Fourth of July: $3.3 Million Spent on U.S. Flags Made in China

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation.

As always, this most American of holidays will be marked in with , despite the .

Population and Economics

2.5 million: In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation according to Census data.

313.9 million: The nation's estimated population on this July Fourth.

$107.1 billion: Dollar value of trade last year between the United States and the United Kingdom. Making the British our adversary in 1776, they are now our sixth-leading trading partner today.

$3.6 million: In 2011, the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags. The vast majority of this amount ($3.3 million) was for U.S. flags made in China.

$663,071: Dollar value of U.S. flags exported in 2011. Mexico was the leading customer, purchasing $80,349 worth according to the Census bureau.

Fireworks

$232.3 million: The value of fireworks imported from China in 2011, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($223.4 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $15.8 million in 2011, with Japan purchasing more than any other country ($4.5 million).

$231.8 million: The value of U.S. manufacturers' shipments of fireworks and pyrotechnics (including flares, igniters, etc.) in 2007.

Patriotic Pride

138: Ranking of the frequency of the surname of our first president, George Washington, among all last names tabulated in the 2000 Census. Other early presidential names that appear on the list, along with their ranking, were Adams (39), Jefferson (594), Madison (1,209) and Monroe (567).

In the United States, 31 muncipalities have "liberty" in their names. The most populous one as of April 1, 2010, is Liberty, Mo. (29,149) Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.

Eleven (11) places have “independence” in their names. The most populous one is Independence, Mo., with a population of 116,830.

Fourth of July Cookouts

More than 1 in 3: The chance that the hot dogs and pork sausages consumed on the Fourth of July originated in Iowa. The Hawkeye State was home to 19.7 million hogs and pigs on March 1, 2012. This estimate represents more than one-fourth of the nation’s estimated total. North Carolina (8.6 million) and Minnesota (7.6 million) were also homes to large numbers of pigs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

7.2 billion pounds: Total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2011. Chances are good that the beef hot dogs, steaks and burgers on your backyard grill came from the Lone Star State, which accounted for about one-sixth of the nation’s total production. And if the beef did not come from Texas, it very well may have come from Nebraska (4.6 billion pounds) or Kansas (4.0 billion pounds).

81 million: Number of Americans who said they have taketook part in a barbecue in 2010. It’s probably safe to assume a lot of these events took place on Independence Day.

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