Millennials and Baby Boomers drive the majority of flower purchases in the United States, together accounting for nearly 60% of buying households. But the full picture of who buys flowers, and why, breaks down along lines of age, gender, income, and occasion in ways that might surprise you.
Age: Millennials Lead, Boomers Follow
A 2021 national survey of more than 8,500 U.S. households, published in HortTechnology, found that Millennials represented 30% of flower-buying households, followed closely by Baby Boomers at 28%. Gen X accounted for 19%, Gen Z for 14%, and the Silent Generation for 9%. The strong Millennial showing challenges the long-held assumption that flowers are primarily a Baby Boomer habit. Younger buyers are entering the market in force, though their reasons for purchasing tend to differ from older generations.
Gender and Purchase Motivation
Women and men buy flowers for fundamentally different reasons. Women aged 56 to 77 have been identified as the core consumer group for fresh cut flowers, and they buy primarily for personal use: decorating their homes, brightening a room, or simply treating themselves. This self-purchasing pattern makes them the most reliable and frequent buyers in the market.
Men, by contrast, tend to buy flowers as gifts. Research has specifically flagged unmarried men aged 34 and younger as a distinct target market for the floral industry. Their purchases cluster around holidays and romantic occasions rather than everyday use, which makes their spending patterns more seasonal and less predictable.
Income Makes a Big Difference
Household income is one of the strongest predictors of how much someone spends on flowers. According to University of Florida research, households earning between $180,000 and $200,000 annually planned to spend an average of $139.40 on ornamental plants over a 12-month period. Households earning under $20,000 planned to spend just $32.70, roughly a quarter of that amount.
The practical dividing line sits around $120,000 in annual household income. Above that threshold, the majority of consumers spent more than $50 per year on flowers and plants. Below it, the majority spent less than $50. The relationship between income and flower spending is consistently positive, meaning each step up the income ladder brings a noticeable bump in floral purchases. Flowers remain, to some degree, a discretionary comfort that scales with financial security.
Holidays That Drive the Most Sales
Holiday purchases account for a massive share of the floral industry’s annual revenue, and the ranking may not be what you’d expect. Valentine’s Day leads all holidays in transaction volume, capturing 30% of all holiday floral purchases. Christmas and Chanukah generate the most actual revenue at 29% of holiday dollar volume, edging out Valentine’s Day at 28%. Mother’s Day rounds out the top three with 26% of transactions and 24% of dollar volume.
After those big three, there’s a steep drop-off. Easter and Passover account for about 9% of transactions and 6% of spending. Thanksgiving brings in 8% on both measures. Father’s Day trails far behind at just 2% of transactions and 4% of dollar volume. More than 250 million roses alone are produced for Valentine’s Day each year, giving some sense of the scale involved during peak seasons.
The Bigger Market Picture
U.S. horticulture operations reported $18.3 billion in total sales in 2024, covering floriculture, nursery stock, and specialty crops. Within that, potted flowering plants generated $1.29 billion (up 7% from 2019), while potted herbaceous perennials hit $1.36 billion (up 47%). Annual bedding and garden plants reached $2.67 billion, a 19% increase. These gains reflect a broader trend: Americans are spending more on living plants and flowers than they were five years ago, across nearly every category.
The growth isn’t just about people buying more of the same things. Categories like food crops grown under protection (up 44%) and perennials (up 47%) suggest consumers are diversifying what they buy, moving beyond traditional cut flower bouquets into longer-lasting and functional plant purchases. The number of horticulture operations also increased, meaning more growers are entering or staying in the business to meet demand.
Self-Purchase vs. Gift Buying
One of the most significant shifts in the flower market over the past decade is the rise of self-purchasing. Older women buying flowers for their own homes have long been the backbone of everyday floral sales, but younger consumers are increasingly adopting the same habit. This matters because self-purchasers buy more frequently and are less tied to specific calendar dates. A gift buyer might purchase flowers three or four times a year around holidays. A self-purchaser might buy every few weeks.
For the industry, the ideal customer isn’t necessarily the person spending the most per transaction. It’s the person who buys consistently, and that profile skews toward women over 55 who view fresh flowers as a regular household purchase rather than a special occasion splurge.