Then and Now- Size of the Industry
Craft Industry at $30 Billion
The 2006 Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) Attitude & Usage Study indicate that the U.S. craft and hobby industry is a $30.2 billion industry for annual retail sales. Fielded monthly and reported quarterly by Ipsos-Insight Consumer Products, the quantitative research methodology includes mail surveys tracking 38 craft segments within four broad craft categories: General Crafts, Needle & Sewing Crafts, Painting & Finishing Crafts and Floral Crafts. Among the key findings presented for the 12 months ending 11/30/06:
• Craft Industry at $30.2 Billion - The U.S. craft and hobby industry was tracked at $30.2 billion for annual retail sales, -1.4 percent vs. year-ago. Overall the industry has grown since 2002 with a four year compound annual growth rate of +2.6 percent. 57 percent of US households (62 million) participated in crafts last year.
• Spending Per Household - The annual spending per crafting household averaged $476.
• Top 10 Selling Crafts - Scrapbooking/Memory Crafts led the way with $2,446 million in sales followed by Home Décor/Painting/Accessorizing/Finishing at $2,405 million in sales. These were followed in descending order by: Art & Drawing; Other Painting & Finishing; Floral Arranging; Beading/Bead Crafts, Card-Making; Woodworking; Crocheting and Apparel/Fashion Sewing.
This is just a sampling of the detailed results included in the 2006 CHA Attitude & Usage Study. The full reports are available at no charge to CHA members. To access reports, CHA members can visit the “Research” area of the CHA website – www.craftandhobby.org.
Brief overview of initial industry research
By the early, 1970’s estimates of the size of the craft industry suggested total annual sales were $300 million (Profitable Craft Merchandising). In 1987, the Hobby Industry Association (HIA) hired an outside firm to survey retailers, vendors, and consumers. With more advance methodology, results published in 2001, showed the industry had grown to over $20 billion. For further perspective, visit Creative Leisure News, http://www.clnonline.com/industryresearch.html
Today’s comprehensive research indicates the industry…
As public interest in crafts has increased over the years, CHA has conducted a number of research projects, including the yearly benchmark Nationwide Craft & Hobby Consumer Usage and Purchases Study that reports the most popular craft activities and total sales dollars. The CHA Attitude & Usage study was recommissioned in 2005 and is continuing in 2006/2007 to provide members with the most up-to-date information on participation and behaviors of crafting households. The primary objectives of this research are to:
- Estimate the size of the industry
- Estimate and track sales by distribution channel
- Determine and track craft participation by category
- Provide demographic profiles and attitudinal/ and behavior patterns of crafters
- Document shopping patterns