Internet address: http://www.bls.gov/cex USDL-08-1746 

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

Media information: 202-691-5902 Tuesday, November 25, 2008 

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2007 

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

rose 2.6 percent in 2007 following an increase of 4.3 percent in 2006, according to results 

from the Consumer Expenditure Survey released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the 

U.S. Department of Labor. Spending kept pace with inflation in 2007 as the increase in 

expenditures from 2006 to 2007 was close to the 2.8 percent rise in the annual average 

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

 Moderate increases in spending on housing (3.4 percent), transportation (2.9 

percent), and food (0.4 percent), the three largest components of spending, contributed to 

the small overall increase in 2007. Among the other major components, spending 

increased for personal insurance and pensions (1.3 percent), health care (3.1 percent), 

entertainment (13.6 percent), and apparel and services (0.4 percent). 

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

Expenditure Survey, 2005-2007 

Percent change 

Item 2005 2006 2007 2005-2006 2006-2007

Number of consumer units (000’s) 117,356 118,843 120,171

Income before taxes $58,712 $60,533 $63,091

Average age of reference person 48.6 48.7 48.8

Average number in consumer unit: 

 Persons 2.5 2.5 2.5

 Earners 1.3 1.3 1.3

 Vehicles 2.0 1.9 1.9

Percent homeowner 67 67 67

Average annual expenditures $46,409 $48,398 $49,638 4.3 2.6

 Food 5,931 6,111 6,133 3.0 0.4

 At home 3,297 3,417 3,465 3.6 1.4

 Away from home 2,634 2,694 2,668 2.3 -1.0

 Housing 15,167 16,366 16,920 7.9 3.4

 Apparel and services 1,886 1,874 1,881 -0.6 0.4

 Transportation 8,344 8,508 8,758 2.0 2.9

 Health care 2,664 2,766 2,853 3.8 3.1

 Entertainment 2,388 2,376 2,698 -0.5 13.6

 Personal insurance and pensions 5,204 5,270 5,336 1.3 1.3

 Other expenditures 4,823 5,129 5,060 6.3 -1.3

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 November 

26, 2008 by accessing the BLS website (http://www.bls.gov/cex). Tables show 2007 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. 

 In 2007 there were a number of revisions to the survey questionnaires to capture 

new products and services that are available to consumers. This was the latest in a series 

of periodic revisions to keep the surveys current with changes in the marketplace. Also 

for 2007, a number of expenditure items changed survey source from the Interview 

Survey to the Diary Survey or vice versa. Due to the overlap in the item coverage 

between the two surveys, the survey source is periodically reviewed and statistical 

methods are used to select the best source. 

Other available data 

 A forthcoming annual report will include a brief discussion of expenditure 

changes in 2007 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. 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 2007 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 nonexpenditure information not found on the MTAB files. The CE microdata files are 

available on CD-ROM back to 1990 and for selected earlier years. In addition to the 

standard ASCII and PC SAS formats offered the past several years, three new formats 

will be offered for 2007—STATA, SPSS, and ASCII comma-delimited. CD purchasers 

will need to specify which format they want. (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.