A new survey shows that families are spending more for back-to-school supplies

Families are shelling out between $850 to $1,000 per household on clothing, shoes, supplies, and technology.

President of Minnesota Retailers, Bruce Nustad, says there are various factors for the rise in spending.

"Inflation and tariffs, but thinking of costs of transportation, we're kind of in the middle of the country," Nustad explains. "We're away from the ports, so ultimately, you tend to see just a little bit of a price difference. Especially when transportation costs are up."

And just because school starts, doesn't mean the spending stops.

"A lot of families used to buy their new shoes and jeans in June and July, and now you're seeing kind of some families wait until after Labor Day," Nustad adds. "And maybe even into October to see if there's some kind of postseason deals."

Nustad says the national average is around $865 per family in 2026, but numbers in Minnesota are trending above that. He says there's a clear reason why - technology.

"Keep in mind that includes some of your back to school technology, so it's not a really surprising number," he said. "I think things are costing families a little bit more here in Minnesota than they have in the past, so you're seeing some growth in the total amount of dollar spent."

Nustad says inflation, tariffs, and transportation costs are factors leading to higher spending.

Larissa Adamiec is a clinical assistant professor in the College of Health and Human Sciences’ School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Purdue University, and she says the price of school supplies has dramatically risen over the past year. Because of that, families are changing their approaches, and so are retailers.

"People are now being incredibly thrifty in how they’re looking about purchasing things," says Adamiec. "They’re going from store to store to store, which was very different a couple of years ago. And so what they’re doing is they’re very conscientious of prices, and they are looking to bargain hunt. And as a result, the big-box stores are looking very much at competing aggressively with each other. And as a result, we’re seeing to some extent somewhat-deflated prices with some of those almost like doorbuster type of purchases."

School supplies cost nearly 15% more than last year