The 2022 Holiday Season

This holiday season is a time to celebrate, reflect, exchange gifts and give thanks. To commemorate this time of year, the U.S. Census Bureau presents the following holiday-related facts and figures from its vast collection of statistics.

The following facts are made possible by the invaluable responses to the Census Bureau’s surveys, which continuously measure America’s people, places, and economy.

Did You Know?

$17.1 billion - The estimated retail sales for the nation’s department stores in December 2021, an increase of 17.8% from $14.5 billion in December 2020. Source: Monthly Retail Trade Survey

13.3% - The estimated percentage that December sales accounted for of total hobby, toy and game store sales in 2021. Source: Monthly Retail Trade Survey

$113.9 billion - The estimated value of retail sales by electronic shopping and mail-order houses in December 2021, the highest estimated total for any month last year. Source: Monthly Retail Trade Survey

$58.6 billion - The fourth quarter 2021 seasonally adjusted after-tax profits for retail trade corporations with assets of $50 million and over, up $11.9 billion from the third quarter of 2021. Source: Quarterly Financial Report  

$2.9 billion - The value of U.S. imports of Christmas decorations from China for 2021. China led the way with 91.3% of the U.S. total imports of Christmas decorations. Source: International Trade Statistics, Harmonized System Codes 9505.10 (Christmas decorations)  www.census.gov/trade 

$550.3 million - The value of U.S. imports of Christmas tree lights for 2021. Cambodia led the way with 61.9% of the total U.S. imports of Christmas tree lights.  

Source: International Trade Statistics, Harmonized System Code 9405.30 (Lighting sets of any kind used for Christmas Trees) Source: International Trade Statistics, Harmonized System Code 9405.30 (Lighting sets of any kind used for Christmas Trees)  www.census.gov/trade 

489 establishments - The number of ​employer establishments nationwide that primarily produced dolls, toys and games in 2020, a decrease of 26 establishments from 2019 (515 establishments); they employed 5,800 workers in the pay period including March 12, a decrease of 468 employees from 2019 (6,268 employees). California led the nation with 85 establishments in 2020. Source: County Business Patterns 2020: https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=CBP2020.CB2000CBP&g=0100000US,%240400000&n=339930&tid=CBP2020.CB2000CBP

$1.09 billion - The value of U.S. imports of tapered candles in 2021. Most of these came from Vietnam, representing more than 53.48% of America’s imported tapered candles, followed by Canada with 16.99%. Source: International Trade Statistics, Harmonized System Code 3406 (Candles, tapers, and the like) 

Holiday Names

There are many holiday-sounding places in the United States. For example, more than a dozen areas have Holly in their names, including Holly Pond, Ala. (857); Holly Grove, Ark. (451); Holly, Colo. (840); Holly Hill, Fla. (13,021); Holly Springs, Ga. (17,473); Holly Village, Mich. (5,958); Holly Springs, Miss. (6,565); Mount Holly, N.C. (population 17,966); and Holiday Hills, Ill. (617).

There’s also Snowflake, Ariz. (6,364); Santa Claus, Ind. (2,579); North Pole, Alaska (2,285); Noel, Mo. (2,125); Joy, Ill. (364); and — if you know about reindeer — Dasher, Ga. (894), and Rudolph, Wis. (436). There is also Unity, Ore. (42), and Garland, Texas (242,035). Source: 2021 Vintage Population Estimates

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