This week we’re looking at the average consumer spending in the U.S. on such everyday costs as gas, dining out and coffee, and where we pay the most and least for them. And in our final entry, we’re examining which American cities spend the most on clothing.
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that consumer household spending fell by 3.1 percent from 2007 to 2010, and clothing is one thing many of us are cutting back on. But a list of the 10 cities that spend the most on clothing per capita placed Danville, California, at the top. In Danville, the average citizen spends more than $2,000 on clothes each year, according to Maine-based Pinpoint Demographics, which conducted the study. This affluent Oakland suburb has a median income of more than $128,000, and was expected to spend $38.3 million on clothing last year, the study showed.
Two San Jose, California, suburbs, Los Gatos and Los Altos, ranked just below Danville, and nearby Saratoga also placed in the top 10 – as did two northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.: Great Falls and Oakton. Unlike Danville, all of these cities’ average annual spending on clothing was under $2,000.
Clothing is a big expense that doesn’t have to take you by surprise. If you know how much you expect to spend on clothes for the year, it may make sense to set clothing money aside in a savings product, where it will be accessible and will accrue interest. If you can see a more expensive purchase — a new suit, a new dress — on the horizon, you can adjust your plan accordingly, or pay the difference from another source, like a checking account.
How much do you spend on clothes each month? What’s the next clothing purchase on your list?
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Comments
Denise on January 18, 2012 at 8:00am
We are too interested in saving for our future & paying off our house to purchase items that are not necessary. We might spend $300 to $400 per year on items that need to be replaced. If I need a special dress & can't find one at a reasonable price (in my book that's $40 or less) I call my girlfriends & raid their closets.
Credence Global Bank on January 18, 2012 at 9:06am
That’s a hilarious but effective method, Denise! Do your friends come raid your closet when they need something from you?
Ed on January 18, 2012 at 11:29am
You mean you can spend over a hundred or two for clothes a year? Maybe more people should consider going to a Goodwill store for clothing occasionally.
Sharon D. on January 18, 2012 at 1:10pm
I have stopped shopping in department stores for everything except socks and underwear. During the 18 months my husband was unemployed we had to learn a new game plan. Now I wear all designer clothing, dress better and spend less then $500 a year on clothing. I buy at thrift stores and charity stores. My most recent purchase was 9 sweaters for $42. The retail value on the sweaters based on their label would have been $1296. I went from wearing Walmart to Coldwater Creek and Orvis by thrift store shopping.
Credence Global Bank on January 18, 2012 at 1:16pm
Wow! Thanks for sharing, Sharon!
laura on January 18, 2012 at 4:27pm
i purchase everything except shoes (usually) and undies (always) at second hand stores. i also take advantage of a clothing exchange that is sponsered thru our local elementary school. we drop what we no longer can use and whatever we take away is FREE! it is not mandatory to drop in order to take. so i would say i spend around 150 to 200$ on myself through out the year.
Credence Global Bank on January 19, 2012 at 4:29pm
The exchange program is a wonderful idea, Laura! More exchange programs like this would benefit many across the nation.
Mackenzie on June 21, 2012 at 5:36pm
I don't remember the last time I bought clothing in a physical store. Fabric, yes; clothing, no. The last garment I bought was a cotton slip for under tea-length skirts, and I got it on Etsy. I tried to buy one in a department store, but I was disappointed with the choices (too short, made of non-breathable polyester despite the local climate). My refrain in considering clothing purchases seems to have become "screw it, I'll sew one out of linen." It's not the cheapest fabric, but it breathes wonderfully and lasts forever--linen is quite happy to be used & abused, washed roughly etc. No wonder it was the go-to fibre for a thousand years!