When this country was born in July 1776, an estimated 2.5 million people were living here.

This year, on the Fourth of July, an estimated 313.9 million people are living in these United States.

That makes 311.4 million more people invited to the birthday party, 311.4 million more people celebrating our independence, 311.4 million more people embracing this land of the free and home of the brave.

When the Continental Congress voted for independence 236 years ago, colonists stitched American flags in their parlors. Today, we support a $3.6 million annual U.S. import business of American flags. Nearly all — $3.3 million — is for U.S. flags made in China, according to U.S. Census figures on foreign trade.

The largest import of American flags was $51.7 million in 2001, which can be tied directly to 9/11 and our fierce, collective patriotism. The market dropped to $7.9 million in flag imports in 2002, and has steadily dropped to the current market.

Americans do make some American flags and, last year, we exported $663,071 worth of flags. Our biggest customer? Mexico. Customers there bought $80,349 worth of our flags. That’s downright neighborly.

There is a far, far bigger market for American emblems, banners and “fabricated” flags, or flag decorations. According to the 2009 Economic Census — the latest year statistics are available for these items — we shipped $301.5 million worth of these materials to customers around the world.

That’s less than in 2008, but $29.5 million more than a decade ago.

The American flag — an international symbol of independence — is big business.

A bigger business is the market for fireworks.

Last year, according to Census figures, we imported $232.3 million worth of fireworks (mostly from China) and exported $15.8 million worth of fireworks (mostly to Australia).

The market for flares, igniters, sparklers, etc. is another $231.8 million, which is $87.2 million fewer dollars than U.S. residents, so somewhere in this country people are not lighting sparklers in the backyard.

When it comes to commerce, the British seemed to have forgiven our revolutionary effrontery, engaging in $107.1 billion in trade with us last year. That makes the United Kingdom — our former ruler — now our sixth-leading trading partner.

Serving up hot dogs on the Fourth? You can thank a Hawkeye for starting that tradition.

The tradition started in Iowa, where 19.7 million hogs and pigs were raised last year. That’s a lot of pork.

Prefer an all-beef dog? Or perhaps a burger? Texas produces one-sixth of the nation’s 7.2 billion pounds of beef, followed by Nebraska and Kansas.

Or, for those who prefer barbecued chicken, Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas all produced more than $1 billion worth of chicken last year. Wings, anyone?

And, no Fourth of July picnic would be complete without potato salad.

Half of the nation’s spuds are produced in Idaho and Washington State, according to the Census. Maine — once the nation’s top potato producer — is now one of the top seven potato-producing states, planting 57,000 acres, with a yield of 265 roots per acre last year.

What happens to those potatoes?

Forty-five percent become french fries, 25 percent are used for seed along the East Coast, 20 percent become potato chips and the remaining 10 percent, specialty varieties, are sold in the raw for home and restaurant service, according to the Maine Potato Board.

Add a slice of apple pie to the picnic, and you’re contributing to Maine’s 738,000-bushel apple industry.

That’s the sweet taste of local jobs.

A lot of cities and towns in our country have patriotic names, including Independence, Mo., and Freedom and Liberty, Maine.

There’s only one Patriot. It’s in Indiana; population, 207.

Today we celebrate all patriots. We celebrate independence. Freedom. Food and family.

Happy Birthday, everyone.

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The opinions expressed in this column reflect the views of the ownership and editorial board.