Monday, August 16, 2010

Back to School from the Census Bureau...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- By August, summertime will be winding down and vacations will be coming to an end, signaling that back-to-school time is near. It's a time that many children eagerly anticipate -- catching up with old friends, making new ones and settling into a new daily routine. Parents and children alike scan the newspapers and websites looking for sales to shop for a multitude of school supplies and the latest clothing fads and essentials. This edition of Facts for Features highlights the many statistics associated with the return to classrooms by our nation's students and teachers.

Back-to-School Shopping    $7.2 billion 

The amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2009. Only in December were sales significantly higher. Similarly, sales at bookstores in August 2009 totaled $2.5 billion, an amount approached in 2009 only by sales in January.

Source: Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services http://www.census.gov/mrts/www/mrts.html

For back-to-school shopping, choices of retail establishments abound: In 2007, there were 27,326 family clothing stores, 7,036 children and infants clothing stores, 27,213 shoe stores, 9,754 office supply and stationery stores, 23,756 sporting goods stores, 10,635 bookstores and 10,116 department stores.

Source: County Business Patterns: 2007 http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/    Students    76 million 

The number of children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country in October 2008 -- from nursery school to college. They comprised 27 percent of the entire population 3 and older.

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