Approximately 1 billion Valentine's cards are exchanged each year when including school classroom exchanges, making Valentine's Day the second-largest card-sending occasion after Christmas.
1 Billion Valentine's Cards Sent Each Year
Every February 14th, a staggering 1 billion Valentine's cards change hands across America. That puts Valentine's Day firmly in second place for card-sending holidays, trailing only Christmas—which sees about 1.5 billion cards sent annually.
But here's the thing: that billion-card figure tells a more interesting story than you might think.
The Classroom Valentine Effect
The U.S. Greeting Card Association breaks down the numbers more precisely. About 145 million Valentine's Day cards are purchased from stores and sent through traditional channels—given to romantic partners, family members, and friends. That's already impressive, representing the second-largest greeting card occasion of the year.
But when you add in those small paper valentines that elementary school kids hand out to every classmate, the total skyrockets to around a billion. Remember making your list, carefully writing each classmate's name, and dropping cards into decorated shoeboxes? You were part of one of America's biggest annual traditions.
Who Gets the Most Love?
Here's a surprising twist: teachers receive more Valentine's cards than anyone else. When you've got 20-30 kids in a classroom, and each one brings a card for their teacher, it adds up fast. After teachers, the top recipients are:
- Children (from parents, grandparents, and relatives)
- Mothers (yes, moms get Valentine's cards too)
- Romantic partners (wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends)
The Economics of Love
Americans spent approximately $1.4 billion on greeting cards for Valentine's Day 2025. That's just the cards themselves—total Valentine's spending hit a record $27.5 billion, covering everything from flowers and chocolate to jewelry and romantic dinners.
The tradition has deep commercial roots. Hallmark Cards produced their first Valentine's card back in 1913, helping transform a religious feast day into the greeting card holiday it's become today.
Christmas Still Reigns Supreme
While Valentine's Day claims an impressive second place, Christmas dominates the card-sending landscape with about 60% of all holiday card sales. In fact, more Christmas cards are sent each year than every other holiday combined.
Still, that doesn't diminish Valentine's Day's cultural impact. Whether it's a heartfelt romantic card, a funny one for a friend, or a superhero-themed classroom valentine, those billion cards represent connections made, affection expressed, and—for one day each year—love celebrated in paper form.