New study reveals how much each state spends on clothing

The state spending the most money on clothing is not the one you would guess. While New Yorkers spent on average 764 dollars on clothing per person in 2018, those in West Virginia beat out all other states with a per-person expenditure of 2,735 dollars.

Menswear accessories brand JJ Suspenders recently analyzed data from the 2012 U.S. Economic Censue, the 2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditures Report and the Statista Apparel industry report to determine how much each state is spending on apparel per capita.

While Hawaii spent the least on clothing with 547 dollars per person, the northeastern United States is also among the most frugal. Joining New York State in the region are New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Washington, D.C., each with numbers under 1,000 dollars per resident.

California and Florida are also on the list of low-spenders, with their per person totals equaling 1,148 dollars and 947 dollars respectively.

After Idaho, the top four highest spending states in 2018 were Idaho (2,719 dollars per person), Wyoming (2,659 dollars per person), Montana (2,555 dollars per person) and South Dakota (2,495 dollars per person).

Female shoppers leading the race in spendings on clothing

American women, unshockingly, spend significantly more than men when it comes to stricktly clothing, beating them out by 35 percent of the total market. However, this percentage is not even including sportswear, swimwear, underwear, and hosiery. Menswear made up just under 26 percent in the clothing market in 2018.

The figures in the study were basxed on sales per capita, or spending per indivdual shopper. This avoids innacuracy of using total sales volume (state-to-state comparison), which is dependent on the number of people living in that state, and California clocking in first with over 20 billion dollars.

Sources: US Economic Census, 2012, Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditures Report, 2017, Statista Apparel industry report

Main photo: JJSuspenders Facebook