Valentine’s Day is widely considered to be one of the most romantic holidays of the year. According to a survey, consumers in the United States were expected to spend a total of nearly six and a half billion U.S. dollars on jewelry for this occasion in 2025. Consumer spending on romantic evenings out was ranked second on what people were spending most money on. Valentine’s Day origins Falling on February 14th every year, Valentine’s Day, also known as Saint Valentine’s Day, is recognized as a celebration of romantic love all around the world. The holiday originated as a Western Christian feast day honoring Saint Valentinus. Nowadays, around half of Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day. Has inflation had an impact on romantic spending? Unfortunately for some, it has. According to a survey conducted in early 2023, over 40 percent of American consumer said they planned to look for lower cost gifts for Valentine's Day as a result of rising prices. Only a handful of those surveyed said inflation has not impacted their Valentine's Day shopping plans.

Average expected per capita spending on Valentine's Day in the United States stood at about 189 U.S. dollars in 2025. Estimated consumer spending for this occasion reached an all-time high of nearly 200 U.S. dollars in 2020. By comparison, Americans spent an average of just over 100 U.S. dollars for Valentine's Day back in 2009.

For Valentine's Day 2025, just over 40 percent of U.S. shoppers planned to buy clothing, shoes and other accessories, making it the most shopped for Valentine's Day gift. About a third of respondents said they intended to purchase jewelry. How lucrative is Valentine’s Day? Americans spent about 27.5 billion U.S. dollars on Valentine’s Day in 2025. While this is far less than consumers in the United States usually spend on Christmas, Valentine’s Day remained a lucrative holiday. The holiday was an especially valuable day for florists, bars and restaurants, jewelers, and chocolatiers. Still, some people chose to celebrate with a bottle of wine, or a special meal prepared at home, making it a good day for the entire U.S. economy. Has inflation curbed Valentine’s Day spending? Valentine’s Day spending peaked in 2025, but has remained fairly consistent over time, even increasing during from 2021 to 2023, a period that was heavily impacted by inflation. Still, some consumers in the United States sought other ways to keep their spending down in 2024. This could account for the planned expenditures on smaller gifts, such as chocolate, candy, and flowers in 2024.

In 2025, around half of people in the United States said that they did not have any plans for Valentine's Day. Roughly 21 percent of people stated that they were planning to do something special at home.

Planned Valentine’s Day spending in the United States was expected to reach around 27.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2025. This is an increase of about 1.6 billion dollars from 2023 and the highest spending seen. Valentine’s Day is celebrated every year on February 14th and is commonly considered the most romantic holiday of the year. Are you excited for Valentine’s Day? When asked whether they were planning to celebrate Valentine's Day in 2025, just over half of U.S. survey respondents stated they would. The number of participants in the United States tends to stay similar each year, but has decreased overall compared to a decade and a half ago. What do Americans spend their money on for Valentine’s Day? In recent years, some of the more popular gifts or experiences to give someone special on Valentine’s Day in the United States were candy and/or a greeting card. Other gifts commonly given and received, included flowers and an evening out. When it comes to the gift recipient, the majority of spending was for the buyer's significant other (or spouse), followed by other family members.

In 2025, around 56 percent of respondents in the United States said they planned to celebrate Valentine's Day. This is an increase compared to last year, but there has been a decreasing trend from the late 2000s and early 2010s when about 60 percent of respondents typically planned to celebrate Valentine's day.

In 2025, Generation Z were by far spending the most money on Valentine's Day at around 235 U.S. dollars. By contrast, Baby boomers had an expenditure of just 53 U.S. dollars.

In 2025, almost of 60 percent of people in the United States said that they were going to buy chocolate or candy Valentine's Day gifts. Around a third of people were planning to purchase flowers.

In 2025, U.S. consumers planned to spend a total of around 14.6 billion U.S. dollars on presents for their significant other or spouse, and just over four billion on gifts for other family members. Interestingly, consumers in the United States also planned to spend more on their pets than on their co-workers.

In 2024, around 60 percent of Americans aged 45 and over said that they enjoy Valentine's Day as much as any other day. Roughly 24 percent of people aged 18 to 44 enjoyed Valentine's Day more than a regular day.

This statistic displays the types of gifts consumers plan to buy for Valentine's Day in the United States as of January 2022, by age group. Approximately seven in ten Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 said they planned to buy candy as a gift for another. Confectionery was a very common choice among all age groups, however, flowers and greeting cards were likewise popular options among romantics this year.

In 2025, around 30 percent of people in the United States said the most disappointing Valentine's Day gift they received was no gift because their partner forgot. Eight percent of Americans found generic gifts disappointing.

Planned Valentine's Day spending in the United States is looking to be quite similar in 2025 compared to last year: in 2025, U.S. consumers planned to spend an average of just over 100 U.S. dollars on their significant other/spouse, just over a dollar less than the average in 2024.

In 2025, by far the most important factor when making a purchase for Valentine's Day was thoughtfulness for people in the United States. 42 percent of people valued quality.

In 2025, around 40 percent of people in the United States said that they were going to buy candy or chocolate for Valentine's Day. Over half of respondents over the age of 45 stated that they were not buying anything for Valentine's Day.

This statistic shows the planned total flower expenditure on Valentine's Day in the United States from 2010 to 2025. In 2025, U.S. consumers planned to spend a total of approximately 2.5 billion U.S. dollars on flowers for Valentine's Day, a slight decrease compared to 2024.

In 2025, consumers in the United States were projected to spend a total roughly 14.6 billion U.S. dollars on their spouse or significant other for Valentine's Day. In other words, more than half of all Valentine's Day spending was specifically expected to go to partners. Valentine’s Day is celebrated every year on February 14th and is commonly considered the most romantic holiday of the year.

When buying gifts for that special someone for Valentine's Day, consumers tend to spend different amounts depending on the country of origin. Spending an average of roughly 100 euros each in 2021, lovebirds in Hong Kong were the highest Valentine's Day spenders. Average romantic gift expenditures were also high in places, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States.

When buying Valentine's Day gifts for one's partner, shoppers like to spend different amounts depending on gender and the country of origin: in 2021, for instance, male consumers in the United Kingdom were planning to spend about 115 euros on average, while women's spending intentions amounted to an estimated 75 euros. In contrast, both male and female shoppers in Canada were planning to spend an average of 55 euros each on gifts. In most of the selected countries, men spent a little more money on presents for the romantic day than women.

According to a survey, roughly four in five consumers in the United States planned to shop for Valentine's Day in 2023, making Americans the biggest Valentine's Day shoppers among the seven participating countries. At less than 60 percent, Australians were considerably less likely to shop for the romantic event that year.