Valentine’s Day By the Numbers

We know lots of chocolate, flowers and cards are bought for Valentine’s Day, but just how much? Here’s a look at the numbers.

$448 million
Spent on candy the week before Valentine’s

150 million
Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion.

Roses from Freeman’s Flowers in Franklin

3%
The percentage of people who will give Valentine’s Day gifts to their pets, according to retail statistics.

1537
The year England’s King Henry VII officially declared Feb. 14 the holiday of St. Valentine’s Day.

Late 1800s
When Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day.

More than 35 million
The number of heart-shaped boxes of chocolate that will be sold for Valentine’s Day.

61%
Percentage of men who buy flowers for Valentine’s Day.

39%
Percentage of women who buy flowers for Valentine’s Day.

189 million
Stems of roses sold in the U.S. on Valentine’s Day.

220,000
The average number of wedding proposals on Valentine’s Day each year.

1,000
The number of letters addressed to Juliet in the Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s lovers Romeo and Juliet lived.