Special Report
This Is How Much the Average Person Spends on the Holidays in Every State
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Last Updated:
Thanksgiving and Christmas are around the corner and Americans may be in a spending mood. The trade war with China and plunging consumer confidence are unlikely to stop people from splurging this holiday season.
The average American will spend nearly $1,050 on holiday gifts, goodies, and travel this year, the National Retail Federation estimates. This is up slightly from last year’s estimate of about $1,000. Retail sales are expected to increase by up to 5%, while online shopping is projected to grow between 14% and 18%, according to Deloitte, a consultancy firm.
For the most part, people with lower personal income will spend less this holiday, but there are a few notable exceptions. In a few states Americans whose average income is between $40,000 and $45,000, lower than the national average of $48,000, are willing to spend as much as people making between $55,000 and $64,000.
24/7 Tempo reviewed spending estimates based on a survey of the average consumer holiday spending by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
Click here to see how much the average person will spend on the holidays
With the exception of Hawaii, states in the North and Northeast are projected to spend the most during the holidays. For example, people living in the Northeast are expected to spend, on average, about $1,300 per person this year. This is much greater than the average estimated expenditure on holiday items in the South of about $950.
Holiday spending can be separated into three major categories. The biggest one is money spent on gifts for relatives, friends, and colleagues. For gift spending, the average American is willing to allocate about $660 from the holiday budget. The next largest spending category is greeting cards and decorations, with the average spending of about $230, while the third category is non-gift self-spending. A big chunk of the holiday budget goes for food, but it doesn’t have to — if people know what foods to avoid. These are the most expensive holiday foods.
Alabama
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $980 (10th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $44,239 (10th least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.87 (3rd lowest)
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Alaska
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,053 (22nd most)
> Real personal income per capita: $51,528 (14th most)
> Value of a dollar: $1.04 (10th highest)
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Arizona
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $942 (3rd least)
> Real personal income per capita: $41,790 (3rd least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.96 (25th highest)
See all stories featuring: Arizona
Arkansas
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $978 (9th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $45,498 (14th least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.87 (2nd lowest)
See all stories featuring: Arkansas
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California
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,038 (24th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $49,637 (23rd most)
> Value of a dollar: $1.15 (3rd highest)
See all stories featuring: California
Colorado
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,045 (23rd most)
> Real personal income per capita: $50,810 (18th most)
> Value of a dollar: $1.03 (11th highest)
See all stories featuring: Colorado
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Connecticut
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,198 (8th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $63,366 (the most)
> Value of a dollar: $1.08 (6th highest)
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Delaware
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,058 (20th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $47,650 (24th least)
> Value of a dollar: $1.00 (14th highest)
See all stories featuring: Delaware
Florida
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,056 (21st most)
> Real personal income per capita: $45,396 (13th least)
> Value of a dollar: $1.00 (15th highest)
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Georgia
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $986 (11th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $45,621 (16th least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.93 (20th lowest)
See all stories featuring: Georgia
Hawaii
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,176 (9th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $42,507 (5th least)
> Value of a dollar: $1.19 (the highest)
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Idaho
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,041 (25th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $42,895 (6th least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.93 (22nd lowest)
See all stories featuring: Idaho
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Illinois
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,026 (18th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $51,892 (13th most)
> Value of a dollar: $0.99 (18th highest)
See all stories featuring: Illinois
Indiana
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $968 (7th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $47,704 (25th least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.90 (12th lowest)
See all stories featuring: Indiana
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Iowa
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,074 (16th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $50,093 (21st most)
> Value of a dollar: $0.90 (12th lowest)
See all stories featuring: Iowa
Kansas
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $991 (13th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $51,449 (15th most)
> Value of a dollar: $0.90 (13th lowest)
See all stories featuring: Kansas
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Kentucky
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $988 (12th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $44,187 (9th least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.88 (5th lowest)
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Louisiana
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,001 (15th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $46,208 (19th least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.90 (15th lowest)
See all stories featuring: Louisiana
Maine
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,251 (3rd most)
> Real personal income per capita: $44,831 (11th least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.98 (19th highest)
See all stories featuring: Maine
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Maryland
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,064 (19th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $52,413 (10th most)
> Value of a dollar: $1.09 (5th highest)
See all stories featuring: Maryland
Massachusetts
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,240 (4th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $59,919 (2nd most)
> Value of a dollar: $1.07 (7th highest)
See all stories featuring: Massachusetts
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Michigan
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,015 (16th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $47,140 (23rd least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.93 (22nd lowest)
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Minnesota
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,146 (10th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $53,384 (8th most)
> Value of a dollar: $0.98 (22nd highest)
See all stories featuring: Minnesota
Mississippi
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $893 (the least)
> Real personal income per capita: $40,195 (2nd least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.86 (the lowest)
See all stories featuring: Mississippi
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Missouri
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,030 (21st least)
> Real personal income per capita: $48,446 (24th most)
> Value of a dollar: $0.90 (9th lowest)
See all stories featuring: Missouri
Montana
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,228 (5th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $45,386 (12th least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.95 (24th lowest)
See all stories featuring: Montana
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Nebraska
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,113 (13th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $53,549 (7th most)
> Value of a dollar: $0.90 (10th lowest)
See all stories featuring: Nebraska
Nevada
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,026 (19th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $45,552 (15th least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.98 (21st highest)
See all stories featuring: Nevada
New Hampshire
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,225 (6th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $52,281 (11th most)
> Value of a dollar: $1.06 (9th highest)
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New Jersey
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,207 (7th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $54,502 (5th most)
> Value of a dollar: $1.13 (4th highest)
See all stories featuring: New Jersey
New Mexico
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $936 (2nd least)
> Real personal income per capita: $40,118 (the least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.93 (23rd lowest)
See all stories featuring: New Mexico
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New York
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,140 (11th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $53,700 (6th most)
> Value of a dollar: $1.16 (2nd highest)
See all stories featuring: New York
North Carolina
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,023 (17th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $45,836 (17th least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.91 (18th lowest)
See all stories featuring: North Carolina
North Dakota
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,394 (the most)
> Real personal income per capita: $55,369 (4th most)
> Value of a dollar: $0.90 (15th lowest)
See all stories featuring: North Dakota
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Ohio
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $954 (4th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $49,724 (22nd most)
> Value of a dollar: $0.89 (7th lowest)
See all stories featuring: Ohio
Oklahoma
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $956 (5th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $46,451 (20th least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.89 (8th lowest)
See all stories featuring: Oklahoma
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Oregon
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,065 (18th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $46,073 (18th least)
> Value of a dollar: $1.00 (16th highest)
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Pennsylvania
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,032 (22nd least)
> Real personal income per capita: $51,418 (16th most)
> Value of a dollar: $0.98 (20th highest)
See all stories featuring: Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,028 (20th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $50,313 (20th most)
> Value of a dollar: $0.97 (17th highest)
See all stories featuring: Rhode Island
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South Carolina
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $971 (8th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $44,079 (8th least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.90 (17th highest)
See all stories featuring: South Carolina
South Dakota
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,116 (12th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $53,219 (9th most)
> Value of a dollar: $0.99 (6th lowest)
See all stories featuring: South Dakota
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Tennessee
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $999 (14th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $47,086 (22nd least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.90 (17th lowest)
See all stories featuring: Tennessee
Texas
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,041 (25th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $46,806 (21st least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.97 (23rd highest)
See all stories featuring: Texas
Utah
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,034 (23rd least)
> Real personal income per capita: $42,982 (7th least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.97 (23rd highest)
See all stories featuring: Utah
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Vermont
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,265 (2nd most)
> Real personal income per capita: $48,026 (25th most)
> Value of a dollar: $1.03 (12th highest)
See all stories featuring: Vermont
Virginia
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,044 (24th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $51,325 (17th most)
> Value of a dollar: $1.02 (13th highest)
See all stories featuring: Virginia
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Washington
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,094 (14th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $52,149 (12th most)
> Value of a dollar: $1.06 (8th highest)
See all stories featuring: Washington
West Virginia
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $966 (6th least)
> Real personal income per capita: $42,082 (4th least)
> Value of a dollar: $0.87 (4th lowest)
See all stories featuring: West Virginia
Wisconsin
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,070 (17th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $50,536 (19th most)
> Value of a dollar: $0.92 (19th lowest)
See all stories featuring: Wisconsin
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Wyoming
> Est. holiday spending in 2019 per person: $1,085 (15th most)
> Real personal income per capita: $56,114 (3rd most)
> Value of a dollar: $0.95 (25th lowest)
See all stories featuring: Wyoming
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