Back to school spending continues to fall in 2024

See chart in Dash.

Shoppers spent 4.6% YoY less during back to school shopping in the 8 weeks ended September 7, 2024 according to Earnest credit card data, driven by 4.0% YoY fewer transactions and a smaller 0.6% decline in average ticket size.

Trailing 8 week spending across major back to school categories was 2%-5% below year ago levels for each week of analysis according to Earnest credit card data, finishing the final week ended September 7, 2024 4.6% below 2023 levels. This continues a multi-year trend of falling back to school spending across Apparel & Accessories, Department Stores, Book Retailers, E-Books, Education Resources, Computers & Tablets, General Electronics, and Office Supplies retailers.