From the Library of Congress, Today in History - February 14, Valentine’s Day:
“On February 14, Americans celebrate love and friendship by exchanging cards, flowers, and candy. Although the origins of Valentine’s Day are murky, ancient Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia, a spring festival, on the fifteenth of February. Like so many holidays, a Christian gloss was added to the pagan fete when the holiday moved to the fourteenth of February—the saint day associated with several early Christian martyrs named Valentine.
“The romance we associate with Valentine’s Day may spring from the medieval belief that birds select their mates on February 14. During the Middle Ages, lovers recited verse or prose to one another in honor of the day. The Nuremberg Chronicle (published in 1493) is believed to contain the first in-print mention of Saint Valentine, though his role as patron saint of lovers was not mentioned.”
From the Library / Census Infographics & Visualizations / Census Interactive Gallery:
Note: The data visualization above is interactive. Click on the image to change pages. For other marriage and divorce statistics, hover over the image for other stats.
Source: Monthly Retail Trade Survey (MRTS), 1992 to 2024
Source: 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates
Note: You will need to scroll right to find all the columns in some of these tables.
Source: 2018 - 2021Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM)
Source: 1978-2021 Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS)
From Business and Economy > International Trade Data:
Note: After you create an account, select options for State Export Data (Origin of Movement) or State Import Data (State of Destination) by Harmonized System (HS) or NAICS. Select State, Measures, Commodity (search for commodities, such as listed above), Country and Time for data. More information can be found in the Quick Start Guide.
Includes commodities such as these (HTS stands for Harmonized Tariff Schedule):
- HTS 0603, Cut Flowers and Buds for Bouquets etc., Prepared
- HTS 7101, Pearls, Natural or Cultured, Not Strung or Set etc.
- HTS 7102, Diamonds, Worked or Not, Not Mounted or Set
- HTS 7113, Articles of Jewelry and Parts of Precious Metal or Clad
- HTS 7117, Imitation Jewelry
- NAICS 31134, Non-chocolate Confectionery Products
- NAICS 31135, Chocolate and Confectioner
Source: 2020 Nonemployer Statistics (NES)
Source: 2017 Economic Census
From the Library / America Counts: Stories:
From the Library / Working Papers:
From the Newsroom / Stats for Stories:
