Valentine’s Day facts and gures E
very year, couples get together on Valentine’s Day to express their affection for one another. This February 14, consider the following interesting facts and figures when celebrating Valentine’s Day: •According to research from Hallmark, more than half of all Valentine’s Day cards are purchased within six days prior the holiday. That’s especially interesting as Hallmark research also indicates more than half of the United States population celebrates the day by purchasing a greeting card. •There are more single men than single women. For every 100 single women in their 20’s, there are 119 single men in the same age group. •Dating service establishments continue to be popular means for meeting a prospective soulmate. Nearly 1,000 dating services, which include online dating Web sites, exist and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue annually. •Hallmark research indicates that more than 140 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year. •43,322 people were employed by establishments that produced chocolate and cocoa products in 2004. California was home to 136 of those establishments, leading the nation. •The average American consumed 25.7 pounds of candy on 2005, which actually represents a significant decline from 1997, when Americans consumed roughly 27 pounds of candy on average. • There are roughly 2.2 million marriages per year in the United States. •In 2005, there were slightly less than 5 million opposite-sex cohabitating couples in the United States, reflecting a growing trend of couples living together
before walking down the aisle. •Men and women in the northeastern United States tend to get married for the first time later than their male counterparts throughout the rest of the country. For example, men in Massachusetts were a median age of 29.1 years of age at first marriage, while women were 27.4 years old. In Utah, however, men averaged 23.9 years of age at first marriage, while women were a median of 21.9 years. •Seventy percent of men and women between the ages of 30 and 34 in 2008 had been married at some point in their lives.
Candy facts •1,317 - Number of U.S. manufacturing establishments that produced chocolate and cocoa products in 2008, employing 38,369 people. California led the nation in the number of chocolate and cocoa manufacturing establishments, with 146, followed by Pennsylvania, with 115. •422 - Number of U.S. establishments that manufactured nonchocolate confectionary products in 2008. These establishments employed 16,860 people. California led the nation in this category, with 47 establishments. •$12.2 billion - Total value of shipments in 2008 for firms producing chocolate and cocoa products. Nonchocolate confectionery product manufacturing, meanwhile, was a $7.1 billion industry. •3,375 - Number of confectionery and nut stores in the United States in 2008. •24.3 pounds - Per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2009. (www.census.gov)
He loves me, he loves me not
Flowers
•$359 million - The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut owers in 2009 for all ower-producing operations with $100,000 or more in sales. Among states, California was the leading producer, alone accounting for about three-quarters of this amount ($269 million). Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service <http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1072>
•$18 million - The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut roses in 2009 for all operations with $100,000 or more in sales. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service <http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1072>
FLOWERS BY PLEASANT PETALS - 843-532-0697
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•18,509 - The number of orists nationwide in 2008. These businesses employed 89,741 people. Source: County Business Patterns <http://censtats.census.gov/cgi-bin/cbpnaic/cbpdetl.pl>
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