On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. This most American of holidays will be marked with typical festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues across the country. As we celebrate this Independence Day, we reflect on how our Founding Fathers enshrined the importance of statistics in our Constitution as a vital tool for measuring our people, places and economy.
2.5 million
In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.
323.1 million
The nation’s estimated population on July 4, 2016.
The Signers
56
The number of signers to the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston comprised the Committee of Five that drafted the declaration. Jefferson, regarded as the strongest and most eloquent writer, wrote most of the document.
$27.8 million
The value of U.S. flags exported in 2016. Mexico accounted for the vast majority of U.S. flags exported ($26.1 million).
This Land Is Your Land
33
The number of counties and census incorporated places that contain the word “Liberty” in the name. Of the 33 areas, four are counties: Liberty County, Texas (81,704); Liberty County, Ga. (62,570); Liberty County, Fla. (8,202); and Liberty County, Mont. (2,409).
1
The number of incorporated places that has “Patriot” in its name: Patriot town, Ind., has an estimated population of 208.
18
The number of counties that have “Union” in the name. Of the 18 counties, the three largest in population are: Union County, N.J. (555,630); Union County, N.C. (226,606); and Union County, Ohio (55,457).
The British Are Coming!
$109.7 billion
The value of trade between the United States and the United Kingdom in 2016, making the British our adversary in 1776, the seventh-leading trading partner today.
23,959,441
The number of people reporting English ancestry in the United States. People claiming English ancestry ranked third behind those claiming German (45,526,331) and Irish ancestry (32,713,324).
You’re a Grand Old Flag
$5.4 million
The value of U.S. imports of American flags in 2016. The vast majority of this amount ($5.3 million) was imported from China. Source:International Trade Statistics, Code 6307909825
$482.6 million
The value of fireworks and firecrackers sales by wholesalers in 2012. There were 172 wholesalers who sold these items in 2012.
The Bombs Bursting in Air
$296.2 million
The value of fireworks imported from China in 2016, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($307.8 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $10.0 million in the same year.
$368.6 million
The value of fireworks sales by retailers in 2012.
Source:US Census
