Back to School in the US by the Numbers: A Look at Consumer Trends

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Swagbucks recently published an interesting, casual study on Back to School trends in the United States. Did you know that the average family spends nearly $700 a year on Back to School (BTS), with clothing and shoes accounting more than 50% of spend? Also over 70% of families are shopping for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) this year too, so kids may be donning fun new face masks when they re-enter the classroom.

Here’s an infographic outlining some numbers to know for Back-to-School Shopping Trends in America.

21 Facts and Figures About Back to School Shopping in the US

  1. $697: Average spend per family on all back-to-school (BTS) shopping.
  2. $117: Average spend per family or pencils, notebooks, backpacks, and other BTS supplies.
  3. $376: Average spend per family for uniforms or new clothing, shoes, and accessories.
  4. $203: Average spend per family for tablets, laptops, computers, graphing calculators, and other electronics.
  5. 1 in 3 families are tightening their belt and spending less this year.
  6. 74% of families will buy hand sanitizer for classroom use.
  7. 73% of families will buy face masks for classroom use.
  8. 15: Average number of clothing items a family purchases for BTS.
  9. $58: Average price for a pair of tennis shoes or sneakers in the U.S.
  10. $18: Average price for a pair of kid’s jeans in the U.S.
  11. 16% of families doing all their BTS shopping in stores.
  12. 22% of families doing all of their BTS shopping online.
  13. 59% of families doing their BTS shopping both online and in stores.
  14. 76% of families say that price determines where they BTS shop.
  15. 46% of families say that free shipping is an important factor for BST shopping.
  16. 16% of families say that a company’s politics determines where they will, or will not, BST shop.
  17. 14% of families say supporting minority-owned businesses is important to them when shopping for BTS.
  18. 21% of families will spend more money on Back to School this year vs last year.
  19. 47% of families will spend the same amount of money on Back to School this year vs last year.
  20. 33% of families will spend less on Back to School this year vs last year.
  21. 50: Popular Back to School Retailers you can shop to get a free $10 gift card, including Kohl’s, Old Navy, and Macy’s if you’re a new Swagbucks member.

Upromise Has Hundreds of Back to School Merchants Offering Cash Back Rebates

Don’t forget that Upromise has hundreds of merchants offering generous cash back rebates. You can do some, or even all, of your Back to School shopping with Upromise and pad your kids’ college savings accounts while you’re getting them kitted out for the new school year.

Some family favorite shops that offer cash back from Upromise are:

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