Children in the United States
The U.S. population under age 18 was 73.1 million in 2024, down 0.2% from 2023.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 ↗Kiddy Korner resource
Children’s resale & clothing reuse statistics: 2026
A practical, sourced snapshot of the numbers behind growing families, secondhand apparel and keeping useful clothes in circulation.
Last updated October 16, 2026
The big picture
Good things can keep moving.
Kids grow quickly, and the next size is always around the corner. These national figures put that everyday family rhythm in context: what households spend on apparel, how fast secondhand apparel is growing and where textiles go when they are no longer used.
These are national apparel and textile figures, not sales figures for Kiddy Korner. Every statistic links to the organization that published it, with the source date shown clearly.
The numbers
Eight facts worth keeping handy.
Average annual household apparel spending
In 2024, the average U.S. consumer unit spent $2,001 on apparel and services, including clothing, footwear and dry cleaning.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026 ↗Of average household spending
Apparel and services made up 2.5% of average annual U.S. household spending in 2024.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026 ↗U.S. secondhand apparel market growth
The U.S. secondhand apparel market grew 14% in 2024, according to thredUp’s 2025 Resale Report.
Source: thredUp Resale Report, 2025 ↗Projected U.S. secondhand apparel market
thredUp’s 2025 report projects the U.S. secondhand apparel market will reach $74 billion by 2029.
Source: thredUp Resale Report, 2025 ↗Textiles entering the waste stream
EPA estimated that U.S. textile generation reached 17 million tons in 2018, its latest material-specific dataset.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2018 data ↗Textile recycling rate
EPA estimated 14.7% of U.S. textiles were recycled in 2018, equal to 2.5 million tons.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2018 data ↗Textiles sent to landfill
EPA estimated that landfills received 11.3 million tons of textiles in 2018.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2018 data ↗Method & sources
Built for easy checking and citing.
This page brings together the latest available figures from public government datasets and a named resale-industry report. Source years vary because national datasets are released on different schedules. We show the date attached to each figure and will refresh this page when key sources release newer information.
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 population estimates by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin, released June 2025
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditures, 2024, published February 2026
- thredUp, 2025 Resale Report, published March 2025
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Textiles: Material-Specific Data, 2018 dataset
Keep the cycle going
Ready for the next size?
Bring in the children’s things your family has outgrown, then see what is waiting for the season ahead.