Back-to-school spending to hit record-high $696 per family

The 2019-20 school year will start soon

Families with children in elementary school through high school plan to spend an average $696.70 - a record high - on back to school items, according to the annual survey by the National Retail Federation.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Back-to-school season is here, and that means shopping for clothes, shoes, electronics and tackling that lengthy and very specific school supply list.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) recently released its annual survey and found that K-12 families plan to spend an average of $696.70, up by about $12 from last year. That tops the 2012 record high of $688.62.

“People tend not to think about back-to-school shopping as an event like Christmas or Black Friday, but it is by far bigger than the winter holidays," Mark Mathews, vice president of research development and industry analysis for the National Retail Federation, told MLive in an interview.

Michigan families will be digging deep into their wallets soon, if they haven’t already, with most students heading back to class later this month or after Labor Day.

What were those surveyed spending the most money on? Making sure they are looking good at school. New school clothes and accessories will consume the biggest chunk of cash — $239.82.

Electronics, such as computers, calculators and phones, ranked second at $203.44, followed by shoes at $135.96, with supplies such as backpacks, notebooks, pencils and lunch boxes at $117.49.

School spending nationwide is expected to total $26.2 billion, that’s down from last year’s $27.5 billion, despite the increase in per-household spending, according to the survey. That’s the result of fewer families surveyed saying they have children in grades K-12.

Total spending for K-12 schools and college combined is projected to reach $80.7 billion. That’s down about $2.1 million from last year primarily because of the decreased number of households with school-age children.

“This is a huge spending event that people also look to as an important measure of consumer confidence," Mathews said.

Families with college students are expected to spend an average $976.78, which is up from last year’s $942.17, exceeding the previous 2017 record of $969.88.

With fewer survey respondents saying they are attending college, spending is expected to total $54.5 billion, down from last year’s record $55.3 billion.

Prosper Insights and Analytics conducted the survey of 7,660 consumers for the Federation. It is divided into back-to-school spending for K-12 and back-to-college spending for post-secondary education.

The online survey of households with school-age or college students occurred between July 1 and July 8. There is a 1.2 percent margin of error.

The survey found 89 percent of K-12 and college shoppers still had half or more of their purchases left to complete, according to Phil Rist, executive vice president of Prosper Insights. Of those, he said 49 percent were waiting for the best deals for items on their lists.

Given the nation’s economy, Mathews said consumers are in a strong position.

“The great thing for consumers is there are deals out there, from the beginning of the season to the last day," he said.

Mathews said online, big-box and department stores have already been offering back-to-school deals such as during Amazon Prime Day and Target Deal Days.

According to the survey, K-12 families plan to do most of their shopping at department stores (53 percent), discount stores (50 percent), online (49 percent), clothing stores (45 percent) and office supply stores (31 percent).

While parents are still shouldering the bulk of the cost, young people are contributing to the increasingly expensive cause.

Mathews said the survey, conducted for more than decade, has tracked children becoming more invested in purchasing decisions. He said teenagers are projected to contribute an average of $36.71 and pre-teens, $26.40, up $5.83 and $14.46, respectively, from a decade ago.

Below are some cost estimates on the spending of college shoppers:

  • Electronics - $234.69
  • Clothing and accessories - $148.54
  • Dorm and apartment furnishings - $120.19
  • Food items - $98.72

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