Retail

Here's How Teens Really Spend Money, What They Like, And Where They Shop

teen shopping
Sisters Abigail, 20, left, and Aridis Guszman, 14, of the Bronx borough of New York, shop during the grand opening of the Material Girl clothing line at Macy's. Associated Press
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Piper Jaffray released its semiannual report on teen spending Tuesday. 

We dug through the report and pulled out some of the most interesting facts and charts. 

Here's a summary:

1. Teens are spending most of their money on clothes and food. Here's a breakdown of teen spending by category:

Teen spending
Piper Jaffray

2. Teens are spending 20% of their money on food, up from 15% 10 years ago. Meanwhile, their clothing budgets have shrunk. Upper-income teens rank their favorite restaurants in this order: Starbucks, Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts. Average-income teens favorite chains are Starbucks, McDonald's, McDonald's, Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, and Taco Bell, respectively.  

Teen survey
Piper Jaffray

3. Teens are still getting most of their money from their parents. This chart shows parental contributions for average- and upper-income teens over the years.

teen survey
Piper Jaffray

4. For the first time in the survey's history, T.J. Maxx ranks as one of teens' top 10 favorite brands. Nike remains the top clothing brand for all income levels. American Eagle, Forever 21, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Urban Outfitters also rank among the most popular apparel brands. Top footwear brands for upper-income teens are, in order, Nike, Vans, Converse, Sperry Top-Sider, and Steve Madden.

teen survey
Piper Jaffray

5. Brands that are losing popularity among teens include Aeropostale, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Hollister. Here's a graph of the top-cited brands that teen girls said they no longer wear:

Teen survey
Piper Jaffray

6. On the flip side, brands that are starting to get more popular among teen girls include Brandy Melville, American Eagle, and Free People. Teens boys cited Nike, Ralph Lauren, and Under Armour as up-trending brands.

teen survey
Piper Jaffray

7. Teens' favorite websites for shopping are Amazon, Nike, and eBay.

Teen survey
Piper Jaffray

8. Teen girls said the top fashion trends for fall 2014 include leggings, crop tops and high-waisted pants and skirts. Men cited Nike, "preppy," "tall socks," Vineyard Vines and Chubbies as top trends for fall.

9. Instagram is the most important social network for teens, followed by Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, respectively.

teen survey
Piper Jaffray

10. Apple remains the top electronics brand for teens. 67% now own iPhones, up from 61% in the spring, and 73% say that their next phone will be an iPhone. 16% of teens said they are interested in the Apple Watch. 

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Hayley Peterson
Hayley Peterson
Hayley Peterson is an Executive Editor who oversees coverage of the economy, tech, media, advertising, defense, careers, and more.She was previously a chief correspondent at Business Insider and wrote breaking news, analysis, and in-depth investigations on large consumer companies, with an emphasis on retailers including Amazon, Walmart, major grocery chains, and department stores.Hayley won recognition from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing in 2018 for "defining the retail apocalypse" through her reporting on retail job losses, the decline of Sears, and the impact of store closings on bondholders.Prior to joining Business Insider in 2013, Hayley was a White House correspondent and embedded on the presidential 2012 campaign trail.