24.7 Pounds of Candy a Year? Better Get Started

Valentine's Day isn't just for lovebirds. It's also a big day for those in romance-related businesses — as evidenced by these numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Candy

1,177 – Number of U.S. manufacturing establishments that produced chocolate and cocoa products in 2009, employing 34,252 people. California led the nation in the number of chocolate and cocoa manufacturing establishments with 135, followed by Pennsylvania with 111. Source: U.S. Census. 

24.7 pounds – Per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2010. Source: U.S. Census.

Flowers

$375 million – The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2010 for all flower-producing operations with $100,000 or more in sales. Among states, California was the leading producer accounting for more than three-quarters of this amount ($286 million). Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

Jewelry

24,973 – Number of jewelry stores in the United States in 2009. In February 2011, these stores sold $2.27 billion in merchandise. Source: U.S. Census.

Please Be Mine

2.1 million – The number of marriages that took place in the United States in 2009. That breaks down to nearly 5,800 a day. Source: National Center for Health Statistics

108,150 – The number of marriages performed in Nevada during 2009. So many couples tie the knot in the Silver State that it ranked fifth nationally in marriages, even though its total population that year among states was 35th. (California ranked first in marriages.) Source: National Center for Health Statistics.

28.7 and 26.5 years – Median age at first marriage in 2011 for men and women, respectively. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements: 2011.

53.1 – The overall percentage of adults who reported being married. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Families and Living Arrangements: 2011,

Looking for Love

393 – The number of dating service establishments nationwide as of 2007. These establishments, which include Internet dating services, employed 3,125 people and pulled in $928 million in revenue. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2007 Economic Census 

Giving Love a Second Chance

19 – Percentage of people married twice as of 2010. Five percent have married three or more times. By comparison, 75 percent of people who have ever been married have made only one trip down the aisle. Source: 2010 American Community Survey

8 – Median length, in years, of first marriages that ended in divorce. Source: Number, Timing, and Duration of Marriages and Divorces: 2009

3.8 and 3.7 — The median time in years between divorce and a second marriage for men and women, respectively.

9 and 8 — Among people 15 and older in 2009, the percentage of men and women, respectively, who had married twice and were still married.