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The average Virginian spends nearly $1,600 on holiday shopping, according to a new report.
That ranks the state fifth nationally in holiday spending per person, according to ChamberofCommerce.org, which created the report using data from the National Retail Federation, the U.S. Census Bureau and Deloitte consumer surveys.
Maryland ($2,241), Utah ($2,195), Hawaii ($1,887) and New Jersey ($1,843) were the top four states for per-capita holiday spending. Maryland has the highest median household income in the nation, at $80,776.
In West Virginia, the average person spends $60 on holiday shopping. The state is one of the poorest in the nation; nearly 20 percent of its residents live in poverty.
Experts predict an overall increase of four percent in spending this year, according to the report, and online shopping is predicted to gross more revenue than brick-and-mortar stores for the first time ever.
The national holiday shopping average is $1,047 per person, according to the report. Of that amount, the typical shopper will spend about $500 on gifts for family, a little less than $100 on gifts for friends, about $225 on non-gift items (such as food, decorations, greeting cards and postage) and about $160 on themselves.
