What Does the Average American Spend on Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day currently ranks among the busiest shopping days of the year in the United States, and recent numbers show that consumers are spending more on it year after year.
Clearly, it’s one opportunity brand owners should not miss out on to boost sales and grow their businesses. To understand the event’s potential for revenue growth, we need to answer the question: What does the average American spend on Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day spending 2024
According to recent data, the average amount spent per person on Valentine's Day in 2024 was $185.81. It marked a 3.6% annual decrease and brought total Valentine’s Day spending to $25.8 billion.
Of the average total spend on Valentine’s Day in 2024, $101.84 was on consumers’ partners. This equates to around 54.8% of the overall expenditure per person. Gifts for other family members such as children and parents formed the second-largest Valentine’s Day expenditure, with $29.08. Presents for friends are ranked next, with $14.77, followed by gifts for children’s classmates and/or teachers and pets, with $12.02 and $11.09, respectively.
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Just like in previous years, the internet remained the top shopping destination for consumers celebrating Valentine’s Day in 2024. As many as 40% of buyers spent money online to mark the occasion.
Annual average spend on Valentine's Day: 2014–2024
The average spend on Valentine’s Day per person has generally been increasing over the past decade. Aside from a slight dip in 2017, another fall in 2021, which was a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this year’s 3.6% decrease, consumers have increased their Valentine’s Day expenditure almost every year.
In 2014, the average consumer spent $133.91—$51.90 less than they did in 2024. In other words, the average amount of money spent per person on celebrating Valentine’s Day has increased by 38.8% in less than a decade.
From 2014 to 2024, the highest spend per person was registered in 2020, right before the pandemic hit the US. That year, the average buyer spent $196.31 on Valentine’s Day.
The numbers also show that, historically, consumers spent the most amount of money on their significant others. Between 2014 and 2024, at least 86% of consumers’ Valentine’s Day expenditures included gifts for partners.