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The Fourth of July 2006
On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the
Continental Congress, starting 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 number of people living in the colonies. (1776 population from
Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970.)
300 million
On this July 4th, the population milestone our nation soon will be closing in
on.
Fourth of July Cookouts
150 million
Number of hot dogs (all varieties) expected to be consumed by Americans on this
holiday. (That’s one frankfurter for every two people.) There’s more than a
1-in-4 chance that the hot dogs made of pork originated in Iowa, as the Hawkeye
State had a total inventory of 15.2 million market hogs and pigs on March 1,
2006. This represents more than one-fourth of the nation’s total. North Carolina
(8.5 million) and Minnesota (5.8 million) were the runners-up. (Data on hot dog
consumption courtesy of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.)
Data on hogs and pigs at <http://www.nass.usda.gov>
7.3 billion pounds
Total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2005. Chances are good that
the beef hot dogs, steaks and burgers on your backyard grill came from the Lone
Star State, which accounted for over one-sixth of the nation’s total production.
And if they did not come from Texas, they very well may have come from Nebraska
(4.5 billion pounds) or Kansas (4 billion pounds). <http://www.nass.usda.gov>
6
Number of states in which the revenue from broiler chickens was $1 billion or
greater between December 2004 and November 2005. There is a good chance that one
of these states - Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi or
Texas - is the source of your barbecued chicken. <http://www.nass.usda.gov>
Better than 50-50
The odds that the beans in your side dish of baked beans came from North Dakota,
Michigan or Nebraska, which produced 60 percent of the nation’s dry, edible
beans in 2005. Another popular July 4th side dish is corn on the cob. Florida,
California and Georgia together accounted for 51 percent of the sweet corn
produced nationally in 2005. <http://www.nass.usda.gov>
Please Pass the Potato Salad
Potato salad and potato chips are popular food items at July 4th barbecues.
One-half of the nation’s spuds were produced in Idaho or Washington in 2005. <http://www.nass.usda.gov>
More than 68 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.
See Table 1230, 2006 edition: <http://www.census.gov/prod/www/statistical-abstract.html>
Fireworks
$201.9 million
The value of fireworks imported from China in 2005, representing the bulk of all
US fireworks imported ($211 million). US exports of fireworks, by comparison,
came to just $14.9 million in 2005, with Australia purchasing more than any
other country ($4.4 million).
<http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/>
$17.3 million
The value of U.S. manufacturers’ shipments of fireworks in 2002.
<http://www.census.gov/prod/ec02/ec0231i325998t.pdf>
Flags
$5.5 million
In 2005, the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags; the vast majority
of this amount
($5 million) was for US flags made in China. <http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/>
$993,000
Dollar value of U.S. flags exported in 2005. Mexico was the leading customer,
purchasing $529,000 worth. <http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www/>
$349 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 (2002) data.
<http://www.census.gov/prod/ec02/ec0231i314999t.pdf>
Patriotic-Sounding Names
30
Number of places nationwide with “liberty” in its name. The most populous one is
Liberty, Mo. (28,528). Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other
state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.
• Thirty-two places are named “eagle” - 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, TX, with
24,847 residents. There is also Eagle County, CO, with a population of 47,530.
• Eleven places have “independence” in their name. The most populous of these
is Independence, MO, with 111,023 residents.
• Five places adopted the name “freedom.” Freedom, CA, with 6,000 residents,
has the largest population among these.
• There is one place named “patriot” - Patriot, IN, with a population of 195.
• 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 22,387.<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/005268.html>
Coming to America
34 million
In 2004, the number of foreign-born residents in the United States; they
accounted for
12 percent of the nation’s total population. Another 30 million Americans were
“second-generation,” meaning that at least one of their parents was born abroad.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/foreignborn_population/003969.html>
53%
As of 2004, the percentage of the nation’s foreign-born population born in Latin
America.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/foreignborn_population/003969.html>
946,000
Number of immigrants granted legal permanent residence in the United States
during fiscal year 2004. More than 1-in-4 settled in California. <http://uscis.gov/graphics/shared/statistics/yearbook/YrBk04Im.htm>
537,000
Number of people who became naturalized US citizens during fiscal 2004 (Oct. 1,
2003 to Sept. 30, 2004). Mexico contributed the highest number of naturalized
citizens in 2004 (63,800), followed by India (38,000), the Philippines (31,400),
Vietnam (27,500) and China (27,300). <http://uscis.gov/graphics/shared/statistics/publications/NaturalizationFlowReport2004.pdf>
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