Average Holiday Spending per Person (2013–2023)
Holiday retail sales in the United States have risen every year for more than a decade, and are forecast to surpass $950 billion in 2023.
What does this translate to in terms of holiday spending per person? In other words, how much does the average American spend on holiday shopping every year? Here’s an annual breakdown.
Average holiday spending per person: 2023
According to a forecast by the National Retail Federation, average holiday spending per person is expected to hit $875 in 2023. Not only does this mark a 5% increase from 2022’s average expenditure, it’s also the first annual growth in four years and the largest in at least a decade. The last time average holiday spending per person registered a year-on-year growth was in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Experts say the increase expected in 2023 marks a return to pre-pandemic numbers and credit it to stable household finances, which bolster consumers’ ability to spend.
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Of the $875 the average US consumer is forecast to spend in 2023, $620 is set to be on gifts. This represents 70.9% of the total spend per person. The remaining $255 (29.1%) is expected to be spent on seasonal items such as decorations, cards, candy, and food.
How much do Americans spend on holiday shopping per person: 2013–2022
The average holiday spending per person has fluctuated over the past decade. Nonetheless, the data shows that overall annual holiday spending is on an upward trajectory.
In 2013, the average US consumer spent $767 on the holiday season. This rose by 4.6% in 2014, to $802, before another increase of 2.1% in 2015, to $819 per person. In 2016, the average holiday spending per person dropped by 2.8%, falling below $800 for the first time in three years.
Three successive years of increase followed, as the average holiday spending per person rose to $886 in 2019. This remains the highest average spend ever recorded. As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, consumers spent less on the holiday season. In 2020, year-end shopping fell by 0.7%, to $880, before falling by another 0.1% in 2021, to $879. 2022 witnessed the biggest annual fall in the past decade, as average holiday spending per person tumbled by 5.2%, to $833.