‘Tis the season to be jolly! Yes, we may agree that the holiday season brings tons of happiness and tranquility into people’s lives, but our wallets sure don’t look forward to it. These holiday spending statistics will reveal the financial reality of some of the most cherished holidays — Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a couple of more.
No matter whether you are planning to buy a romantic gift for your significant other or for yourself, we believe it is important to know what the statistics on spending for holidays look like. After finishing this article, you will be able to make wiser, more self-aware decisions about your money. So, let’s see these numbers.
Top 10 Featured Holiday Spending Statistics
- 39% of Americans planned to purchase flowers for Easter.
- $151 is the average planned spending among Americans celebrating Easter.
- In total, US citizens expected to spend $8.8 billion during Halloween in 2019.
- On average, couples (and singles!) planned to spend $196 on Valentine’s Day in 2020.
- Men are likely to spend approximately $340 on Valentine’s Day gifts, while women are more likely to spend a mere $64, according to holiday shopping statistics.
- $4.4 billion is the amount spent online by Americans on Thanksgiving in 2019.
- An average of $846 was expected to be spent on Christmas presents in 2019.
- 93.4% of American shoppers planned to purchase Christmas presents in 2019.
- 41.9% of Americans spent more on Christmas in 2019 because they were drawn to store offers and sales.
- During holidays, the average spending for a typical African American is $77 on Kwanzaa gift shopping.
Easter Holiday Spending Stats
1. During the Easter holiday, Americans spend the most money on food.
(Statista)
People in the United States love to spend money on food during Easter. We understand this tendency, as there is nothing as cozy as sharing a warm, comforting meal with someone you love. According to the holiday spending statistics, Americans spend nearly $50 per capita on food. This figure is slightly higher in 2020 than in 2019, when it was $47.97. When it comes to presents for those dearest, Americans planned to spend a mere $27.29 this year.
2. According to Easter candy sales statistics, Americans planned to spend approximately 2.5 billion on sweets in 2019.
(Statista)
Overall, most sweets are sold during Easter. These statistics reveal a small drop in the sales of sweets from 2017 and 2018 when consumers in America planned to splurge 2.58 billion and up to 2.63 billion on sweets for Easter.
3. 39% of Americans planned to purchase flowers for Easter, according to spending trends.
(EasterEggHuntsAndEasterEvents)
Flowers can be used as a stunning way to decorate one’s home around the holiday season, but also as a romantic gift for a spouse or a partner. Overall, stats from a 2017/2018 survey show that the average amount Americans planned to spend on flowers for Easter was $9.49.
4. $151 is the average planned spending among Americans celebrating Easter.
(NRF)
Also, 31% of Americans are inspired to shop during Easter due to the sales. According to the latest Easter holiday statistics, other top reasons Americans who celebrate Easter are inspired to shop include social activity (31%), attractive store displays (22%), and getting a hold of exclusive products (21%). However, most people (65%) do it because it’s part of their tradition.
Halloween Spending Statistics
5. The average American expects to spend more than $85 on Halloween.
(NRF)
Over two-thirds of Americans celebrate Halloween. According to 2019 statistics, approximately 68% of people in the United States planned to celebrate Halloween that year, whereas 32% preferred to skip it.
6. In total, US citizens expected to spend $8.8 billion during Halloween in 2019.
(NRF)(NRF)(NRF)
The Halloween industry is gigantic in the United States. However, this figure was even larger in 2017, as it was expected to reach an astonishing $9.1 billion. According to consumer spending statistics, Americans planned to spend the most money on Halloween costumes — $3.2 billion in 2019, to be precise. Furthermore, Americans planned to spend $2.7 billion on spooky decor, and $2.6 billion on Halloween sweets.
7. Dressing up as a witch was the most popular Halloween costume in 2019 for adults.
(PumpkinPatchesAndMore)
As for kids, the number one most popular costume idea in 2019 was a princess. Other popular costume choices for adults in 2019 included vampires, pirates, characters from the Avengers franchise, DC superheroes, and Star Wars characters. A popular Halloween costume idea for couples is dressing up as Harley Quinn and the Joker, or Hawkeye and Black Widow.
Valentine’s Day Holiday Spending Trends
8. On average, couples (and singles!) planned to spend $196 on Valentine’s Day in 2020.
(NRF)
Valentine’s Day is the holiday of love and affection, and also the time when American couples and singles go “all-out” on greeting cards, gifts, and romantic dinners. In fact, holiday spending statistics for 2020 show that the median expenditure in America for gifts was expected to be $27.4 billion this year. Even though people planned to purchase presents for family members ($4.2 billion for gifts), friends ($2.1 billion), and coworkers ($1.8 billion), over 50% planned to get gifts for a spouse or romantic partner.
9. Overall, around 55% of US citizens made plans on Valentine’s Day in 2020, according to seasonal holiday stats.
(Statista) (StatisticsCanada) (NRF)
Furthermore, Valentine’s Day is a massive industry in other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Canada. In fact, Canadian statistics from 2017 show that consumers spent up to $4.1 billion on jewelry and watches, and some extra on cosmetics and perfumes.
10. 27% of Americans planned to buy a present for their pets on Valentine’s Day.
(MarketWatch)
According to holiday shopping facts and stats, one in four Americans will buy a Valentine’s Day present for their pets. This is not surprising when we take into account that 47% of Rover.com’s respondents admitted that they cuddle their dog more often than their partner. Pet owners were projected to spend $1.7 billion on gifts for Valentine’s day — or an average of $12.21 per individual.
11. Millennials planned to spend the most on Valentine’s Day — $208 to be exact.
(Bankrate)
According to stats on the most profitable holidays from 2020 that surveyed 1,485 Americans with romantic partners, Millennials (people between the ages of 24-34) planned to spend the most money on gifts and fancy dinners on the Day of Love. Generation X followed with an average of $160, preceding Baby Boomers ($101), and the Silent Generation ($43).
12. According to holiday shopping statistics, men are likely to spend approximately $340 on Valentine’s Day gifts, while women are more likely to spend a mere $64.
(BusinessNewsDaily)(ContactPigeon)
Men are likely to spend more money on their Valentine’s Day dates, but the stats reveal that it is also more common for men to purchase presents for their significant others than it is for women. According to these numbers from 2019, 62% of men expected to purchase a gift for a loved one, compared to only 45% of women.
Thanksgiving and American Spending Statistics
13. Around 39.6 million US citizens considered shopping on Thanksgiving Day in 2019.
(NRF)
According to Black Friday facts and statistics, Black Friday was the trendiest day of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 2019. In fact, the numbers reveal that over 114 million Americans planned to shop during Black Friday, significantly more than they did on Cyber Monday (68 million). The third most popular day that year was Small Business Saturday with 66 million expected consumers, followed by Thanksgiving, and Small Business Sunday.
14. $4.4 billion is the estimated amount spent online by Americans on Thanksgiving, according to holiday spending statistics from 2019.
(Forbes)
When we compare the Thanksgiving statistics from 2018 and 2017 with the latest figures, we see that Americans are spending more and more on this holiday. And it’s not hard to understand why — online shopping is very time-effective and simple.
15. 45% of online Thanksgiving sales in 2019 were by mobile shoppers.
(ReadyCloud)
According to spending statistics by holiday, this figure represents a huge 25% leap from 2018 when online Thanksgiving sales were made by mobile shoppers. Interestingly, mobile shopping increased by 30% in 2019 during the entire holiday season.
Christmas Spending Statistics
16. An average of $846 was expected to be spent on Christmas presents in 2019.
(Statista)
Christmas is a massive industry in the United States, and the numbers are here to back it up. According to stats, spending on Christmas gifts has risen since 2018, when US consumers were expecting to spend $794 on presents. Nevertheless, these figures are lower than in 2017, when Americans planned to spend an average of $862 on Christmas presents.
17. 93.4% of American shoppers planned to purchase Christmas presents, according to statistics on holiday spending in 2019.
(Fool)
It’s always a good idea to shop for Christmas presents for a loved one, or even for yourself. According to the results of a survey, only a few people did not plan to get Christmas gifts in the past year.
18. 21.5% of survey respondents went into debt over Christmas, according to consumer holiday spending statistics.
(Fool)
According to the results of the same survey from 2019, people mostly go over budget on gifts and food. Furthermore, 29.7% of people in debt plan to pay it back with tax returns.
19. 56.3% of Americans who bought Christmas presents in 2019 set a budget.
(Fool)
According to holiday spending statistics for 2019, setting a budget for Christmas is not the main issue. In fact, the biggest concern is sticking to the budget. Based on the numbers, a mere 64% of Americans actually stuck to it.
20. 41.9% of Americans spent more on Christmas in 2019 because they were drawn to store offers and sales.
(Fool)
Other top reasons for spending more during the Christmas holidays include receiving unexpected money at work (17.8%), as a way to support companies (14.2%), and to capitalize on certain credit card offers (11.6%). On the flip side, spending trends show that 20.6% of Americans spent less because they had massive credit card debt, and 10.8% spent less due to healthcare costs.
Other Holiday Spending Trends
21. Around $76.49 was expected to be spent on food for Independence Day 2020.
(TBP)(NRF)
Judging by the numbers, US citizens spent more this year for Independence Day than they did the preceding years. According to the statistics, the average citizen in the United States spent around $73 in 2019, compared to around $75 in 2018.
22. Holiday spending statistics for 2020 show that 88% less was spent during the Memorial Day weekend.
(TheMountVernonGrapevine)
Mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic, the average US citizen spent less during Memorial Day weekend this year than in preceding years. In fact, the typical American spent a mere $56 this year for Memorial Day. Based on data from a report, 40.12% of respondents would rather spend their money on food, while 18.89% would spend it on alcohol.
23. Average holiday spending for a typical African American is $77 on Kwanzaa gift shopping.
(NationalToday)
The reason why this amount is low is that only children receive presents for this holiday. Typically, presents consist of a heritage symbol and a book. As a reminder, Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday that celebrates life, unity, and culture.
FAQ
What holiday has the most money spent?
The newest statistics in the United States show that the most profit-making holidays in the country are winter holidays with an average of $1,387 in expected spent money. These winter holidays include Black Friday, Thanksgiving, Cyber Monday, and Christmas.
(Deloitte)
What percentage of holiday shopping is done online?
As previously mentioned, the statistics show that up to 64% of shopping during this holiday season will be online. We believe that the main reason for this is the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, as well as large crowds that most people prefer to avoid.
(Deloitte)
What is the most commercialized holiday?
Hands down, the most commercialized holiday is Christmas. According to data by the National Retail Federation, December makes up approximately 20% of all of the retail sales every year. These shoppers are Americans who celebrate winter holidays, such as Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Christmas.
(PennLive)
Conclusion
All in all, the figures presented in this article demonstrate how gigantic the holiday seasons are. These holiday spending statistics reveal that depending on the season, the majority of money is spent on food, presents, clothing, and decor. So, no matter whether you are single or in a relationship, these numbers indicate that you are highly likely going to be splurging during the holidays. Give us some feedback — what’s your favorite holiday and why? Ours is Christmas; we can’t wait for the sales!
