Table of Contents
- Overall Market Snapshot
- Cookware and Bakeware See 4% Gains
- Kitchen Electrics Also Up 4%
- The Home Baking Milestone
- Gadgets and Cutlery Rise 2%
- Shopping Is Moving Online
- Why This Matters
- Conclusion
- Sources
Overall Market Snapshot
U.S. home and housewares sales totaled $77.12 billion in 2025, down 0.5% from the prior year. The small appliances segment — at $44.94 billion — held up best, gaining 1%. Non-electric housewares fell 2.5% to $32.18 billion.
The IHA produced the report in partnership with market research firm Circana. It identifies five factors that helped cushion the overall decline: increased at-home dining and entertaining, product replacement cycles, weather-pattern shifts, and new product innovation. A second installment of the report is expected in June 2026, with a third following in July.
Cookware and Bakeware See 4% Gains
The cookware and bakeware category grew 4% in 2025, one of the strongest performances across all home and housewares segments. Baking products in particular led the charge, riding a sustained wave of consumer interest in making food from scratch at home.
The growth comes despite broader economic pressure on discretionary spending. Analysts attribute it in part to high-quality cookware entering replacement cycles — consumers who invested in premium pots and pans during the 2020–2021 cooking boom are now upgrading or expanding their sets.
Kitchen Electrics Also Up 4%
Kitchen electrics posted the same 4% gain as cookware, driven largely by three product categories: air fryers, espresso makers, and stand mixers. At-home dining and entertaining — a trend that has not fully reversed since 2020 — is credited as the primary growth driver.
The segment's strength is notable given that it sits inside the small appliances total, which itself grew 1%. Kitchen electrics are clearly outperforming the broader appliance category.
The Home Baking Milestone
The most striking finding in the report involves a data point that hasn't appeared in more than four decades. According to Circana data cited in the IHA report, for the first time since 1980, sales of ready-to-eat baked goods declined while sales of baking ingredients increased.
In other words, Americans are baking more and buying pre-made less. This shift has direct implications for what consumers are buying: baking sheets, loaf pans, Dutch ovens, stand mixers, and digital scales are all benefiting from the trend.
Gadgets and Cutlery Rise 2%
Gadgets and cutlery grew 2% in 2025. The IHA attributes this to more frequent at-home cooking combined with a consumer shift toward protein-heavy meals, which drives demand for knives, shears, and prep tools like slicers and mandolines.
Convenience-focused gadgets — items that reduce prep time without sacrificing quality — appear to be the strongest performers within this subcategory.
Shopping Is Moving Online
The report also tracks how consumers buy these products. In 2025, 60% of home and housewares purchases were made online, compared to 40% in stores. That represents a 2% further shift toward e-commerce compared to 2024 (when the split was 58%/42%).
Dedicated e-commerce sites and mass merchants are the top two sales channels for both small appliances and non-electric housewares. The accelerating online share matters for consumers comparing prices, reading reviews, and discovering new brands outside of physical retail.
Why This Matters
The IHA report is essentially a snapshot of what U.S. home cooks are actually buying. The 4% cookware/bakeware growth signals robust demand — which in turn drives brand investment in product quality and innovation. When a category grows, more competition enters, prices become more competitive, and manufacturers push harder on features like PFAS-free coatings, induction compatibility, and better heat distribution.
The home baking revival is particularly meaningful. If you've been thinking about upgrading your baking pan set, buying a Dutch oven, or finally investing in a stand mixer, you're in very good company — and the market is responding with a wave of new products targeting exactly that use case. More bakers means more bakeware launches, more competitive pricing, and more genuine innovation at the consumer level.
Conclusion
The IHA's 2026 State of the Industry Report makes clear that the kitchen is one of the resilient pockets of consumer spending even in a softer market. Cookware, bakeware, and kitchen electrics are all growing, home baking is at a milestone not seen since 1980, and online shopping continues to give home cooks more choice than ever. Part two of the IHA report is expected later in June 2026 and should offer additional category-level detail.