For release: 10:00 a.m. (EDT), Thursday April 2, 2015 USDL-15-0529 

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

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

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES MIDYEAR UPDATE -- JULY 2013 

THROUGH JUNE 2014 AVERAGE

Average expenditures per consumer unit1 for July 2013 through June 2014 were up a modest 1.0 percent 

compared with the July 2012 through June 2013 midyear average, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

(BLS) reported today. Average incomes fell for a second year, showing a decrease of 0.9 percent.

About half of the major components of household spending increased over the 12 months ending June 

2014. (See table A.) The 11.3-percent rise in healthcare was the largest percentage increase among all 

major components. The subcomponent for health insurance expenditures increased by 20.1 percent 

primarily due to an improvement in the survey questionnaire. (See “Note on health insurance.”) 

Table A. Average expenditures and income of all consumer units and percent changes

Item

July 2012 - 

June 2013 

Average

July 2013 - 

June 2014 

Average

Percent change

July 2012 - June 2013 

to

July 2013 - June 2014 

Income before taxes.......................... $65,029 $64,432 -0.9 

Average annual expenditures............... 51,408 51,933 1.0 

 Food............................................. 6,598 6,665 1.0

 Housing......................................... 17,041 17,377 2.0

 Shelter......................................... 9,950 10,275 3.3

 Utilities, fuels, and public services...... 3,695 3,861 4.5

 Household furnishings and equipment 1,595 1,484 -7.0

 Apparel and services....................... 1,706 1,674 -1.9

 Transportation................................ 8,999 9,104 1.2

 Healthcare..................................... 3,520 3,919 11.3

 Health insurance........................... 2,085 2,505 20.1

 Entertainment................................. 2,586 2,560 -1.0

 Cash contributions........................... 1,949 1,790 -8.2

 Personal insurance and pensions........ 5,573 5,551 -0.4

 All other expenditures........................ 3,437 3,294 -4.2

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.

 
Note on health insurance

More consumer units reported expenditures for health insurance, and because of an improvement in 

interview collection methods, higher expenditures were reported. The percent of households reporting 

quarterly expenditures on health insurance increased by about 10 percent from the previous midyear 

period. The insurance questions were revised from 3-month recall questions to questions about the 

amount of the last payment and the payment period. The new estimates are more accurate as the 

respondent does not have to calculate a quarterly estimate—instead the estimate is calculated by BLS, 

using the amount of the last payment which respondents are more likely to know. On the basis of 

cognitive testing of these questions, BLS concluded they would produce better estimates. The mean 

expenditure for those reporting insurance premiums increased by about 25 percent. Because of this 

questionnaire change, healthcare expenditure data for the midyear tables are not strictly comparable to 

those of prior years, especially for the health insurance subcomponent. 

Spending patterns, July 2013 – June 2014 compared with July 2012 – June 2013

Spending results for selected expenditure components from July 2012 through June 2014 included: 

• Healthcare spending rose to $3,919 for July 2013 through June 2014. The level of spending 

for healthcare has increased every year since 1996. The most recent increase was driven by 

the rise in health insurance expenditures. 

• Cash contributions, which include payments for support of college students, alimony and 

child support, and giving to charities and religious organizations, decreased 8.2 percent. Most 

of the subcategories had similar declines.

• Housing expenditures increased 2.0 percent to $17,377. Increases of 3.3 percent in shelter 

expenditures and 4.5 percent in utilities, fuels and public services expenditures were offset by 

a 7.0 percent drop in expenditures for household furnishings and equipment. 

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 B and chart 1 compare the share allocated 

to selected expenditures by income quintiles. The lowest income quintile allocated larger shares to food 

and housing than all other quintiles. The highest income quintile allocated a larger share to personal 

insurance and pensions (including payments for life insurance, other nonhealth insurance, pensions, and 

Social Security) than any other group. No clear pattern existed for the shares allocated to transportation 

and healthcare among the income quintile groups. 

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Table B. Shares of average expenditures on selected major components by income quintiles, July 

2013 through June 2014 

Item

Income quintiles

Lowest 20th

percentile

Second 20th

percentile

Third 20th

percentile

Fourth 20th

percentile

Highest 20th

percentile

Food.................................... 16.0 14.3 13.4 13.2 11.2

Housing............................... 40.6 37.6 34.6 32.2 30.7

Transportation....................... 14.6 17.4 19.4 18.5 16.9

Healthcare............................ 8.3 9.0 8.2 8.0 6.3

Personal insurance & pensions. 2.1 4.9 7.9 11.0 15.6

Chart 1. Shares of average expenditures on selected major components by income quintiles, July 

2013 through June 2014 

Table C and chart 2 show expenditures and income before taxes by quintile from July 2012 through 

June 2014. All but the second quintile showed small increases in spending across the 12 months 

ending June 2014, while all but the highest quintile showed declines in income before taxes. 

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Food Housing Transportation Healthcare Personal insurance &

pensions

Lowest 20th percentile Second 20th percentile Third 20th percentile Fourth 20th percentile Highest 20th percentile

Percent

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Table C. Percent change in average annual expenditures and income before taxes by income 

quintile

 

Average annual expenditures Income before taxes

Income quintile July 2012 -

June 2013 

July 2013 -

June 2014 

Percent 

change

July 2012 -

June 2013 

July 2013 -

June 2014 

Percent 

change

Lowest 20th percentile $22,336 $22,981 2.9 $10,174 $9,818 -3.5

Second 20th percentile 33,075 32,778 -0.9 27,094 26,369 -2.7

Third 20th percentile 42,728 43,739 2.4 47,017 45,724 -2.8

Fourth 20th percentile 59,155 59,250 0.2 75,990 74,410 -2.1

Highest 20th percentile 99,651 100,979 1.3 164,647 166,048 0.9

Chart 2. Percent change in average annual expenditures and income before taxes by income 

quintile, July 2013 – June 2014 compared with July 2012 – June 2013 

2.9%

-0.9%

2.4%

0.2%

1.3%

-3.5%

-2.7% -2.8%

-2.1%

0.9%

-4%

-3%

-2%

-1%

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

Lowest 20th percentile Second 20th percentile Third 20th percentile Fourth 20th percentile Highest 20th percentile

Average annual expenditures Income before taxes

Percent

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Other available data 

Data tables with the most detailed subcategories of expenditures can be obtained by sending a request 

to cexinfo@bls.gov. 

The 2013 Annual Report includes a brief discussion of expenditure changes in 2013 and tables with data 

classified by the standard characteristics that are included on the website 

(see www.bls.gov/cex/csxann13.pdf). 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 CE data. Recent 

CE-specific articles provide analyses of topical economic issues and long term spending trends, as well 

as comparisons of CE data to other data series (see www.bls.gov/cex/csxwebarticles.htm

and www.bls.gov/cex/cecomparison.htm). Additional methodological and analytical articles using CE 

data will be published in 2015. All data published in the Annual Report 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. 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 1997 through 2013 CE public-use microdata, including Interview Survey data, Diary Survey data, 

and paradata (information about the survey process), are 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. The

1996 data will be released online in the near future. For releases prior to 1996, users can continue to 

purchase USB flash drives using the public-use microdata order form 

(see www.bls.gov/cex/pumdhome.htm). All future releases of public-use microdata will solely be 

available online for free electronic download. 

The 2014 Annual News Release, data tables, and public-use microdata are planned for release in 

September 2015. Public-use microdata will not be released on a rolling half-year basis.

The annual CE Microdata Users' Workshop and Survey Methods Symposium will be held July 14-17, 

2015, at the BLS national office. Registration is free. More information and the registration form are

available at www.bls.gov/cex/csxannualworkshop.htm. 

Deciles of Income Table Now Available

New with this midyear release is the Deciles of Income table, dividing the sample into ten equal 

sections by income range. Along with this new table, other published tables provide average CE data 

with more expenditure detail than shown in this release by standard classifications that include 

income quintile, income class, age of reference person, size of consumer unit, number of earners, 

composition of consumer unit, housing tenure/type of area (urban-rural), region of residence, race, 

Hispanic origin, occupation, and highest education level of any member. These tables are available 

at www.bls.gov/cex.The midyear tables add spending information from January through June 2014 

while dropping the January through June 2013 expenditures.

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

Living Conditions at (202) 691-6900 or by email at 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. 

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