A celebration of the Red, White and Blue.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: As the United States of America gears up for its biggest holiday of the year – July 4, or Independence Day – it’s as good a time as any to remember just what goes into a true celebration of the red, white, and blue.
We all associate fireworks, barbeques, and family with July 4, and in light of those three cornerstones of the holiday, the US Census Bureau has released an interesting set of statistics that details the real numbers behind America’s biggest annual celebration.
Here’s a look at some of the numbers behind America’s Independence Day:
- · 2.5 million – the estimated population of the 13 US colonies at the time that the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776.
-  318.4 million – the estimated population of the US on July 4, 2014, which represents an increase of 315.9 million, or 12,636%.
-  $203.6 million – the valuation of fireworks that the US imported from China in 2013, which is the vast majority of total US fireworks imports from all sources last year ($213.8 million).
-  $4.0 million – the value of foreign-made American flags imported in 2013.
-  $3.9 million – the number of foreign-made American flags imported from China in 2013.
-  $781,222 – the value of exported American flags in 2013; $160,000 worth went to the Dominican Republic, making it the leading recipient.
- · 7.4 million – the number of businesses with paid employees currently in the US
- · 1 million – the number of business described above who are in the retail sector.
- · 6.1 billion – the amount, in pounds, of cattle and calves in Texas during last year.
- · 1/6 – the odds that the beef product you eat during July 4 (if you eat beef, that is) comes from the state of Texas.
-  62.9 million – the number of hogs and pigs in the US as of March 1, 2014.
- · 1/3 – roughly the odds that if you eat a hot dog or pork product over the weekend, it came from the state of Iowa.
-  70 – the age of Benjamin Franklin, who was the oldest man to sign the Declaration of Independence. He represented Pennsylvania at the Continental Congress, and is one of the most well-known Founding Fathers.
- · 2 – the number of future US Presidents who signed the Declaration of Independence: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, who were the second and third President of the United States, respectively.