How Much Do Americans Spend on Easter? (2014–2024)
In 2023, Easter was ranked as the seventh-biggest shopping event of the year in terms of total expenditure. This puts it ahead of other key spending events like Halloween and Independence Day.
This makes it an extremely lucrative opportunity for retailers, and understanding key numbers surrounding how much money is spent on Easter can help businesses craft effective sales and marketing strategies.
This begs the question: On average, how much money does an American celebrating Easter spend? In this post, we’ll take a closer look at Easter spending in the United States in recent years.
How much money is spent on Easter every year: table
|
Year |
Easter spending |
Annual change |
|
2014 |
$15.9 billion |
-7.6% |
|
2015 |
$16.4 billion |
+3.1% |
|
2016 |
$17.3 billion |
+5.5% |
|
2017 |
$18.4 billion |
+6.4% |
|
2018 |
$18.2 billion |
-1.1% |
|
2019 |
$18.1 billion |
-0.5% |
|
2020 |
$21.7 billion |
+19.9% |
|
2021 |
$21.6 billion |
-0.5% |
|
2022 |
$20.8 billion |
-3.7% |
|
2023 |
$24.0 billion |
+15.4% |
|
2024 |
$22.4 billion |
-6.7% |
Easter spending: 2014–2024
According to recent data from the National Retail Federation, Easter spending in the US in 2024 fell by 6.7%, to $22.4 billion. This follows a 15.4% increase in 2023, when expenditure rose to a record-high $24 billion. Meanwhile, per-person spending also fell, from $192.01 in 2023, to $177.06 in 2024. This occurred despite the percentage of people celebrating Easter holding steady at 81%, the same as the previous year.
Despite the fall in 2024, annual Easter spending in the US has generally increased over the past decade, much like Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day spending trends. From 2014 to 2024, consumers’ total expenditure to celebrate the Easter holidays rose by 40.9% overall, which translates to an average annual growth rate of 3.8%.
However, growth during this period was not smooth. In 2014, overall Easter spending was $15.9 billion, following a 7.6% annual decrease. Three consecutive years of annual growth at an average of 5% propelled it to $18.4 billion in 2017, a then-record high.
The two years that followed saw Easter spending fall by 1.1% and 0.5%, to $18.2 billion and $18.1 billion, respectively. In 2020, the amount of money consumers spent to mark Easter surged by 19.9%, the biggest-ever annual growth recorded so far, to a record $21.7 billion. In 2021 and 2022, expenditure fell, by 0.5% and 3.7%, to $21.6 billion and $20.8 billion, respectively.
Easter spending 2024: top expenses
Business owners hoping to increase sales over the Easter period need to know much more than just how much Americans are spending on Easter. Understanding what they’re spending on can help to create a more targeted marketing campaign.
|
Product |
Total expenses in 2024 |
|
1. Food |
$7.3 billion |
|
2. Clothing |
$3.5 billion |
|
3. Gifts |
$3.4 billion |
|
4. Candy |
$3.1 billion |
|
5. Flowers |
$1.6 billion |
In 2024, consumers spent the most on food, racking up $7.3 billion in total sales. This was followed by clothing and gifts, with $3.5 billion and $3.4 billion spent, respectively.
Candy and flowers complete the five biggest Easter expenses. Overall spending on these items totaled $3.1 billion and $1.6 billion, respectively.