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      Labor Day Travel Survey 2022 — 53%+ (137 Million to Travel), 50%+ Say Gas Prices to Affect Plans, Nearly 53% to Still Road Trip

      Eric Jones
      Labor Day 2022 Travel Survey

      2023 Update – See our 2023 Summer Travel Survey & Trends data and our 2023 Labor Day Travel Survey for new information.

      September 7, 2022 Update – With Labor Day travel behind us, it is time to move to the 2022 Holiday Travel Season. While our holiday travel survey for this year is still in the works, you can read about the Best & Worst Days to Fly for Thanksgiving and Christmas 2022 now.

      Labor Day is now less than a month away. And, Labor Day weekend usually marks the end of the busy summer travel season. Our summer survey indicated substantial travel would take place this year. In addition to the 81% that said they intended to travel, 42% even said they’d vacation more this summer than last. With Labor Day the last big chance to travel for the summer, we suspected many Americans would have plans.

      We launched this Labor Day 2022 travel survey to see what the interest was for traveling this year. How many people will vacation for Labor Day? And, what mode of transportation will they use? How do these figures compare to Memorial Day or the Fourth of July? Will many people be taking road trips? How are Americans feeling about gas prices? Below you can find the answers to these questions as well as demographic comparisons and key takeaways.

      Do you intend to travel for Labor Day this year? If so, how?

      Do you intend to travel for Labor Day this year? If so, how?

      Photo: Eric Jones screenshot via SurveyMonkey

      Let’s take a look at the survey results:

      • Yes, primarily by plane. — 14.21%
      • Yes, primarily by car. — 35.52%
      • Yes, primarily by public transportation such as bus or train. — 3.28%
      • No. — 46.99%

      Interesting Demographic Comparison — Men are more likely than women to say they intend to travel for Labor Day this year. 56.26% of men said they will travel for Labor Day. On the other hand, only 50.09% of women said they will. This means men are 12.3% more likely to travel for Labor Day than women. Additionally, the oldest generation is least likely to travel. Only 32.42% of American adults over age 60 will travel for Labor Day. However, 59.51% aged 18-29, 59.85% aged 30-44, and 55.87% aged 45-60 said they will.

      Key Takeaway More than 53% of American adults intend to travel for Labor Day this year. According to the most recent census, this equates to 137 million people. The primary mode of transportation for Labor Day will be by car. More than a third of people said they’d travel via car. This represents 92 million American adults. The 14.21% that intend to travel by plane represent nearly 37 million people. This means more Americans will travel by plane for Labor Day than on the Fourth of July or Memorial Day.

      Further Reading: How to Find Cheap Summer Flights

      Will high gas prices affect your Labor Day travel plans?

      Will high gas prices affect your Labor Day travel plans?

      Photo: Eric Jones screenshot via SurveyMonkey

      Let’s take a look at the survey results:

      • Yes, because I want to drive. — 33.33%
      • Yes, because high gas prices are affecting airfare prices. — 16.85%
      • No. — 49.82%

      Interesting Demographic Comparison — American adults in the Middle Atlantic region are most likely to have their Labor Day travel plans affected by high gas prices. 58.79% of respondents in this region said this. The Middle Atlantic region consists of the states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. On the other hand, American adults in the West North Central region are least likely to have their travel plans affected by high gas prices. Only 31.58% of people in this region said the high gas prices would affect their travel plans. The West North Central region consists of the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas.

      Key Takeaway — More than half of American adults say that high gas prices will affect their Labor Day travel plans. The 50.18% of people that said this represents 129 million Americans. This figure is nearly identical to the number of people that said high gas prices will affect their Fourth of July travel plans. Therefore, even though gas prices have come down some in recent weeks, travelers are still feeling the crunch of the gas surge of the past year.

      The Vacationer Tip

      If you are traveling for Labor Day and worried about high gas prices, consider getting the Upside app. You can earn an extra $0.25/gallon with the app as well as cash back on gas station purchases, local restaurants, and more.

      Will you take a road trip for Labor Day or Labor Day weekend this year?

      Will you take a road trip for Labor Day or Labor Day weekend this year?

      Photo: Eric Jones screenshot via SurveyMonkey

      Let’s take a look at the survey results:

      • No. — 47.27%
      • Yes, within 100 miles of my home. — 26.05%
      • Yes, within 250 miles of my home. — 13.48%
      • Yes, within 500 miles of my home. — 7.83%
      • Yes, within 1,000 miles of my home. — 2.64%
      • Yes, more than 1,000 miles from my home. — 2.73%

      Interesting Demographic Comparison — American adults over age 60 are the least likely to road trip for Labor Day this year. Only 32.42% of people over age 60 intend to road trip. However, 59.92% of American adults aged 18-29 intend to road trip for Labor Day. 56.57% aged 30-44 will. And, 57.26% of American adults aged 45-60 will road trip.

      Key Takeaway — Nearly 53% of American adults will take a road trip for Labor Day or Labor Day weekend this year. This represents nearly 136 million people which is similar to the number of people who intended to road trip for the Fourth of July. 26.68% or 69 million people will road trip more than 100 miles from home for Labor Day. 13.2% or 34 million American adults will road trip more than 250 miles from home. 5.37% or 14 million people will road trip more than 500 miles from home. Lastly, 2.73% of American adults or 7 million people will road trip more than 1,000 miles for Labor Day this year.

      The Vacationer Tip

      Don’t forget to leverage your credit card to save money when you travel this Labor Day. If you do not have a travel-rewards credit card, our highest recommendations are the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, and the Citi Premier® Card. If you would like to see other offers, Click to See All of Our Recommended Travel Credit Cards.

      Survey Methodology

      This 2022 Labor Day Travel Survey was conducted by SurveyMonkey on behalf of The Vacationer. In total, 1,098 Americans over the age of 18 were polled on August 6. Of those surveyed, 47.27% were male and 52.73% were female. The age breakdown of participants included in this survey was 22.50% in the range 18-29, 24.95% in the range 30-44, 32.60% in the range 45-60, and 19.95% over 60. This survey has a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of ±3.018%. You can learn more about SurveyMonkey’s sampling method by clicking here.

      The questions were chosen and the results were analyzed by the post author, Eric Jones, who is a Mathematics and Statistics Professor at Rowan College South Jersey.

      Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. 

      Eric Jones Mediterranean Cruise

      By Eric Jones

      Eric Jones is the co-founder and head of operations of The Vacationer. He uses his background in mathematics as a professor at Rowan College South Jersey to conduct statistical studies and surveys on traveling and vacations. Having traveled to all 50 states and over 30 countries, Eric is well-equipped to recommend travel destinations and new adventures to those seeking lifetime experiences.