Unpacked: What's driving IKEA’s growth in the U.S.?

IKEA is continuing to grow its footprint in the U.S. Recent reporting suggests that the Swedish furniture retailer is expected to add 10 new stores in 2026.

This expansion comes as the brand appears to be strengthening its appeal among two particularly valuable consumer groups: Younger Americans and higher-income households.

Younger and affluent Americans are increasingly considering IKEA

YouGov BrandIndex data shows that two-fifths of those considering IKEA are aged 18–34 (41%), compared to 29% of all U.S. adults. Affluent Americans are also slightly overrepresented: 11% of IKEA considerers fall into high-income households versus 9% of the general population.

Among 18–34-year-olds in the U.S., consideration for IKEA has risen significantly since 2021. Early in the period, scores sat in the mid-30s, but by March 2026 the score has risen to nearly 50. In fact, rankings analysis from YouGov BrandIndex shows that IKEA is now the most considered home improvement and furnishing retailer within this age group.

This steady rise suggests IKEA’s proposition continues to strongly appeal to younger consumers entering key life stages, like moving into first apartments, upgrading living spaces, or furnishing new homes.

A similar pattern appears among higher-income Americans. Consideration within this group has also edged upward across the past five years, moving from the mid-30s in 2021 to over 40 in recent data.

This trend highlights how IKEA’s appeal extends beyond purely price-driven shoppers. Even among consumers with greater spending power, the brand holds considerable sway. This is perhaps because perceived value for money remains a powerful draw regardless of income level – Value score remains an area where IKEA consistently performs well.

Underpinning consideration: Value remains central to IKEA’s brand appeal

Of all the home furnishing and improvement retailers tracked by YouGov BrandIndex, IKEA ranks first among both 18-34s and higher-income consumers for Value scores. This metric is a net score based on whether or not people think a brand represents good value for money.

Among 18–34-year-olds, Value scores have risen steadily, moving from 33.5 five years ago to 42.8 as of March 6 this year.

Higher-income Americans show a similar trajectory, with Value perceptions rising from 32.1 in 2021 to over 40. There was a softening in scores between mid-2022 and early 2023 – likely due to significant price increases spurred by supply chain constraints that year – but perceptions began recovering swiftly thereafter.

Even for consumers with higher purchasing power, the sense that IKEA offers good value appears to remain an important part of its appeal.

Underpinning consideration: IKEA’s brand Impression improves among key groups

Part of what may also be fueling growing consideration among these two groups is an improving sentiment towards the brand.

Among 18-34s, Impression scores have strengthened over time, rising from the mid-30s in 2021 to roughly 40 in recent readings. This indicates that younger Americans increasingly hold positive overall views of IKEA.

Higher-income Americans have also shown rising positive sentiment. Impression scores for this group have climbed into the mid-30s, reflecting gradually strengthening perceptions of the brand among more affluent shoppers.

Stronger brand sentiment often precedes increases in downstream metrics like Consideration, suggesting that improving perceptions of IKEA could be helping draw more shoppers into its potential customer pool.

As IKEA expands its store network across the U.S., those favorable trends among key demographics demonstrate ground for growth. Reaching younger shoppers early in their home-furnishing journeys while continuing to attract higher-income households could help the retailer translate growing interest into sustained demand.

Methodology: YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Consideration score for home improvement and furnishing retailers is based on the question: “When you are in the market next to purchase products such as furnishings and home goods, from which of the following would you consider purchasing?”. The score is reported as a percentage, based on daily surveys of U.S. adults. Data is weighted using a propensity scoring methodology with targets from the American Community Survey (ACS) to ensure representation by age, gender, race, education, and region. Scores are shown as a 26-week moving average with an average daily sample size of 2,336 18-34-year-olds and 838 higher-income U.S. adults, respectively. The observation period in this analysis is from Mar 07, 2021 to Mar 06, 2026.