From the Census Department, here are some resources for the The Fourth of July coverage:
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.
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.
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.
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 (2005 population from unpublished data; 1776 population from Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970.)
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.)
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, 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 4 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 4 barbecues.
Nearly 69 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.
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.
thanks to poynter.org for this info
posted by Toni