You'll likely spend less on back-to-school shopping this year, but not by much, survey shows
National Retail Federation survey predicts back-to-school spending at $858 per family
National Retail Federation survey predicts back-to-school spending at $858 per family
National Retail Federation survey predicts back-to-school spending at $858 per family
American families with students in elementary through high school will spend an average of $858.07 on back-to-school shopping this year, according to an annual survey from the .
K-12 back-to-school shopping includes clothing and accessories, shoes, school supplies and electronics or computer-related equipment.
This year’s consumer average spending is down about 2% from last year, which pegged average family spending just north of $874.
NRF’s annual survey polled about 7,600 consumers about their back-to-school shopping plans and trends.
Over the past decade, K-12 back-to-school spending has risen by 26%. This year, families are expected to spend the largest portion of their budgets on electronics or computer-related equipment.
Electronics and clothing account for about 64% of consumers' school shopping budgets, according to a Hearst Television Data Team analysis of the survey data. That means the average family will shell out $295.81 for electronics and $249.36 in clothing this back-to-school shopping season.
Americans will spend a total of $39.4 billion on K-12 back-to-school shopping, an increase of 1.5% from last year. Categories like school supplies and shoes saw increases for this year’s total spending.
Consumers are expected to spend $7.8 billion on shoes and $6.6 billion on school supplies.
The survey also found that about two-thirds of families have already started purchasing items for the upcoming school year, the highest percentage since NRF began tracking early shopping trends in 2018.