Stay Connected

Last year, the typical American spent $116.21 on Valentine’s Day merchandise and festivities and this year’s price tag is expected to be even higher, according to the National Retail Federation.

Here are some Valentine’s Day stats that may or may not surprise you:

• 190 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year in the United States. When you include the cards exchanged in schools, the figure goes up to 1 billion. Elementary school teachers receive the most cards. There’s only one larger card-sending holiday: Christmas with 2.6 billion cards exchanged
• 15 million e-Valentines were sent online in 2010
• In addition to the U.S., this holiday is celebrated in Australia, Canada, France, Mexico and the United Kingdom
• 85% of all Valentine cards are bought by women
• 73% of flowers for Valentine’s Day are bought by men
• About 50% of Valentine’s Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the holiday
• The first Valentine’s Day box of chocolates was introduced by Richard Cadbury in 1868. (Now profits for Valentine’s Day chocolates and candy surpass $1,011 billion)
• About one in four Americans do not celebrate the holiday at all
• 53% of American women say they would dump their boyfriend if he didn’t get them anything for Valentine’s Day

Sources: census.gov, history.com, internetretailer.com, corporate.hallmark.com, womensday.com