Census Bureau Facts for Features
A product of the U.S. Census Bureau's Public Information Office CB99-FF.02 February 2, 1999 Valentine's Day: February 14 Romantic-Sounding Places Niagara Falls has long been considered one of our nation's more romantic places (i.e., incorporated cities, towns, villages or boroughs). But it doesn't have the most romantic-sounding name. Among the contenders for that distinction are Valentine, Neb., whose population was an estimated 2,884 in 1996, and Valentine, Texas, at 234. And so is Loveland, Colo. With a population of 44,923, it is the most populous of the 10 places around the nation that have the word "love" as one of the syllables in their name. The other nine are Lovejoy, Ga.; Loves Park, Ill.; Lovelock, Nev.; Love Valley, N.C.; Loveland, Ohio; Loveland, Okla.; Lovelady, Texas; Lovettsville, Va.; and Lovell, Wyo. http://mapping.usgs.gov/www/gnis/gnisform.html http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb97-185.html Flowers If your valentine prefers flowers, we've got you covered! Some 26,728 florists nationwide plied their trade in 1996, employing 125,631 persons. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-233.html It is possible the flowers you buy this year came from Colombia, our nation's leading supplier of cut flowers. U.S. imports of cut flowers from Colombia between January and October 1998 were valued at $312.2 million. Or the flowers could have been grown right here in the U.S.A.: domestic production of cut flowers totaled $505 million in 1996. http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/ http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html Chocolate and Candy The chocolate and candy you give or receive probably were made in one of our nation's manufacturing establishments. In 1996, 165 such establishments, employing 10,284 people, produced chocolate and cocoa products. These manufacturers shipped $3.3 billion worth of goods that year. Meanwhile, 694 U.S. establishments, employing 52,599 people, manufactured candy and other confectionary products. They shipped $12.8 billion worth of goods that year. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-233.html http://www.census.gov/econ/www/manumenu.html In at least one respect, Pennsylvania and New York could be called the nation's sweetest states. Pennsylvania has more establishments making candy and other confectionary products (76) than any other state while New York leads the nation in the number of establishments making chocolate and cocoa products (22). The Keystone State, however, leads the way in the number of persons employed in establishments manufacturing chocolate and cocoa products --4,684-- nearly four times more than the next leading state, California, which employs 1,344 in this trade. Illinois, meanwhile, leads the country in employees who make candy and other confectionary products, with 11,514. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-233.html Then again, these sugary delights could have been made somewhere outside the United States. Between January and October, 1998, the United States imported $278.8 million worth of chocolate from Canada, more than from any other country. Canada also was the leading supplier of nonchocolate candy to the United States during the same period, with shipments totaling $129.6 million. http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/ Though people can buy candy in many places, perhaps the best single retail source is one of the 4,742 candy, nut and confectionary stores located in the United States in 1996. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-233.html Americans consumed 27 pounds of candy per person in 1997 no doubt a good bit of it on Valentine's Day. http://www.census.gov/industry/ma20d97.txt Marriage and Divorce During 1996, 2.3 million marriages and 1.2 million divorces took place in the United States. That translates into 6,400 marriages and 3,200 divorces on a typical day. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html Between 1990 and 1996, the annual number of marriages dropped by 99,000, while the annual number of divorces fell 32,000. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html Nevada was the nation's marriage and divorce capital, racking up the highest marriage rate (88.1 marriages per 1,000 population), as well as the highest divorce rate (8.1 divorces per 1,000 population) of any state in 1995. Hawaii was a distant runner-up in the marriage rate (15.8) while Oklahoma, Wyoming and New Mexico (each at 6.7) tied for second place in the divorce rate. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/cb98-226.html Among 18- to 24-year-olds, 21 percent of women and 11 percent of men were married as of 1998. The figures rose to 62 percent and 54 percent for 25- to 34-year-olds and 71 percent and 74 percent for 35- to 64-year-olds. For persons 65 and over, the percentage falls to 43 percent for women, but remains statistically unchanged for men. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-03.html The estimated median age at first marriage in 1998 was 25.0 years for women and 26.7 years for men. The age for women equaled the 20th century high reached in 1997 while the age for men has dipped 0.4 years since it reached a 20th century high in 1996. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-03.html Singleness There were 114 unmarried men (i.e., never married, widowed or divorced), ages 18 to 44, for every 100 unmarried women of those ages in 1998. At older ages, however, the ratio reverses, to 146 unmarried women for every 100 unmarried men among 45- to 64-year-olds and 315 unmarried women for every 100 unmarried men among persons 65 and over. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-03.html In 1998, 13.7 million persons 25 to 34 had never been married, representing 35 percent of all persons in this age group. The respective totals for those 35 to 44 dropped to 6.8 million and 15 percent. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/1999/cb99-03.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, Annual Survey of Manufactures, Current Industrial Reports, County Business Patterns and the U.S. Imports of Merchandise CD-ROM. The data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Previous Facts for Features in 1999: African American History Month (February). 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).
