What Does the Average American Spend on St. Patrick’s Day?
St. Patrick’s Day may not rank among the 10 busiest shopping events of the year in the United States, but overall consumer expenditure to celebrate the day is still measured in the billions, which makes it an occasion businesses both big and small should plan for.
To get a better picture of how revelers mark this occasion, we need to answer the question: What does the average American spend on St. Patrick’s Day? In this article, we take a closer look at how much the average consumer spends on the March 17 event.
St. Patrick’s Day spending per person: Table
|
Year |
Spending per person |
Annual change |
|
2014 |
$35.78 |
+1.4% |
|
2015 |
$36.52 |
+2.1% |
|
2016 |
$35.37 |
-3.1% |
|
2017 |
$37.92 |
+7.2% |
|
2018 |
$39.65 |
+4.6% |
|
2019 |
$40.18 |
+1.3% |
|
2020 |
$42.96 |
+6.9% |
|
2021 |
$40.77 |
-5.1% |
|
2022 |
$42.33 |
+3.8% |
|
2023 |
$43.84 |
+3.6% |
|
2024 |
$44.40 |
+1.3% |
What does the average American spend on St. Patrick’s Day?
So, what is the average planned spending on St. Patrick’s Day per person?
According to the latest statistics published by the National Retail Federation, in 2024, the average American spent $44.40 on St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. With as many as 62% of the population partaking in the festivities, total St. Patrick’s Day spending across the country hit a record-high of $7.2 billion.
The average spend per person in 2024 marked a 1.3% annual increase, which is a slowdown from previous years. In 2022 and 2023, per-person expenditure on St. Patrick’s Day rose by 3.8% and 3.6%, respectively.
The data shows that aside from declines in 2016 and 2021, the average spend on celebrating St. Patrick’s Day has mostly risen over the past decade. In 2014, the average American spent $35.78 to celebrate the occasion. This rose by 2.1% in 2015, to $36.52, before a 3.1% fall in 2016 brought average expenditure back down to $35.37.
Four consecutive years of growth followed, and by 2020, the average American consumer was spending $42.96 on St. Patrick’s Day. In 2021, this figure fell by 5.1%, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, to $40.77. Per-person expenditure has risen every year since, at an average growth rate of 2.9%.
Top ways consumers celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in 2024
Marked by the vibrant color green, it’s no surprise that wearing green was the most popular way Americans chose to mark St. Patrick’s Day. In 2024, as many as 82% of Americans reported donning green attire to celebrate the occasion.
The second-most popular celebration activity was making a special dinner, with 29% of those celebrating choosing to cook a festive meal. Completing the top three ways Americans marked St. Patrick’s Day in 2024 was attending a party at a bar or restaurant. This social activity was carried out by 27% of revelers.