Demographics of Cannabis Consumers 2019

The demographics of cannabis consumers 2019 is a popular search topic at this time. Headset, a Washington-based cannabis market intelligence company, recently released its annual demographics consumer report based on data from Washington loyalty programs. The sales data reveals a stark difference in purchasing habits and market share between genders and generations, as well as preferences on price, product type, and brands. This breakdown of demographics attempts to predict where the cannabis market is headed. Let's take a look at the demographics of cannabis consumers 2019.

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-Cannabis data

-Cannabis Industry Insights

-Marijuana demographics

Millennials are the Most Weed-Friendly

According to the breakdown of total sales across generations, Millennials make up 51.49 percent of total sales. Generation Z (under 23 years old) also experienced a doubling of its market share indicating a rapidly growing generation who can finally buy weed. The other half of the sales are comprised of the following generations:

 

• Generation X (25.74 percent)
• Baby Boomer (15.84 percent)
• Generation Z (5.94 percent)
• Silent Generation (0.99 percent)

Flower is King

Headset segmented the Washington loyalty program’s revenue data by product category to find out what cannabis product generations are primarily consuming. Almost all generations’ total sales of marijuana flower buds were above 40 percent. Boomers showed the most preference for cannabis flowers, which comprised 50 percent of the total sales for their generation, albeit, the Silent Generation (74+) had the lowest flower sales at 38 percent.

Vapes are Rising

Despite flower’s dominance of the cannabis market, vapes seem to be quickly gaining steam among the younger generations. Generation Z and Millennials are the main buyers of vapor pens at 20 and 21 percent total sales, respectively. They also have the lowest preference for flower at 42 percent of sales for both. The Silent Generation is generally vape-averse with 10 percent of total sales going to vape pens.

Basket Size Differences

In any industry, basket size refers to the number of items being sold in a single purchase. Among cannabis consumer generations, Boomers and the Silent Generation spent more on every purchase compared to the younger Generation Z and Millennials. Headset analysts believe an increase of disposable income among older generations contributes to the difference in basket size.  Here’s a breakdown of the average basket size per generation:

 

• Generation Z – $23.59
• Millennials – $25.01
• Generation X – $28.31
• Baby Boomer $30.66
• Silent Generation – $33.68

Gender Differences

While Headset’s data only takes a look at a specific portion of one state’s purchasing data, some of the findings are in line with previous numbers across the state. Headset’s 2019 report shows that not only do men purchase over 60 percent of cannabis, but that they also tend to spend more on average. For men, their average item price (AIP) was $14.80, while women had an AIP of $13.75.

 

When analyzing differences in purchasing habits between generations, men comprise at least 60 percent of total sales. In fact, males made up 67 percent of sales for Millennials. Baby Boomers had the highest rate of participation for women at 40 percent of sales. Women made up 38 percent of total sales for Generation X and Generation Z.

Category Sales by Gender

When breaking down category sales by gender, the data reveals a relative balance in sales percentages for wellness-related products such as capsules, tincture & sublingual, and marijuana topicals. For the tincture & sublingual and topical categories, there was almost an even split at 51 percent of men sales and 49 percent of women sales. In the capsules category, men made up 53 percent of the sales and women had 47 percent of sales.

 

Men, however, gravitated toward inhalable and high-potency products such as concentrates, vapor pens, flower, and pre-rolls. Men make up 70 percent of sales of concentrates, 67 percent for flower, and 59 percent of pre-rolls. Here are a few other category sales by gender data points:

 

• Beverage (39 percent women, 61 percent men)
• Edible (45 percent women, 55 percent men)
• Capsules (47 percent women, 53 percent men)
• Vapor Pens (37 percent women, 63 percent men)

Women Prefer CBD

In terms of CBD wellness products, women spend 66 percent more of their cannabis sales on CBD-rich products than men. Based on the acquired data, women had 8.3 percent of sales containing CBD, while men had 5 percent of sales going to CBD products. While women tend to prefer products with the non-intoxicating CBD compound, that doesn’t mean they shy away from THC containing products.

 

Headset’s data offers marketers, journalists, and interested consumers a deeper insight into a thriving cannabis market and differences in purchasing habits among generations and genders. From the data, we know that younger generations are securing more and more of the market share. They also seem to prefer vapes than the traditional flower buds. These revealing trends in a single state can help businesses and consumers predict developments across the nation and beyond. We hope you have found these cannabis industry insights helpful.