St. Patrick’s Day spending to hit record $7.2B

Two new surveys suggest retailers will be seeing green this St. Patrick’s Day.

Surveys from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Numerator both indicate that many consumers will wear green for St. Patrick’s Day (Sunday, March 17), and celebrate with food and drink.

Following are notable data points from each survey:

NRF

According to data from the NRF, consumers plan to spend a record $7.2 billion, or an average of $44.40 per person, on the holiday this year and their top spending categories are food and beverages. A record 62% of consumers, or 162 million Americans, are planning to celebrate.

Top ways of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day will include:

• Wearing green (82%).
• Making a special dinner (29%).
• Attending a party at a bar or restaurant (27%).
• Decorating home or office (26%).
• Hosting a party (12%).

Younger respondents to the NRF survey are the most likely to don green clothes and accessories, with 87% of 18- to 24-year-olds planning to do so. Meanwhile, at 38%, respondents aged 65 and up are most likely to celebrate by preparing a special dinner, 

The 2024 survey of 8,724 U.S. adults 18 and older was conducted by the NRF Feb. 1-6, 2024 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.

Numerator

St. Patrick’s Day-related highlights from the Numerator 2024 Holiday Intentions Preview (which surveyed more than 5,100 U.S. consumers) include:

1.  Almost one-third (32%) of respondents plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and plans for the holiday are mostly spontaneous (76% plan less than one to two weeks in advance). 
2. The most popular ways to celebrate are gathering with family/friends (32%), cooking or baking at home (29%) and going out for drinks (28%). 
3. Celebration intentions differ by generation with Gen Z consumers being more likely to go out for drinks (37%), while boomers and older respondents are more likely to cook or bake at home (39%). Millennials are the most likely generation of respondents to order food for takeout or delivery (15%).
4. Three-in-10 Gen Z respondents plan to purchase apparel or costumes for the holiday, compared to just 16% of all respondents.
5. Almost six-in-10 (59%) respondents intend to purchase food this year.
6. More than four-in-10 (44%) respondents expect to purchase alcoholic beverages for the holiday, with 61% of those planning to purchase beer and 44% intending to purchase Irish beers specifically, such as Guinness or Smithwicks.
7. Respondents intend to purchase items from grocery stores (47%), big box stores (38%) and liquor stores (28%). 
8. Two-in-three respondents intend to spend the same amount on St. Patrick’s Day as in 2023, with most expecting to spend between $25 and $50.