American New Year’s Eve: 360 Million Glasses of Champagne, Babysitters Rake in $17 an Hour

The personal finance website WalletHub.com compiled a list of statistics on Americans celebrating New Year’s Eve across the land. 

It’s a good time of year from sparkling wine producers and babysitters. Some 360 million glasses of champagne are on tap for welcoming in 2019, and those watching kids while their parents party charge more than any other time of year: $17.88 an hour.

Here are some other fun facts from WalletHub:

• 65 percent of Americans make a New Year’s resolution

• 9.2 percent of American are successful in keeping their resolution

• The ball dropped in Times Square weighs as much as three pickup trucks

• 1.5 million tons of confetti will be dropped on Times Square

• Average highest NYE price tag — NYC — $1,160

Average cheapest NYE — Philly — $402

• 6.4 million are flying to their destination

• 97.4 million Americans will drive to their destination

• NYE is the favorite holiday for 41 percent of Americans. (78 percent picked Christmas)

• 12 percent of Americans fall asleep before midnight on NYE

• 48 percent of parents plan to count down the last ten seconds of 2018 by 9:00 p.m.

• Three percent of Americans don’t plan to celebrate New Year’s Eve.

• 15 percent of Americans plan to attend a public event or go to parties.

• 45 percent of Americans plant to celebrate NYE with family

• 24 percent of Americans plan to celebrate NYE at home.

• 83 percent of Americans spend less than $200 on New Year’s Eve celebrations

WalletHub also provided a few facts about NYE celebrations in other places, including culinary customs: “Lentils (Brazil and Italy), suckling pig (Austria), and grapes (Spain). Others get a bit more creative. The Danish, for example, smash broken china on friends’ front doors, supposedly as a sign of affection.”

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