Searching for love: How people in different states celebrate Valentine's Day
In the countdown to Valentine's Day, people nationwide have been planning for a day of romance, treats and indulgence to show their love. Here's a look at some of the search trends and what they reveal about how Americans celebrate.
🍫 Chocolate: The sweetest way to say "I love you"
Chocolate is a special treat any time of the year and is definitely a hallmark of the most romantic day of the year.
"Chocolate fondue" and "chocolate covered strawberries" are the top trending recipes over the past day in the U.S., according to Google Search Trends data.
The CBS Data team looked at Yelp data on chocolate shops across the country. Even though it's one of the smaller states, Hawaii is the state with the highest rate per capita, with 22 chocolate shops per million people.
🌹 Flowers or chocolate 🍫
What's more classic for V-Day than chocolates and flowers? They're both popular this time of year, but one of them is being searched for more than the other 24 hours before the big day.
According to a CBS News Data Team analysis of Google Trends data, the U.S. is searching more for "flowers" than "chocolate" the day before Valentine's Day 2025.
It turns out that the U.S. is also searching for "flower delivery" more than "chocolate-covered fruit" on Valentine's Day eve.
Strawberries are the quintessential chocolate covered fruit, and Google search interest in "how to make chocolate covered strawberries" and "how to store chocolate covered strawberries" spikes annually during Valentine's Day week.
🍽️ Table for two
According to Yelp reservation data, 61% of diners made reservations for Valentine's Day within the week leading up to it. However, another 21% waited to make their reservations at the last minute.
🫶🏼 Celebrating singles
"Yelp users are seeking out restaurants that cater to solo diners," according to Yelp. From January 2024 to January 2025, Yelp searches for "solo dining" increased 14% and searches for "restaurants with bar seating" increased 21%.
Google Trends data reflects searchers looking forward to a day to celebrate themselves and their single life. Search interest in "Single's Day" — an event that got its start in China and became a major shopping occasion — spikes annually the week of the holiday, in November, in the U.S. However, a smaller spike in searches occurs the week of Valentine's Day.
Regardless of how you're celebrating Valentine's Day, spending it with someone you love and doing what you love sounds pretty sweet!
