Back-to-School Shopping Statistics (2026): Yearly Sales Data

Highlights. Many back-to-school shoppers (32%) start buying supplies in early June.

School supply prices grew 7.3% year-over-year (YoY) in 2025, up 20% compared to pre-pandemic.
The average educator spends nearly $900 out-of-pocket on classroom materials.
For one child, back-to-school supplies cost $557 (K-12 average).
The average household spent $1,325.85 on 2025 back-to-college shopping.
Americans spent a total of $128.2 billion for back-to-school and back-to-college shopping in 2025.

Line Graph: Back-to-Class Total Spending in billions for K-12, college, and both combined from 2020 to 2025 according to the National Retail Federation and projections to 2030

Back-to-Class Spending Statistics

Combined back-to-school and back-to-college shopping was up 2.23% YoY in 2025.

Statistics indicate back-to-school and back-to-college spending combined will total $165.1 billion in 2030.
95% of shoppers plan to purchase back-to-school supplies in-store, while 86% plan to purchase online.
81% of shoppers plan to split their back-to-school spending between online and in-store purchases.
17% of consumers planned to use Buy Now, Pay Later for back-to-school shopping in 2025.
In 2024, back-to-class spending totaled $125.4 billion.

Bar Graph: Back-to-School Household Spending (K-12 Average Household Spend) from 2020 ($789) to 2025 ($858) according to National Retail Federation with projections to 2030

Back-to-School Spending Statistics

For most K-12 families, back-to-school shopping includes items beyond the standard school supply list, such as shoes and clothes for the upcoming school year.

American families spent a total of $39.4 billion on K-12 back-to-school shopping in 2025, up 1.55% YoY.
Back-to-school spending per child decreased 2.28% from 2024 to 2025.
From 2020 to 2026, spending per child increased 5.29%; after adjusting for inflation, spending per child decreased 19.3%.
In 2025, back-to-school spending on electronics totaled $13.6 billion, accounting for 34.5% of total spending.
Back-to-school electronics spending decreased 0.73%; as a share of total spend, electronics sales declined 2.24%.
Spending on clothing totaled $11.4 billion for a 28.9% share of total spending.
From 2024 to 2025, clothing spending increased 1.79%; clothing sales increased 0.24% as a share of total spending.
Back-to-school spending on shoes totaled $7.8 billion in 2025 for a 19.8% share of total spend.
Spending on shoes increased 2.63% YoY; as a share of total spend, shoe sales increased 1.07%.
School supplies accounted for the remaining 16.8% of spending at $6.6 billion.
From 2024 to 2025, school supply spending increased 4.76%; school supply sales increased 3.17% as a share of total spending.

Jump to Back-to-College Shopping Statistics

Back-to-School Budget Statistics

Households spend the largest portion of their back-to-school budgets on electronics and computer-related equipment.

The average household budgeted $858.07 for back-to-school shopping in 2025.
Household back-to-school budgets decreased $16.61 or 1.90% year-over-year (YoY).
The average household back-to-school budget in 2025 included $249.36 for clothing and accessories.
School supply items are the most affordable back-to-school expense at $143.77 per household.
Electronics and computer supplies are the greatest back-to-school expense (among the 2-in-3 households that purchase such items) at an average cost of $295.81 per household.
Families spend a household average of $169.13 on shoes.
From 2020 to 2025, the average household back-to-school budget increased 8.69% from $789.49.
Between 2010 and 2025, the average household back-to-school budget increased 41.5% from $606.40.
22% of back-to-school consumers budget between $101 and $250.
34% of consumers budget between $250 and $500 on back-to-school shopping.
12% of consumers budget $100 or less on back-to-school.
27% of back-to-school consumers budget over $500.

Average Back-to-School Budgets
Year	Average Budget per Household	Average Budget per Child
2025	$858	$570
2024	$875	$586
2023	$890	$597
2022	$864	$661
2021	$849	$612
2020	$789	$529
2019	$697	$519
2018	$685	$510
2017	$688	$501
2016	$674	$488
2015	$630	$434

Back-to-School Inflation Statistics

Most back-to-class (that is, back-to-school and back-to-college combined) shoppers have noticed an increase in prices.

78% of back-to-school shoppers expect to see higher prices in 2026.
Based on the consumer price index, school supply prices were up 9.4% in May 2025 compared to the previous year.
51% of 2026 back-to-school shoppers are comparing prices, 43% are shopping at discount stores, and 40% are looking for coupons or sales.
In 2025, among back-to-school shoppers who noticed higher prices, 59% attributed the increase to inflation, while 37% cited tariffs as the cause.
62% of back-to-school shoppers noticed higher prices for clothing in 2025.
Back-to-school shoppers noticed higher prices for electronics and home goods in equal measure (61%).
Also in 2025, 57% of shoppers noticed higher prices for school supplies; 54% noticed higher prices for books.
39% of shoppers expect to cut back on other expenses to afford 2025 back-to-school purchases.

Grouped Bar Graph: Back-to-Class Shopping Timelines for K-12 and College according to the National Retail Federation

Back-to-School Shopping by Location

Consumers tend to shop for back-to-school items both online and in-store.

55% of K-12 back-to-school shoppers shop online.
48% of back-to-school shoppers shop at department stores.
47% shop at discount stores.
41% shop at clothing stores.
24% shop at electronics stores, and 23% shop at office supply stores.
16% shop at small and local businesses, and 9% shop at thrift stores and resale shops.
Consumers are least likely to shop for back-to-school in catalogs (6%) and drug stores (5%).
46% of back-to-school shoppers plan to spend the most at mass merchant retailers in 2026; 20% plan to spend the most online.
60% of consumers visit 2 or 3 stores for most of their back-to-school shopping.

Doughnut Chart: Average K-12 Household Back-to-School Budget according to the National Retail Federation

Back-to-School Shopping by Category

Back-to-school shoppers are increasingly interested in purchasing a portion of their items second-hand.

95% of back-to-school K-12 consumers spend a portion of their budgets on school supplies.
95% of back-to-school shoppers purchase clothing and accessories and 91% purchase shoes.
67% of back-to-school consumers spend a portion of their budgets on electronics or computer equipment.
71% of back-to-class shoppers prioritize purchasing eco-friendly or sustainable products.
40% of back-to-school shoppers would purchase second-hand clothing.
Some back-to-school shoppers also consider purchasing second-hand electronics (28%), school supplies (23%), and shoes (20%).
43% of back-to-school shoppers purchase pre-owned items when available.
74% of shoppers do not feel guilty about sending their children to school with pre-owned items.

Stacked Line Graph: Total School Supplies Spending Growth (year-over-year-change) from 2015 to 2025 for K-12 and College according to the National Retail Federation

Back-to-School Shopping Season

Most consumers start their K-12 back-to-school shopping between late-July and early-August.

47% of consumers begin back-to-school shopping 3 to 4 weeks before school starts.
27% of consumers begin shopping at least 2 months before school starts; 21% begin shopping 1 to 2 weeks before.
5% of consumers don’t begin shopping until the week classes begin.
41% of total back-to-school spending occurs in July, while 48% of spending takes place in August.
In 2026, 48% of back-to-school purchases are expected to take place by the end of July, down 21.3% YoY.
In 2025, 51% of back-to-class consumers started shopping early due to tariff concerns.
44% of back-to-school consumers receive their school shopping lists in early June.

Back-to-School Prime Day Statistics

Amazon Prime Day is an annual members-only shopping event held each July, attracting many back-to-school shoppers.

In 2024, 68% of back-to-school shoppers planned to purchase school or college items on Amazon Prime Day.
Back-to-school shopping on Prime Day has increased 3.03% YoY and 38.8% since 2021.
32% of back-to-class shoppers planned to shop other online deals during Prime Day 2024; 26% planned to shop in-store sales.

Stacked Line Graph: Households Purchasing Electronics for Back-to-School for K-12 and College from 2015 to 2025 according to National Retail Federation

Back-to-School Consumer Statistics

Most back-to-school K-12 consumer households spend hundreds of dollars on annual back-to-school shopping.

59% of consumers say their children’s preferences drive increased spending during back-to-school shopping.
45% of K-12 schoolchildren have a specific must-have item they want for back-to-school 2026; 57% of parents are influenced to splurge on these items.
Parents are most likely to spend more on back-to-school products to make the transition back to school more exciting for their children, at 23%.
18% of shoppers splurge on back-to-school to boost their child’s confidence; 15% splurge for personal satisfaction from fulfilling their child’s wishes.
50% of parents are likely to buy items for themselves while shopping for their children during the back-to-school season.
Parents who purchase items for themselves while back-to-school shopping tend to spend 40% more than those who shop only for their children.

Back-to-School Social Media Shopping

Many online shoppers rely on social media to guide their back-to-school purchases.

50% of online back-to-school shoppers use social media to find products and sales.
29% of 2026 back-to-school shoppers plan to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) to aid their purchasing journey.
Parents who use social media for back-to-school shopping spend 7% more than those using search engines alone.
Back-to-school shoppers who use generative AI spend 39% more than parents who only use social media and search engines.
1 out of 8 back-to-school shoppers planned to make a purchase on social media in 2024.
78% of social media shoppers used it to browse and read reviews for back-to-school products; 62% used it to find deals.
Among consumers using AI in 2024, 76% used it to find product reviews, 62% to budget or find deals, and 35% to save time.

Back-to-College Spending Statistics

Back-to-college shopping is generally more expensive than back-to-school shopping, with more products and more purchases.

Families spent a total of $88.8 billion on back-to-college shopping in 2025, up 2.54% YoY.
In 2025, back-to-college spending on electronics totaled $20.7 billion, accounting for 23.3% of total spending.
Back-to-school electronics spending decreased 9.21%; as a share of total spend, electronics sales decreased 11.5%.
Spending on dorm and apartment furnishings totaled $12.8 billion for a 14.4% share of total spending.
From 2024 to 2025, dorm spending increased 4.92%; as a share of total spending, clothing sales increased 2.23%.
Back-to-school spending on clothing totaled $11.1 billion in 2025 for a 12.5% share of total spend.
Spending on clothing increased 1.83% YoY; as a share of total spending, shoe sales declined 0.69%.
Back-to-college shoppers spent $9.4 billion on food, accounting for 10.6% of sales in 2025.
Also in 2025, back-to-college shoppers spent $7.9 billion on personal care products and $7.5 billion on shoes.
Back-to-college spending also included gift cards ($7.0 billion), school supplies ($6.2 billion), and collegiate gear ($6.1 billion).

Back-to-College Budget Statistics

Back-to-college spending exceeds back-to-school spending, but expenses include many more items.

Household back-to-college shopping budgets decreased by $38.90 between 2024 and 2025.
Electronics and computer supplies are the most expensive back-to-college purchases at an average cost of $309.50 per household.
Collegiate-branded gear accounts for the smallest share of the average shopper’s budget at $90.54.
School supplies are the second-most affordable, with household budgets averaging $92.92.
Households spend an average of $191.39 on dorm or apartment furnishings for back-to-college.
The average household spends $166.07 on clothing and accessories.
Households spend an average of $140.24 on back-to-college food.
The average household spends roughly the same amount on shoes ($112.31) as on personal care items ($117.95).
Gift cards cost the average household $104.92 on gift cards for back-to-college.

Average Back-to-College Budgets
Year	Average Budget per Household	Total Spending (in billions)
2025	$1,326	$88.8
2024	$1,365	$86.6
2023	$1,367	$94.0
2022	$1,199	$73.9
2021	$1,200	$71.0
2020	$1,059	$67.7
2019	$977	$54.5
2018	$942	$55.3
2017	$970	$54.1
2016	$889	$48.5

Back-to-College Shopping by Location

Shoppers visit a variety of retail destinations to purchase back-to-college items.

48% of back-to-college shoppers shop online.
36% of back-to-college shoppers shop at discount stores.
35% shop at department stores for back-to-college; 27% shop at college bookstores.
Back-to-college consumers shop at office supply stores and clothing stores in equal measure (24%).
17% shop at electronics stores, and 16% shop at home goods or furnishings stores.
13% shop at local businesses, and 13% shop at drug stores.
Consumers are least likely to shop for back-to-college at thrift shops (10%) and in catalogs (8%).

Doughnut Chart: Average Household Back-to-College Budget according to National Retail Federation

Back-to-College Shopping by Category

Back-to-college consumers purchase from more product categories than K-12 shopping lists, including daily household items for students who live in dorms or off-campus apartments.

93% of back-to-college consumers spend a portion of their budgets on school supplies.
88% of back-to-college shoppers purchase clothing and accessories and 84% purchase shoes.
86% of consumers purchase personal care items for back-to-college.
83% of back-to-school shoppers purchase food items.
69% of back-to-college consumers spend a portion of their budgets on electronics or computer equipment.
67% purchase collegiate-branded gear and 65% shop for dorm or apartment furnishings.
55% of back-to-college consumers buy gift cards.
67% of back-to-college shoppers prioritize purchasing eco-friendly or sustainable products.
43% of back-to-college shoppers would purchase second-hand textbooks.
Some back-to-school shoppers also consider purchasing second-hand clothing (31%), electronics (23%), and school supplies (22%).

Back-to-College Shopping Season

Consumers shopping for back-to-college items are more likely to wait until closer to the start of classes to make their purchases.

47% of back-to-college consumers begin shopping 3 to 4 weeks before school starts.
27% of consumers begin shopping at least 2 months in advance of classes starting, while 21% begin back-to-college shopping 1 to 2 weeks before school starts.
5% of consumers don’t begin shopping until the week classes begin or later.

Back-to-College Consumer Statistics

College-aged students are more likely to influence back-to-class purchase decisions than K-12 students.

Among college students aged 18 to 24, 52% search online for back-to-college shopping inspiration.
36% of college students consult friends or relatives, and 30% find inspiration within retail stores.
College students also find back-to-class inspiration on Instagram (20%) and TikTok (14%).

These data and insights were compiled by the Capital One Shopping team based on publicly available data.

Back-to-School Shopping Statistics