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The Fourth of July: 2022
Press Release Number: CB22-FF.06
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. As we celebrate this Independence Day, we reflect on how our Founding Fathers enshrined in our Constitution the importance of statistics as a vital tool for measuring America.
Most of the following facts are possible thanks to responses to U.S. Census Bureau censuses and surveys. We appreciate the public’s cooperation as we continuously measure our people, places and economy.
Did You Know?
2.5 million
The estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation in July 1776.
Source:
331,449,281
The nation’s population on April 1, 2020.
Source:
56
The number of signers of the Declaration of Independence.
It is also worth noting that:
- John Hancock, a merchant by trade, was the first signer. In 2020, more than 1 million business establishments nationally with paid employees were in the retail trade industry like Hancock.
Source:
- Benjamin Franklin, who represented Pennsylvania, was the oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence at age 70. Pennsylvania had a resident population of 13,002,700 on April 1, 2020. Edward Rutledge of South Carolina was the youngest signer at age 26. South Carolina had a resident population of 5,118,425 on April 1, 2020.
Source:
Patriotic Places
- Places with the word “liberty” in their names.
Source:
- Places with the word “union” in their names.
Source:
Previous Facts for Features
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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)
Women's History Month (March)
Irish-American Heritage Month (March)
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month (May)
The Fourth of July (July 4)
Anniversary of Americans With Disabilities Act (July 26)
Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15)
Halloween (Oct. 31)
American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month (November)
Veterans Day (Nov. 11)
Thanksgiving Day/Holiday Season (November-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.
Profile America's Facts for Features provides statistics related to observances and holidays not covered by Stats for Stories. For observances not listed below, visit our Stats for Stories web page.
Profile America's Stats for Stories provides links to timely story ideas highlighting the Census Bureau's newsworthy statistics that relate to current events, observances, holidays, and anniversaries. The story ideas are intended to assist the media in story mining and producing content for their respective audiences.
Page Last Revised - April 26, 2023
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