Which States Spend the Most on Engagement Rings? New Yorkers Spend the Most, State-by-State Data Finds

Which States Spend the Most on Engagement Rings?

According to BriteCo’s January 2025-June 2026 state data, New York couples spend the most on engagement rings, followed by couples in New Jersey, Florida, California, and Massachusetts.

States With the Highest Median Engagement-Ring Sales Prices, January 2025-June 2026

As you’ll see, New York sits well above the No. 2 state, New Jersey, with couples in New York spending nearly $3,000 more. In fact, each of the top five states are pretty significantly different from a budgeting standpoint, with the median in the No. 5 state, Massachusetts, nearly $4,000 less than the median in New York.

Again, though, note that these are median estimates from BriteCo’s appraisal data, and these rankings are not a guarantee of what you’ll pay for all diamond engagement rings across the states.

New York Leads the Highest-Spending States

The median price for an engagement ring in New York is $12,613. This is $2,812 more than the median ring price in New Jersey ($9,801), which is ranked second for highest engagement ring spending.

Elawar credits the big number to the presence of the famed Diamond District in New York City, as well as an abundance of wealth. “There’s a concentration of investment bankers, private equity, attorneys, tech execs, and over-all high earners in New York City,” he says.

Which States Have the Lowest Engagement-Ring Medians?

The five states with the lowest engagement ring costs include Vermont, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, and Nebraska.

It’s worth mentioning that a lower state median engagement ring cost does not mean a high-quality engagement ring is necessarily going to come at a lower cost in that state; instead, differences can be chalked up to spending habits and similar factors.

How Much Does Engagement Ring Spending Vary by State?

How much couples spend on an engagement ring can vary significantly by state; according to BriteCo’s data, the top-spending state is New York, with its $12,613 median, and the state that spends the least on engagement rings is Vermont, with its $3,856 median — that’s a $8,757 difference.

Geographic Spending Gap

Dollar gap between New York and Vermont engagement ring median cost:

This means the median engagement-ring sales price in New York is about 3.3 times Vermont’s — significantly higher — but just because there’s an observable difference in state medians, that doesn’t mean the same ring is going to cost 3.3 times more in New York.

New York Vs. Vermont: What the Gap Actually Means

Technically, the gap only means that there is a difference between the medians of the rings specifically represented in BriteCo’s dataset. These medians are not fixed retail prices tied to equivalent products.

What the Data Means

The median cost of an engagement ring differs substantially between New York and Vermont, when looking specifically at BriteCo’s data.

What the Data Does Not Establish

• The same diamond ring will be priced three times higher in New York than in Vermont.
• Every New York engagement ring buyer spends more than every Vermont buyer.
• Location itself causes the differences in spending.
• The cost of every engagement ring in every state.

How Do State Engagement Ring Prices Compare with the National Median?

According to BriteCo, the national median engagement-ring sales price was $6,939 in 2025.

Realize that the 2025 national median offers some useful context, but because the state medians cover 18 months rather than just 12, the above table doesn’t give you a precise national-versus-state comparison.

For engagement ring buyers at Elawar’s shop in Virginia, “the sweet spot is usually between $6,000 and 7,500. somewhere in that range.”

Why Median and Average Engagement-Ring Costs Aren’t the Same

It’s also important to explain that median and average engagement ring cost are not the same, with BriteCo’s data finding that the 2025 national average cost of an engagement ring was $6,504, while the median is $6,939.

What’s the difference between averages (also called the “mean”) and medians? It all comes down to how the numbers are calculated.

• Mean / Average: The price of every engagement ring in BriteCo’s data is added together, and then that sum is divided by the total number of rings within the dataset, to get the mean or average. If you have extra-expensive rings or extra-cheap rings, they can influence the number you end up with.
• Median: The price of every engagement ring in BriteCo’s data is listed in order from least to most expensive, and then the number directly in the middle of the list is picked out. This is the median.

Why Do Engagement Ring Prices Differ Across States?

There are many important factors that influence the cost of an engagement ring, including the quality and size of the center stone, chosen engagement ring style, retailer, brand, and materials used, so it’s difficult to say why the engagement ring median in one state might be different from another.

Elawar speculates that the lack of big cities keeps jewelry values lower in some states. “And income level is a big one,” he adds. “New York’s average income per household is going to be a lot different than an income in South Dakota.”

Additionally, when looking at ring medians across states, it could be that the type and value of rings recorded in each state may differ as well, further influencing the data.

Product Mix, Diamond Choices, and Retailer Differences

Two shoppers can spend very different amounts on an engagement ring even if they live in the same state, due to selecting different rings with very different characteristics.

For example, Shopper A could purchase an engagement ring with a large, high-quality, natural center stone, with a platinum band and complex design, from a reliably expensive brand. Shopper B, meanwhile, could choose a good-quality, smaller, lab-grown diamond, with a white gold band and simpler design, from their local jeweler.

Shopper B is going to spend significantly less than Shopper A, even if the two live in the same state or even the same city. Diamond origin, characteristic, size, metal type, design complexity, and retailer all play huge roles in pricing.

What the State Data Cannot Tell Us

Again, a state median does not establish the prices of rings across different retailers; it cannot tell us anything about the buyer’s income or retailer pricing; it cannot tell us differences in ring stone size or diamond origin; and it cannot tell us buyers’ spending motivations.

In short, the rankings describe observed regional purchasing-price differences within BriteCo’s data (which represent a certain number of rings from each state, not every ring); they do not independently explain why those differences exist.

Are Lab-Grown Diamonds Changing How Much Couples Spend?

According to BriteCo, lab-grown diamonds represented 47% of newly appraised engagement rings in 2025, up from 5.9% in 2019; this growing popularity matters and may indicate that couples are spending less on engagement rings in some cases, as lab-grown diamond rings can be substantially more affordable than natural diamonds.

However, again, we can’t link this trend to the aforementioned geographic rankings, as the data doesn’t indicate whether or not couples in certain states are buying lab-grown diamond engagement rings in greater quantities.

Natural Vs. Lab-Grown Engagement-Ring Prices in 2025

According to BriteCo, the median price for a natural diamond ring was $12,961 in 2025, compared with $4,557 for a lab-grown diamond engagement ring.

Remember: These figures are national medians and do not necessarily compare the prices of two rings of identical quality and same carat weight. These figures also do not reflect what the prices for the two types of rings would be in any particular state or location. The price of either a natural or lab-grown diamond ring can be much different than these medians, depending on the unique ring selected.

Does State-Level Lab-Grown Adoption Explain the Rankings?

No, state-level lab-grown adoption rates do not, on their own, explain the state rankings for most/least expensive diamond ring purchases. Product characteristics, center-stone characteristics, metals used, and more also impact purchase prices.

That said, if you’d like to see how states are adopting lab-grown rings at the moment, according to BriteCo data, between January 2025 and June 2026, lab-grown diamonds appeared in 84.7% of appraised diamond jewelry in Minnesota and in 32.8% of appraised diamond jewelry in New York.

How Can You Set an Engagement Ring Budget Based on Your State?

Your state’s median engagement ring price should be merely a reference point, not the budget you set or expect for your own engagement ring purchase. Instead, choose a budget you can comfortably afford based on your financial situation, your partner’s preferences, and your shared goals.

Five Steps to a Ring Budget That Works for You

1. Decide what amount you can spend on an engagement ring without disrupting essential expenses.
2. Consider upcoming savings goals and other significant purchases before setting a budget.
3. Discuss your partner’s priorities — style, stone origin, size, and setting — and how they align with your budget.
4. Compare real rings within your chosen budget.
5. Account for the additional costs of ring ownership, including future maintenance and appropriate insurance.

A state’s median should help you understand the market, not pressure you into stretching beyond your means. Use our engagement ring calculator to get a better sense of an appropriate budget.

Ignore the Three-Month Salary Rule

In the past, it would be recommended that you set an engagement ring budget by adding up three months’ salary, but this is an outdated, historical marketing convention and not a financial requirement or indication of how meaningful an engagement ring is.

“That’s gone away,” Elawar says. “Spend what you’re comfortable with spending, that you’re not going to have to mortgage your house to pay off. Get something that is good quality — it doesn’t have to be too large — and that fits your lifestyle and your budget and your partner’s style.”

Make a practical decision regarding your engagement ring budget by considering your available savings, current financial obligations, partner preferences, financing options, and long-term financial comfort.

Frequently Asked Questions About Engagement Ring Spending by State

Which State Spends the Most on Engagement Rings?

According to BriteCo, New York has the highest median engagement-ring sales price at $12,613 according to January 2025–June 2026 data.

Which State Has the Lowest Engagement Ring Prices?

According to BriteCo, Vermont has the lowest median engagement-ring sales price at $3,856. However, this is a median based on BriteCo’s appraisal data for the state, and is not a guaranteed price for any ring.

How Much Does the Typical American Spend on an Engagement Ring?

According to BriteCo, the U.S. median engagement ring cost was $6,939 in 2025. Note this is a median, not an average price.

Do Lab-Grown Diamonds Affect Engagement-Ring Spending?

Yes, choosing a lab-grown diamond can greatly lower engagement ring spending. According to BriteCo, the 2025 national median cost was $12,961 for natural diamond engagement rings versus $4,557 for lab-grown rings.

Should You Base Your Engagement-Ring Budget on Your State’s Median?

No, you should use the median as context and data, but ultimately choose your engagement ring budget based on your personal finances, financial goals, and partner’s preferences.

No Matter Where You Live, Protect Your Engagement Ring

The state where you buy or own an engagement ring does not determine what that particular piece will cost or what it will cost to replace. Additionally, these two costs are measured differently and cannot be treated interchangeably.

• Sales price reflects the purchase-price estimate.
• Appraised replacement value reflects the documented cost of replacing the piece at retail for insurance purposes.

Ultimately, where you live may help explain the range of engagement-ring prices in the market, but the right ring budget — and the right amount of insurance — depends on the specific jewelry you choose and its associated sales price and appraised replacement value.

Whether your perfect ring costs less than your state’s median or substantially more, keep your purchase documentation and appraisal information organized and consider protection that reflects the ring’s actual replacement value. Then, get your engagement ring insurance quote now.

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