US Toy Sales Statistics (2019–2022)
As one of the largest online shopping categories among consumers, it’s no surprise that the US toy industry is raking in dozens of billions of dollars annually.
But just how much is the US toy market worth?
US toy market: 2019–2022
According to the latest toy sales statistics in the US, consumers spent $29.2 billion on toys in 2022. This marks a marginal 0.2% decrease from the previous year.
The annual decline is the first time toy sales have fallen in four years. In 2019, total sales from the US toy market registered at $22 billion. A year later, it grew by 17% to $25.7 billion, before another 14% increase in 2021 saw US toy industry sales hit $29.2 billion.
→ Click Here to Launch Your Online Business with Shopify
Analysts attribute the growth of the US toy market in 2020 and 2021 to the pandemic, which affected consumer behavior. With restrictions on travel and leisure in place, many people diverted their money to alternative forms of entertainment, such as toys.
US toy sales statistics: best-selling items in 2022
US toy sales statistics show that in 2022, outdoor and sports toys performed the best in terms of overall sales. US consumers spent $5.2 billion on items in this category—11.1% less than they did in 2021.
The second best-selling category in the US toy industry is infant, toddler, and preschool toys. These accounted for $3.7 billion in sales last year, a fractional annual decrease of 1.8%. This is followed by games and puzzles, which, despite a 0.3% decline from 2021, saw total sales hit $3.5 billion.
Dolls and building sets round out the five best-performing categories of the US toy industry. These products generated sales of $3.4 billion and $2.9 billion, respectively. It’s noteworthy to note that sales of dolls saw the biggest annual decline from 2021 to 2022, falling by 11.9%.
Here’s how the other toy categories performed:
- Explorative and other toys: $2.6 billion
- Plush: $2.3 billion
- Action figures and accessories: $2.2 billion
- Vehicles: $1.7 billion
- Arts and crafts: $1.2 billion
Plush toys saw the largest annual increase in sales, growing by 31.1% from the $1.8 billion of sales it generated in 2021. This is followed by explorative toys, with 15.5%.