It’s no surprise that Americans spend quite a bit of money to show their love on Valentine’s Day. Here’s a breakdown, by the numbers:
$19.6 billion: Projected Valentine’s Day spending in the United States this year, according to annual estimates by the National Retail Federation.
$143.56: The average amount US consumers are estimated to spend for Valentine’s Day-related gifts in 2018.
$4.7 billion: Total spending on jewelry for Valentine’s.
15%: Percentage of Americans buying gift cards for this day.
$5.50: Per capita spending on Valentine gifts for pets.
115.78 million: The number of single people in America age 18 and older in 2016, according to the US Census Bureau. This group of divorced, widowed, separated and never marrieds made up 47.3 % of all US residents age 18 and older.
144 million: The approximate number of cards exchanged on Valentine’s Day.
1866: The year conversation hearts were first created by the New England Confectionery Co.
75%: Chocolate’s share of the total amount of US Valentine’s candy sales.
32%: Percentage of American adults surveyed by online statistics firm Statista in 2017 who said they would probably have sex on Valentine’s Day.
Almost $1 billion: Amount that victims in the United States and Canada have lost to online dating scammers and “catfishers” over the past three years, according to a February study by the Better Business Bureau.
Way too many: People who call Valentine’s Day “Valentime’s Day” — with an “M.”
