Average Cost of Vacations by State

Minnesotans are huge travel spenders. Citizens of the Gopher State spend 24.4% more on their average vacation than residents of Indiana, the lowest-ranked state in the region. Minnesotans spend 16.1% more on vacations than the average state in the region and their dominance makes sense because it’s one of the most financially stable states in the nation. State unemployment sat at 3.8% as of April 2017, which is lower than the 4.4% national level. More Minnesotans have the resources to do more traveling and can spend more when they get there.

Midwesterners love to travel, but they pay the second-least per domestic vacation of any surveyed region. Prices across the board are lower for those in the Midwest region, which results in less spending, especially for domestic travel. The Midwestern Producer Price Index is 6.5% lower than the national level. Lastly, the region spans a large geographic region, which means it’s great for weekend getaways in the family car, which is often less costly than traveling by air.

On average, four day trips within the country cost Americans in the Midwest region $629.68. International trips for travelers from the Midwest, on average, cost $3,535.09. This average represents a spread with quite a bit of parity. Five of the 12 states have below average vacation expenditures and seven clock in above average.

New Hampshire has the deepest pockets in the region when it comes to vacation spending, coming in at second-highest nationally. With an extremely low unemployment rate of 2.8%, and relatively high income levels, folks from New Hampshire are more likely to have the cash for travel. Hampshirites spend 32.9% more per vacation than people from Maine, which is the lowest spender in the region. When you’re already in Vacationland, you don’t need to vacay away from Maine quite as much.

Northeasterners spend roughly $250.36 on transportation for domestic trips, which is the most of all the regions. International trips are more expensive at $1,953.95. The Northeast is the furthest away from the oil-producing and importing regions in the South than any other region. This bumps up gas prices for car travel prices and a Northeasterner is more likely than any other region to travel by plane, which is far more expensive.

For domestic trips, travelers from the Northeast spend roughly $188.62 on lodging. For international trips, the average spending is $863.43 for accommodations. The proportion spent on lodging is higher for the Northeast than any other region. Cities like Boston and New York City are popular nearby vacation destinations with very high hotel costs, driving up lodging costs for regional travelers. With high transportation and lodging costs, spending on vacations in the Northeast is higher than any other region.

The residents of the South spend the least on vacation out of all four regions. On average, four day trips within the country cost Americans in the South region $564.51. International trips for travelers from the South cost $3,169.21, roughly. Southerners have a slightly higher savings rate than the national average, and according to the BLS, they make 7.9% less discretionary income than the national average. Essentially, Southerners make more and save less, which is unconducive to vacation spending.

The South has the largest spread for vacation spending of any of the surveyed regions. States like Mississippi and West Virginia are high poverty states, which put them toward the bottom of the regional list. Mississippi, for example, has the lowest vacation spending total of any state in the country. On the other end, Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia are known as wealthier states, so they have the resources to spend more on their vacations. Maryland, which spends the most on vacations in the region, spends a whopping 45.6% more than Mississippi per vacation.

For domestic trips, travelers from the South spend, on average, $138.34 on lodging. For international trips, the average spending is $633.25 on lodging. Lodging accounts for less proportional travel expenditure in the South than any other region. According to the BLS, the average price of housing in lodging in the south is lower than any other region, meaning hotels and Airbnbs are less expensive there than anywhere else.

Alaska is a relative outlier in this category. With an average domestic trip cost of $851.21 and a foreign travel expenditure of $4,778.72, Alaska has by far the largest vacation spending totals of any state. Travel to any other state in the country is much further than any of the other states, and the airline infrastructure in Alaska is relatively under developed and is therefore more expensive. In general, this distance makes traveling an expensive endeavor for Alaskans.

On average, four day trips within the country cost Americans in the West region $677.78. International trips for travelers from the West, on average, cost $3,805.10. This is the second highest of any region in the country. People from the west have the second-highest income levels of any region and have the means to spend more on the more discretionary categories, like entertainment, which pushes up the West’s entertainment spending higher than any region. Additionally, entertainment costs in domestic-travel destinations and urban areas, like San Francisco and Los Angeles, are high, propping up entertainment costs.

Westerners spend an average of $183.31 on food & drink while on domestic trips. On international trips, they spend on average $622.88. Cuisine expenditure is relatively low in this region, as citizens of Western states tend to allocate more money toward entertainment, at the expense of food costs.