Census Bureau Facts for Features CB99-FF.16 December 2, 1999 The Holiday Season Holiday Shopping -- The December Rush Note that the estimates that follow have not been adjusted to account for the usual seasonal variations. - Retail sales by the nation's department stores (including leased departments) totaled $40.9 billion in December 1998, a 45-percent jump from November. No other month-to-month increase last year came anywhere near that. http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/mrts.html - Other U.S. retailers with sizable jumps in sales between November and December 1998 included apparel and accessory stores (45 percent); jewelry stores (172 percent); book stores (87 percent); sporting goods stores and bicycle shops (69 percent); radio, TV and computer stores (49 percent), and variety stores (47 percent). http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/mrts.html - Mail-order sales totaled $9.1 billion in December 1998, 21 percent higher than in November, the month with the next-highest total. http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/mrts.html - For department stores (including leased departments), December sales made up about one-seventh of their 1998 total sales ($40.9 billion of $282.4 billion). For jewelry stores, the proportion was even higher -- nearly one-fourth ($5.2 billion of $21.4 billion). http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/mrts.html - One side of the retail-sales coin is what's sold, the other is what's left when the holiday hordes disappear. The nation's department stores (excluding leased departments) built up retail inventories by 19 percent from the end of August to the end of November 1998, then saw the inventories drop by 22 percent in the last month of the year. http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/mrts.html Where are the Gifts Made? First answer: Perhaps in one of the numerous U.S. manufacturing businesses. See below: Manufacturing Number of Employees Value of industry establishments (March 1997) Shipments (1997) (1997) Dolls and stuffed toys 242 3,350 $0.3 billion Games, toys and children's vehicles 789 30,400 $4.5 billion Sporting and athletic goods 2,580 70,877 $10.5 billion Apparel and other textile products 23,939 835,219 $77.6 billion* Jewelry 2,293 35,069 $5.4 billion *1996 data http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-186.html for establishments and employees. http://www.census.gov/econ/www/manumenu.html and http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/97ecmani.html for value of shipments. - Ohio employed more people in game, toy and children's vehicle manufacturing establishments than any other state: 4,041 more than 13 percent of Santa's little helpers nationwide. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-186.html Second answer: Or maybe the gifts were produced overseas and imported into the United States. See below: Top country of origin Top country of origin (amount in millions): (amount in millions): Item Jan-Aug 1999 Item Jan-Aug 1999 Wheeled toys designed Puzzles China ($17.6) to be ridden by children Jewelry Italy ($854.3) (such as tricycles) and Skis France ($23.0) parts and accessories China ($16.0) Golf Equipment China ($19.2) Dolls China ($652.0) Tennis rackets China ($30.0) Stuffed toys (except dolls) China ($918.1) Basketballs China ($24.3) Electric trains China ($39.2) Soccer balls Pakistan ($13.7) Scale model assembly kits Japan ($10.0) Ice and rollerskates China($89.6) Sports footwear China ($209.2) http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/ Where Can You Buy Those Holiday Gifts? Virtually anywhere. Here's a rundown on eight general types of retail establishments in the United States as of 1997 and the number of people each employs: Type of establishment Number Employees (March 1997) Catalog and mail-order houses 10,086 213,854 Apparel and accessory stores 125,093 1,084,560 Jewelry stores 29,459 157,261 Sporting goods and bicycle shops 24,527 175,967 Gift, novelty and souvenir shops 37,932 206,481 Variety stores 12,597 95,805 Department stores 11,314 2,070,433 Hobby, toy and game shops 10,867 109,846 - California employed more workers in catalog and mail-order businesses than any other state: 19,111. Nearly 28 percent worked in Los Angeles County, which was the nation's No. 2 county in catalog and mail-order business employees. (Franklin County, Ohio, with 7,298 employees, led the nation.) http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-186.html Christmas Trees - The $463 million the nation's farmers received from 1997 Christmas tree sales was 3 percent greater than in 1996. It exceeds the amount they received from the sale of a number of other agricultural products, such as peaches, cherries, watermelons, cantaloups, cucumbers, snap (green) beans, walnuts and cranberries. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - The nation's Christmas trees and their accompanying ornaments and lights are not all "made in the USA," however: Top country of origin Item (amount in millions): January-August 1999 Christmas tree ornaments China ($456.5) Artificial Christmas trees China ($86.1) Lighting sets used for Christmas trees China ($244.8) Christmas tree lamps China ($8.0) http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/ Holiday Names - There are quite a few incorporated places (e.g., cities, towns, villages or boroughs) around the nation whose names are associated with the holiday season: Place Est. pop.(1998) Place Est. pop.(1998) North Pole, Alaska 1,699 Merryville, La. 1,262 Santa Claus, Ind. 1,497 Bethlehem, Pa. 69,383 Santa Claus, Ga. 156 Bethlehem, W.Va. 2,738 Rudolph, Wis. 480 Bethlehem, Ga. 448 Noel, Mo. 1,271 Jolly, Texas 223 http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-128.html http://mapping.usgs.gov/www/gnis/ - Prefer to travel overseas for the holidays? Then consider visiting Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Pacific, south of Hawaii. Between January and August 1999, the United States imported $15,894 worth of goods from this territory, while exporting $1.3 million in goods to it. No doubt some of these became holiday gifts. http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/ Winter Wonderland - Winter sports bring out millions of athletes and wannabes. In 1997, 8.9 million Americans reported they downhill-skied; 7.9 million ice- or figure-skated; 2.5 million cross country-skied; 1.9 million played ice hockey; and 2.5 million snowboarded more than once a year. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html - Among selected cities, the best chances for a snowy December belong to Sault Sainte Marie, Mich. (an average of 31 inches of snow); Juneau, Alaska (22 inches); Buffalo, N.Y. (23 inches); Burlington, Vt. (18 inches); and Duluth, Minn. (16 inches). http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html Christmas Cards - In 1997, the nation's greeting card publishers shipped $571 million worth of Christmas cards, more than twice as many as any other type of seasonal greeting card. This total is up 21 percent from 1992. http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/97ecmani.html - Of the Christmas cards shipped, counter cards were worth a total of $255 million and packaged cards, a total of $316 million. http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/97ecmani.html ______________________________________________________________________________ The preceding facts come from the U.S. Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System (GNIS); population estimates; U.S. import and export trade reports; Monthly Retail Trade -- Sales and Inventory estimates; County Business Patterns; the Annual Survey of Manufactures; the Statistical Abstract of the United States; and the 1997 Economic Census. The data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Previous 1999 Facts for Features: African American History Month (February), Valentine's Day (February 14), Women's History Month (March), Countdown to Census 2000 (April 1), Secretaries' Day (April 21), Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month (May), Mother's Day (May 9), Father's Day (June 20), the Fourth of July, Back to School (August), Grandparents Day (September 12), Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15), Disability Employment Awareness Month (October), American Indian Heritage Month (November) and Thanksgiving Day (November 25). 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).
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