Census Bureau Facts for Features
A product of the U.S. Census Bureau's Public Information Office
CB98-FF.14 November 16, 1998 Thanksgiving Day Turkeytown, U.S.A. - Where better to celebrate "Turkey Day" than in one of the three incorporated places (e.g. cities, towns, villages or boroughs) in the United States actually named "Turkey"? Turkey, Texas, was the most populous in 1996 (est. pop. of 478), followed by Turkey Creek, La. (pop. 298), and Turkey, N.C. (pop. 279). http://mapping.usgs.gov/www/gnis/gnisform.html http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-185.html - There are also 14 incorporated places around the nation with "Plymouth" (as in "Plymouth Rock") as part of their name; Plymouth, Minn., with 60,103 people, was the most populous in 1996. http://mapping.usgs.gov/www/gnis/gnisform.html http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-185.html Where in the World Does Your Meal Come From? - North Carolina is the nation's turkey capital, producing 1.4 billion lbs. in 1997 -- about one-fifth of the U.S. total of 7.2 billion lbs. Rounding out the top ten states are Minnesota (1.0 bil. lbs.), Missouri (590 mil. lbs.), Arkansas (525 mil. lbs.), Virginia (485 mil. lbs.), California (481 mil. lbs.), South Carolina (368 mil. lbs.), Indiana (352 mil. lbs.), Pennsylvania (235 mil. lbs.) and Ohio (218 mil. lbs.). Combined, these 10 states account for more than three-quarters of U.S. turkey production. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html - The nation's farmers produced 549 million lbs. of cranberries in 1997. Wisconsin led the United States in production, followed by Massachusetts and New Jersey. Massachusetts is the only state in the nation where cranberries are one of the four leading agricultural commodities in farm marketings cash receipts; they ranked second there in 1996. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html - Perhaps the contents of your meal will come from abroad. U.S. imports of live turkeys totaled $13.0 million in 1997 -- all from Canada. Our northern neighbors also accounted for all of the $15.4 million worth of cranberries the U.S. imported. When it came to sweet potatoes, however, the Dominican Republic was the source of most ($4.9 million) of total imports ($5.3 million). In 1997, the United States ran a $7.2 million trade deficit in live turkeys and a $6.2 million deficit in cranberries but enjoyed a $3.6 million surplus in the trade of sweet potatoes. http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/ A Growth Industry -ūThe 301 million turkeys the nation's farmers produced in 1997 weighed 7.2 billion lbs. The weight was up 19 percent from 1990 and 132 percent from 1980. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html - The typical American gobbled up 15 lbs. of turkey in 1996 no doubt much of it at Thanksgiving. Per capita consumption didn't increase much since 1990 (6 percent), but was 80 percent higher than in 1980. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html - The $3.1 billion the nation's farmers earned in 1996 from turkey sales was up 28 percent from 1990. It exceeds the amount they made from growing either tobacco, peanuts, potatoes, oranges or grapes. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-199.html The Price is Right - Turkey is a very economical dish. In December 1997, a frozen whole turkey cost consumers a mere $0.98 per lb. By comparison, t-bone steak was $6.07. Press-Release/cb97-199.html Family - Think of Thanksgiving and the image of a traditional family -- a married couple with children --sitting around a table may come to mind. In reality, this picture is less common than it used to be. The percentage of such families fell from 50 to 37 percent of all families between 1970 and 1990. But this decline has slowed in the '90s, as the percentage has dropped only 1 point (to 36 percent in 1997) since. Meanwhile, in 1997, 13 percent of families were led by a single parent and 51 percent had no own children under 18 at all. http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam.html The preceding facts come from the U.S. Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which contains information from the Census Bureau; population estimates; the Statistical Abstract of the United States; Current Population Survey and U.S. Imports of Merchandise and U.S. Exports of Merchandise CD-ROMs. The data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Previous Facts for Features in 1998 were: African-American History Month (Feb.), Valentine's Day (Feb. 14), Women's History Month (Mar.), Secretaries' Day (Apr. 22), Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month (May), Mother's Day (May 10), Father's Day (June 21), the Fourth of July, Back to School (August), Grandparents Day (Sept. 13), Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15), Disability Employment Awareness Month (Oct.) and American Indian Heritage Month (Nov.). Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau's Public Information Office (Tel: 301-457-3030; Fax: 301-457-3670; E-mail: pio@census.gov).
