President’s Day is a widely recognized and celebrated holiday across the United States, observed on the third Monday of February each year. It is intended to honor the birthdays of George Washington, the first U.S. president, as well as Abraham Lincoln, who also was born in February. However, despite its widespread observance, not all states recognize President’s Day as a public holiday. In fact, several states—including Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Rhode Island—do not observe it as a state holiday, leaving residents in those states without a day off in honor of U.S. presidents.
The reasons behind this vary, with historical, legal, and cultural factors influencing the decisions of individual states. For many, the holiday is primarily associated with a day of sales and discounts rather than a serious observance of presidential history. While the federal government mandates that federal offices and government workers observe the day, states are not required to follow suit. As a result, state governments have the freedom to either adopt or reject the observance of the holiday.
Delaware, for example, celebrates a variety of state-specific holidays, but President’s Day is not one of them. The state instead places its focus on other holidays, including Memorial Day and Labor Day, and chooses to recognize Washington’s Birthday separately, without combining it into the broader President’s Day celebration. Similarly, Florida does not observe President’s Day as a state holiday, instead opting to celebrate its own public holidays that are more regionally significant, such as Florida’s Admission Day.
In Iowa and Kansas, President’s Day is also not on the calendar as an official state holiday. Although the federal government recognizes the day, state workers in these two states do not receive time off, and businesses continue with their usual operating hours. Kansas, like many other states, has decided to celebrate Presidents’ Day on an unofficial level, but the day is not marked by state-sanctioned closures or events.
States such as Kentucky and Louisiana are examples of states that have chosen to leave President’s Day off the list of recognized holidays for a different reason: they already observe numerous holidays throughout the year, including state-specific days such as Commonwealth Day in Kentucky. As a result, the importance of adding another holiday like President’s Day is minimal in these states, where local customs and historical dates take precedence.
North Carolina and Rhode Island also do not recognize President’s Day as a formal holiday. North Carolina, for instance, celebrates Washington’s Birthday in an unofficial capacity, often combined with other holidays like Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Similarly, Rhode Island has opted not to officially observe President’s Day, continuing to recognize holidays with more direct relevance to its local population.
In many of these states, the decision not to observe President’s Day is largely due to a combination of fiscal and logistical reasons. Local governments may see no compelling reason to observe the holiday, particularly when budget constraints or pre-existing holidays already provide ample time off for employees. The lack of formal observance does not necessarily mean that residents in these states don’t acknowledge or celebrate the holiday, as many private businesses and schools still follow the federal pattern by offering sales, special promotions, or closing for the day.
Though the holiday is officially recognized by the federal government and many states, the absence of President’s Day in certain states reflects the decentralized nature of holiday observances in the U.S. Despite this, President’s Day remains a significant occasion for most Americans, marked by a day off for federal workers, educational activities, and discounts for consumers nationwide.
