More than half of states give workers a paid Juneteenth
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At least 33 states and D.C. will give most state government workers a paid day off Friday for Juneteenth this year, according to the Pew Research Center.
Why it matters: States differ considerably on how to mark the day when enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free.
Catch up quick: Texas made Juneteenth a permanent holiday in 1980, but most other states didn't act until 2020 or later.
- Juneteenth was signed into law as a federal holiday in 2021.
By the numbers: 30 states plus D.C. consider Juneteenth a legal holiday, meaning it's a paid day off written into law, per the Congressional Research Service.
- As the above map reflects, most state workers in New Mexico, Kansas and Kentucky also get Juneteenth off, but without it being permanent law.
- In a few states where Juneteenth is an observance only, it's marked on the third Saturday in June instead of June 19, according to Pew.
Between the lines: Some states have unique laws around taking June 19 off.
- For example, state workers in West Virginia have the day off this year — but for West Virginia Day, not Juneteenth.
- And state employees in California and North Carolina can choose to take paid personal leave on June 19, Pew reports, but they don't get an automatic day off.
The latest: Alabama became the most recent state to make Juneteenth permanent, in 2025.
