Cupid's Arrow Hits Wallets Harder Than Ever in 2026

U.S. adults will spend a record $29.1 billion on Valentine’s Day this year, according to estimates published by the National Retail Federation. This is up from last year’s $27.5 billion, with U.S. shoppers planning to spend $200 on average per person, up from $189 in 2025. According to the NRF, Valentine’s Day was one of the annual events that shoppers tended to splash out the most on last year. Where the average per person expected spend for the date was $188.81, it was slightly higher for Easter ($189.26), and lower for graduation ($119.54), Halloween ($114.45), Independence Day ($92.44), the Super Bowl ($91.58) and St. Patrick’s Day ($43.64).

A lot of Americans are expected to celebrate the day. This year, 55 percent of U.S. adults are forecast to mark Valentine’s Day. This is based on a survey of 7,800 U.S. adults conducted between January 2 and January 8, 2026. The most common gifts consumers plan to give this year are candy (cited by 56 percent of respondents), followed by greeting cards and flowers (both 41 percent). Outside of significant others, 58 percent of respondents plan on purchasing gifts for other family members such as kids, parents or siblings this year, while 35 percent will be buying gifts for their pets.