Valentine’s Day is a key date in the retail calendar, presenting unique opportunities to engage with customers, make sales, and gather crucial consumer behavior data. While Valentine’s Day spending declined during the pandemic, it has been on the rise in the years following.
Learn how much money is spent on Valentine’s Day, how consumers expect to celebrate, the top gifts for the season, and other valuable insights you can plan your marketing and sales strategies around. We’ve gathered the top Valentine’s Day spending statistics for 2025 below.
Key Takeaways:
- While the majority of US consumers expect to celebrate Valentine’s Day, those not celebrating still plan to mark the occasion in some way.
- Candy remains the most popular gift and online is the top shopping destination for Valentine’s.
- The average amount spent on Valentine’s Day has increased this year versus 2024; most consumers don’t believe inflation impacts their holiday spending.
- Most Americans plan to spend for their significant others, but more consumers also plan to spend for their friends this year.
Valentine’s Day Spending Stats and Consumer Behavior
1. Consumers are expected to spend $27.5 billion on Valentine’s Day this year, up from 2024
According to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey, consumer spending on Valentine’s Day is projected to reach $27.5 billion, an increase from 2024’s $25.8 billion.
This amount is also slightly higher than 2020’s record of $27.4 billion, which the NRF attributed to strong consumer finances, high employment rates, and an increased trend toward gifting.
2. Over half of the US population celebrates Valentine’s Day
The NRF survey found that 56% of consumers plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year. While this marks an increase from the previous year (53%), it is part of a decreasing trend observed since 2007, when 63% of respondents planned to celebrate.
3. Men are more likely to celebrate and spend on Valentine’s Day
Fifty-five percent of men responded to the NRF survey that they plan to spend Valentine’s Day this year, a slight lift from last year’s 51%. According to WalletHub, men are also likely to spend twice as much as women for Valentine’s Day 2025.
4. The average consumer budgets $188.81 on the Valentine’s Day holiday, but gift recipients expect less
In 2024, consumers spent an average of $185.81 on Valentine’s Day-related items, according to NRF. This year, that number is up slightly, with shoppers planning to spend $188.81 on the holiday.
However, when asked about their expectations for what their valentines would spend on gifts, only 7% anticipated that their partner would pay over $100, according to WalletHub’s 2025 Valentine’s Day Survey. The most popular response (36%) was a more modest $1 to $49, followed by 34% who don’t expect their partners to spend any money on gifts.
5. Almost 40% of Valentine’s Day gifts will be purchased online
Similar to last year’s results—and in line with recent holiday shopping trends—the NRF survey found that 2025’s top shopping destination for Valentine’s Day will be online (38%). This is followed by department stores (34%) and discount stores (29%). Florists and specialty stores are tied at 18%.
6. Nearly two-thirds of Americans say inflation doesn’t impact their Valentine’s Day plans
Per the same WalletHub survey, 61% of consumers responded “No” when asked if inflation was affecting their Valentine’s Day plans. And interestingly, compared to last year when one in five respondents believed a Valentine’s gift was worth going into debt for, only 11% responded the same this year.
7. Consumers continue to prioritize spending for those closest to them
Total consumer spending for gifts is expected to reach record highs, according to the NRF. Majority (85%) are planning to purchase gifts for their significant others—total spending is expected to reach $14.6 billion (up from $14.4 billion last year) while gifting to family members will reach $4.3 billion (up from $4 billion).
8. A third of consumers will purchase gifts for friends
In addition to significant others and family members, 32% of consumers also plan to purchase gifts for their friends, up from last year’s 28% and the highest in the NRF survey’s history. Younger consumers (aged 18 to 24) are leading this trend.
Meanwhile, 19% plan to purchase gifts for co-workers (up from 16% in 2024), and same as last year, 32% plan to purchase gifts for their pets. Consumers aged 35 to 44 are most likely to purchase gifts for their children’s classmates and teachers.
Valentine’s Day Gift Preferences and Trends
9. The flower industry ranks as the highest-performing in Valentine’s Day email marketing
Email campaigns play a pivotal role in promoting Valentine’s Day shopping, with the floral industry leading the way in email marketing efforts. According to Moosend, the average number of Valentine’s Day email campaigns sent between Jan. 15 and Feb. 14 for different categories paints a clear picture:
- Flowers: 38.1
- Mass merchants: 21
- Chocolate: 21.3
- Jewelry: 7.4
On top of its higher frequency of campaigns, flower businesses’ retail marketing emails tend to have the highest engagement of any category, with an average 17.2% open rate.
10. Candy is the most popular Valentine’s Day gift, with 56% of shoppers expecting to buy it
The NRF Valentine’s Day shopping survey also found that the top five gifts consumers give on the holiday are candy (56%), greeting cards (40%), flowers (40%), an evening out (35%), and jewelry (22%).
Jewelry is the category where consumers plan to spend the most, totaling $6.5 billion. This is followed by spending an evening out at $5.4 billion and flowers at $2.9 billion.
11. The most popular Valentine’s Day gift categories have increased in price by up to 3.7%
While consumers don’t necessarily feel it, inflation has affected the prices of popular Valentine’s Day shopping categories in 2024. Comparing Q4 2023 to Q4 2024, the cost of these common gifts has seen sizable increases, potentially affecting consumers’ purchasing power and buying decisions:
- Candy: +3.7%
- Flowers: +3.4%
- Jewelry: +2.1%
- Dining out: +3.6%
12. 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year
Valentine’s Day is the second-largest holiday for greeting cards, according to Hallmark. The company reports that approximately 145 million Valentine’s cards are given annually, a figure that doesn’t even include the multitude of packaged kids’ valentines commonly used for classroom exchanges.
13. Around 250 million roses are grown specifically for Valentine’s Day
According to the Society of American Florists, it is estimated that 250 million roses are produced for Valentine’s Day. In 2022, consumer purchases of fresh flowers and plants made up 30% of all holiday transactions, outpacing other holidays like Christmas, Mother’s Day, and Thanksgiving. Roses are the flowers of choice (83%) for Valentine’s, while red roses are the most popular variety (65%).
Valentine’s Day Consumer Attitudes
14. Consumers associate Valentine’s Day with ‘shopping’ 131.17% more than with ‘love’
When analyzing over 80,000 social media posts using “#Valentinesday” and “#Valentinesday2023,” researchers from the Montclair School of Communication and Media found that the most associated term was “shop.”
Interestingly, “shop” and “gift” were identified 131.17% more frequently than the term “love,” showing a strong consumer focus on shopping during the lead-up to Valentine’s Day.
15. Majority of Americans believe Valentine’s Day is for both romantic and platonic relationships
Compared to 27% of Americans that define Valentine’s Day as solely for romantic relationships, about 60% believe that the holiday is for both platonic and romantic connections, according to a survey by YouGov. Among American adults that responded to the survey, women (67%) were more likely than men (52%) to include platonic relationships when thinking about Valentine’s Day.
16. Younger, partnered, and self-described romantic Americans are more likely to enjoy Valentine’s Day
Most Americans’ perception of Valentine’s Day doesn’t fall between extremes; 53% enjoy the holiday about as much as an average day, per the YouGov survey. Only 17% enjoy it more than other days. However, this varies among American adults—with 18- to 44-year-olds, those in a relationship, and those that describe themselves as “very or somewhat romantic” tend to enjoy the holiday more than an average day.
17. Consumers start planning for the holiday in early February or earlier
According to NRF, of consumers celebrating, nearly three-quarters plan in advance—in the first week of February or earlier. Women are more likely than men to procrastinate, with 28% admitting that they typically don’t start planning until the week or day of the holiday itself.
18. Those not celebrating Valentine’s Day still make plans
Of the 44% of Americans not celebrating Valentine’s Day, 28% still plan to mark the occasion in some way, according to the NRF. The top ways consumers are doing this include treating themselves to something special and planning a get-together or an evening out with single friends or family members.
Bottom line
Valentine’s Day represents a pivotal period for the retail, hospitality, and travel sectors. Consumer behaviors and spending patterns during this holiday are highly dynamic, often shifting in response to emerging trends and changing frequently since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Monitoring Valentine’s Day spending statistics and how much money is spent on Valentine’s can help businesses effectively engage with customers and capitalize on Valentine’s Day sales opportunities.
