For release: 10:00 a.m. (EDT), Friday, May 23, 2014 USDL-14-0874 

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 2012

THROUGH JUNE 2013 AVERAGE

Average expenditures per consumer unit1 for July 2012 through June 2013 were 1.5 percent higher than 

the July 2011 through June 2012 midyear average, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. 

Most major components of household spending increased over the 12 months ending June 2013. The 

6.6-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. This was followed by a 5.8-percent increase in transportation spending. 

Average incomes were essentially unchanged, showing a slight drop of 0.2 percent. 

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

Consumer Expenditure Survey

Item

July 2011 - 

June 2012

Average

July 2012 - 

June 2013

Average

Percent change

July 2011 - June 2012

to

July 2012 - June 2013

Income before taxes......................... $65,132 $65,029 -0.2

Average annual expenditures............. 50,631 51,408 1.5

 Food........................................... 6,532 6,598 1.0

Food at home........................... 3,905 3,899 -0.2

Food away from home............... 2,628 2,698 2.7

 Housing...................................... 16,940 17,041 0.6

 Apparel and services..................... 1,730 1,706 -1.4

 Transportation............................. 8,505 8,999 5.8

 Health care................................. 3,466 3,520 1.6

 Entertainment............................. 2,573 2,586 0.5

 Cash contributions....................... 1,829 1,949 6.6

 Personal insurance and pensions.... 5,565 5,573 0.1

 All other expenditures.................... 3,489 3,437 -1.5

 

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.

 
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 the other quintiles. The highest income group 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 health care among the income quintile groups. 

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

2012 through June 2013 

Item

Income Quintiles

Lowest 20th 

percentile

Second 20th

percentile

Third 20th

percentile

Fourth 20th

percentile

Highest 20th

percentile

Food.................................... 16.0 14.2 13.7 12.7 11.4

Housing............................... 39.6 36.7 34.3 32.2 30.6

Transportation....................... 16.1 17.2 18.8 18.7 16.7

Health care........................... 7.5 8.7 7.7 7.0 5.6

Personal insurance & pensions. 2.1 5.0 8.5 11.4 15.4

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

2012 through June 2013 

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Food Housing Transportation Health care Personal insurance &

pensions

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

Percent

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Spending patterns, July 2012 – June 2013 compared to July 2011 – June 2012

Table C and chart 2 show amounts spent for selected expenditure components from the middle of 2011 

through June 2013. Spending results included: 

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

support, and giving to charities and religious organizations, continued to increase. 

• The 5.8 percent increase in transportation expenditures was driven by vehicle purchases. 

Spending on used cars and trucks increased 19.7 percent and new cars and trucks increased 6.4 

percent. 

• Expenditures on gasoline and motor oil were unchanged during the same period.

• Health care spending rose to $3,520 for July 2012 through June 2013. This was caused by a 4.0 

percent increase in health insurance expenditures. The level of spending for health care has 

increased every year beginning in 1996.

• Mortgage interest and charges for owned homes, a subcomponent of housing, fell to $3,075 for 

July 2012 through June 2013.

Table C. Average consumer expenditures for selected components

Item

July 2011 - 

June 2012

Average

July 2012 - 

June 2013

Average

Percent change

July 2011 - June 2012

to

July 2012 - June 2013

Cash contributions............................. $1,829 $1,949 6.6

Transportation................................... 8,505 8,999 5.8

New cars and trucks...................... 1,448 1,540 6.4

Used cars and trucks..................... 1,327 1,588 19.7

Gasoline and motor oil.................... 2,706 2,706 0.0

Health care....................................... 3,466 3,520 1.6

Mortgage interest and charges.............. 3,153 3,075 -2.5

Chart 2. Average consumer expenditures for selected components

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

Cash contributions Transportation Health care Mortgage interest and charges

July 2011 - June 2012 July 2012 - June 2013

Dollars

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Table D and chart 3 show expenditures and income before taxes by quintile from the middle of 

2011 through June 2013. All quintiles showed small increases in spending across the 12 months 

ending June 2013. There was no obvious trend in income changes by quintile. 

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

quintile

 

Average annual expenditures Income before taxes

Income quintile July 2011 - 

June 2012

July 2012-

June 2013

Percent 

change

July 2011 - 

June 2012

July 2012-

June 2013

Percent 

change

Lowest 20th percentile 22,067 22,336 1.2 9,455 10,174 7.6

Second 20th percentile 32,299 33,075 2.4 27,518 27,094 -1.5

Third 20th percentile 42,666 42,728 0.1 46,823 47,017 0.4

Fourth 20th percentile 58,688 59,155 0.8 74,781 75,990 1.6

Highest 20th percentile 97,382 99,651 2.3 167,012 164,647 -1.4

Chart 3. Percent change in average annual expenditures and income before taxes by income 

quintile, July 2012 – June 2013 compared to July 2011 – June 2012

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 provided in 

this release are available at www.bls.gov/cex. Newly published tables provide July 2012 through June 

2013 average 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 highest 

education level of any member. The midyear tables add spending information from January through 

June 2013 while dropping the January through June 2012 expenditures. 

1.2

2.4

0.1

0.8

2.3

7.6

-1.5 0.4

1.6

-1.4

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

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

Average annual expenditures Income before taxes

Percent

- 4 - 
Other available data

Data tables with more detailed subcategories of expenditures are available by sending a request to 

cexinfo@bls.gov. 

The 2012 Annual Report includes a brief discussion of expenditure changes in 2012 and tables with data 

classified by the standard characteristics that are included on the website (see 

www.bls.gov/cex/csxann12.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 2014. 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 2004 through 2012 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. 

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 for download, 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. 

Annual public-use microdata covering an entire calendar year will continue to be released in September, 

and will not be released on a rolling half-year basis.

The annual CE Microdata Users' Workshop and Survey Methods Symposium will be held July 15-18, 

2014 at the Bureau of Labor Statistics national office. Registration is free. More information and the 

registration form are available at www.bls.gov/cex/csxannualworkshop.htm. 

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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