Christmas Trees By The Numbers: Real vs Fake

Despite their great looks and smell, some Americans are starting to associate real Christmas trees with unnecessary work and hassle. Vacuuming all of those loose needles and disposing of the brown behemoth are chores you don't have to deal with when you buy a fake tree made out of polyvinyl chloride.

More and more people are willing to sacrifice the advantages of the real deal for the one off purchase of something a little less exciting but also a little less stressful. It's no surprise that 14.7 million fake trees were sold in the United States last year, despite their high price tag of $81 on average. In comparison, 33 million real trees were sold at an average price of $35 each in 2013. Even though more real trees were sold last year, the retail value of fakes was stronger, at $1.19 billion compared to $1.16 billion for real trees.