Approximately 250 million roses are sold in the United States for Valentine's Day each year, with red roses accounting for the vast majority of purchases.
250 Million Roses Sold Every Valentine's Day in the U.S.
Every February, the United States transforms into a nation obsessed with roses. Roughly 250 million stems flood flower shops, grocery stores, and doorsteps in the days leading up to Valentine's Day—enough roses to give one to every adult in America.
And yes, the overwhelming majority are red.
Where Do All These Roses Come From?
Here's the twist: most Valentine's roses aren't American-grown. About 80% are imported from Colombia and Ecuador, where high-altitude farms near the equator produce stems with larger blooms and longer vase life than domestic varieties.
The logistics are staggering. In the weeks before Valentine's Day, cargo planes packed exclusively with roses shuttle between South American farms and Miami International Airport—the gateway for imported flowers. From there, refrigerated trucks fan out across the country in a carefully choreographed cold chain designed to keep those blooms fresh.
Why Red?
Red roses weren't always the default Valentine's flower. Their association with romantic love traces back to Victorian England, when people communicated through "floriography"—the language of flowers. A red rose specifically meant deep romantic love, while other colors carried different messages (yellow for friendship, white for purity).
Today, that symbolism is so deeply embedded that red roses account for nearly 70% of all Valentine's rose sales. Pink comes in a distant second.
The Price Surge Is Real
If you've ever noticed rose prices spike dramatically in February, you're not imagining it. Valentine's Day creates such intense demand that prices can jump 50-100% above normal retail. Florists often pre-order their Valentine's inventory months in advance, and even then, premium long-stemmed reds can be hard to source.
- A dozen red roses averages $50-80 at florists during Valentine's week
- The same arrangement might cost $25-40 in March
- Grocery store roses offer significant savings but typically have shorter stems
A $2 Billion Tradition
The Valentine's Day flower industry—roses included—generates over $2 billion in U.S. sales during the holiday period. It's the single biggest event of the year for florists, surpassing even Mother's Day.
What makes it remarkable is the concentration: roughly one-third of annual rose sales happen in a single two-week window. That's an entire industry essentially holding its breath for 14 days each February.
So the next time you see those roses wrapped in cellophane at the checkout counter, remember—they probably traveled 3,000 miles by plane and truck, competed with 249,999,999 other stems for your attention, and represent a tradition that's been building since Queen Victoria's era.
Not bad for something that'll sit in a vase for a week.