$7.2B
Expected graduation gift spending in 2026
U.S. consumers are expected to spend $7.2 billion on gifts for high school and college graduates in 2026.
Source: National Retail Federation, 2026Graduation Reference
Average graduation gift cost and statistics for 2026.
The average person expects to spend $116.84 on a graduation gift in 2026, and cash remains the most common choice. Explore the current U.S. figures on spending, popular gifts, and the scale of the milestone. Updated August 11, 2026.
Browse the statisticsAt a Glance
The numbers behind a meaningful milestone.
These figures are collected from the latest available national sources. Each statistic links directly to its original publication.
$116.84
Expected per-person graduation gift spending
The National Retail Federation's 2026 survey puts expected graduation gift spending at $116.84 per person.
Source: National Retail Federation, 202639%
Adults planning to buy a graduation gift
Thirty-nine percent of surveyed U.S. adults said they planned to purchase a graduation gift in 2026.
Source: National Retail Federation, 202650%
Gift buyers planning to give cash
Cash is the most common graduation gift in the 2026 survey, with 50% of gift buyers planning to give it.
Source: National Retail Federation, 202638%
Gift buyers planning to give a greeting card
Greeting cards remain part of the celebration for 38% of graduation gift buyers in the 2026 survey.
Source: National Retail Federation, 202687%
U.S. public high school graduation rate
The latest national public high school graduation rate was 87% for the 2021-22 school year.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2024Methodology and Sources
How these statistics were selected.
The spending and gift-choice figures come from the National Retail Federation’s 2026 graduation survey of 7,914 U.S. adults, fielded April 30 through May 6, 2026. The national high school graduation rate comes from the National Center for Education Statistics and covers the 2021-22 school year, the latest figure published on that indicator.
National Retail Federation graduation data center
National Center for Education Statistics, public high school graduation rates
Cite this page
AlohaKitashima. “Graduation Gift Statistics (2026).” Accessed August 11, 2026. https://alohakitashima.com/graduation-gift-statistics.
For the Celebration
Make a practical gift feel personal.
Cash can be useful. A handmade money lei turns it into a graduation-day keepsake they can wear, enjoy in photos, and remember.