Statistically Speaking

The first commercial Valentine’s Day cards in the U.S. were produced by Esther A. Howland in the 1840s, causing Americans to ask for the first time, “is Valentine’s Day about love or commercialism?” Today, the holiday still walks a fine line — so we’ve provided statistics on both:

Beats per minute of the average American's heart: 70

The average American's number of sexual partners: 10.7

Number of Valentine's Day cards exchanged annually: 180 million

Percentage of American women who have sent flowers to themselves on Valentine's Day: 15

Average amount of money American men plan to spend on Valentine's Day: $135.67

Average amount of money American women plan to spend on Valentine's Day: $68.64

American consumption of candy in 2005, per capita: 25.7 pounds