■ Holiday birthday: Oregon celebrates its 167th statehood anniversary on Feb. 14.
■ Researchers from InvestorsObserver compared the most popular gifts and their costs in 2016 and 2026, and found that champagne dropped off the list, while a full celebration now costs $774.39, up 51% from $512 in 2016.
■ In 2016, the most popular Valentine’s gifts were a box of chocolates, diamond earrings, a dozen roses, dinner for two, and a bottle of champagne, totaling $512.03 for the full package.
■ In the gift lineup, a bottle of champagne (priced at $51.54 in 2016) has been swapped out for a greeting card (averaging $7.19 in 2026).
■ In 2026, the most popular Valentine’s gifts are a greeting card, a box of chocolates, diamond earrings, a dozen roses, and dinner for two, totaling $774.39 for the full package – $262.36 more than the top gifts of 2016.
■ A box of chocolates has the biggest price jump – more than tripling from $15.11 to $50.70.
■ The second biggest price jump: dinner for two more than doubled, rising from $80.46 to $209.
■ In 2010, the median age at first marriage in the U.S. was about 29 for men and 27 for women. … In 2024, those ages were 31 for men and 29 for women.
■ 50% of people 15 and older in the U.S. had been married once; 12% had been married twice; 3% had been married three or more times; 35% have never been married
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 County Business Patterns, International Trade Statistics, 2024 American Community Survey, and Vintage 2024 Population Estimates.
