IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Families with children in elementary school or high school plan to spend an average of $858 on back-to-school items this year, down from $874 in 2024, according to the National Retail Federation.
Those items include clothing, shoes, school supplies and electronics, with an expected increase in spending on apparel and electronics, the Washington, D.C.-based trade association reported recently.
That increase is expected to help drive back-to-school spending this year to $39.4 billion, up from $38.8 billion last year, an increase of 1.5 percent.
“Consumers are mindful of the potential impacts of tariffs and inflation on back-to-school items, and have turned to early shopping, discount stores and summer sales for savings on school essentials,” said Katherine Cullen, the federation’s vice president of Industry and consumer insights, in the statement. “Retailers are focused on affordability. and making shopping as seamless as possible.”
Sixty seven percent of back-to-school shoppers said they started buying items early this month, according to the federation.
