On this day
in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress,
setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always,
this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard
barbecues across the country.
2.5 million
In
July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.
Source: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970
<http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/statab.html>
307
million
The nation’s population on this July Fourth.
Source: Population
clock <http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html>
Fourth
of July Cookouts
More than 1 in 4
The chance
that the hot dogs and pork sausages consumed on the Fourth of July originated
in Iowa. The Hawkeye State was home to 19.3 million hogs and pigs on March 1,
2009. This represents more than one-fourth of the nation’s total. North Carolina
(9.4 million) and Minnesota (7.3 million) were the runners-up.
Source: USDA
National Agricultural Statistics Service <http://www.nass.usda.gov>
6.8
billion pounds
Total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2007.
Chances are good that the beef hot dogs, steaks and burgers on your backyard grill
came from the Lone Star State, which accounted for about one-sixth of the nation’s
total production. And if the beef did not come from Texas, it very well may have
come from Nebraska (4.7 billion pounds) or Kansas (4.1 billion pounds).
Source:
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service <http://www.nass.usda.gov>
6
Number
of states in which the revenue from broiler chickens was $1 billion or greater
between December 2006 and November 2007. There is a good chance that one of these
states — Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi or Texas
— is the source of your barbecued chicken.
Source: USDA National Agricultural
Statistics Service <http://www.nass.usda.gov>
About
4 in 10
The odds that your side dish of baked beans originated from North
Dakota, which produced 39 percent of the nation’s dry, edible beans in 2008.
Another popular Fourth of July side dish is corn on the cob. Florida, California,
Georgia and New York together accounted for 61 percent of the sweet corn produced
nationally in 2008.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
<http://www.nass.usda.gov>
Please
Pass the Potato Salad
Potato salad and potato chips are popular food items
at Fourth of July barbecues. Half of the nation’s spuds were produced in
Idaho or Washington state in 2008.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics
Service <http://www.nass.usda.gov>
More
than three-fourths
Amount of the nation’s head lettuce production
in 2008 that came from California. This lettuce may end up in your salad or on
your burger.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service <http://www.nass.usda.gov>
More
than 7 in 10
The chances that the fresh tomatoes in your salad came from
California or Florida, which combined accounted for 71 percent of U.S. tomato
production last year. The ketchup on your burger or hot dog probably came from
California, which accounted for 96 percent of forecasted processed tomato production
in 2008.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service <http://www.nass.usda.gov>
Florida
The
state that led the nation in watermelon production last year (861 million pounds).
Other leading producers of this popular fruit included California, Texas and Georgia,
each with more than 500 million pounds.
Source: USDA National Agricultural
Statistics Service <http://www.nass.usda.gov>
78
million
Number of Americans who said they have taken part in a barbecue
during the previous year. It’s probably safe to assume a lot of these events
took place on Independence Day.
Source: Statistical Abstract of the United
States: 2009, Table 1200 <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/statab2006_2009.html>
Fireworks
$193
million
The value of fireworks imported from China in 2008, representing
the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($202 million). U.S. exports of fireworks,
by comparison, came to just $28.1 million in 2008, with Australia purchasing more
than any other country ($5.8 million).
Source: Foreign Trade Statistics <http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/>
$17.3
billion
The value of U.S. manufacturers’ shipments of fireworks in
2002.
Source: 2002 Economic Census <http://www.census.gov/prod/ec02/ec0231i325998t.pdf>
Flags
$3.4
million
In 2008, the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags. The
vast majority of this amount ($3.0 million) was for U.S. flags made in China.
Source: Foreign Trade Statistics <http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/>
$569,400
Dollar
value of U.S. flags exported in 2008. Belgium was the leading customer, purchasing
$186,400 worth.
Source: Foreign Trade Statistics <http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/>
$349.2
million
Annual dollar value of shipments of fabricated flags, banners and
similar emblems by the nation’s manufacturers, according to the latest published
economic census data.
Source: 2002 Economic Census <http://www.census.gov/prod/ec02/ec0231i314999t.pdf>
Patriotic-Sounding
Names
31
Number of places nationwide with
“liberty” in their name. The most populous one as of July 1, 2007, is
Liberty, Mo. (29,993). Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other
state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.
- Thirty-one
places have “eagle” in their name — after the majestic bird that
serves as our national symbol. (Places include cities, towns, villages and census-designated
places.) The most populous such place is Eagle Pass, Texas, with 26,285 residents.
- Eleven places have “independence” in their name. The
most populous of these is Independence, Mo., with 110,704 residents.
- Five
places adopted the name “freedom.” Freedom, Calif., with 6,000 residents,
has the largest population among these.
- There is one place named
“patriot” — Patriot, Ind., with a population of 190.
- And
what could be more fitting than spending the Fourth of July in a place called
“America”? There are five such places in the country, with the most
populous being American Fork, Utah, population 26,472.
Source:
Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/012242.html>
and
American FactFinder <www.census.gov>
The British are Coming!
$112.4
billion
Dollar value of trade last year between the United States and the
United Kingdom, making the British, our adversary in 1776, our sixth-leading trading
partner today.
Sources: Foreign Trade Statistics <http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/highlights/top/top0812yr.html>
