On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. This most American of holidays will be marked with typical festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues across the country. As we celebrate this Independence Day, we reflect on how our Founding Fathers enshrined the importance of statistics in our Constitution as a vital tool for measuring our people, places and economy.
In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.
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The nation’s estimated population on July 4, 2016.
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The number of signers to the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston comprised the Committee of Five that drafted the declaration. Jefferson, regarded as the strongest and most eloquent writer, wrote most of the document.
It is also worth noting that:
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The value of fireworks imported from China in 2016, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($307.8 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $10.0 million in the same year.
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The value of fireworks sales by retailers in 2012.
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The value of fireworks and firecrackers sales by wholesalers in 2012. There were 172 wholesalers who sold these items in 2012.
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The value of U.S. imports of American flags in 2016. The vast majority of this amount ($5.3 million) was imported from China.
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The value of U.S. flags exported in 2016. Mexico accounted for the vast majority of U.S. flags exported ($26.1 million).
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The number of counties and census incorporated places that contain the word “Liberty” in the name. Of the 33 areas, four are counties: Liberty County, Texas (81,704); Liberty County, Ga. (62,570); Liberty County, Fla. (8,202); and Liberty County, Mont. (2,409).
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The number of incorporated places that has “Patriot” in its name: Patriot town, Ind., has an estimated population of 208.
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The number of counties that have “Union” in the name. Of the 18 counties, the three largest in population are: Union County, N.J. (555,630); Union County, N.C. (226,606); and Union County, Ohio (55,457).
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The value of trade between the United States and the United Kingdom in 2016, making the British our adversary in 1776, the seventh-leading trading partner today.
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The number of people reporting English ancestry in the United States. People claiming English ancestry ranked third behind those claiming German (45,526,331) and Irish ancestry (32,713,324).
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The following is a list of observances typically covered by the Census Bureau’s Facts for Features series:
Black (African American) History Month (February) Super Bowl Valentine's Day (Feb. 14) Women's History Month (March) Irish-American Heritage Month (March)/ St. Patrick's Day (March 17) Earth Day (April 22) Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May) Older Americans Month (May) Mother's Day Hurricane Season Begins (June 1) Father's Day |
The Fourth of July (July 4) Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act (July 26) Back to School (August) Labor Day Grandparents Day Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) Unmarried and Single Americans Week Halloween (Oct. 31) American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month (November) Veterans Day (Nov. 11) Thanksgiving Day The Holiday Season (December) |
Editor’s note: The preceding data were collected from a variety of sources and may be subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Facts for Features are customarily released about two months before an observance in order to accommodate magazine production timelines. Questions or comments should be directed to the Census Bureau’s Public Information Office: telephone: 301-763-3030; or e-mail: pio@census.gov.