United States 

Department 

of Labor 

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Internet address: http://www.bls.gov/cex USDL-04-2399 

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

Media information: 202-691-5902 Tuesday, November 30, 2004 

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2003 

 Average annual expenditures per consumer unit were essentially unchanged in 

2003, up 0.3 percent, following increases of 2.9 percent in 2002 and 3.9 percent in 2001, 

according to results from the Consumer Expenditure Survey released by the Bureau of 

Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Whereas expenditures showed little 

change from 2002 to 2003, there was a 2.3 percent annual average rise in the Consumer 

Price Index (CPI) over this period. 

 Among the major components of spending, the only statistically significant 

changes from 2002 to 2003 were a 6.2-percent decrease in spending on apparel and 

services and a 4.0-percent increase in personal insurance and pensions. Average 

expenditures on food and entertainment decreased over the period, 0.7 and 0.9 percent, 

respectively, whereas housing rose 1.1 percent, transportation rose 0.3 percent, and health 

care rose 2.8 percent. 

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

Expenditure Survey, 2001-2003 

Percent change 

Item 2001 2002 2003 2001-2002 2002-2003

Number of consumer units (000’s) 110,339 112,108 115,356 

Income before taxes 1 $47,507 $49,430 $51,128 

Average age of reference person 48.1 48.1 48.4 

Average number in consumer unit: 

 Persons 2.5 2.5 2.5 

 Earners 1.4 1.4 1.3 

 Vehicles 1.9 2.0 1.9 

Percent homeowner 66 66 67 

Average annual expenditures $39,518 $40,677 $40,817 2.9 0.3

 Food 5,321 5,375 5,340 1.0 -.7

 At home 3,086 3,099 3,129 .4 1.0

 Away from home 2,235 2,276 2,211 1.8 -2.9

 Housing 13,011 13,283 13,432 2.1 1.1

 Apparel and services 1,743 1,749 1,640 .3 -6.2

 Transportation 7,633 7,759 7,781 1.7 .3

 Health care 2,182 2,350 2,416 7.7 2.8

 Entertainment 1,953 2,079 2,060 6.5 -.9

 Personal insurance and pensions 3,737 3,899 4,055 4.3 4.0

 Other expenditures 3,939 4,182 4,094 6.2 -2.1

1

 Income values are derived from "complete income reporters" only. 
 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 than is shown in this news release will be available on December 

1, 2004 by accessing the BLS site (http://www.bls.gov/cex). Tables show the 2003 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 

income class, region or size, cross-tabulated by other demographic variables. Historical 

tables back to 1984 and tabulations by Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) are also 

available. 

Other available data 

 A soon-to-be-published annual report will include a brief discussion of 

expenditure changes in 2003 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. MSA tables are also included. The next 

two-year report will include 2002 and 2003 data and will be published in 2005. 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 2003 Diary and Interview microdata soon will 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. Beginning with the 

1996 microdata on CD-ROM, files are available in a choice of either ASCII format or PC 

SAS datasets. 

Changes in 2003 

 Questions on race and Hispanic origin were modified for 2003 to comply with 

new standards for Federal statistical agencies for maintaining, collecting, and presenting 

data on race and ethnicity. Other modifications were made in order to provide more 

information by publishing additional classes. For example, a new column showing 

information for Asians is included in the race table, and new columns showing those 

homeowners with, and those without, mortgages are included in the tenure table. A more 

detailed explanation of the table revisions is provided in a technical note on the website 

and will also appear in the upcoming annual report. 

 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.