Looking for Love

* 188 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion. (This total excludes packaged kids valentines for classroom exchanges.) (Source: Hallmark research)
* Over 50 percent of all Valentine's Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the observance, making Valentine's Day a procrastinator's delight. (Source: Hallmark research)
* Research reveals that more than half of the U.S. population celebrates Valentine's Day by purchasing a greeting card. (Source: Hallmark research)
* There are 119 single men (i.e., never married, widowed or divorced) who are in their 20s for every 100 single women of the same ages. Corresponding numbers for the following race and ethnic groups are:
o Hispanics: 153 men per 100 women
o Asians (single race): 132 men per 100 women (This ratio is not significantly different from that for Hispanics or non-Hispanic whites.)
o Non-Hispanic whites (single race): 120 men per 100 women
o Blacks (single race): 92 men per 100 women (The numbers of black men and women in this age group are not significantly different from one another.)
* There are 34 single men (i.e., never married, widowed or divorced) age 65 or older for every 100 single women of the same ages. Corresponding numbers for the following race and ethnic groups are:
o Hispanics: 38 men per 100 women
o Non-Hispanic whites (single race): 33 men per 100 women
o Blacks (single race): 33 men per 100 women
o Asians (single race): 28 men per 100 women
o (Note: None of the ratios for the individual groups differ significantly from one another nor from the ratio for all people age 65 or older.)
* 904: The number of dating service establishments nationwide as of 2002. These establishments, which include Internet dating services, employed nearly 4,300 people and pulled in $489 million in revenues.