Business & Tech

LOVE STATS: Valentine's Day By the Numbers

What's love got to do with it? Valentine's Day a boon for business, national and local.

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for lovebirds—it’s also a multi-billion business. Before you run out to the supermarket or drug store to buy gifts, flowers and chocolate, Oak Lawn’s local businesses are eager to help you in the romance department.

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. Souce: U.S. Census

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4 -- Number of candy stores in Oak Lawn, including , , and

Flowers

$17 million -- The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut roses in 2010 for all operations with $100,000 or more in sales. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 

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17,214 -- The number of florists nationwide in 2009. These businesses employed 75,855 people. Source: U.S. Census

8 -- Independently owned flower and garden shops in Oak Lawn, including , , , , , and . Source: Patch Places Directory.

Jewelry

24,973 -- Number of jewelry stores in the United States in 2009. Jewelry stores offer engagement, wedding and other rings to couples of all ages. In February 2011, these stores sold $2.27 billion in merchandise. Source: U.S. Census

7 -- Listed jewelers in Oak Lawn, including , , , and . Source: Patch Places Directory.

'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

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

53.1 -- The overall percentage of adults who reported being married. Source: U.S. Census, 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

– 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.

Looking for more romance? Check out Patch's Valentine's Day stories:

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