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Facts About the Fourth of July
from
the U.S. Census Bureau - July 2, 2005
Printable
PDF Version (93k) |
The Fourth of July 2005
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. |
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296.5
million
Projected number of U.S. residents on this July 4th. Back in
July 1776, there were about 2.5 million people living in the
colonies. (2005 population from unpublished data; 1776
population from Historical Statistics of the United
States: Colonial Times to 1970.)
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Fireworks
$164.2
million
The
value of fireworks imported from China in 2004,
representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imports ($172.5
million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to
just $14.3 million in 2004, with Japan purchasing more than
any other country ($4.7 million).
$17.3
million
The
value of U.S. manufacturers’ shipments of fireworks in 2002
[PDF]. |
Patriotic-Sounding Places
30
Number of places nationwide with “liberty” in their name.
The most populous one is Liberty, Mo. (27,982). Iowa, with
four, has more of these places than any other state:
Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.
- Eleven places have “independence” in their name. The
most populous of these is Independence, Mo., with
112,079 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 196.
- 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 22,876.
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Flags
$5.2
million
The
dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags in 2004;
the vast majority of this amount ($4.8 million) was for U.S.
flags made in China.
$851,000
Dollar value of U.S. flag exports in 2004. Mexico was
the leading customer, purchasing $312,000 worth.
$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 [PDF]. |
The Fourth of July Cookout
150
million
Number of hot dogs (all varieties) expected to be consumed
by Americans on the Fourth. (That’s one frankfurter for
every two people.) There’s about a 1-in-4 chance that the
hot dogs made of pork originated in Iowa, as the Hawkeye
State had a total inventory of 16.2 million hogs and pigs on
March 1, 2005. This represents more than one-fourth of the
nation’s total. (Data on hot dog consumption courtesy of the
National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.) Data on hogs and pigs
at <http://www.usda.gov/nass/>.
7.3
billion pounds
Total production of
cattle and calves in Texas in 2004. Chances are 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.
6
Number of states in which the
revenue from chicken broilers was $1 billion or greater
in 2004. 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.
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
58 percent of the nation’s dry, edible beans in 2004.
Another popular July 4th side dish is
corn on the cob. California and Florida together
accounted for about 45 percent of the value of sweet corn
produced nationally in 2004.
One-half
Amount of the
nation’s spuds produced in Idaho or Washington in 2004.
Potato salad and potato chips are also popular food items at
July 4th barbecues.
Nearly
69
million
Number of
Americans who said they have taken part in a barbecue
[PDF] during the previous year. It’s probably safe to assume
a lot of these events took place on Independence Day. |
Coming to America
34
million
The number of
foreign-born residents in the United States in 2004;
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.
53%
Percentage of the nation’s
foreign-born population born in Latin America, as of
2004.
706,000
Number of
immigrants granted legal permanent residence in the
United States during fiscal year 2003. One in four settled
in California, and 1-in-10 in the New York metro area.
463,000
Number of
people who became naturalized U.S. citizens during fiscal
2003 [PDF]. Mexico contributed the highest number of
naturalized citizens in 2003 (56,100), followed by India
(29,800), the Philippines (29,100), Vietnam (26,000) and
China (24,000). |
 |
Individual source links for
each statement herein may be accessed on the Internet at
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/004772.html>.
Editor’s note: Some of the preceding data
were collected in surveys and, therefore, are subject to
sampling error. Questions or comments should be directed to
the Census Bureau’s Public Information Office at (301)
763-3030; fax (301) 457-3670; or e-mail <pio@census.gov>.
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau |
Public Information Office | (301) 763-3030
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