Each year on our blogiversary we take a moment to look back and sum up what Young House Love looks like by the numbers. This tradition pairs well with this morning’s pie charts, and gives a snapshot of milestones, surprises, and the small details that make this project feel like home. Some figures are impressive, some are unexpected, and some are just plain fun. For historical context, we include links to previous by-the-numbers posts from 2010, 2009 and 2008 below.
2,014 – The total number of published posts on Young House Love to date (Last year: 1,527). That tally reflects years of projects, stories, and how-to posts that make up the archive.
16 – The number of posts published on Young House Life so far—clearly more content is on the way over there.
570,314 – The total number of comments readers have left. This more than doubles last year’s total of 258,904, showing how much the conversation around the blog has grown in the last 12 months.
38,754 – Responses we’ve posted to comments, which is over three times last year’s number (13,039). Engaging with readers is one of the most rewarding parts of running the site.
9 – The number of months we’ve lived in our new house, which continues to fuel home projects and inspiration for the blog.
21.5 – Clara’s weight in pounds (up from 14 lbs last year). She’s long and lean—think string bean—with lots of personality to match.
8.5 – Burger’s weight in pounds, up from 8 lbs last year.
210,460 – The most blog hits we recorded in a single day, according to WordPress.com stats—the day our Washington Post feature published. For comparison, last year’s busiest day was 97,024 hits.
4,048,011 – The total number of blog hits we received last month—an eye-opening increase from last year’s 2,144,976.
68,164,565 – Total blog hits to date, nearly double last year’s number of 36,698,957. It’s humbling to see how readership has grown over time.
4 – How many times we’ve driven past our old house to check on it (including once after Hurricane Irene—luckily it was fine).
1 – The single time we accidentally turned down our old street when we meant to go to the new house. Considering the two houses are only a mile apart, we’ll call that a small victory.
150 – Total mood boards featured in our Mood Board Gallery, a creative resource for decor ideas and inspiration.
146 – Total weekly giveaways we’ve hosted since starting them in November 2008, a reader-requested tradition that’s turned into a fun regular feature.
35 – Average number of posts we publish per month, a reflection of how much content we produce to keep the blog fresh and helpful.
3 – The number of soda-themed shirts John owns (yes, he owns other shirts, but the soda ones seem to appear in photos most often).
12 – Clara’s current repertoire of animal sounds: cow, horse, sheep, goat, cat, dog, owl, chicken, lion, duck, monkey, and even a sloth impression—she’ll sneak around saying “slowly, slowly.”
2,405 – Average number of words written per post. We tend to be chatty, and apparently that translates into long, detailed posts.
19,204 – Average number of words written per week across the blog—admittedly a fairly staggering amount of content.
648 – Total number of projects linked on our Projects page (we still have around 50 more to add when we tackle that part of our to-do list).
58 – Photos of Clara taken for her photo project (52 weekly shots, five monthly photos, plus one for her birthday card).
230,652 – Number of Pinterest followers. This number continues to amaze us and shows how much the community values visual inspiration.
22 – Steps from our bed to our desk in the new house (in our old house it was seven, so posting from the bed is no longer a risk).
6:30 – The time we’ll be participating in a local panel called “Hobby to Business: Making A Living Doing What You Love.” It’s a fitting event for blogiversary week—no payment involved, just a fun chance to share and learn.
There you have it: the year’s stats, laid out as a snapshot of where the blog stands right now. Do you keep track of little things in your life—like steps between rooms or how often you drive by an old house? We’d love to hear which small details you count. And yes, Clara’s “slowly, slowly” sloth impression really is as cute as it sounds; we’ll try to capture it on video soon.
Looking for past by-the-numbers posts? Check out our previous blogiversary roundups from 2010, 2009, and 2008.