Internet address: http://www.bls.gov/cex USDL-07-1644

Technical information: 202-691-6900 FOR RELEASE: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Media information: 202-691-5902 Friday, October 26, 2007

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2006

Average annual expenditures per consumer unit, which is similar to a household, rose 4.3

percent in 2006, following an increase of 6.9 percent in 2005, according to results from the 

Consumer Expenditure Survey released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department 

of Labor. The increase in expenditures from 2005 to 2006 was larger than the 3.2 percent rise in 

the annual average Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) over this period.

Increases in spending on housing (7.9 percent), the largest component of spending, and 

on food (3.0 percent), contributed to the overall increase in 2006. Among the other major 

components, spending increased for healthcare (3.8 percent), transportation (2.0 percent), and 

personal insurance and pensions (1.3 percent), while spending decreased for apparel and services 

(-0.6 percent) and entertainment (-0.5 percent). 

Average annual expenditures and characteristics of all consumer units and percent changes, Consumer 

Expenditure Survey, 2004-2006

Percent change

Item 2004 2005 2006 2004-2005 2005-2006

Number of consumer units (000’s) 116,282 117,356 118,843

Income before taxes $54,453 $58,712 $60,533

Average age of reference person 48.5 48.6 48.7

Average number in consumer unit:

 Persons 2.5 2.5 2.5

 Earners 1.3 1.3 1.3

 Vehicles 1.9 2.0 1.9

Percent homeowner 68 67 67

Average annual expenditures $43,395 $46,409 $48,398 6.9 4.3

 Food 5,781 5,931 6,111 2.6 3.0

 At home 3,347 3,297 3,417 -1.5 3.6

 Away from home 2,434 2,634 2,694 8.2 2.3

 Housing 13,918 15,167 16,366 9.0 7.9

 Apparel and services 1,816 1,886 1,874 3.9 -0.6

 Transportation 7,801 8,344 8,508 7.0 2.0

 Healthcare 2,574 2,664 2,766 3.5 3.8

 Entertainment 2,218 2,388 2,376 7.7 -0.5

 Personal insurance and pensions 4,823 5,204 5,270 7.9 1.3

 Other expenditures 4,461 4,823 5,129 8.1 6.3

NOTE: A consumer unit is defined as members of a household related by blood, marriage, adoption, or some

other legal arrangement; a single person living alone or sharing a household with others, but who is

financially independent; or two or more persons living together who share responsibility for at least two out 

of the three major types of expenses: food, housing, and other expenses.

News United States

Department 

of Labor

 

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 
Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) data include the expenditures and income of 

consumers, as well as the demographic characteristics of those consumers. Tables with more 

expenditure detail than is shown in this news release will be available October 26, 2007 by 

accessing the BLS website (http://www.bls.gov/cex). Tables show 2006 CE data by standard 

classifications that include income quintile, income class, age of reference person, size of 

consumer unit, number of earners, composition of consumer unit, region of residence, housing 

tenure, type of area (urban-rural), race, Hispanic origin, occupation, and education. Other tables 

available on the website include expenditures by age, region, size, or gender cross-tabulated by 

income before taxes and other demographic variables. Historical tables back to 1984 and 

tabulations for selected metropolitan areas are also available.

Other available data

A forthcoming annual report will include a brief discussion of expenditure changes in 2006

and tables with data classified by the standard characteristics listed above. Detailed reports that 

include CE data are published at two-year intervals and include the standard tabulations and 

cross tabulations at the same level of expenditure detail as shown on the website. Metropolitan 

area tables are also included. All data published in the reports and posted to the website are 

integrated from the two CE components—the quarterly Interview Survey and weekly Diary 

Survey.

Other survey information available on the Internet includes answers to frequently asked 

questions, a glossary, order forms for survey products, and analytical articles that use CE data. 

Beginning with the 2000 data, standard error tables for integrated data are available on the BLS 

site.

The 2006 Diary and Interview microdata will soon be available on CD-ROM. The 

Interview files contain expenditure data in two different formats: MTAB files that present monthly 

values in an item-coding framework based on the CPI pricing scheme, and EXPN files that 

organize expenditures by the section of the Interview questionnaire in which they are collected. 

Expenditure values on EXPN files cover different time periods depending on the specific 

questions asked, and the files also contain relevant non-expenditure information not found on the 

MTAB files. The CE microdata files are available on CD-ROM back to 1990 and for selected 

earlier years. Beginning with the 1996 microdata on CD-ROM, files are available in either ASCII 

format or PC-SAS format. Beginning with the release of the 2005 microdata, both formats are 

available on one CD-ROM. (See www.bls.gov/cex/csxmicro.htm for details.)

For further information, contact the Division of Consumer Expenditure Surveys, Office of 

Prices and Living Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E., 

Washington, DC 20212-0001 or call 202-691-6900. Information in this release will be made 

available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD 

message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.