How much will people spend on Dad for Father's Day?
Father's Day spending reached record highs in 2025, surpassing the prior peak of $22.9 billion in 2023. Americans spent $24 billion on Father's Day last year, according to research from Gourmet Gift Baskets based on National Retail Federation (NRF) data. Since 2019, Father's Day spending has increased by 50%.
Meanwhile, inflation has risen by 24.4%. Families aren't just spending more on Dad because everything is more expensive; they're buying higher value items they know their father-figures will love. On average, Americans spent roughly $198 per person on Father's Day in 2025. Millennials spent the most, averaging $278.90 per person.
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Dad vs. Mom
Dad hasn't quite caught up to Mom in the gift category, though. Americans spent $34.1 billion on Mother's Day in 2025, according to NRF data. And while 76% of Americans celebrate Father's Day, putting it sixth on the list of American holidays behind Super Bowl and ahead of Halloween, 84% celebrate Mother's Day. In line with other gifting trends in 2026, where consumers are showing preferences for experiences over items, "experiences" jumped ahead as the highest spending category for Father's Day last year. Gift-givers spent $4.8 billion on things like concert tickets, sporting events, dinners, and even vacations.
More than half (53%) took someone on a special outing for Father's Day in 2025, while 30% said they gave an "experience gift," with tickets to be used at a future date.
World Cup for Father's Day? Yes, Please
With World Cup taking place across US cities this summer, the number of fathers receiving "experiences" as gifts this June could be even higher.
For instance, one Instagrammer surprised his father with World Cup tickets for the matches in Mexico. Then there's Mark, a bank executive from Long Island, who purchased more than $21,000 in World Cup tickets for his family, according to the New York Post. That may not be considered a gift, since he used his dad's credit card for the purchase. But it will certainly make for a memorable Father's Day for the family. Even if you didn't manage to score tickets to World Cup, consider taking Dad to a host city during the event and watching the action from a nearby venue. Many cities are hosting giant watch parties that are open to the public or have affordable admission.
For instance, American Dream mall in East Rutherford, NJ, adjacent to MetLife Stadium, is hosting a giant watch party deemed "Dream Fan Fest." Every match of the tournament will be broadcast on towering LED screens in the center of the mall and in numerous restaurants and sports bars across the shopping and entertainment complex.
Other Top Father's Day Gift Choices
If soccer isn't Dad's thing, Gourmet Gift Baskets' survey shared other top purchases from last year to spark gift-giving ideas. Nearly six-in-10 (58%) gave someone special a greeting card for Father's Day. This is in line with Mother's Day gifts, where 46% of survey respondents from a DriveResearch poll, reported by Nifty50+, said they gave a greeting card with a handwritten note for the holiday. Fifty-five percent of respondents gave clothing as a gift, while half gave a gift card.
Electronics are also hot, with 43% of respondents giving electronics as a gift, to the tune of $2.6 billion spent last year. An equal number (43%) said they planned to give a subscription box, a category that has grown from 34% in 2019. With subscription boxes for everything from craft beer to pickles, steaks, seafood, or pretzels, it's no wonder this category is growing in popularity.
When it comes to gift baskets, a separate survey from GourmetGiftBaskets.com revealed that dads prefer food: Meat made the top of the list of gift baskets ordered for Father's Day last year, making up 30.2% of all orders, while baked goods made up 22.1% of orders. As personal care products for men continue to carve a solid niche, 33% of shoppers said they gifted items like hair care, soaps, and grooming or shaving kits last year.
A testament to the growing popularity of Father's Day, people are searching for ideas year-round. Google search volume for "Father's Day" increased from virtually zero in 2016 and prior up to an average index of 6.1 (out of 100) in 2025 and 9.75 in early 2026. People are thinking about the holiday earlier and more often. June searches hit a relative volume index of 100 in 2022, falling to 32 in 2024, and up to 50 in 2025. The dips could be based on more people using ChatGPT and other generative AI engines, rather than Google search, to find ideas. But the figures still show tremendous growth compared to June scores of 4 and 5 in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
What Dads Really Want for Father's Day
Unlike the findings of this year's Mother's Day research, it seems Dads are getting what they ask for. In a separate report, GourmetGiftBaskets.com analyzed what matters most to fathers. "Reliable brands" topped the list for 66.4% of respondents, while eating out, movies, and television trailed slightly, at 62.7%, 62.2%, and 59.3%. These responses point toward electronics, personal care products (as long as the recipient recognizes and trusts the brand), as well as outings or experiences as top gifts this Father's Day.
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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 11:03 AM.