US States Ranked by Total Public Holidays: Who Gets the Most Days Off?

Do All US States Get the Same Number of Public Holidays?

The short answer is no, and the gap is wider than most people realize.

Ask the average American how many public holidays they get and the answer is almost always eleven. That is the federal number -- the days when federal offices close, mail stops, and banks go dark. But the federal list is only the starting point. Individual states layer their own holidays on top, and some do it generously.

The difference between the most holiday-rich state and the baseline can be 3 or even 4 extra days per year. That might sound modest until you think about it in bridge-planning terms. Each additional midweek holiday is a potential anchor for turning 1 PTO day into 4 days off. Over the course of a year, a worker in Kentucky or Hawaii has meaningfully more raw material to work with than someone in a state that sticks to the federal minimum.

This guide ranks every state, explains why the differences exist, and shows you how to factor state holidays into your leave strategy.

How Does the Federal Baseline Work?

Before diving into state-by-state numbers, it helps to understand what the 11 federal holidays actually are and who they apply to.

The 11 US federal public holidays are:

1. New Year's Day (January 1)
2. Martin Luther King Jr. Day (third Monday in January)
3. Presidents' Day (third Monday in February)
4. Memorial Day (last Monday in May)
5. Juneteenth (June 19)
6. Independence Day (July 4)
7. Labor Day (first Monday in September)
8. Columbus Day (second Monday in October)
9. Veterans Day (November 11)
10. Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November)
11. Christmas Day (December 25)

Here is the part that surprises people: these holidays are only legally guaranteed for federal government employees. There is no federal law requiring private employers to give workers any of these days off. States can mandate their own holidays for state employees, and many do, but private sector coverage varies by employer policy.

That said, most large employers observe most or all of the federal holidays. And in states that add their own, a meaningful share of private employers follow suit -- especially when the holiday is culturally significant to the region.

Which States Have the Most Public Holidays?

Several states stand well above the 11-day baseline. The leaders tend to be states with strong historical traditions, unique cultural holidays, or legislatures that have been generous about adding commemorative days to the official calendar.

Here are the top 15 states by total public holidays observed for state employees.

A few things stand out. Kentucky and Hawaii sit at the top with 14 holidays each, but for completely different reasons. Kentucky leans heavily on Christmas-season additions -- Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve as full holidays give workers a significantly cushioned end-of-year break. Hawaii, on the other hand, celebrates three holidays rooted in the state's unique cultural and monarchic history.

West Virginia's 13 holidays include West Virginia Day on June 20, commemorating the state's separation from Virginia in 1863. That date falls just one day after Juneteenth, creating an unusual back-to-back holiday pair that is excellent for bridge planning.

Massachusetts is an interesting case because of Evacuation Day. Officially commemorating the British departure from Boston in 1776, it falls on March 17 -- which also happens to be St. Patrick's Day. It is observed only in Suffolk County (Boston and surrounding areas), making it one of the most geographically specific holidays in the country.

Which States Stick to the Federal Minimum?

Most states cluster right at or very near the 11-day baseline. Some of these states technically have additional commemorative days on the books, but they function as optional observances rather than days when state offices close.

Workers in these states are not necessarily worse off -- their employers may still offer generous PTO packages or observe holidays that the state does not mandate. But from a pure bridge-planning perspective, they have fewer guaranteed anchor days to build around.

Why Do State Holidays Matter for Bridge Planning?

The value of a public holiday for leave optimization depends on two things: the day of the week it falls on, and how close it sits to other holidays or weekends. State holidays expand the pool of anchor days you can build bridges from, and some of them fall in calendar positions that the federal list leaves empty.

Consider the federal holiday calendar. January, February, May, September, October, and November all have federal Monday holidays, giving you built-in 3-day weekends. But March, April, June, and August have zero federal holidays for most workers. If your state adds Good Friday (late March or April), Mardi Gras (February or March), or a June holiday like West Virginia Day, you gain bridge material in months that would otherwise be dead zones.

Here is a practical example. In 2026, Good Friday falls on April 3. For workers in the roughly 11 states that observe it as a state holiday -- including Texas, Indiana, Connecticut, and Kentucky -- this creates an automatic 3-day weekend (Friday through Sunday). Take the Thursday before off as PTO, and you have a 4-day break. Take the full Monday-through-Thursday week after Easter off, and you are looking at 10 consecutive days for just 4 PTO days. Workers in states without Good Friday as a holiday would need to spend an extra PTO day to get the same result.

Bridge bonus: States like West Virginia, where West Virginia Day (June 20) falls right next to Juneteenth (June 19), occasionally create back-to-back midweek holidays. When that happens, the bridge math becomes exceptional -- you can sometimes get 5 or more days off for a single PTO day. These pairings are rare at the federal level but crop up more often when state holidays enter the picture. Try the free optimizer at leavewise.co to find every bridge window available in your state.

What Are the Most Interesting Unique State Holidays?

Beyond the numbers, some state holidays are genuinely unusual. They reflect regional history, cultural identity, or traditions that exist nowhere else in the country.

Hawaii -- King Kamehameha Day (June 11) and Prince Kuhio Day (March 26) Hawaii is the only state that celebrates holidays honoring its pre-American monarchy. King Kamehameha unified the Hawaiian islands in the early 1800s, and Prince Kuhio was a delegate to Congress who fought for Hawaiian rights. These holidays give Hawaii workers anchor days in March and June -- two months that are otherwise holiday-free at the federal level.

Louisiana -- Mardi Gras (varies, February or March) Mardi Gras is a state holiday in Louisiana, and in the greater New Orleans area, it effectively shuts the city down. The date moves each year since it is tied to the Easter calendar. Because it always falls on a Tuesday, it is a natural bridge candidate -- take the Monday off and you have a 4-day weekend.

Alaska -- Seward's Day (last Monday in March) Commemorating the signing of the treaty that purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, Seward's Day gives Alaska workers a late-March long weekend that no other state has.

Nevada -- Nevada Day (last Friday in October) Originally observed on October 31, Nevada moved it to the last Friday in October to guarantee a 3-day weekend. This creates a fall long weekend that pairs well with the proximity to Election Day and Veterans Day in November for workers planning an extended autumn break.

Texas -- San Jacinto Day (April 21) and Texas Independence Day (March 2) Texas has multiple state-specific holidays commemorating its history as an independent republic. For state employees, these add anchor days in March and April. Private sector observance is inconsistent, but when employers do observe them, the spring bridge options improve significantly.

Massachusetts -- Patriots' Day (third Monday in April) The day of the Boston Marathon and a commemoration of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. It is a full state holiday -- schools close, many businesses shut, and the Red Sox play a morning game. Combined with Maine, which shares the holiday, it is the most widely observed state-only holiday in New England.

Does Your Employer Actually Have to Observe State Holidays?

This is the critical caveat. In the United States, there is no federal or state law that requires private employers to give workers any specific day off -- not federal holidays, not state holidays, not any of them. Holiday observance in the private sector is entirely a matter of company policy, employment contracts, and collective bargaining agreements.

What state holidays do guarantee is that state government offices, courts, and many public institutions will close. Public school calendars also tend to align with state holidays. Banks often follow the state schedule as well, since they are regulated at both federal and state levels.

For private sector workers, the practical reality breaks down roughly like this:

• Widely observed state holidays such as Patriots' Day in Massachusetts, Mardi Gras in Louisiana, and Good Friday in states where it is an official holiday tend to be adopted by a majority of local employers. When your city essentially shuts down for a holiday, most businesses follow.
• Lesser-known state holidays like Seward's Day in Alaska, San Jacinto Day in Texas, or Casimir Pulaski Day in Illinois see much lower private sector adoption. State employees get the day off; most private workers do not.
• County-specific holidays like Evacuation Day in Suffolk County, Massachusetts are observed only in narrow geographic areas. Even within the state, most workers do not benefit.

The takeaway: check your actual employer's holiday schedule, not just the state government's list. But even if your employer does not observe a particular state holiday, knowing it exists can help. When state offices and schools close, traffic drops, airports thin out, and travel becomes easier. Some workers strategically take PTO on state holidays they do not officially get off, treating them as de facto holidays with quieter roads and cheaper flights.

How Should You Factor State Holidays Into Your Leave Strategy?

If you live in a high-holiday state like Kentucky, Hawaii, or West Virginia, you have a genuine structural advantage in leave planning. Here is how to make the most of it.

Step 1: Get the complete list. Pull your state government's official holiday calendar. Cross-reference it with your employer's published holiday schedule. Identify any state holidays your employer also observes -- those are your bonus anchor days.

Step 2: Map them on a calendar. Plot every confirmed holiday -- federal and state -- on a single calendar view. Look for midweek placements and clusters. Pay special attention to months that are otherwise holiday-free at the federal level: March, April, June, and August.

Step 3: Run the bridge math. For each state holiday, calculate the bridge potential. A Tuesday or Thursday state holiday that your employer observes is worth as much as a federal holiday for optimization purposes. A Monday or Friday state holiday gives you a free 3-day weekend without touching PTO.

Step 4: Use the optimizer. Plug all your holidays -- federal and state -- into a leave optimization tool. The algorithm will find the highest-efficiency combinations automatically, including ones that bridge across state-federal holiday pairs that you might not spot manually. Try the free optimizer at leavewise.co to see how your state holidays change the results.

For related reading on how regional holidays shape leave planning, see our guide on regional and state holidays: the hidden days off most workers miss. To understand the underlying bridge mechanics, start with how holiday bridges work. And for a deep dive into which federal holidays offer the best bridge potential, see ranking US federal holidays by bridge potential.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which US state has the most public holidays?

Kentucky and Hawaii are tied at 14 public holidays each for state employees. Kentucky adds Good Friday, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve to the federal 11. Hawaii adds Prince Kuhio Day, King Kamehameha Day, and Statehood Day. Both states offer 3 more days than the federal baseline, giving workers there significantly more bridge-planning material throughout the year.

Are state holidays paid days off?

For state government employees, yes -- state holidays are typically paid days off. For private sector workers, it depends entirely on employer policy. There is no law requiring private employers to observe state holidays or provide paid time off for them. However, in states where a holiday has strong cultural roots -- like Mardi Gras in Louisiana or Patriots' Day in Massachusetts -- a majority of local employers tend to follow suit.

Do all states observe Columbus Day?

No. While Columbus Day remains a federal holiday, a growing number of states have renamed or replaced it. Alaska, Hawaii, Minnesota, Vermont, and several others observe Indigenous Peoples' Day instead. Some states, like South Dakota, celebrate Native Americans' Day on the same date. The federal holiday still applies to federal workers nationwide, but state-level observance varies considerably.

Can I use state holidays for bridge planning if my employer doesn't observe them?

Yes, partially. Even if your employer does not give you the day off, state holidays still affect the world around you. Schools may close, government offices shut down, traffic decreases, and travel conditions improve. Some workers choose to take PTO on state holidays they do not officially receive, effectively creating the same bridge window while benefiting from lighter crowds and sometimes lower travel prices. The day still anchors your planning -- you just need to use PTO to fill it in.

How many total days off does the average American get?

The average American worker receives roughly 7-8 paid holidays from their employer (most companies do not observe all 11 federal holidays) plus an average of 10-15 PTO days depending on tenure. Workers in high-holiday states who have employers that observe state holidays can receive 1-3 additional paid holidays on top of that. Combined with weekends, the total ranges from about 115 to 135 non-working days per year -- but the distribution throughout the calendar is what really matters for planning longer breaks.