territories, Columbus Day has a second, and sometimes more prominent, name:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Maps<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n