Report: Affluent consumer habits, demographics and splurges

New research from eMarketer on affluent Americans reveals the makeup and behaviors of this sought-after segment are nuanced and complex. Specifically, the demographics and spending habits of the wealthy vary significantly from how they’re often portrayed.

Here are some key insights from the report:

Demographics

Contrary to the idea of trust-fund playboys and kept women, affluent Americans are more likely to be married and more likely to live in households with two income-earning adults than the population at large, the analysis found.

A poll from Deseret News and the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at Brigham Young University, as cited by eMarketer, found that 70 percent of Americans with a household income of $100,000+ were married, compared with 55 percent of those with an income of $30,000–$99,999 and 25 percent of those with incomes under $30,000.

A poll by Ipsos Affluent Intelligence Group, as cited by eMarketer, found that 74 percent of wealthy adults identify as non-Hispanic white—down from 86 percent in 1992.

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