1. **State the problem:** We need to find the pounds of chocolate eaten per capita in the U.S. given the total population and total chocolate consumption. 2. **Given data:** - Population = 317 million people = $317,000,000$ - Total chocolate consumption = 2.5 billion pounds = $2,500,000,000$ 3. **Formula:** $$\text{Chocolate per capita} = \frac{\text{Total chocolate consumption}}{\text{Population}}$$ 4. **Calculate:** $$\text{Chocolate per capita} = \frac{2,500,000,000}{317,000,000}$$ 5. **Simplify the fraction:** $$= \frac{\cancel{2,500,000,000}}{\cancel{317,000,000}} = \frac{2,500,000,000 \div 1,000,000}{317,000,000 \div 1,000,000} = \frac{2500}{317}$$ 6. **Divide:** $$\frac{2500}{317} \approx 7.886$$ 7. **Round to the nearest hundredth:** $$7.886 \approx 7.89$$ **Final answer:** Each American eats approximately **7.89 pounds** of chocolate per year.