159 Holiday Spending Statistics, From Valentine’s Day to New Year’s Eve

The phrase “don’t spend it all in one place” can ring true with money. But if you’re looking for a place for holiday spending statistics, you’ve come to the right spot.

We’ve highlighted LendingTree surveys and scoured the best available resources to bring you this holiday spending statistics page.

16 Valentine’s Day spending statistics

• 82% of Americans in relationships — whether dating, engaged or married — planned to buy Valentine’s Day gifts for their significant others in 2024. (LendingTree)
• These Americans in relationships planned to spend an average of $180 on their significant others for Valentine’s Day in 2024. (LendingTree)
• That $180 average was lower than in 2023 ($187) and 2022 ($208) but higher than in 2021 ($144) and 2020 ($142). (LendingTree)
• Men expected to spend 116% more on their valentines in 2024 than women — $248 versus $115. (LendingTree)
• Millennials planned to spend the most on their significant others among the age groups for Valentine’s Day in 2024, shelling out an average of $262. That’s followed by Gen Zers ($201), Gen Xers ($138) and baby boomers ($81). (LendingTree)
• 33% of consumers in relationships said they may take on credit card debt due to Valentine’s Day spending this year. (LendingTree)
• 24% planned to gift their partner an experience, such as travel, tickets or a dinner out, in 2024. Experiences were also the top gift significant others hoped to receive. (LendingTree)
• 61% of Americans expected to celebrate Valentine’s Day in 2024 — up four percentage points from 2023. That’s tied with New Year’s Eve for the biggest expected jump between 2023 and 2024. (Numerator)
• 11% of Americans typically prepare more than three months before Valentine’s Day. Another 17% prepare only one to two days in advance. (Numerator)
• Only 12% of Americans gather with friends and family for Valentine’s Day — the lowest among 14 tracked holidays. The next closest is Halloween, at 28%. (Numerator)
• 39% of Americans go out to eat for Valentine’s Day — the highest among those same tracked holidays. An additional 13% order food for takeout or delivery. (Numerator)
• 40% of Valentine’s Day celebrators planned to buy gifts at big-box stores like Walmart and Target — the highest category. They also planned to shop at grocery stores (33%), online retailers (27%) and discount or dollar stores (23%). (Numerator)
• Consumers were expected to spend $25.8 billion on Valentine’s Day in 2024, down from $25.9 billion in 2023. (National Retail Federation)
• Consumers were expected to spend $14.2 billion on their significant others this Valentine’s Day, up from $13.5 billion in 2023. (National Retail Federation)
• 58 million pounds of chocolate are purchased during Valentine’s Day week. (CandyStore.com)
• About 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged every year, making it the second-largest holiday for doing so. (Hallmark)

8 St. Patrick’s Day spending statistics

• Just 32% of Americans planned to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in 2024 — third-lowest among 14 tracked holidays. (Numerator)
• 32% of Americans prepare just one to two days in advance for St. Patrick’s Day — second-highest among those same tracked holidays. (Numerator)
• 91% of Americans expected to buy something for St. Patrick’s Day in 2024 — tied with five other tracked holidays for the second-lowest. (Numerator)
• 53% of Americans expected to spend less than $50 on St. Patrick’s Day in 2024 — the highest among this lowest price range across the tracked holidays. (Numerator)
• 28% of St. Patrick’s Day celebrators expected to go out for drinks during the 2024 holiday — up three percentage points from 2023. 16% planned to attend a public celebration — also up three percentage points from last year. (Numerator)
• 44% of 2024 St. Patrick’s Day celebrators planned to buy alcohol, with beer being the most popular choice (61%) for drinkers — specifically Irish beers like Guinness and Smithwick’s. (Numerator)
• Total spending on St. Patrick’s Day in 2024 was expected to be $7.2 billion — the highest on record. That’s up from $6.9 billion in 2023, $5.9 billion in 2022 and $5.1 billion in 2021. (National Retail Federation)
• Households expected to spend an average of $44.40 on St. Patrick’s Day in 2024, slightly above $43.84 in in 2023 and $42.33 in 2022. (National Retail Federation)

12 Easter spending statistics

• 69% of Americans planned to celebrate Easter in 2024 — fourth-highest among 14 tracked holidays. (Numerator)
• 52% of Americans prepare one to two weeks in advance for Easter — tied for the highest in this category among the tracked holidays. Another 30% prepare one to two months in advance. (Numerator)
• 60% of Americans gather with friends and family for Easter — the third-highest behind Christmas and Thanksgiving. (Numerator)
• Just 9% of Americans planned to go out to eat for Easter this year — tied with two other holidays. Only Halloween (8%) and Thanksgiving (7%) had lower rates. (Numerator)
• 40% of Easter 2024 celebrators planned to cook or bake at home — up six percentage points from 2023. Meanwhile, 21% of celebrators planned to decorate their home — up two percentage points from 2023. (Numerator)
• Easter spending was expected to reach $22.4 billion in Easter in 2024, down from $24.0 billion in 2023. (National Retail Federation)
• Average per-person spending for Easter 2024 was expected to be $177.06. (National Retail Federation)
• The top expected spending categories were food ($7.3 billion), clothing ($3.5 billion), gifts ($3.4 billion), candy ($3.1 billion) and flowers ($1.6 billion). (National Retail Federation)
• Cooking a holiday meal (57%), visiting family and friends (53%) and going to church (43%) were the most popular planned Easter activities for 2024. Among households with children, 51% planned an Easter egg hunt at home. (National Retail Federation)
• Easter is the seventh top-selling week for U.S. retail, with a typical average weekly sales bump of 4%. (NIQ)
• Easter is the top holiday for milk chocolate sales — ahead of Valentine’s Day and Halloween. (NIQ)
• The average price of a dozen eggs in March 2024 dropped to $2.99 from $3.45 in March 2023 — a 13.3% decrease. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

12 Mother’s Day spending statistics

• 36% of Mother’s Day 2024 celebrators planned to go out to eat — behind only Valentine’s Day and Cinco de Mayo among 14 tracked holidays. (Numerator)
• Just 87% of 2024 celebrators expected to buy something for the holiday — lowest among the tracked holidays by at least four percentage points. (Numerator)
• 44% of consumers who planned to celebrate Mother’s Day in 2024 expected to gather with family and friends, up three percentage points from 2023. (Numerator)
• Nearly half (49%) of Mother’s Day 2024 celebrators planned to buy candy, ahead of gifts (47%), food (43%) and alcohol (17%). (Numerator)
• More than 6 in 10 (62%) 2024 celebrators expected to spend between $25 and $99 on holiday items. (Numerator)
• Consumers planned to spend $33.5 billion on Mother’s Day in 2024, or $254 a person. (National Retail Federation)
• The top three gift categories expected for Mother’s Day 2024 were flowers and greeting cards (both 74%) and special outings (59%). (National Retail Federation)
• Consumers were expected to spend $7.0 billion on jewelry, $5.9 billion on special outings and $3.5 billion on electronics for Mother’s Day 2024. (National Retail Federation)
• 1-800-Flowers.com expected to sell more than 20 million flower stems for Mother’s Day 2024. (1-800-Flowers.com)
• Mother’s Day accounts for 26% of flower shop holiday transactions. (Society of American Florists)
• Mother’s Day is the third-biggest U.S. card-sending holiday, as 113 million cards are exchanged yearly. (Hallmark)
• Mother’s Day was the third-busiest holiday for food delivery in 2023, behind Christmas and New Year’s Day. (DoorDash)

10 Memorial Day spending statistics

• 43.8 million Americans were expected to travel 50 miles or more from home for the 2024 Memorial Day weekend — tracked as Thursday through Monday. (AAA)
• 38.4 million Americans were expected to drive to their destinations during the 2024 Memorial Day weekend, up from 36.9 million in 2023. (AAA)
• Top domestic hot spots for Memorial Day weekend include Orlando, Seattle and New York City. (AAA)
• More than 20 million passengers were expected to fly out of U.S. airports during the 2024 Memorial Day weekend (Thursday to Tuesday). (Hopper)
• Average airfare to Europe was $974 a ticket for the 2024 Memorial Day weekend, down 2% from 2023 but up 34% from 2019. (Hopper)
• Car rental prices for the extended 2024 weekend were an average of $43 a day, in line with the same period in 2023. (Hopper)
• 47% of people planned to celebrate Memorial Day in 2024. The most popular ways to celebrate were gathering with family and friends (57%), grilling or barbecuing (52%) and cooking or baking at home (29%). (Numerator)
• For Memorial Day 2024, 83% of shoppers planned to purchase food, followed by alcoholic beverages (44%), nonalcoholic beverages (33%), decorations (17%) and party supplies (14%). (Numerator)
• 60% of Memorial Day 2024 celebrators planned to spend the same as in 2023, while 23% expected to spend more and 17% expected to spend less. (Numerator)
• From Memorial Day to Labor Day, Americans consume 7 billion hot dogs, which translates to 818 hot dogs a second. (National Hot Dog and Sausage Council)

10 Father’s Day spending statistics

• Consumers expected to spend $22.4 billion to celebrate Father’s Day in 2024, down from a record $22.9 billion in 2023. (National Retail Federation)
• Spending per person was expected to reach $189.81 in 2024, down from $196.23 in 2022. (National Retail Federation)
• The top Father’s Day gifts in 2024 were expected to be greeting cards (58%), clothing (54%), special outings (52%), gift cards (48%) and personal care items (31%). (National Retail Federation)
• 42% of people expected to shop online for Father’s Day 2024, while 38% preferred shopping at department stores, 24% at discount stores and 22% at specialty stores. (National Retail Federation)
• 65% of consumers planned to celebrate Father’s Day in 2024. (Numerator)
• Father’s Day celebrations in 2024 were expected to involve grilling or barbecuing (36%), cooking and baking (29%) or dining out for food and drinks (28%). (Numerator)
• 45% of Father’s Day 2024 celebrators will shop for items at big-box stores, followed by online retailers (39%), grocery stores (32%) and local shops or small businesses (15%). (Numerator)
• More than 6 in 10 (61%) celebrators will spend between $25 and $99 on Father’s Day items in 2024. (Numerator)
• Father’s Day is the fourth-largest holiday for sending cards in the U.S., at 72 million annually. (Hallmark)
• 50% of Father’s Day cards are for dads, while nearly 20% are for husbands. (Hallmark)

8 Fourth of July spending statistics

• 87% of consumers planned to celebrate the Fourth of July in 2024, with an average expected spending of $90.42 (National Retail Federation)
• Americans expected to spend $9.4 billion on the Fourth of July in 2024, down from $9.5 billion in 2023. (National Retail Federation)
• 66% of consumers planned to celebrate Fourth of July this year with a cookout, barbecue or picnic, up one percentage point from 2023. 44% expected to celebrate with fireworks or a community celebration. (National Retail Federation)
• 83% of Fourth of July 2024 celebrators planned to purchase food, ahead of alcoholic beverages (48%), nonalcoholic beverages (38%) and decorations (23%). (Numerator)
• A record 70.9 million Americans were expected to travel 50 miles or more from their homes on the Independence Day 2024 weekend. (AAA)
• 5.7 million Americans were expected to travel by airplane for the 2024 Fourth of July weekend. (AAA)
• Some of the top destinations Americans searched for July Fourth 2024 weekend were Pocono Township, Pa.; Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Marshfield, Mass.; and Leadville, Colo. (Airbnb)
• On July Fourth, Americans consume an estimated 150 million hot dogs. (National Hot Dog and Sausage Council)

8 Labor Day spending statistics

• 67% of Americans planned to celebrate Labor Day in 2024, while 18% wouldn’t celebrate and 15% were unsure. (Numerator)
• By demographic, boomers+ (70%), Black Americans (77%) and Northeast residents (70%) were the most likely to celebrate Labor Day in 2024. (Numerator)
• 88% of consumers planned to purchase food for Labor Day 2024 celebrations, followed by alcohol (52%), nonalcoholic beverages (38%) and party supplies (16%). (Numerator)
• 63% of Labor Day 2024 celebrators planned to grill or barbecue, highest among Gen Xers and boomers+ (66%). (Numerator)
• 33% of people planned to spend between $50 and $99 on Labor Day in 2024, while 26% planned to spend between $100 and $199 and 25% planned to spend between $25 and $49. (Numerator)
• AAA expected to rescue more than 300,000 stranded travelers during the 2024 Labor Day weekend. (AAA)
• The top domestic Labor Day destinations were Seattle, Orlando, Fla., and Anchorage, Alaska. (AAA)
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport were expected to be the busiest airports for Labor Day 2024. (Hopper)

18 Halloween spending statistics

• Americans who celebrate Halloween are expected to spend an average of $172 in 2024, up from $162 in 2023. (LendingTree)
• The most common purchases for Halloween 2024 are expected to be candy (59%), outside decorations (23%) and kids costumes (22%). (LendingTree)
• 28% of Halloween celebrators have gone into debt while overspending on Halloween, including 17% who expect to do so in 2024. (LendingTree)
• 59% of Halloween celebrators say inflation is expected to impact their spending in 2024. (LendingTree)
• 62% of U.S. consumers plan to celebrate Halloween in 2024. (Numerator)
• 12% of Halloween celebrators plan more than three months in advance. (Numerator)
• 33% of celebrators plan to gather with friends and family for Halloween 2024. (Numerator)
• 97% of Halloween 2024 celebrators plan to make a holiday-related purchase — highest among the tracked holidays. (Numerator)
• 80% of celebrators plan to purchase candy for Halloween 2024, while 48% expect to purchase decorations. (Numerator)
• 27% of Halloween 2024 celebrators plan to cook or bake at home, ahead of ordering food for takeout or delivery (13%) and going out to eat (10%). (Numerator)
• 68% of holiday shoppers plan to spend less than $100 on Halloween 2024 — 25% of whom expect to spend between $50 and $99. 31% plan to spend $100 or more. (Numerator)
• 60% of holiday shoppers expect to shop at big-box stores for Halloween 2024, ahead of grocery stores (44%) and online retailers (33%). (Numerator)
• Total projected spending for Halloween 2024 is $11.6 billion — down from $12.2 billion in 2022. (National Retail Federation)
• $3.8 billion is expected to be spent for Halloween 2024 on costumes, $3.8 billion on decorations, $3.5 billion on candy and $500 million on greeting cards. (National Retail Federation)
• Witch, vampire, cat and Batman are adults’ most popular costume choices for Halloween 2024. (National Retail Federation)
• The top costume picks for kids in 2024 are Spiderman, ghost, princess and witch. (National Retail Federation)
• The top 10 Halloween candies are M&Ms, Reese’s Cups, Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, Starburst, Hot Tamales, candy corn, Hershey Kisses, Hershey minibars and Butterfinger. (CandyStore.com)
• Americans exchange about 20 million Halloween cards each year. (Hallmark)

21 Thanksgiving spending statistics

• 87% of U.S. consumers plan to celebrate Thanksgiving in 2024. (Numerator)
• 8% of Thanksgiving celebrators plan more than three months in advance. (Numerator)
• 70% of celebrators plan to gather with friends and family for Thanksgiving 2024. (Numerator)
• 92% of Thanksgiving 2024 celebrators plan to make a holiday-related purchase. (Numerator)
• 89% of celebrators plan to purchase food for Thanksgiving 2024, while 31% expect to purchase alcohol. (Numerator)
• 55% of Thanksgiving 2024 celebrators plan to cook or bake at home, ahead of going out to eat (7%) and ordering food for takeout or delivery (6%). (Numerator)
• 49% of holiday shoppers plan to spend more than $100 on Thanksgiving 2024, while 31% expect to spend between $50 and $99, and 19% plan to spend less than that. (Numerator)
• 73% of holiday shoppers expect to shop at grocery stores for Thanksgiving 2024, ahead of big-box stores (49%) and online retailers (12%). (Numerator)
• Potential Thanksgiving hosts planned to spend an average of $361 in 2023 — down from $396 in 2022. (LendingTree)
• Potential millennial hosts planned to spend the most — $458 — on Thanksgiving 2023, followed by Gen Zers ($360), Gen Xers ($342) and baby boomers ($222). (LendingTree)
• Potential Thanksgiving 2023 hosts expected to spend $275 on food and drink and $85 on new housewares. (LendingTree)
• 60% of Americans intended to be hosts for Thanksgiving in 2023, compared with 26% in 2022, 47% in 2021 and 41% in 2020. (LendingTree)
• 41% of potential hosts planned to use a credit card to cover some of their Thanksgiving 2023 expenses. (LendingTree)
• 60% of Thanksgiving celebrators claimed that inflation would impact their budget or plans in 2023. (LendingTree)
• In 2023, shoppers collectively spent $5.6 billion on Thanksgiving, $9.8 billion on Black Friday and $12.4 billion on Cyber Monday. (Adobe)
• 200.4 million consumers went shopping over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 2023, an increase from $196.7 million in 2022. (National Retail Federation)
• Shoppers spent an average of $321.41 on holiday shopping during the Thanksgiving weekend in 2023, down from the previous year’s average of $325.44. (National Retail Federation)
• On Thanksgiving 2023, Americans were expected to waste nearly 312 million pounds of food. (ReFed)
• A round-trip ticket for Thanksgiving domestic air travel was expected to cost $268 in 2023, down 14% from 2022. (Hopper)
• Renting a car during Thanksgiving 2023 week was expected to cost an average of $42 a day — 17% less than $52 in 2022. (Hopper)
• 16 million Thanksgiving cards are exchanged each year. (Hallmark)

28 winter holidays spending statistics

• 90% of U.S. consumers plan to celebrate Christmas in 2024. (Numerator)
• 32% of Christmas celebrators plan more than three months in advance — highest among the tracked holidays by at least 14 percentage points. (Numerator)
• 74% of celebrators plan to gather with friends and family for Christmas 2024. (Numerator)
• 96% of Christmas 2024 celebrators plan to make a holiday-related purchase — tied for second-lowest (behind Halloween) among the tracked holidays. (Numerator)
• 80% of celebrators plan to purchase gifts for Christmas 2024, while 79% expect to purchase food. (Numerator)
• 61% of Christmas 2024 celebrators plan to cook or bake at home, ahead of going out to eat (18%) and ordering food for takeout or delivery (10%). (Numerator)
• 89% of holiday shoppers plan to spend $100 or more on Christmas 2024, while 6% expect to spend between $50 and $99, and 4% plan to spend less than that. (Numerator)
• 70% of holiday shoppers expect to shop at online retailers for Christmas 2024, ahead of big-box stores (65%) and grocery stores (40%). (Numerator)
• The amount of holiday debt taken on by Americans who accumulated it in 2023 averaged $1,028, down significantly from a record $1,549 in 2022. (LendingTree)
• 22% of consumers accumulating holiday debt in 2023 expected to take five months or more to pay it off. (LendingTree)
• 67% of these consumers said their debt came, at least partly, from credit cards. Meanwhile, 20% said it came from either store cards or buy now, pay later (BNPL), and 15% borrowed from friends and family. (LendingTree)
• 60% of Americans considered hosting a holiday gathering in the 2023 season. (LendingTree)
• 59% of holiday shoppers started browsing and buying before November in 2023. (National Retail Federation)
• The average amount spent by shoppers in 2023 was forecasted to be $875. (National Retail Federation)
• During the 2023 holiday season from Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, retail sales increased 3.1%. (Mastercard)
• The online BNPL spend rose by 14.0.% compared to the same period in 2022, peaking the week before Christmas. (Adobe)
• Total holiday season online spending in November and December was expected to reach $221.8 billion in 2023. (Adobe)
• An average of eight gifts or gift cards were expected to be purchased for the holiday season in 2023, compared with nine in 2022. (Deloitte)
• 74% of American households expected higher prices in the 2023 holiday season compared to 2022. (Deloitte)
• Christmas is the biggest time for sending cards in the U.S., with about 1.3 billion sent each year. (Hallmark)
• 5% of U.S. consumers plan to celebrate Hanukkah in 2024. (Numerator)
• 18% of Hanukkah celebrators plan more than three months in advance. (Numerator)
• 58% of celebrators plan to gather with friends and family for Hanukkah 2024. (Numerator)
• 91% of Hanukkah 2024 celebrators plan to make a holiday-related purchase. (Numerator)
• 57% of celebrators plan to purchase food for Hanukkah 2024, while 50% expect to purchase gifts. (Numerator)
• 40% of Hanukkah 2024 celebrators plan to cook or bake at home, ahead of going out to eat (15%) and ordering food for takeout or delivery (15%). (Numerator)
• 54% of holiday shoppers plan to spend more than $100 on Hanukkah 2024, while 24% expect to spend less than $100 and 22% plan to spend between $50 and $100. (Numerator)
• 52% of holiday shoppers expect to shop at grocery stores for Hanukkah 2024, ahead of online retailers (44%) and big-box stores (43%). (Numerator)

8 New Year’s Eve spending statistics

• 63% of U.S. consumers plan to celebrate New Year’s Eve at the end of 2024. (Numerator)
• 7% of New Year’s Eve celebrators plan more than three months in advance — tied for second-lowest (behind July Fourth) among the 14 tracked holidays. (Numerator)
• 61% of celebrators plan to gather with friends and family for New Year’s Eve 2024. (Numerator)
• 91% of New Year’s Eve 2024 celebrators plan to make a holiday-related purchase — tied for second-lowest (behind Mother’s Day) among the tracked holidays. (Numerator)
• 79% of celebrators plan to purchase food for New Year’s Eve 2024, while 58% expect to purchase alcohol. (Numerator)
• 39% of New Year’s Eve 2024 celebrators plan to cook or bake at home, ahead of ordering food for takeout or delivery (19%) or going out to eat (17%). (Numerator)
• 28% of holiday shoppers plan to spend less than $50 on New Year’s Eve 2024, while 30% expect to spend between $50 and $99, and 42% plan to spend $100 or more. (Numerator)
• 56% of holiday shoppers expect to shop at grocery stores for New Year’s Eve 2024, ahead of big-box stores (45%) and online retailers (17%). (Numerator)

Sources

• LendingTree
• Numerator
• National Retail Federation
• CandyStore.com
• Hallmark
• History
• NIQ
• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• 1-800-Flowers.com
• Society of American Florists
• DoorDash
• U.S. Census Bureau
• AAA
• Hopper
• National Hot Dog and Sausage Council
• Airbnb
• Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Baruch College
• U.S. Department of Labor
• Adobe
• ReFed
• Mastercard
• Deloitte
• National Museum of African American History and Culture