Approximately 145 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged in the United States alone each year, making it the second-largest card-sending holiday after Christmas.
145 Million Valentine's Cards Sent Every Year in the U.S.
Every February 14th, Americans engage in a ritual that would make medieval monks weep with joy—the mass exchange of approximately 145 million greeting cards. That's enough valentines to give one to every person in Russia, with a few million left over for good measure.
This staggering number makes Valentine's Day the second-largest card-sending holiday in the United States, trailing only behind the juggernaut that is Christmas. But while Christmas cards might carry news of the family and awkward photo collages, Valentine's cards carry something far more loaded: expectations.
The Paper Love Industry
The greeting card industry has turned February 14th into an art form—and a goldmine. According to the Greeting Card Association, Americans purchase roughly 6.5 billion greeting cards annually, and Valentine's Day claims a massive slice of that paper pie.
What's particularly fascinating is who's doing the sending:
- Teachers account for a huge portion, thanks to classroom exchanges
- Women purchase approximately 80% of all greeting cards
- Pet owners increasingly buy cards "from" their pets—roughly 9 million Valentine's cards are exchanged for pets each year
Why Paper Still Beats Pixels
In an age where a text takes two seconds and an email costs nothing, why do millions still reach for cardstock and envelopes? Psychologists point to the tangibility factor—a physical card represents time, thought, and effort in a way a digital message simply cannot replicate.
There's also the permanence. That shoebox of old Valentine's cards in your closet? It's not just clutter. It's a physical archive of affection that no cloud storage can truly match.
A Medieval Invention Gone Mainstream
The tradition of exchanging written valentines dates back to the 15th century. The oldest known valentine still in existence was written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He called her his "very gentle Valentine"—a phrase that greeting card companies have been essentially riffing on for six centuries.
Mass-produced Valentine's cards didn't appear until the 1840s, when Esther Howland of Massachusetts began creating elaborate cards with lace, ribbons, and colorful pictures. She's often called the "Mother of the American Valentine," and she built a business earning $100,000 annually—equivalent to about $3.5 million today.
The Surprising Economics
The average American spends about $5.50 per card, though premium cards can run $10 or more. When you multiply that across 145 million cards, you're looking at an industry segment worth nearly $800 million—just for the cards themselves, not counting the chocolate, flowers, and jewelry that accompany them.
Perhaps most surprising? Handmade cards are making a comeback. Pinterest reports that searches for "DIY Valentine's cards" spike by over 400% each January, suggesting that even in our mass-produced world, people crave personal touches.
So the next time you scribble "Be Mine" on a folded piece of cardstock, remember: you're participating in a tradition that moves more paper than most small countries produce in a year.