On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. This most American of holidays will be marked with typical festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues across the country. As we celebrate this Independence Day, we reflect on how our Founding Fathers enshrined the importance of statistics in our Constitution as a vital tool for measuring our people, places and economy.

Following are a few key statistics in honor of the Fourth of July, 2017.

56

The number of signers to the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston comprised the Committee of Five that drafted the declaration. Jefferson, regarded as the strongest and most eloquent writer, wrote most of the document.

2.5 million

In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.

323.1 million

The nation’s estimated population on July 4, 2016.

$368.6 million

The value of fireworks sales by retailers in 2012.

$5.4 million

The value of U.S. imports of American flags in 2016. The vast majority of this amount ($5.3 million) was imported from China.

For more key statistics, please visit the U.S. Census Bureau's Facts for Features issue the Fourth of July: 2017.