The NEO Economy
The NEO Economy is where people with a NEO mindset spend. The Lab’s models attribute US$9 trillion of annual consumption to it in the United States, A$628 billion in Australia and £780 billion in the United Kingdom.
2.72×
Australia: annual consumption per consumer in the NEO Economy vs the Traditional Economy
4.68×
Australia: discretionary consumption 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
Mean gross household income in the American NEO Economy is US$201,600, 2.6 times the US$77,500 in the Traditional Economy. Consumption per consumer is US$128,500 vs. US$47,200, a premium of 172.3 per cent. The NEO Economy accounts for US$4 trillion, or 50.3 per cent, of the US$7.93 trillion discretionary pool.
United Kingdom
Annual figures · consumers aged 14 and over · pounds sterling
The UK NEO Economy comprises 15 million consumers, or 25.2 per cent of the population aged 14 and over, and £780 billion in annual consumption: 43.2 per cent of the total. The Traditional Economy comprises 30 million consumers and £570 billion in consumption.
Mean gross household income is £98,000 in the NEO Economy vs. £37,200 in the Traditional Economy. Consumption per consumer is £52,900 vs. £19,300, a premium of 173.7 per cent. Discretionary consumption is £420 billion, or 52.8 per cent of the national discretionary total.
Aspiring NEOs are shown separately: 14 million consumers, £450 billion in consumption and £66,000 in mean gross household income. See the three-country reference for the full comparison.
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 (Australia, US and UK) using Roy Morgan Single Source NEO data 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 Australian mindset mix is modelled onto 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, 5 November 2026.
All three countries: figures are annual, in local currency, for consumers aged 14 and over. Income is mean gross household income. Premiums use unrounded calculations; displayed totals are rounded and may not sum exactly. Consumption allocations include imputed consumption and should not be treated as individual cash purchases.
| Population | People | Annual consumption | Share | Household income | Spending per consumer | Discretionary per consumer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The NEO Economy | 5.6m (24%) | A$628bn | 41.2% | A$195,800 | A$112,300 | A$55,800 |
| Aspiring NEOs | 6m (26%) | A$413bn | 27.1% | A$137,900 | A$68,200 | A$26,800 |
| The Traditional Economy | 11.7m (50%) | A$481bn | 31.6% | 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 | 69m (24%) | US$9tn | 41.3% | US$201,600 | US$128,500 | US$58,000 |
| Aspiring NEOs | 75m (26%) | US$5.8tn | 27.2% | US$118,200 | US$78,000 | US$28,200 |
| The Traditional Economy | 144m (50%) | US$6.8tn | 31.6% | US$77,500 | US$47,200 | US$12,800 |
| United States | 287.1m | US$21,453.9bn | 100% |
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