35+ Thrifting Statistics: Industry, Store & More (2024)

Thrifting has gained popularity at an impressive rate in recent years, with the secondhand market expected to reach $70 billion in the US.

But how popular is thrift shopping, and what are the future prospects for the secondhand industry?

With that in mind, we will go over some key thrifting statistics, as well as thrift shopper and industry trends. 👗📈.

Thrifting Statistics: Key numbers

Between 16–18% of Americans shop at a thrift store.
93% of Americans shop for secondhand items online
On average, thrift store shoppers save nearly $150 per month.
Millennials accounted for 33% of second-hand apparel buyers in the United States.
83% of Generation Z are either already shopping or are open to shopping for secondhand clothes.
In the past year, 58% of Gen Z who purchased secondhand apparel did so online, more than any other generation.
2 in 5 items in Gen Z’s closet are secondhand items.
37% of consumers increased spending on secondhand apparel last year
30% of Gen Z shop secondhand to buy higher-end brands.
1 in 3 apparel items bought in the last 12 months were secondhand.
75% of people have either bought or are open to buying secondhand clothing.

Sources: (America’s Research Group, Yahoo, Statisa, Thredup)

There are 28,849 thrift store businesses in the United States, as per latest data.
The average thrift store in the United States earns around $300,000 per year in revenue.
The resale industry is expected to outpace the broader retail clothing sector by 9X times by 2027.
86% of retail leaders say their customers are buying resale, which is 8 points higher than in 2021.
82% of retailers offering resale believe it will bring a positive return on investment.
About 2 out of 3 retailers plan to boost their resale investments in the next couple of years.

Sources: (ThredUP, GlobalData, Depop, NRF, Ibisworld, Yahoo, CNBC)

💡Takeaways:

U.S. secondhand market is expected to reach $70 billion by 2027.
The global secondhand apparel market is expected to grow by 98.31% by 2027.
By 2024, secondhand apparel is expected to account for 10% of the global apparel market.
The thrift store market in the United States has grown at a 4.7% annual rate over the last five years.
The global secondhand clothing market is expected to increase by 127% by 2026.
Online resale is expected to reach $38 billion by 2027, growing 2X as fast as secondhand overall.

Sources: (Thredup)

💡Takeaways: