Last year, $112.4 billion worth of trade passed between the United States and the United Kingdom, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Foreign Trade Statistics. That makes the British — our adversary in 1776 — our sixth-leading trading partner today.

This Saturday commemorates the day when, in 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation.

At the time, there were 2.5 million people living in the newly independent nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970. Today, the nation's population is nearly 307 million.

As always across the country, this most American of holidays will be marked by a Saturday spent with family and friends, flags and fireworks, and a heck of a lot of food.

According to the 2009 Independence Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF), more Americans will celebrate the Fourth of July holiday this year than last year, probably due in no small part to the holiday falling on a Saturday.

Here are some other July 4th-related facts and figures we think are particularly interesting.

TRAVEL

37.1 Million
Number of travelers expected to take a trip of 50 or more miles away from home this holiday weekend — a 1.9 percent decrease from 2008
Source: American Automobile Association (AAA) / IHS Global Insight

$1,160
Fourth of July travelers expect to spend approximately this much per household this holiday weekend: Transportation and accommodations will account for about half of trip spending; food and beverage absorbs another 20 percent of the holiday budget; and shopping, entertainment and recreation will account for the remaining 30 percent of spending on average.
Source: AAA / IHS Global Insight

STARS AND STRIPES, HERE AND ELSEWHERE

58 Million
Number of Americans who own Independence Day decorations
Source: NRF's 2009 Independence Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

14%
Percentage of consumers who planned to purchase patriotic merchandise last month
Source: NRF's 2009 Independence Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

121 Million
Number of Americans who own an American flag
Source: NRF's 2009 Independence Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

$3.4 Million
Value of U.S. imports of American flags in 2008, the vast majority of which ($3 million) was for U.S. flags made in China
Source: Foreign Trade Statistics

$569,400
Value of U.S. flags exported in 2008, with leading customer Belgium purchasing $186,400 worth
Source: Foreign Trade Statistics

$349.2 Million
Annual value of shipments of fabricated flags, banners and similar emblems by the nation's manufacturers, according to the latest published economic census data
Source: 2002 U.S. Economic Census

BRILLIANT COLORS, BOMBASTIC SOUNDS

42.7%
Percentage of people expected to attend local fireworks or community celebrations, compared with 40.2 percent last year
Source: NRF's 2009 Independence Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

11.5%
Percentage of people expected to attend a parade
Source: NRF's 2009 Independence Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

$17.3 Billion
Value of U.S. manufacturers' fireworks shipments in 2002
Source: 2002 U.S. Economic Census

$28.1 Million
Value of fireworks exported by the U.S. in 2008, with Australia purchasing more than any other country ($5.8 million)
Source: Foreign Trade Statistics

$193 Million
Value of fireworks imported from China in 2008 — down from $207 million in 2007 — representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($202 million)
Source: Foreign Trade Statistics

7
Number of reported fireworks-related deaths in 2008 (down from 11 in 2007), with an estimated 7,000 total hospital emergency room-treated injuries last year
Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

HEAT, MEAT AND HOTDOG SEASON

78 Million
Number of Americans who said they took part in a barbecue during the previous year, many of them likely having taken place on Independence Day
Source: 2009 Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (Table 1200)

144 Million
Number of Americans expected to host or attend a cookout, barbecue or picnic this weekend, or 62.6 of the country, compared to 139 million (61.2 percent) in 2008
Source: NRF's 2009 Independence Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey

150 Million
Number of hot dogs Americans will enjoy on Independence Day alone
Source: National Hot Dog and Sausage Council

7 Billion
Number of hot dogs Americans typically consume during "hot dog season" — Memorial Day to Labor Day — or 818 hot dogs per second
Source: National Hot Dog and Sausage Council

More Than 1 in 4
Chance that the hot dogs and pork sausages consumed this Saturday originated in Iowa, as the Hawkeye State was home to 19.3 million hogs and pigs on March 1, 2009, representing more than one-fourth of the nation's total; followed by North Carolina (9.4 million) and Minnesota (7.3 million)
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service

6.8 Billion Lbs.
Total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2007 — so 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; followed by Nebraska (4.7 billion lbs.) and Kansas (4.1 billion lbs.)
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

About 4 in 10
The odds that your side dish of baked beans originated from North Dakota, which produced 39 percent of the nation's dry, edible beans in 2008. Another popular Fourth of July side dish is corn on the cob. Florida, California, Georgia and New York together accounted for 61 percent of the sweet corn produced nationally in 2008.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

1/2
Proportion of U.S. spuds — which will be eaten as potato salad and potatoes chips at July 4th barbecues — produced in Idaho and Washington last year
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

861 Million Lbs.
Total production of watermelon produced last year in Florida, the leading producer of the popular fruit; followed by California, Texas and Georgia, each with more than 500 million lbs.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service

We'll be back next week with our regularly scheduled publications. Until then, from the entire IMT staff, we wish you and your loved ones a Safe and Happy July 4th.