Valentine’s Day is a day for displays of affection, and for years, two popular signs of that affection have been candy and flowers, with chocolate and roses on the top of the list. Some U. S. Census calculations follow.
CANDY
1,177
Manufacturing establishments that produced chocolate and cocoa products in 2009, employing 34,252 people.
$12.6 billion
Total value of shipments in 2009 for firms producing chocolate and cocoa products. Nonchocolate confectionery product manufacturing, meanwhile, was a $7.4 billion industry.
3,386
Number of confectionery and nut stores in the United States in 2009.
24.7 pounds
Per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2010.
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, alone accounting for more than three-quarters of this amount ($286 million).
$17 million
The combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut roses in 2010 for all operations with $100,000 or more in sales.
17,124
The number of florists nationwide in 2009. These businesses employed 75,855 people.
