Seattle's holiday spending tops national average
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Seattle shoppers step into spending season. Photo: Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images
The unofficial start of the holiday shopping season has arrived — and some Seattle-area communities are sporting some of the biggest gift budgets in the nation.
The big picture: Shoppers in the Northeast and West are projected to outspend the national average of $1,552 per person, writes Axios' Sami Sparber.
- The West Coast accounts for three of the five highest holiday budgets, with Kirkland ($3,866) joining two California cities at the top, per WalletHub.
- Bellevue ranked No. 10 ($3,603) and Seattle ranked No. 78 ($2,225) among all 558 cities across five metrics, including income, age, debt-to-income ratio and monthly income-to-expenses ratio, according to Wallet Hub.
By the numbers: Savvy shoppers in Seattle and beyond are shifting where they buy, per a recent Deloitte survey, with 7 in 10 shoppers using multiple money-saving tactics, from deal-chasing to switching brands.
- Nationally, 87% of U.S. consumers plan to shop at discount retailers this season, according to the Bank of America.
- Wholesale clubs such as Costco and big-box stores such as Walmart are up 15 points in planned shopping this year.
- Dollar stores gained nine points, while outlet malls and e-commerce platforms lost share amid tariffs and shipping costs.
Zoom out: Nationwide, holiday spending is expected to fall for the first time since 2020, with Americans planning to spend about 5% less than last year, according to PwC — a sign of growing economic concern.
- Deloitte found shoppers expect to spend 10% less than in 2024, the steepest decline in five years and a reflection of the worst economic sentiment since 1997.
- Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they're more worried about inflation than they were three months ago, per BMO's Real Financial Progress Index.
Driving the news: Bank of America's and Visa's holiday spending reports show wealthier households are driving retail growth, while lower- and middle-income consumers are stretching to keep up.
- Bank of America calls it a "tale of two wallets."
- Card data shows total household spending up 2% year over year in September, the strongest pace since late 2024, but lower-income consumers are falling behind as inequality and inflation widen the gap.
- Deloitte projects households earning more than $100,000 will account for 60% of all planned holiday spending.
Yes, but: U.S. holiday spending is still expected to top $1 trillion for the first time, according to the National Retail Federation's annual forecast — a surprisingly bullish outlook despite inflation, new tariffs and a government shutdown.