The chart above shows the average vacation expenditures for overnight stays by US state. Western and Northeastern states make up the five largest spenders on vacations.
Findings
- The difference between the state with the greatest vacation spending, Alaska, and the state with the least, Mississippi, is $409.07.
- Alaska has 1.93 times the average vacation expenditures that Mississippi does.
- The median vacation spending for the 50 US states is $614.50 and the mean is $627.30.
- Only three states' citizens spend over $800 on their trips: Alaska, New Hampshire, and Maryland.
- All states that spend less than $500 are from the South.
Caveats
- This data is for domestic travel only. International travel spending ranges from $2,482.18 to $4,778.72.
Details
Alaska has an average spending rate that is 1.04 times higher than the leading Northeastern state, New Hampshire; an average spending rate that is 1.13 times higher than the leading Midwestern state, Minnesota; and an average spending rate that is 1.25 times higher than the leading Southern state, Virginia.
It should be interesting to see how these expenditures match up with per capita GDP. An upcoming post will explore this further.
Sources
Reward Expert. 2018. "Average Cost of Vacations by State." Accessed August 20, 2018. https://www.rewardexpert.com/blog/studies/average-cost-of-vacations-by-state/.