Easter, by the numbers

ByJesse Kirsch WLS logo
Friday, April 14, 2017
Easter, by the numbers
Easter is about chocolate bunnies, Peeps, a meal with family and friends, and, of course, eggs. But how much of all these things actually gets sold each year?

Chicago, Ill. (WLS) -- Easter is all about chocolate bunnies, Peeps, a delicious meal with family and friends, and, of course, Easter eggs. But how much of all these things actually gets sold each year? The numbers may surprise you.

Just Born Quality Confections churns out 2 billion Peeps each year, and 1.5 billion of those goodies are just for Easter.

It would take a sweet string of over 87 million marshmallow chicks and bunnies to reach from New York City to Los Angeles, and 430 million to wrap around the moon. The Peeps sold just for Easter could circle the moon three and a half times!

Egg sales balloon 1.4 percent for Easter each year. In 2014, that meant the average household used five dozen eggs, according to the Credit American Egg Board/USDA.

But don't forget dinner! The National Pork Board calls Easter a top three ham holiday.

In 2016, people carved up four times more ham for Easter vs. the rest of the year: $206,442,125 dollars in sales for the five week period leading up to Easter.