Austin's 2nd Street District

Here at Austin Fashion Week, we’re committed to the idea that Austinites like to shop. A new study provides statistical evidence that we’re totally right.

According to a recent study from Bundle, Austin ranks as the ninth most “shopaholic” city in the country, in a list from whose top ten is conspicuously missing likely candidates New York and Chicago.

In an attempt to discover where the nation’s estimated 18 million shopaholics reside, the survey looked at the top 100 most populous cities in the U.S. and tracked spending habits from March 2010 to March 2011. It determined that the average Austin resident spends $213 per month on clothes, shoes, and other fashion items, trumping New York City’s $198.50 (where you at, Carrie Bradshaw?) and the national average of $142.08.

Washington, D.C. garners the title of most “shopaholic” city in the nation, the average D.C. resident spending $263 per month on clothing items. (Who says Washington isn’t doing enough to stimulate the economy?)

Arlington, Virginia came in second with $254.58, followed by Nashville ($251.17), Scottsdale, Arizona ($243.17), Dallas ($228.58), San Francisco ($227.42), San Jose, California and Seattle (tied at $221.17), Austin ($213), and Bakersfield, California ($201.50).

In other news, a different survey finds that shopping makes you happy. That’s right — cure your blues with Jimmy Choo’s. You heard it here first, folks.