Want a little autumn in your August? You’re in luck.
Starbucks said Monday that its Pumpkin Spice Latte will return to store menus in the U.S. and Canada on Aug. 26.
The Pumpkin Spice Latte stands as Starbucks’ most beloved seasonal drink, with sales surpassing hundreds of millions since this espresso concoction was first introduced in 2003. Its success has inspired countless imitations; Dunkin’ rolled out its own pumpkin-flavored beverages in 2007, and McDonald’s followed suit by adding them to its offerings in 2013.
Here’s a look at the Pumpkin Spice Latte by the numbers:
100: The number of Starbucks locations that initially tested the Pumpkin Spice Latte in Vancouver and Washington during 2003. It was made available nationwide in the subsequent year.
79: Number of markets where Starbucks sold the Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2024. The company has stores in 85 markets around the world.
$36.2 billion: The net revenue reported by Starbucks for its 2024 fiscal year, concluding last September. Back in 2003, when the Pumpkin Spice Latte debuted, Starbucks’ net revenue stood at $4.1 billion.
33.8%: Increase in mentions of pumpkin spice on U.S. menus between the fall of 2014 and the fall of 2024, according to Technomic.
4: Number of spices in McCormick’s Pumpkin Pie Spice. They are cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice.
2022: The year Merriam-Webster added “pumpkin spice” to the dictionary. Less common, it said, is the term “pumpkin pie spice.”
3: The Pumpkin Spice Latte was the third seasonal beverage introduced by Starbucks, after the Eggnog Latte and the Peppermint Mocha.
Sept. 8: Date the Pumpkin Spice Latte went on sale in 2015. The on-sale date has edged earlier since then.
24%: Amount foot traffic rose at U.S. Starbucks last year on Aug. 22, the day the Pumpkin Spice Latte went on sale, according to Placer.ai. The company compared traffic that Thursday to the previous eight Thursdays.
45.5%: Amount foot traffic rose at Starbucks stores in North Dakota on Aug. 22, 2024, the most of any state, according to Placer.ai. Foot traffic in Mississippi rose the least, at 4.8%.
42,000: Number of members of the Leaf Rakers Society, a private Facebook group Starbucks created in 2018 to celebrate fall all year long.
