“On February 14, Americans celebrate love and friendship by exchanging cards, flowers, and candy. Although the origins of Valentine’s Day are murky, ancient Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia, a spring festival, on the fifteenth of February. Like so many holidays, a Christian gloss was added to the pagan fete when the holiday moved to the fourteenth of February—the saint day associated with several early Christian martyrs named Valentine.

“The romance we associate with Valentine’s Day may spring from the medieval belief that birds select their mates on February 14. During the Middle Ages, lovers recited verse or prose to one another in honor of the day. The Nuremberg Chronicle (published in 1493) is believed to contain the first in-print mention of Saint Valentine, though his role as patron saint of lovers was not mentioned.”

Key Stats

From the Library > Census Infographics & Visualizations > Census Interactive Gallery:

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Data Visualization: U.S. Marriage and Divorce Rates by State: 2009 & 2019 (October 27, 2020)

Note: The data visualization above is interactive. Click on the image to change pages. For other marriage and divorce statistics, hover over the image for other stats.

Source: 2009 and 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates.

More Stats

From the Library:

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From the Newsroom:

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Stats for Stories (SFS): National Spouses Day: January 26, 2023

Stats for Stories (SFS): Unmarried and Single Americans Week: September 18-24, 2022

Press Release: Census Bureau Releases New Estimates on America’s Families and Living Arrangements (November 29, 2021)

Source: Monthly Retail Trade Survey (MRTS), 1992 to 2023.

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4453: Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores: U.S. Total — Sales - Monthly

722: Food Services and Drinking Places: U.S. Total — Sales - Monthly

Source: 2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates.

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Table B12007: Median Age at First Marriage, Universe: Population 15 to 54 Years

Table B12505: Number of Times Married by Sex by Marital Status for the Population 15 Years And Over

Table S1201: Marital Status

Table S1251: Characteristics of People with a Marital Event in the Last 12 Months

Source: 2018 - 2021 Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM).

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Table AM1831BASIC01, Annual Survey of Manufactures: Summary Statistics for Industry Groups and Industries in the U.S.: 2018 - 2021, showing these 5 Codes:

NAICS 311340, Nonchocolate Confectionery Manufacturing
NAICS 311350, Chocolate and Chocolate Confectionery Manufacturing
NAICS 311351, Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing from Cacao Beans
NAICS 311352, Confectionery Manufacturing from Purchased Chocolate
NAICS 339910, Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing

Source: 2020 Annual Business Survey (ABS) Program.

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Table AB2000CSA01, Annual Business Survey: Statistics for Employer Firms by Industry, Sex, Ethnicity, Race, and Veteran Status for the U.S., States, and Metro Areas: 2020, showing NAICS 4483 Jewelry, Luggage, and Leather Goods; and NAICS 4531 Florists

Source: 1978-2020 Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS).

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Table BDSEAGE, Business Dynamics Statistics: Establishment Age: 1978-2020, showing NAICS 4483 Jewelry, Luggage, and Leather Goods; and NAICS 4531 Florists

Source: 2020 County Business Patterns (CBP).

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Table CB2000CBP, All Sectors: County Business Patterns, including ZIP Code Business Patterns, by Legal Form of Organization and Employment Size Class for U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2020, showing these 8 Codes:

NAICS 311340, Nonchocolate Confectionery Manufacturing
NAICS 311350, Chocolate and Chocolate Confectionery Manufacturing
NAICS 311351, Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing from Cacao Beans
NAICS 311352, Confectionery Manufacturing from Purchased Chocolate
NAICS 339910, Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing
NAICS 445292, Confectionery and Nut Stores
NAICS 448310, Jewelry Stores
NAICS 453110, Florists

From Business and Economy > International Trade Data:

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USA Trade Online, the Official Source of Trade Statistics.

Includes commodities such as these (HTS stands for Harmonized Tariff Schedule):

HTS 0603, Cut Flowers & Buds for Bouquets Etc., Prepared
HTS 7101, Pearls, Natural or Cultured, Not Strung or Set Etc.
HTS 7102, Diamonds, Worked or Not, Not Mounted or Set
HTS 7113, Articles of Jewelry & Pts, of Prec Metal or Clad
HTS 7117, Imitation Jewelry
NAICS 31134, Non-chocolate Confectionery Products
NAICS 31135, Chocolate and Confectionery

Note: After you create an account, select options for State Export Data (Origin of Movement) or State Import Data (State of Destination) by Harmonized System (HS) or NAICS. Select State, Measures, Commodity (search for commodities, such as listed above), Country, and Time for data. More information can be found in the Quick Start Guide.

Source: 2019 Nonemployer Statistics (NES).

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Table NS1900NONEMP, All Sectors: Nonemployer Statistics by Legal Form of Organization and Receipts Size Class for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2019, showing NAICS 44831 Jewelry Stores and NAICS 4531 Florists

Source: 2017 Economic Census.

Related Information

Table EC1700BASIC, All Sectors: Summary Statistics for the U.S., States, and Selected Geographies: 2017, showing these 6 Codes: