Figures as at 1 November 2026
The NEO Economy
The NEO Economy is where people with a NEO mindset spend. In Australia, A$628 billion a year of household consumption takes place there: 41 per cent of the national total, from 24 per cent of the population aged 14 and over. In the United States, the figure is around US$9 trillion.
2.72×
Annual spending per consumer in the NEO Economy vs the Traditional Economy
4.68×
Discretionary spending per consumer in the NEO Economy vs the Traditional Economy
US$9tn
Annual consumption in the NEO Economy in the United States
Australia
Consumption July 2025 to June 2026 · household income April 2025 to March 2026 · Australians aged 14 and over
Household income in the NEO Economy is A$195,800, more than double the A$91,700 in the Traditional Economy. Each consumer in the NEO Economy accounts for A$112,300 a year, 2.72 times the A$41,300 of each consumer in the Traditional Economy.
The gap is widest in discretionary spending: A$55,800 per consumer vs. A$11,900, or 4.68 times as much. The NEO Economy accounts for A$311.9 billion, or 50.9 per cent, of Australia’s A$613.4 billion discretionary pool.
This is not a luxury economy. Just over half of the money spent in the NEO Economy goes on essentials: housing, food, energy, health, education, transport and financial services. It runs through supermarkets and banks as surely as through high-end restaurants, international airports, and glamorous fashion stores.
Aspiring NEOs share the NEO mindset but don’t currently spend enough to qualify them as a NEO. They are shown separately, as the population from which the NEO Economy draws additional value.
United States
Consumption July 2025 to June 2026 · household income calendar 2025 · Americans aged 14 and over
Household income in the American NEO Economy is US$185,400, 2.28 times the US$81,200 in the Traditional Economy. Spending per consumer is US$128,500 vs. US$47,200. The NEO Economy accounts for US$3.99 trillion, or 50.3 per cent, of the US$7.93 trillion discretionary pool.
How the figures
are built
Australia. The national total is household final consumption expenditure for July 2025 to June 2026, A$1,522.6 billion, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It is allocated to the three populations using Roy Morgan Single Source NEO classifications and a household attribution model. Household income is the mean gross annual income per household, from Roy Morgan, for April 2025 to March 2026. Spending per consumer is consumption attributed to each person aged 14 and over, including imputed consumption beyond cash purchases. Essential and discretionary categories follow the ABS classification.
United States. The mindset mix is applied to the US population aged 14 and over, 287.1 million in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimates. Household income is controlled to US Census household money income for 2025, and consumption to the Bureau of Economic Analysis personal consumption expenditure tables 2.4.5 and 2.4.5U, released 29 October 2026.
The figures on this page may be quoted with attribution to the Social Intelligence Lab, The NEO Economy, 1 November 2026.
| Population | People | Annual consumption | Share | Household income | Spending per consumer | Discretionary per consumer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The NEO Economy | 5.59m (24%) | A$628.0bn | 41% | A$195,800 | A$112,300 | A$55,800 |
| Aspiring NEOs | 6.06m (26%) | A$413.3bn | 27% | A$137,900 | A$68,200 | A$26,800 |
| The Traditional Economy | 11.65m (50%) | A$481.3bn | 32% | A$91,700 | A$41,300 | A$11,900 |
| Australia | 23.3m | A$1,522.6bn | 100% |
| Population | People | Annual consumption | Share | Household income | Spending per consumer | Discretionary per consumer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The NEO Economy | 68.88m (24%) | US$8,853bn | 41% | US$185,400 | US$128,500 | US$58,000 |
| Aspiring NEOs | 74.66m (26%) | US$5,826bn | 27% | US$126,400 | US$78,000 | US$28,200 |
| The Traditional Economy | 143.52m (50%) | US$6,775bn | 32% | US$81,200 | US$47,200 | US$12,800 |
| United States | 287.1m | US$21,453.9bn | 100% |
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