Average annual Valentine's Day spending, according to the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association survey: $13.19 million

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

Average number of roses produced for Valentine's Day: 196 million

Percentage of women who would end their relationship if they didn't get something for Valentine's Day: 53

Source: NRF.

Estimated number of firms in the U.S. making chocolate products, an industry worth $13.5 billion a year, according to the Census Bureau: 1,200

Estimated number of candy stores across the nation selling all forms of confections: 3,300

Average number of pounds of candy consumed by each American annually: 25

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who have reviewed a product or service who claim that they never bought, used or even tried the product, according to YouGov research: 21

Of these, percentage who said they did so because they "just felt like it": 32

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of American football fans (meaning they and/or their spouse/partner follow professional football) who reported that they gained weight during this football season, according to a survey conducted on behalf of Nutrisystem: 25

Average gain among those that have gained weight this football season: 10 pounds

Percentage who admitted they had gained 20 or more pounds: 16

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of Americans who had committed to a New Year's resolution who have already given up, according to the Sears and Kmart's New Year's resolution survey findings: 53

Ranks of exercising, eating healthier and losing weight on the list of the top broken resolutions: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of Americans who say they easily gave up on their New Year's resolutions because they are too hard to maintain on their own: 69

Source: Sears Holdings.

Percentage of Americans who agree that soup warms America's heart and should be the official meal of winter, according to The Snapware brand sponsored survey: 86

Ranks of a hot cup of soup, cuddling, putting on favorite PJs and taking a warm bath on the list of the best ways to warm up during the winter: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Zeno Group.

Number of times more frequently that women tweet about Valentine's Day than men and are more positive about the holiday, according to NM Incite (a Nielsen/McKinsey company): 2

Percentage of men's tweets about Valentine's Day that are positive: 10

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Number of job changes over a 10-year period it would take for a professional to be viewed as a job hopper, according to a survey of HR managers by Robert Half: 5

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of Americans who will be spending Valentine's Day with a movie, according to a survey by Redbox: 61

Percentage of respondents who would prefer a homemade meal on Valentine's Day: 37.7

Source: Redbox.

Ranks of restaurant gift cards, jewelry, clothing/apparel, flowers, chocolate and perfume/cologne on the list of most preferred gifts chosen by American adults for Valentine's Day, according to a survey by the National Restaurant Association: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: National Restaurant Association.

Idle Thought

"Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love." -- Claude Monet, painter

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Estimated total worth of real estate holdings of the world's billionaires, according to the Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2013: $169 billion

Average per billionaire this equates to: $78 billion

Average number of homes billionaires own, many of which are based in trophy cities such as London, New York and Paris: 4

Source: Wealth-X.

Percentage of American households who think it is an achievable goal to be debt-free at retirement, with only 30 percent stating they will be able to live comfortably in retirement, according to research from Mintel: 48

Percentage of U.S. consumers who state they are comfortable that they have enough set aside in a savings account for unexpected expenses: 25

Percentage (roughly 20 million households) who don't think they'll ever be debt-free: 17

Source: Mintel.

Number of cases of wine consumed in the United States annually, according to the Wine Institute and the Department of Commerce Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau: 330 million

Number of cases of wine consumed in France annually: 320.6 million

French population versus that of the U.S.: 65.7 million vs. 313.9 million

Source: Wine Institute.

Estimated average per capita income in America, according to the Census Bureau: $28,000

For family households, estimated median income: $64,000

Estimated number of personal financial advisers in the United States, helping Americans reach their goals and turn that income into more net worth: 175,000

Source: Census Bureau.

Ranks of Italy, England, Hawaii, Costa Rica and Mexico on the list of chart-toppers for families traveling in 2014, according to Virtuoso, the international network of luxury travel agencies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Within the U.S. travel market, ranks of New York, Maui, Napa Valley/Sonoma, Las Vegas and Hawaii's Big Island on the list of preferred destinations: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of exploring new destinations, rest and relaxation, seeking authentic experiences in new destinations, rediscovering previously visited destinations and personal enrichment on the list of the top reasons people will travel in 2014: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Virtuoso.

Percentage of adults who follow at least one sport who say professional football is their favorite sport, according to the results of a survey by Harris Interactive: 35

Percentage who say baseball is their favorite: 14

Rank of college football, auto racing and men's professional basketball on the list of favorite sports to watch: 3, 4, 5

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of workers who said their typical lunch break lasts 30 minutes or less, according to an OfficeTeam survey: 48

Percentage who admitted they work during lunch breaks: 29

Percentage who run errands: 25

Source: OfficeTeam.

Ranks of Bella, Max and Buddy on the list of the most popular names for dogs in 2013, according to Banfield Applied Research & Knowledge (BARK): 1, 2, 3

Ranks of Kitty, Bella and Tiger on the list of the most popular names for cats in 2013: 1, 2, 3

Source: Banfield Pet Hospital.

In tests in six major U.S. cities, percentage of gas pump and mail box handles that were highly contaminated, potentially exposing people to illness-causing bacteria, according to a study by Kimberly-Clark Professional: 65

Percentage of escalator rails and ATM machine buttons that were highly contaminated: 40

In hotel rooms, rank of TV remotes and bathroom sink faucets among the most contaminated surfaces: 1

Source: Kimberly-Clark Professional.

Percentage of Gen Y consumers (born between 1977 and 1994) who do not currently own or lease a vehicle because they cannot afford it, according to a Deloitte report on global mobility: 61

Percentage of respondents who said their lifestyle needs are met by walking or public transportation: 67

Source: Deloitte Public Relations.

Idle Thought

"Patience is also a form of action." -- Auguste Rodin, sculptor

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Average percentage more that last-minute planners will pay to stay in Manhattan hotels over the Super Bowl weekend than they would normally for the same room, according to a survey by Cheaphotels.org: 139

During Super Bowl XLVIII, rate for a night's stay at the Days Inn in North Bergen, N.J., just a few miles from the Super Bowl site at MetLife Stadium, and up from its normal rate of $125 per night: $1,300.

Source: Cheaphotels.org.

After a New Year's resolution peak lasting five days, percentage drop in diet searches by Jan. 6th, according to data from Experian: 30

Rank of Thanksgiving on the list of days with the lowest volume of diet searches: 1

Source: Experian Public Relations.

Year that the Green Bay Packers opened the Super Bowl era by defeating the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs behind the passing of Bart Starr, the receiving of Max McGee and a key interception by all-pro safety Willie Wood, according to NFL.com: 1967

Bonus per man collected by the Packers -- the largest single-game share in the history of team sports: $15,000

Bonus per man collected by the Chiefs: $7,500

Source: NFL.com.

Rank of Tom Hanks on the 2013 list of America's favorite movie stars, according to a survey by Harris Interactive: 1

Other years he has held the title: 2002, 2004 and 2005

Rank of Denzel Washington, last year's favorite movie star: 2

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of advertising executives who said they would jump at the chance to work on a high-profile campaign, according to a survey by The Creative Group: 74

Percentage of executives who admitted they would be overwhelmed by all the work: 10

Source: The Creative Group.

Percentage of employers who report they have problems attracting critical-skill employees, according to a Towers Watson study: 66

Percentage who say they have trouble attracting high-potential employees: 49

Percentage of respondents who say they have a hard time attracting top-performing employees: 48

Percentage of employers who have problems retaining critical-skill employees (with percentages trending upward the last four years): 41

Source: Towers Watson.

Percentage of top managers with children who say parenthood has been an obstacle to job advancement: 17

Percentage of other working parents who say parenthood has been an obstacle to job advancement: 33

Percentage of bosses who report they are very satisfied with their current job: 69

Percentage of workers who say the same: 48

Source: Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends.

Cost of a parking spot for cars at the Super Bowl, according to New York Daily News' Gary Myers: $150

Cost to park a bus: $350

Source: NY Daily News.

Percentage of Americans who expect to make more, save more and shop more in 2014, according to a survey conducted by RetailMeNot: 70

Despite the positive 2014 outlook, percentage of married individuals who carried $500 or more in debt into 2014: 19

Percentage of consumers who used credit cards (non-store or store-branded credit cards) to pay for their winter holiday gifts in 2013: 62

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Amount of charitable contributions shown on the average U.S. tax return, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: $4,300

Percentage of Americans who are involved in some kind of charitable work: 25

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Idle Thought

"Until you've lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is." -- Margaret Mitchell, novelist

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)