The 2024 total solar eclipse was a highly anticipated event in the United States, with millions of Americans across the country traveling by car, plane, train and bus for the opportunity to witness the celestial phenomenon.
As part of our "Eventful Economy" series, we set out to measure the incremental sales boost to quantify the impact of this major event using data from NASA and aggregated Mastercard transaction data to estimate the boost.
Using a "synthetic control" approach, we constructed a counterfactual scenario to estimate what sales activity would have looked like in the absence of the eclipse. By analyzing high-frequency, anonymized Mastercard transaction data, we're able to isolate the incremental sales boost that can be directly attributed to the 2024 eclipse from Friday, April 5 through Monday, April 8. We dub this the "Eclipse Effect."
Spending on fuel saw a notable spike in sales with many eclipse viewers traveling by car to their preferred destination.
Maine experienced the biggest lift in sales, at 26% above the baseline, followed by New Hampshire, also 26%, and Missouri at 17% above what would have happened had the eclipse not happened in the US.
This is largely attributed to the fact that the top performers were near large population centers outside of the path of totality.
Spending on accommodations – hotels and motels – surged in counties on the path of totality.
On average, during the eclipse travel days from Friday, April 5 through Monday, April 8, the average daily boost in sales was 71% over what would have happened to sales had the eclipse not occurred.
New Hampshire saw the biggest boost in hotel sales, increasing a staggering 729% over what would have happened had the eclipse not occurred. Other states saw impressive boost in sales as well, including Illinois and Maine, which increased an incremental 316% and 240%, respectively.
Dining also saw a large jump in sales – about 27% above normal in zip codes falling within the path of totality Friday through Monday.
Maine, New Hampshire and Illinois saw the biggest surges in dining sales at 103%, 98% and 67%, respectively, above normal levels on average.
Event analysis is a core part of Mastercard's Services business, leveraging the company's unique vantage point and real-time insights to understand how major events, both planned and unplanned, can shift consumer behavior and impact the broader economy. These findings show the power of this approach for not only the eclipse but also events such as Taylor Swift’s US tour, Carnival in Rio de Janeiro and the Masters Tournament in Augusta, GA.
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About the Mastercard Economics Institute
Mastercard Economics Institute launched in 2020 to analyze macroeconomic trends through the lens of the consumer. A team of economists, analysts and data scientists draws on Mastercard insights — including Mastercard SpendingPulse™ — and third-party data to deliver regular reporting on economic issues for key customers, partners and policymakers.
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