How Much Will Louisiana and Texas Folks Spend on Valentine’s Day?

SHREVEPORT, LA – Residents in Texas and Louisiana will be opening up the wallet to do something special for a loved one for Valentine’s Day this year.

The average price of a meal will cost about $125 bucks for a couple this year. That’s up slightly from last year. But on the gift buying front, we will be much more generous this year.

The National Retail Federation says we will be spending nearly $26 billion dollars on Valentine’s Day this year.

The official number is projected at $25.9 billion. That would be $2 billion more than we spent last year, an incredible increase.

Here's a chart from the two previous years:

NRF President Matthew Shay says “Valentine’s Day is a special occasion to shop for the people we care most about. This year, as consumers embrace spending on friends and loved ones, retailers are ready to help customers celebrate Valentine’s Day with memorable gifts at affordable prices.”

About 52% of Americans are planning to spend just over $192 dollars this year. That’s up from $175 in 2022. This is the second-highest figure since NRF started tracking Valentine’s Day spending in 2004.

Who Are We Spending Money On?

At the top of the list is a spouse or significant other. But folks also plan to spend a little money on teachers, classmates, pets, friends and even co-workers.

Here's the trend for the past few years:

Who Spends the Most?

Folks between 35 and 44 are the big spenders this year.  They will fork out an average of $335 on average for gifts and other Valentine’s Day items.

Where Are We Shopping?

It is sad to see that about 35% of the gifts are bought online. Another 34% come from department stores. We also do a little shopping at discount stores and specialty stores.

What Are the Top Gifts?

1. Candy (57%)
2. Greeting cards (40%)
3. Flowers (37%)
4. Evening out
5. Jewelry (21%)
6. Gift cards (20%)

Of the total spending, $5.5 billion is on jewelry. This is one of the biggest holidays for jewelry stores.

For those who won’t be celebrating with a loved one, they will get involved to a certain extent. 28% say they will probably treat themselves to a special gift for Valentine’s Day this year.

This NRF survey was conducted January 3-11 and involved more than 7,600 U.S. adult consumers.