Average Cost of Clothing Per Month Will Surprise You

Spending $161 per month on clothing and services is average for adults. Middle-age adults spend about $50 more per month. They also make more money, so they have more to spend.

Just how much should you budget? Where do you fit in? Read our report to learn the surprising statistics of clothing expenditures throughout the U.S.

Spending on Clothing

1. How much does the average adult spend on apparel and services per month?
   The average adult aged 25-34 spends $161 per month on clothing. Adults aged 35-44, however, spend slightly more, at $209 per month. This makes sense since the mean income for adults aged 35-44 is 26% higher than adults aged 25-34.

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2. How much does the average family spend on clothing per year?
   The average family spends $1,800 per year on clothing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics includes financially independent people and singles living together sharing expenses as a family.
   How often do you buy new clothes?

3. How much does the average person spend on entertainment per year?
   The average family spends $2,900 on entertainment per year. This means a total of $4,700 on average is spent on clothing and entertainment. This is 4.5% of the average consumer unit's income after taxes.

Spending by Gender

4. How much does the average man spend on clothing per year?
   Men aged 16 and over spend an average of $323 per year on clothing. Surprisingly, the men spending the most are between 45-54 years old. They spend $121 more per year than men aged 35-44.

5. How much does the average woman spend on clothing per year?
   On average, women aged 16 and overspend 76% more than men of the same age. Women spend around $571 per year. Women aged 45-54 also spend the most, though, at $793 per year.

Clothing a Family

6. How much does the average family spend on shoes per year?
   The average family spends around $388 on shoes per year. However, the 35-44-year-olds spent the most in this category.

7. How much does it cost to clothe a family of four?
   The average household spends around 3.8% of their income on clothing. Families bringing home the average $64,175 annually spend around $2,440 on clothing per year. This tends to vary based on the ages of the children. Younger children are often less expensive to clothe while teens have more expensive tastes.

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8. How large is the apparel industry?
   Globally, the apparel industry is worth an amazing $2.4 trillion.

Women and Clothes

9. What is the average value of the clothes in a woman's closet?
   Women have an average of $1,000 to $2,500 of clothing sitting in their wardrobe. Even though this seems high, 9% of women have more than $10,000 sitting in their closet!

10. How much of the average woman's wardrobe is never worn?
    More than 50% of women claim 25% of their wardrobe sits in the closet collecting dust. This equates to around $600 thrown out the window.

    On the other hand, some turn to selling apps to put some cash back in their wallet. Learn which selling app even picks up your clothes for you in our guide here.

11. How many women own more than 25 pairs of shoes?
    We know women love their shoes and the statistics prove it. 32% of women own more than 25 pairs of shoes. That's almost a different pair of shoes for every day of the month.

12. How much of the average woman's closet is more than 5 years old?
    A whopping 73% of women update 25% of their closet every 3 months. Just over 15% of women don't have any clothes older than 5 years in their wardrobe.

13. How much more expensive is women's clothing than men's?
    On average, women pay 8% more than men for their clothing. The highest difference is in shirts. Women's tops cost 5% more than men's shirts. Jeans were a close second, costing 10% more for women than men's jeans.

The Cost of Shoes

14. What is the most expensive shoe brand?
    Shoe fanatics are willing to break the bank on their shoes. Valentino shoes, an Italian brand, cost an average of $975 per pair for both men and women.

15. Are men or women's high-end brand name shoes more expensive?
    Clothing might be more expensive for women, but men pay more for name-brand shoes. On average, men's designer shoes cost $190 more than women's shoes.

16. How many shoes does the average person buy per year?
    The average person buys 7.8 pairs of shoes per year. For family of four, that means 31.2 pairs of shoes per year.

17. How much money does the average woman waste on unworn shoes?
    According to a study conducted by One Poll, 52% of women have shoes in their wardrobe that they never wear. The top reason was the shoes were so uncomfortable that women could not even walk in them. Many of these women even knew the agony the shoes caused when buying them but still went ahead with the purchase.

18. What type of shoes do women impulse buy most often?
    Surprisingly, the top impulse buy is the flip-flop. This could be attributed to their much lower cost than most other shoes.

19. What's the top reason women have unworn shoes in their closet?
    The shoe addiction tends to make women buy shoes they don't even have an occasion to wear them. Of the 52% of women with unworn shoes in their closet, many of them thought they would find an occasion to wear a specific shoe but have yet to find it.

Best Time to Shop

20. When is the best time to buy kids' clothes?
    Clothing kids can get costly, but buying those clothes in August can give you the most bang for your buck. Back-to-school sales often save you money on the essentials.

    If you can predict your child's size for next year, though, end-of-season sales save the most money. Clearing the shelves for the next season brings the lowest prices.

    Back-to-school shopping take a bite out of your monthly budget? Don't miss our guide on how to put a little extra cash in your pocket.

21. When is the best time to buy winter clothes?
    Planning ahead is the key to saving money on winter clothes too. Spring clothing makes its debut in February. Retailers start making room for the debut in December and January. You'll likely see the lowest prices in January, which still gives you several months of wear time in most regions.
    Tip: Chase Savings Bonus
    

22. When is the best time to buy summer clothes?
    Summer clothes don't usually go on clearance until August. This leaves less time to get wear time in the current year. But you can stock up for the following year at a savings.

Bottom Line

Clothing takes up a good portion of the average family's budget. Shopping sales and planning for the next year is the best way to keep the budget as low as possible.

Sources and References:

• BLS
  
• McKinsey & Company
  
• North Dakota University
  
• Alliance Data
  
• NYC Consumer Affairs
  
• Datafiniti
  
• American Apparel and Footwear Association