For release: 10:00 a.m. (EDT), Tuesday, September 10, 2013 USDL-13-1833 

Technical Information: (202) 691-6900 • CEXInfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/cex

Media Contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES – 2012 

Average expenditures per consumer unit1 in 2012 were $51,442, an increase of 3.5 percent from 2011 

levels, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This surpassed the spending peak recorded in 

2008, after which the effects of the recession led to a low of $48,109 in 2010. The 2012 calendar year 

increase in spending outpaced the 2.1-percent increase in prices for goods and services during the same 

period, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U). This contrasts with 2010-2011, when the

increase in average expenditures mirrored the increase in prices. 

 

Most of the major components of household spending increased in 2012, with apparel being the lone 

exception, as shown in table A. The 11.2-percent rise in cash contributions (including payments for 

support of college students, alimony and child support, and giving to charities and religious 

organizations) was the largest percentage increase among all major components. Overall spending on 

transportation (+8.5 percent) and health care (+7.3 percent) rose significantly, while spending on 

housing (+0.5 percent) and entertainment (+1.3 percent) only increased modestly. Other highlights 

include a 2.2-percent increase in food and a 3.1-percent increase in personal insurance and pensions. 

Table A. Average annual expenditures and characteristics of all consumer units and percent 

changes, 2010-2012 

Percent change

Item 2010 2011 2012 2010-2011 2011-2012

Average annual expenditures:

Total $48,109 $49,705 $51,442 3.3 3.5

 Food 6,129 6,458 6,599 5.4 2.2

 At home 3,624 3,838 3,921 5.9 2.2

 Away from home 2,505 2,620 2,678 4.6 2.2

 Housing 16,557 16,803 16,887 1.5 0.5

 Apparel and services 1,700 1,740 1,736 2.4 -0.2

 Transportation 7,677 8,293 8,998 8.0 8.5

 Health care 3,157 3,313 3,556 4.9 7.3

 Entertainment 2,504 2,572 2,605 2.7 1.3

 Cash contributions 1,633 1,721 1,913 5.4 11.2

 Personal insurance and pensions 5,373 5,424 5,591 0.9 3.1

 All other expenditures 3,379 3,382 3,557 0.1 5.2

Consumer unit characteristics:

Number of consumer units (000’s) 121,107 122,287 124,416

Average age of reference person 49.4 49.7 50.0

Average number in consumer unit:

 Persons 2.5 2.5 2.5

 Earners 1.3 1.3 1.3

 Vehicles 1.9 1.9 1.9

Percent homeowner 66 65 64

Income before taxes $62,481 $63,685 $65,596 1.9 3.0
Spending patterns, 2010-2012

Since overall expenditures began to increase again in 2011, cash contributions, health care, and 

transportation have had the largest percentage increases of all the major expenditure items. Table B and 

chart 1 show some of the more prominent components of these categories from 2010 to 2012. Spending 

changes included: 

• The 11.2-percent increase in cash contributions since 2011 can largely be attributed to a 13.1-

percent increase in cash contributions to churches and religious organizations over that same 

time period. This increase is amplified due to expenditures in this category falling in 2011.

• Health insurance routinely consumes nearly 60 percent of overall health care expenditures. The 

12.6-percent increase in health insurance since 2010 was the driving force behind the increased 

expenditures on overall health care.

• Gasoline expenditures (largely dependent on gasoline prices) rose 29.6 percent from 2010 to 

2012, but the majority of that was due to a 24.7 percent increase in 2011. In 2012 gasoline 

expenditures increased 4.0 percent.

• Despite gasoline expenditures remaining relatively stable in 2012, overall expenditures on 

transportation continued to rise (+17.2 percent since 2010). This can be traced to a 20.3-percent 

increase in expenditures on vehicle purchases from 2011 to 2012.

Table B. Average annual consumer expenditures for selected components, 2010-2012 

Item 2010 2011 2012

Cash contributions to church, religious organizations $661 $649 $734

Health insurance 1,831 1,922 2,061

Gasoline 1,966 2,451 2,549

Vehicle purchases (net outlay)2 2,588 2,669 3,210

Chart 1. Average annual consumer expenditures for selected components, 2010-2012 

0 

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

Cash contributions to 

church, religious 

organizations

Health insurance Gasoline Vehicle purchases (net 

outlay)

2010 2011 2012

Nominal dollars

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Spending by selected demographics

Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) data measure how consumers allocate their spending among the 

various components of total expenditures. For example, table C and chart 2 compare the share allocated 

to selected expenditures by ethnicity and race. Hispanic consumer units (CUs) allocated more money to 

transportation and food than the non-Hispanic groups. Black, non-Hispanic CUs allocated more money 

to housing than any other group, and white, non-Hispanic CUs allocated more money to health care and 

entertainment than other CUs. Share of spending on cash contributions, the category with the largest 

percentage increase for all CUs in 2012 was varied, with Hispanics devoting a smaller portion than their 

non-Hispanic counterparts. 

Table C. Shares of average annual expenditures on selected major components by ethnicity and 

race, 2012 

Item Hispanic or Latino Black or AfricanAmerican, non-HispanicWhite and all other races, 

non-Hispanic

Housing 35.6 37.3 32.0

Transportation 19.7 17.5 17.2

Food 15.5 12.1 12.6

Health care 4.5 5.2 7.4

Entertainment 3.8 4.0 5.4

Cash contributions 1.9 3.5 4.0

Chart 2. Shares of average annual expenditures on selected major components by ethnicity and 

race, 2012 

0 

5 

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Housing Transportation Food Health care Entertainment Cash contributions

Hispanic or Latino Black or African-American, non-Hispanic White and other races, non-Hispanic

Percent

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Tables and data

Consumer Expenditure Survey data include the expenditures and income of consumers, as well as the 

demographic characteristics of those consumers. Tables with more expenditure detail are available at

www.bls.gov/cex. Published tables provide 2012 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. New to the annual tables this year is the adjustment of the education table; 

where previously it was broken out by the education level of the reference person, it is now broken out 

by the highest level of education within the CU. As of this release, these annual tables include means, 

shares, and standard errors, as opposed to the prior format which separated these statistics into three 

different tables. 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.

A forthcoming Annual Report will include a brief discussion of expenditure changes in 2012 and tables 

with data classified by the standard characteristics that are included on the website. Future articles in the 

BLS Beyond the Numbers web report series will highlight recent trends in prices and spending in the 

U.S. economy, and will feature 2012 CE data. Recent CE-specific Beyond the Numbers articles provide 

analyses of topical economic issues and long term spending trends, as well as comparisons of CE data to 

other data series (see http://www.bls.gov/cex/csxwebarticles.htm). 

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. Also available are the 

Diary Survey questionnaire form and a modified version of the computer assisted personal interview 

(CAPI) instrument used to collect the Interview Survey data. 

 

The 2012 CE public-use microdata, including Interview Survey data, Diary Survey data, and paradata 

(information about the survey process), are now available on the CE website for free electronic

download. The Interview files contain expenditure data in two different formats: MTBI 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 MTBI files. Past 

releases of CE public-use microdata that were previously only available on CD-ROM for purchase will 

become available on the CE website for free download. The 2007 to 2011 releases are already available 

online. Prior releases will be posted incrementally online in reverse chronological order through the 

1996 release. For releases prior to 1996 and those not yet available online, users can continue to 

purchase CDs using the public-use microdata order form (see http://www.bls.gov/cex/pumdhome.htm). 

All future releases of public-use microdata will solely be available online for free download. 

 

For further information, contact the Division of Consumer Expenditure Survey, Office of Prices and 

Living Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E., Washington, DC 20212-

0001 or call (202) 691-6900; E-mail: cexinfo@bls.gov. Information in this release will be made 

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

Service: 1 (800) 877-8339. 

1 Consumer units include families, single persons living alone or sharing a household with others but who are financially 

independent, or two or more persons living together who share expenses.

2 Net outlays subtract the value of any vehicle trade-ins, in order to capture the out-of-pocket expenditures on vehicles.

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