1

Consumer Expenditures

in 2003

U.S. Department of Labor

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

June 2005

Report 986

1

 See the glossary at the end of this report for a definition of

consumer unit. 2

 See the glossary at the end of this report for a definition of total

expenditures.

Average annual expenditures per consumer unit1

 (CU)

were essentially unchanged in 2003, rising just 0.3

percent over the previous year, from $40,677 to

$40,817. The increase in spending in 2003 was less than the

2.3-percent annual average rise in general price levels over

the year, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Spending rose 3.9 percent in 2001 and 2.9 percent in 2002.

This report shows the latest results from the Bureau of Labor

Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE).

Developments in 2003

The major components of spending—food, housing, apparel

and services, transportation, healthcare, entertainment, and

personal insurance and pensions—account for about 90

percent of total expenditures, and of these, only the change

in apparel and services was statistically significant in 2003,

decreasing by 6.2 percent. (See table A.) The other major

components showed little change in 2003: spending on food

and entertainment both decreased by less than 1 percent,

housing rose 1.1 percent, transportation increased 0.3 percent, healthcare rose 2.8 percent, and personal insurance

and pensions grew 4.0 percent.

There were no major changes from 2002 to 2003 in the

percent distribution (share of total expenditures2

) of each of

the components of spending. (See table B.) Expenditure

shares are relatively stable from year to year, and this stability makes the percent distribution more useful for identifying

long-term spending trends than are percent changes in expenditures from one year to the next. For example, despite

the 6.2-percent decrease in spending on apparel and services, the share of total expenditures allocated to that component dropped just 0.3 percentage point—from 4.3 percent to

4.0 percent.

The 0.7-percent decline in spending on food resulted from

a 1.0-percent increase in spending on food at home being

offset by a 2.9-percent decrease in spending on food away

from home. The drop in spending on food away from home in

2003 was not statistically significant, but it was the first time

since 1991 that spending on that component decreased from

the previous year. The increase in spending on food at home

resulted from decreases of 1.8 percent for cereals and bakery

products and 3.1 percent for fruits and vegetables, being

offset by increases of 3.4 percent for meats, poultry, fish, and

eggs, and 3.0 percent for other food at home. This last category includes such items as sugar and other sweets, fats

and oils, miscellaneous foods, and nonalcoholic beverages.

Spending on dairy products was unchanged from 2002 to

2003. Data classified by region of residence of the consumer

unit show that spending on food changed relatively little in

the Northeast (–1.4 percent), Midwest (–1.8 percent), and

South (–2.8 percent), whereas it rose 4.4 percent in the West.

Differences among the regions in changes in spending on

food away from home were more pronounced, especially in

the South (–8.3 percent) and the West (5.8 percent).

Expenditures on housing, the largest component of total

spending, showed little change between 2001 and 2003, with

a 1.1-percent increase in 2003 following a 2.1-percent increase

in 2002. Moderate decreases in spending on housekeeping

supplies (–2.9 percent) and housefurnishings and equipment

(–1.4 percent) were offset by increases in shelter (0.7 percent) and in utilities, fuels, and public services (4.7 percent).

Only the change for the last component was statistically

significant. Prices for fuels and utilities, as measured by the

CPI, also increased (7.6 percent) in 2003. A year earlier, both

expenditures and prices for that component decreased, by

3.0 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively. Spending on household operations was essentially unchanged, as consumers

spent $706 in 2002 and $707 in 2003. Data classified by the

age of the reference person3

 show that whereas spending on

housing rose just 1.1 percent on average for all consumer

units, it rose 4.8 percent for those aged 25 to 34 years, 6.0

percent for the age-65-and-over group, and dropped 4.6 percent for the under-age-25 group.

The 6.2-percent decrease in spending on apparel and

services in 2003 was similar to the 6.1-percent decrease in

2001. Spending on that component in 2002 was essentially

unchanged, rising just 0.3 percent. Spending decreased in

2003 for men’s and boys’ apparel (–9.2 percent), women’s

and girls’ apparel (–9.9 percent), apparel for children under 2

years (–1.4 percent), and footwear (–6.1 percent), whereas

spending on other apparel products and services rose 7.8

3

 See the glossary at the end of this report for a definition of

reference person.
2

Table A. Average annual expenditures of all consumer units and percent changes, Consumer Expenditure Survey,

2001–2003

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ............. 110,339 112,108 115,356

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

Averages: ................................................................

Age of reference person .................................. 48.1 48.1 48.4

Number of persons in consumer unit ................ 2.5 2.5 2.5

Number of earners ............................................. 1.4 1.4 1.3

Number of 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

Food at home ................................................ 3,086 3,099 3,129 .4 1.0

Cereals and bakery products ................. 452 450 442 –.4 –1.8

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ................ 828 798 825 –3.6 3.4

Dairy products ........................................ 332 328 328 –1.2 .0

Fruits and vegetables ............................. 522 552 535 5.7 –3.1

Other food at home ................................. 952 970 999 1.9 3.0

Food away from home ................................. 2,235 2,276 2,211 1.8 –2.9

Alcoholic beverages .......................................... 349 376 391 7.7 4.0

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

Shelter........................................................... 7,602 7,829 7,887 3.0 .7

Utilities, fuels, and public services ............... 2,767 2,684 2,811 –3.0 4.7

Household operations .................................. 676 706 707 4.4 .1

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 509 545 529 7.1 –2.9

Housefurnishings and equipment ................ 1,458 1,518 1,497 4.1 –1.4

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

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

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) .................... 3,579 3,665 3,732 2.4 1.8

Gasoline and motor oil .................................. 1,279 1,235 1,333 –3.4 7.9

Other vehicle expenses ............................... 2,375 2,471 2,331 4.0 –5.7

Public transportation ..................................... 400 389 385 –2.7 –1.0

Healthcare .......................................................... 2,182 2,350 2,416 7.7 2.8

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

Personal care products and services ............... 485 526 527 8.5 .2

Reading .............................................................. 141 139 127 –1.4 –8.6

Education ............................................................ 648 752 783 16.0 4.1

Tobacco products and smoking supplies .......... 308 320 290 3.9 –9.4

Miscellaneous .................................................... 750 792 606 5.6 –23.5

Cash contributions ............................................. 1,258 1,277 1,370 1.5 7.3

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

Life and other personal insurance ............... 410 406 397 –1.0 2.2

Pensions and Social Security ...................... 3,326 3,493 3,658 5.0 4.7

Percent change

2001–2002 2002–2003

Item 2001 2002 2003

1

2

1

 Income values are derived from “complete income reporters” only. (See glossary at the end of this report.)
3

percent. This last component includes items such as watches,

jewelry, laundry, and drycleaning. The trend in the share of

total expenditures spent on apparel and services has been

downward over the last several years, possibly due to the

competition from cheaper imported clothing as well as a shift

to more casual, less expensive styles. In 1993, apparel and

services accounted for 5.5 percent of total spending; by 2003,

the share had fallen to 4.0 percent.

Spending on transportation was essentially unchanged

over the period, rising just 0.3 percent, from $7,759 in 2002 to

$7,781 in 2003. However, there were statistically significant

changes among the components of transportation, with a

7.9-percent increase in spending on gasoline and motor oil

offset somewhat by a 5.7-percent decrease in other vehicle

expenses, a category that includes items such as vehicle

finance charges, maintenance and repairs, and leasing and

renting vehicles. There was little change in the other two

components of transportation: expenditures for vehicle purchases rose 1.8 percent, and spending on public transportation fell 1.0 percent. Although spending on vehicle purchases

rose only slightly for all CUs, classifying the data by quintiles

of income4

 revealed large changes for consumers in the lowest income quintile, as well as those in the highest. CUs in

the lowest income quintile decreased their spending on purchases of vehicles by 22.7 percent (from $1,603 in 2002 to

$1,240 in 2003), whereas CUs in the highest income quintile

increased their spending by 15.0 percent (from $6,288 to

$7,228). Spending on purchases of vehicles is subject to

large changes from year to year because vehicles are expensive and typically purchased infrequently, so relatively small

changes in the percentage of consumer units making such

purchases can affect the overall average.

Healthcare spending showed little change in 2003, rising

2.8 percent, following increases of 7.7 percent in 2002 and 5.6

percent in 2001. Among the components of healthcare, spending on health insurance continued to increase significantly,

with a 7.2-percent rise in 2003 following increases of 10.1

percent in 2002 and 7.9 percent in 2001. The increase in health

insurance spending in 2003 was offset somewhat by a 4.2-

percent drop in spending on (both prescription and nonprescription) drugs. The decrease in spending on drugs in 2003

followed several years of relatively large increases: 8.6 percent in 2002, 7.8 percent in 2001, and 12.6 percent in 2000.

The other two components of healthcare—medical services

and medical supplies—increased slightly in 2003, by 0.2 percent and 1.9 percent, respectively. Data classified by the age

of the reference person show that the youngest group, with

reference person under age 25, spent the least on healthcare, $546, and had a large decrease (14.7 percent) in spending on that component in 2003. Healthcare accounted for 2.4

percent of that group’s total spending. In comparison, the

oldest group, with reference person age 75 and older, spent

the most on healthcare, $3,856, and had a large increase (7.6

percent) in spending. Healthcare accounted for 15.4 percent

of their spending.

After an increase of 6.5 percent in 2002, spending on entertainment was little changed in 2003, decreasing 0.9 percent. Among the components of entertainment, increases in

spending on televisions, radios, and sound equipment (5.5

percent) and on pets, toys, and playground equipment (2.5

percent) were offset by decreases in spending on fees and

admissions (8.7 percent) and on other entertainment supplies, equipment, and services (4.1 percent). This last comTable B. Distribution of total annual expenditures by major category, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2000–2003

Item 2000 2001 2002 2003

Average annual expenditures ........................................ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Food ........................................................................... 13.6 13.5 13.2 13.1

Food at home ........................................................ 7.9 7.8 7.6 7.7

Food away from home ......................................... 5.6 5.7 5.6 5.4

Alcoholic beverages .................................................. 1.0 .9 .9 1.0

Housing ...................................................................... 32.4 32.9 32.7 32.9

Apparel and services ................................................ 4.9 4.4 4.3 4.0

Transportation ............................................................ 19.5 19.3 19.1 19.1

Vehicles ................................................................ 9.0 9.1 9.0 9.1

Gasoline and motor oil .......................................... 3.4 3.2 3.0 3.3

Other transportation ............................................. 7.1 7.0 7.0 6.7

Healthcare .................................................................. 5.4 5.5 5.8 5.9

Entertainment ............................................................. 4.9 4.9 5.1 5.0

Personal care products and services ..................... 1.5 1.2 1.3 1.3

Reading ...................................................................... .4 .4 .3 .3

Education ................................................................... 1.7 1.6 1.8 1.9

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ................ .8 .8 .8 .7

Miscellaneous ............................................................ 2.0 1.9 1.9 1.5

Cash contributions .................................................... 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.4

Personal insurance and pensions ............................. 8.8 9.5 9.6 9.9

Life and other personal insurance....................... 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

Pensions and Social Security .............................. 7.8 8.4 8.6 9.0

4

 See the glossary at the end of this report for a definition of

quintiles of income before taxes.
4

ponent includes expensive items such as motorized recreational vehicles and boats that are purchased relatively infrequently, so comparatively small changes in the percentage of consumer units purchasing such items can affect the

overall average. Spending on other entertainment supplies,

equipment, and services rose 10.8 percent in 2002 and 9.4

percent in 2001, after spending in the category fell 17.8 percent in 2000. Data classified by the size of the consumer unit

showed large decreases in spending on entertainment for

both the smallest (1-person) consumer units (12.7 percent)

and the largest (5-or-more-person) consumer units (15.9 percent), whereas there was a large increase (14.4 percent) in

spending by 2-person consumer units. Large changes in other

entertainment supplies, equipment, and services contributed

to the changes for those size groups.

Expenditures and deductions for personal insurance and

pensions rose 4.0 percent in 2003, following an increase of

4.3 percent in 2002. The change in 2003 was not statistically

significant. Personal insurance and pensions accounted for

9.9 percent of the total expenditures of all consumer units in

2003. Consumer units in the highest income quintile spent

$12,615 on personal insurance and pensions in 2003, 5.4 percent more than a year earlier, whereas consumer units in the

lowest income quintile spent just $433, a drop of 15.5 percent

from 2002. Among those in the lowest income quintile are

large proportions of retired persons, students, and persons

just starting their careers, and these individuals typically do

not spend as much for personal insurance and pensions.

The lowest quintile group allocated 2.3 percent of its total

expenditures to this component, whereas the highest quintile

group allocated 15.4 percent.

Among the remaining components of spending, reading

(8.6 percent), tobacco products and smoking supplies (9.4

percent), and miscellaneous goods and services (23.5 percent) posted significant decreases in spending. This last

component includes items such as legal fees, funeral expenses, accounting fees, and finance charges excluding those

on mortgages and vehicles. Spending for some of these items

is volatile and may fluctuate widely from one year to the next.

Changes for the other minor components, while not statistically significant, included a 4.0-percent rise in spending on

alcoholic beverages, a 4.1-percent increase in spending on

education, and a 7.3-percent increase in cash contributions.

Spending on personal care products and services was essentially unchanged, rising just 0.2 percent.

Brief description of the Consumer Expenditure

Survey

The current CE program was begun in 1980. Its principal

objective is to collect information on the buying habits of

American consumers. Consumer expenditure data are used

in a variety of research endeavors by government, business,

labor, and academic analysts. In addition, the data are required for periodic revision of the CPI.

The survey, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, consists of two components: a diary, or recordkeeping survey completed by participating consumer units for two consecutive 1-week periods; and an interview survey, in which expenditures of consumer units are obtained in five interviews conducted at 3-

month intervals. Results in this report are based on integrated data from both surveys.

Survey participants record dollar amounts for goods and

services purchased during the reporting period, whether

payment is or is not made at the time of purchase. Expenditure amounts include all sales and excise taxes for all items

purchased by the consumer unit for itself or for others. Excluded from both surveys are all business-related expenditures, as well as expenditures for which the consumer unit is

reimbursed.

Each component of the survey queries an independent

sample of consumer units that is representative of the U.S.

population. For the Diary Survey, about 7,500 consumer units

are sampled each year. Each consumer unit keeps a diary for

two 1-week periods, yielding approximately 15,000 diaries a

year. The Interview sample, selected on a rotating panel basis, surveys about 7,500 consumer units each quarter. Each

consumer unit is interviewed once per quarter, for 5 consecutive quarters. Data are collected on an ongoing basis in

105 areas of the United States.

The Interview Survey is designed to capture expenditure

data that respondents can reasonably recall for a period of 3

months or longer. In general, these expenditures are relatively large, such as expenditures for real property, automobiles, and major appliances, as well as expenditures that occur on a regular basis, like rent, utility payments, and insurance premiums. The Interview Survey also collects data on

expenditures incurred on leisure trips. Including global estimates of spending for food, it is estimated that about 95

percent of expenditures are covered in the Interview Survey.

Nonprescription drugs, household supplies, and personal

care items are excluded.

The Diary Survey is designed to capture expenditures on

small, frequently purchased items that are normally difficult

for respondents to recall. Detailed records of expenses are

kept for food and beverages—both at home and in eating

places—and for tobacco, housekeeping supplies, nonprescription drugs, and personal care products and services.

Expenditures incurred by members of the consumer unit while

away from home overnight or longer are excluded from the

Diary Survey. Although this survey was designed to collect

information on expenditures that could not be recalled easily

over an extended period, respondents are asked to report all

expenses (except those for overnight travel) that the consumer unit incurs during the survey week.

Integrated data from the BLS Diary and Interview Surveys provide a complete accounting of consumer expenditures and income that neither survey alone is designed to

do. Data on some expenditure items are collected in only one

of the surveys. For example, the Diary Survey does not collect data on expenditures for overnight travel or information

on reimbursements, whereas the Interview Survey does. Ex-
5

amples of expenditures for which reimbursements are excluded from the Diary Survey are medical care; automobile

repair; and construction, repairs, alterations, and maintenance

of property.

For items that are unique to one survey or the other, the

choice of which survey to use as the source of data is obvious. However, there is considerable overlap in coverage between the surveys. Consequently, integrating the data presents the problem of determining the appropriate survey

component from which to select expenditure items. When

data are available from both surveys, the more reliable of the

two (as determined by statistical methods) is selected. As a

result, some items are selected from the Interview Survey,

others from the Diary Survey.

Population coverage and definitions of components of

the CE differ from those of the CPI. Consumer expenditure

data cover the total population, whereas the CPI covers only

the population in urban and metropolitan areas. In addition,

home ownership is treated differently in the two surveys.

Actual expenditures of homeowners are reported in the CE,

whereas the CPI uses a rental equivalence approach that

attempts to measure the change in the cost of obtaining, in

the rental marketplace, services equivalent to those provided

by owner-occupied homes.

Interpreting the data

Expenditures are averages for consumer units with specified

characteristics, regardless of whether a particular unit incurred an expense for a specific item during the recordkeeping

period. The average expenditure for an item may be considerably lower than the expenditure by the CUs that purchased

the item. The less frequently an item is purchased, the greater

is the difference between the average for all consumer units

and the average for those purchasing the item. Also, an individual CU may spend more or less than the average, depending on its particular characteristics. Factors such as income,

age of family members, geographic location, and personal

preference also influence expenditures. Furthermore, even

within groups with similar characteristics, the distribution of

expenditures varies substantially. These points should be

considered in relating reported averages to individual circumstances.

Users of these survey data should also keep in mind that

prices for many goods and services have risen since the

survey was conducted. For example, rent, as measured by

the CPI, rose 4.1 percent between 2003 (annual average index) and December 2004 (not seasonally adjusted).

In addition, sample surveys are subject to two types of

error: sampling and nonsampling. Sampling errors occur because the data are collected from a sample representing the

population, rather than from the entire population. Nonsampling errors result from the inability or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information, differences in interviewers’ abilities, mistakes in recording or coding, and

other processing errors.

Tables and data

Tables in this report include integrated data from both the

diary and interview components of the CE, enabling data

users to associate the full range of expenditures with consumers’ demographic characteristics. Tables show data classified by income quintile, income class, age of the reference

person, size of the consumer unit, composition of the consumer unit, number of earners, housing tenure, type of area

(urban-rural), race, Hispanic origin, region of residence, occupation, and education. Whereas these are the same classifications published in previous reports, some new subclassifications are shown, beginning with the publication of the

2003 data. For example, prior to 2003, the housing tenure

category included homeowners and renters. Beginning in

2003, homeowners are further divided into those with a mortgage and those without a mortgage. (The changes for 2003

are described in the next section.)

Tables for the aforementioned classifications, but with

more detail than is given in this report, can be accessed via

the BLS Web site: http://www.bls.gov/cex. Also available are

tables showing average annual data over a 2-year period for

(1) income before taxes, cross-tabulated by age, consumer

unit size, or region; (2) single consumers by sex, cross-tabulated by either income or age; and (3) selected Metropolitan

Statistical Areas (MSAs). Data are available for 1984–2003.

Other survey information available on the Web site includes

answers to frequently asked questions, a glossary of terms,

and order forms for survey products. Beginning with the

2000 data, estimates of standard errors for integrated Diary

and Interview Survey data also are available. Many of the

tables that are shown on the BLS Web site are published in

biennial reports. The most recent is Consumer Expenditure

Survey, 2000–2001, Report 969, September 2003. The next

biennial report will include data for 2002 and 2003 and will be

published in mid-2005.

Changes to published tables in 2003

In 2003, the CE modified the questions on race and Hispanic

origin to comply with new standards for maintaining, collecting, and presenting Federal data on race and ethnicity for

Federal statistical agencies. Beginning with the 2003 data,

the CE tables use data collected from the new race and

ethnicity questions. In addition to these changes, a more

comprehensive review was undertaken to evaluate the classifications of published CE data, with the goal of providing

data users with additional information while maintaining reliability and continuity with previously published data. As a

result of this review and the new race and ethnicity changes,

a number of new classifications of data are being made available with the publication of the 2003 data.

Race and ethnicity. In accordance with the new standards, the following changes were made to the CE questions:

(1) Individuals are now asked whether they are of Hispanic

ethnicity before being asked about race, whereas prior to

2003, they were asked about their ethnic origin after they
6

were asked about their race. (2) Individuals are now asked

directly whether they are Hispanic or Latino, whereas previously they were identified as Hispanic on the basis of their

or their ancestors’ country of origin. (3) With respect to race,

the responses of Asian and Pacific Islanders were split into

two categories: (a) Asian and (b) Native Hawaiian or Other

Pacific Islander. (4) The race question was reworded to indicate that individuals were allowed to choose more than one

race. Prior to 2003, individuals were required to select a single

primary race.

As a result of the changes to the race and ethnicity questions, revisions were made to the CE published tables. Prior

to 2003, CE data on race and Hispanic origin were included

with housing tenure and type of area (urban-rural) in one

table. Beginning in 2003, race and Hispanic origin are each

shown in separate tables. The new definitions of race and

Hispanic origin are included in the titles and column headings, so “Black” becomes “Black or African-American,” and

“Hispanic” becomes “Hispanic or Latino.” A new column for

Asian is shown in the race tables. In the “Hispanic or Latino”

table, the “Not Hispanic or Latino” class is further divided

into two classes: “White, Asian, and All Other Races” and

“Black or African-American.” In order to compare 2003 and

future data with earlier data, existing aggregations are maintained where possible. Therefore, the pre-2003 classes labeled “White and Other” and “Black” have been kept, but

with the new labels “White and All Other Races, and Asian”

and “Black or African- American.” The 2003 data for race are,

by definition, slightly different than for earlier years, due to

the multirace option. Approximately 1.3 percent of the CE

reference persons selected more than one race. Also, the

2003 published tables are based on responses collected over

the entire year and include a small percentage of answers

using the old format. Because of the 3-month recall in the

Interview Survey, the CE introduces changes to the questionnaire in April, not in January of any year. All respondents

participating in the Interview Survey were asked the new

race and ethnicity questions starting in April. A small portion

of the sample had their last interview and rotated out of the

survey in January through March 2003, so their race and

ethnic origin were determined on the basis of the old definitions.

New data classifications beginning in 2003. The table review revealed that a number of additional data classes could

be formed while maintaining the reliability of the data.

Changes to existing tables and the addition of new tables

include the following:

• Housing tenure and type of area. Prior to 2003, these

classifications were included in one table together with

the race and Hispanic origin classifications. Beginning

in 2003, housing tenure and type of area are shown in

one table. Under housing tenure, the homeowner class

includes new subclasses for homeowners with mortgages and for those without mortgages. Under type of

area, the urban class includes new subclasses for central city and for other urban areas.

• Higher income before taxes. The highest income class

previously shown in the standard classification of income was for CUs with incomes of $70,000 and over.

As incomes have risen over the years, the upper income class has grown substantially. The larger sample

of higher income CUs allows for the publication of a

new table that shows CE data for CUs with before-tax

incomes of $70,000 to $79,999, $80,000 to $99,999,

$100,000 or more, $100,000 to $119,999, $120,000 to

$149,999, and $150,000 or more.

The CE staff will continue to evaluate the CE data in the

future to determine whether additional data classifications

can be created under the continuing constraints of data reliability and confidentiality.

Other available data

The 2003 Diary and Interview Survey microdata—that is,

data on individual consumer units—are available on CDROM. The Interview Survey files contain expenditure data in

two different formats: MTAB files, which present monthly

values in an item coding framework based on the CPI pricing

scheme; and EXPN files, which organize expenditures by the

section of the interview questionnaire in which they are collected. Expenditure values on EXPN files cover different periods, depending on the specific question asked; the files

also contain relevant nonexpenditure information not found

in the MTAB files. Currently available on CD-ROM are

microdata files back to 1990 and for selected earlier years.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey has also begun publishing CE anthologies. These reports include analyses of

expenditure data as they apply to various topics of interest,

as well as methodological and research articles pertaining to

a number of survey topics. The first of the reports, Consumer Expenditure Survey Anthology, 2003, Report 967, was

published in September 2003. The next anthology will be

published early in 2005. Subsequent anthologies will be published biennially.

CE data also are available via the BLS fax-on-demand

service, which provides information and data that may be

accessed from a touch-tone phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a

week, by dialing 202- 691-6325. Voice prompts explain how to

obtain the information. Data available from the fax-on-demand service are for the most recent published year. Additional data also are presented in articles in the Monthly Labor Review.

For more detailed information on the availability of current and earlier data, contact the Division of Consumer Expenditure Surveys, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Room 3985,

2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20212-0001.

Telephone: 202- 691-6900. E-mail: cexinfo@bls.gov.Internet:

http://www.bls.gov/cex.
7

Material in this publication is in the public domain and,

with appropriate credit, may be reproduced without permission. Information in this report is available upon request to

Consumer unit. Members of a household consisting of

(a) occupants related by blood, marriage, adoption, or some

other legal arrangement; (b) a single person living alone or

sharing a household with others, but who is financially independent; or (c) two or more persons living together who

share responsibility for at least 2 out of 3 major types of

expenses—food, housing, and other expenses. Students living in university-sponsored housing also are included in the

sample as separate consumer units.

Reference person. The first member mentioned by the respondent when asked to “Start with the name of the person

or one of the persons who owns or rents the home.” It is with

respect to this person that the relationship of other consumer unit members is determined.

Total expenditures. The transaction costs, including excise

and sales taxes, of goods and services acquired during the

interview period. Estimates include expenditures for gifts and

contributions and payments for pensions and personal insurance.

Income. The combined income earned by all consumer unit

sensory-impaired individuals: Voice phone: 202 691-5200,

Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.

Glossary

members 14 years or older during the 12 months preceding

the interview. The components of income are wages and

salaries; self-employment income; Social Security and private and government retirement income; interest, dividends,

and rental and other property income; unemployment and

workers’ compensation and veterans’ benefits; public assistance, Supplemental Security Income, and Food Stamps; rent

or meals or both as pay; and regular contributions for support, such as alimony and child-support payments.

Complete income reporters. In general, a consumer unit that

provides values for at least one of the major sources of its

income, such as wages and salaries, self-employment income,

and Social Security income. Even complete income reporters

may not provide a full accounting of all income from all

sources.

Quintiles of income before taxes. Categories of complete

income reporters, ranked in ascending order of income and

divided into five equal groups. Incomplete income reporters

are not ranked and are shown separately in the quintiles-ofincome tables.
Table 1. Quintiles of income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure

Survey, 2003

Item

All

consumer

units

Complete reporting of income Incomplete

reporting

of

Total income

Lowest

20

percent

Second

20

percent

Third

20

percent

Fourth

20

percent

Highest

20

percent

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ....... 115,356 97,391 19,455 19,482 19,472 19,481 19,501 17,965 

Lower limit ........................................................ n.a. n.a. n.a. $14,762 $28,595 $47,802 $77,671 n.a.

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 .................................... $51,128 $51,128 $8,201 $21,478 $37,542 $61,132 $127,146 1 ( )

 Age of reference person ................................. 48.4 48.4 51.2 51.4 47.2 45.7 46.3 48.5 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 2.5 1.8 2.3 2.5 2.8 3.1 2.5 

 Children under 18 years .............................. .6 .6 .4 .6 .7 .7 .8 .6

 Persons 65 and older ................................... .3 .3 .4 .5 .3 .2 .1 .3

 Earners ......................................................... 1.3 1.3 .6 1.0 1.4 1.7 2.0 1.3

 Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 2.0 .9 1.5 2.0 2.5 2.9 1.8 

Percent homeowner ....................................... 67 66 41 55 65 79 90 71 

Average annual expenditures ........................... $40,817 $42,742 $18,492 $26,729 $36,213 $50,468 $81,731 $32,054 

 Food ............................................................... 5,340 5,593 3,178 4,102 5,098 6,544 9,039 4,593 

 Food at home ............................................... 3,129 3,236 2,119 2,713 3,114 3,726 4,503 2,837 

 Cereals and bakery products ..................... 442 456 318 390 429 528 616 403 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 825 837 550 727 814 982 1,111 792 

 Dairy products ............................................ 328 343 219 289 337 392 480 287 

 Fruits and vegetables ................................. 535 556 369 484 538 601 788 480 

 Other food at home .................................... 999 1,044 664 823 996 1,224 1,509 875 

 Food away from home .................................. 2,211 2,358 1,059 1,389 1,983 2,818 4,535 1,756 

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 391 442 198 230 329 552 902 248 

 Housing .......................................................... 13,432 13,653 6,858 9,285 11,709 15,357 25,033 12,550 

 Shelter .......................................................... 7,887 7,921 4,071 5,329 6,770 8,838 14,585 7,704 

 Owned dwellings ........................................ 5,263 5,247 1,488 2,466 3,841 6,460 11,964 5,352 

 Rented dwellings ........................................ 2,179 2,220 2,442 2,714 2,689 1,924 1,332 1,961 

 Other lodging .............................................. 445 455 140 149 240 454 1,290 391 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 2,811 2,820 1,719 2,309 2,731 3,238 4,098 2,767 

 Household operations .................................. 707 730 241 406 500 762 1,739 583 

 Housekeeping supplies ................................ 529 582 299 417 481 660 1,051 387 

 Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,497 1,600 528 824 1,226 1,859 3,559 1,110 

 Apparel and services ...................................... 1,640 1,744 913 1,073 1,458 2,018 3,255 1,330 

Transportation ................................................ 7,781 8,041 2,859 4,920 7,210 10,677 14,525 6,404 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,732 3,871 1,240 2,164 3,367 5,351 7,229 2,975 

 Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 1,333 1,353 614 981 1,352 1,736 2,083 1,221 

 Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,331 2,416 852 1,539 2,233 3,159 4,292 1,897 

 Public transportation ..................................... 385 400 154 235 258 432 922 311 

Healthcare ..................................................... 2,416 2,495 1,439 2,132 2,553 2,745 3,606 2,055

 Entertainment ................................................. 2,060 2,155 703 1,307 1,776 2,471 4,516 1,634 

 Personal care products and services ............. 527 559 295 368 484 638 1,011 436 

 Reading .......................................................... 127 133 58 88 114 151 254 95 

 Education ....................................................... 783 792 576 287 351 623 2,121 752 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 290 307 237 315 347 356 281 195 

 Miscellaneous ................................................. 606 658 298 461 591 888 1,054 359 

 Cash contributions .......................................... 1,370 1,458 449 789 1,071 1,458 3,517 894 

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 4,055 4,710 433 1,373 3,123 5,990 12,615 508 

 Life and other personal insurance ................ 397 414 125 226 305 435 979 306 

 Pensions and Social Security ....................... 3,658 4,296 308 1,147 2,818 5,555 11,637 201 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.

n.a. = Not applicable.
Table 2. Income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003

Item

Complete reporting of income

Total

complete

reporting

Less

than

$5,000

$5,000

to

$9,999

$10,000

to

$14,999

$15,000

to

$19,999

$20,000

to

$29,999

$30,000

to

$39,999

$40,000

to

$49,999

$50,000

to

$69,999

$70,000

and

more

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ......... 97,391 4,398 7,155 8,145 7,402 13,182 10,759 8,891 13,890 23,567 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 ...................................... $51,128 $1,200 $7,799 $12,455 $17,410 $24,655 $34,485 $44,294 $58,900 117960 

 Age of reference person ................................... 48.4 41.2 52.6 55.9 52.9 50.1 47.4 46.7 45.6 46.1 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons .......................................................... 2.5 1.7 1.6 1.9 2.1 2.3 2.5 2.6 2.8 3.0 

 Children under 18 years .................................. .6 .4 .4 .4 .5 .6 .6 .7 .8 .8 

 Persons 65 and older ..................................... .3 .2 .4 .5 .5 .4 .3 .2 .2 .1

 Earners ........................................................... 1.3 .8 .5 .6 .8 1.1 1.3 1.5 1.7 2.0 

 Vehicles .......................................................... 2.0 .9 .8 1.1 1.4 1.6 2.0 2.2 2.5 2.8 

Percent homeowner ......................................... 66 32 38 48 54 57 63 71 78 89 

Average annual expenditures ............................ $42,742 $19,272 $16,013 $20,061 $23,715 $29,034 $34,931 $39,757 $49,789 $77,521

 Food ................................................................. 5,593 3,433 2,760 3,422 3,721 4,338 4,993 5,486 6,511 8,794

 Food at home ................................................. 3,236 2,081 1,825 2,425 2,479 2,856 3,048 3,234 3,700 4,472 

 Cereals and bakery products ....................... 456 314 272 365 364 403 415 468 511 617 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ...................... 837 496 481 633 632 800 784 821 1,011 1,100 

 Dairy products .............................................. 343 218 181 252 272 302 321 367 384 475 

 Fruits and vegetables ................................... 556 353 323 428 448 498 550 524 585 783 

 Other food at home ...................................... 1,044 699 567 746 762 852 978 1,053 1,209 1,497 

 Food away from home ................................... 2,358 1,352 936 997 1,242 1,483 1,945 2,252 2,811 4,323 

Alcoholic beverages ......................................... 442 263 153 200 210 247 309 407 556 858 

 Housing ............................................................ 13,653 6,929 6,145 7,457 8,571 9,828 11,259 12,728 15,106 23,693

 Shelter ............................................................ 7,921 4,317 3,690 4,268 4,955 5,635 6,510 7,269 8,679 13,795

 Owned dwellings .......................................... 5,247 1,761 1,244 1,553 2,170 2,702 3,511 4,578 6,253 11,230 

 Rented dwellings .......................................... 2,220 2,350 2,327 2,591 2,642 2,780 2,794 2,389 1,986 1,400 

 Other lodging ................................................ 455 206 119 123 143 154 204 303 439 1,165 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ................. 2,820 1,499 1,605 1,945 2,191 2,394 2,666 2,906 3,217 3,976 

 Household operations .................................... 730 211 162 337 397 414 449 560 749 1,597 

 Housekeeping supplies .................................. 582 260 257 348 410 426 494 542 628 1,010 

 Household furnishings and equipment ........... 1,600 643 432 558 618 958 1,142 1,450 1,834 3,315 

 Apparel and services ........................................ 1,744 1,056 769 912 1,069 1,112 1,503 1,515 1,967 3,139 

Transportation .................................................. 8,041 3,041 2,329 3,130 4,033 5,615 6,973 7,949 10,656 14,006 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ....................... 3,871 1,284 946 1,397 1,589 2,607 3,264 3,686 5,407 6,964 

 Gasoline and motor oil ................................... 1,353 648 532 652 906 1,053 1,309 1,494 1,712 2,041 

 Other vehicle expenses .................................. 2,416 921 699 952 1,349 1,686 2,145 2,486 3,104 4,161 

 Public transportation ...................................... 400 187 152 129 190 269 256 284 433 839 

Healthcare ....................................................... 2,495 1,010 1,249 1,834 2,015 2,286 2,460 2,629 2,811 3,429

 Entertainment ................................................... 2,155 787 616 716 946 1,517 1,742 1,925 2,363 4,270 

 Personal care products and services ............... 559 270 256 335 362 384 452 533 637 966 

 Reading ............................................................ 133 54 47 72 77 95 105 129 144 243 

 Education ......................................................... 792 1,023 540 361 332 251 320 400 600 1,902 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ......... 307 179 238 257 305 324 323 415 345 290 

 Miscellaneous .................................................. 658 336 267 292 418 510 545 693 919 1,008 

 Cash contributions ........................................... 1,458 548 305 519 602 904 1,138 1,070 1,383 3,217 

Personal insurance and pensions .................... 4,710 345 337 554 1,054 1,622 2,810 3,878 5,792 11,705 

 Life and other personal insurance .................. 414 110 112 142 255 217 281 347 429 894 

 Pensions and Social Security ......................... 4,296 235 225 412 799 1,405 2,529 3,532 5,363 10,811 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.
Table 3. Higher income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003

Item

All

consumer

units

Complete reporting of income

Total

complete

reporting

Less

than

$70,000

$70,000

to

$79,999

$80,000

to

$99,999

$100,000

and

 more

$100,000

to

$119,999

$120,000

to

$149,999

$150,000

and

 more

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ....... 115,356 97,391 73,824 5,121 6,909 11,537 4,384 3,151 4,002 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 .................................... $51,128 $51,128 $29,793 $74,560 $88,832 $154,665 $108,087 $131,885 $223,634 

 Age of reference person ................................. 48.4 48.4 49.1 45.1 45.9 46.7 45.8 46.4 47.8 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 2.5 2.3 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 

 Children under 18 years ............................... .6 .6 .6 .8 .8 .8 .8 .8 .9

 Persons 65 and older ................................... .3 .3 .4 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1

 Earners ......................................................... 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.1 1.9 

 Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 2.0 1.7 2.7 3.0 2.8 2.8 3.0 2.8 

Percent homeowner ....................................... 67 66 59 83 88 92 91 91 94 

Average annual expenditures ........................... $40,817 $42,742 $31,737 $57,128 $65,957 $93,515 $75,601 $86,451 $118,674 

 Food ............................................................... 5,340 5,593 4,619 7,548 7,840 9,926 8,714 9,689 11,435 

 Food at home ............................................... 3,129 3,236 2,862 4,354 4,136 4,726 4,304 4,934 5,023 

 Cereals and bakery products ..................... 442 456 408 617 591 632 606 619 670 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 825 837 757 1,094 967 1,183 1,042 1,264 1,274 

 Dairy products ............................................ 328 343 304 455 457 494 437 530 528 

 Fruits and vegetables ................................. 535 556 488 780 704 830 741 916 861 

 Other food at home .................................... 999 1,044 906 1,407 1,417 1,586 1,478 1,605 1,690 

 Food away from home .................................. 2,211 2,358 1,757 3,195 3,703 5,201 4,410 4,755 6,411 

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 391 442 316 618 589 1,127 785 865 1,703 

 Housing .......................................................... 13,432 13,653 10,464 17,081 19,841 28,941 23,204 26,719 36,971

 Shelter .......................................................... 7,887 7,921 6,046 9,912 10,899 17,253 13,623 16,128 22,117

 Owned dwellings ........................................ 5,263 5,247 3,336 7,643 8,858 14,242 11,269 13,211 18,310 

 Rented dwellings ........................................ 2,179 2,220 2,481 1,713 1,357 1,288 1,272 1,562 1,090 

 Other lodging .............................................. 445 455 228 557 684 1,723 1,081 1,355 2,717 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 2,811 2,820 2,450 3,433 3,779 4,336 3,895 4,146 4,969 

 Household operations .................................. 707 730 453 912 1,168 2,158 1,438 1,848 3,191 

 Housekeeping supplies ................................ 529 582 453 769 897 1,186 1,072 1,083 1,390 

 Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,497 1,600 1,062 2,055 3,098 4,008 3,177 3,514 5,304 

 Apparel and services ...................................... 1,640 1,744 1,314 2,549 2,546 3,756 2,695 3,541 5,083 

Transportation ................................................ 7,781 8,041 6,138 11,540 13,295 15,526 14,178 15,785 16,799 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,732 3,871 2,884 5,698 6,834 7,604 7,295 7,932 7,683 

 Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 1,333 1,353 1,134 1,861 2,038 2,123 2,063 2,195 2,133 

 Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,331 2,416 1,860 3,531 3,842 4,632 4,191 4,612 5,130 

 Public transportation ..................................... 385 400 260 449 582 1,167 629 1,046 1,853 

Healthcare .................................................. 2,416 2,495 2,199 2,700 3,335 3,809 3,465 3,478 4,447 

 Entertainment ................................................. 2,060 2,155 1,484 3,243 3,607 5,124 3,810 4,382 7,147 

 Personal care products and services ............. 527 559 433 722 871 1,131 874 1,139 1,405 

 Reading .......................................................... 127 133 98 180 202 296 228 293 372 

 Education ....................................................... 783 792 439 855 1,082 2,858 2,093 2,165 4,243 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 290 307 313 325 358 234 243 259 204 

 Miscellaneous ................................................. 606 658 547 750 843 1,221 1,267 965 1,373 

 Cash contributions .......................................... 1,370 1,458 896 1,627 2,173 4,547 2,238 2,698 8,534 

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 4,055 4,710 2,476 7,390 9,375 15,016 11,808 14,474 18,958 

 Life and other personal insurance ................ 397 414 261 490 659 1,214 729 944 1,958 

 Pensions and Social Security ....................... 3,658 4,296 2,215 6,901 8,715 13,802 11,079 13,530 17,001 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.
Table 4. Age of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003

Item

All

consumer

units

Under

25

years

25–34

years

35–44

years

45–54

years

55–64

 years

65 years 

and older

65–74

 years

75 years 

and older

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ....... 115,356 8,584 19,737 24,413 23,131 16,580 22,912 11,495 11,417 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 .................................... $51,128 $20,680 $50,389 $61,091 $68,028 $58,672 $30,437 $35,314 $25,492 

 Age of reference person ................................. 48.4 21.3 29.7 39.7 49.4 59.0 75.1 69.2 81.1 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 1.8 2.9 3.2 2.6 2.1 1.7 1.9 1.5 

 Children under 18 years ............................... .6 .4 1.1 1.3 .6 .2 .1 .1 ( 2 )

 Persons 65 and older ................................... .3 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 2 ( ) .1 1.4 1.4 1.3

 Earners ......................................................... 1.3 1.2 1.5 1.6 1.8 1.4 .4 .6 .2 

 Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 1.1 1.8 2.1 2.4 2.3 1.5 1.8 1.2 

Percent homeowner ....................................... 67 15 48 69 76 82 80 83 78 

Average annual expenditures ........................... $40,817 $22,396 $40,525 $47,175 $50,101 $44,191 $29,376 $33,629 $25,016 

 Food ............................................................... 5,340 3,401 5,318 6,272 6,381 5,530 3,896 4,544 3,208 

 Food at home ............................................... 3,129 1,766 2,976 3,600 3,693 3,315 2,575 2,888 2,241 

 Cereals and bakery products ..................... 442 256 421 523 509 427 387 414 358 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 825 438 769 933 1,002 914 661 758 558 

 Dairy products ............................................ 328 193 317 388 378 326 277 308 243 

 Fruits and vegetables ................................. 535 272 495 593 621 593 484 537 428 

 Other food at home .................................... 999 607 974 1,164 1,184 1,054 767 872 654 

 Food away from home .................................. 2,211 1,636 2,342 2,672 2,688 2,215 1,321 1,656 968 

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 391 509 446 424 477 372 184 237 128 

 Housing .......................................................... 13,432 7,095 14,392 16,098 15,624 13,714 9,729 10,761 8,678 

 Shelter .......................................................... 7,887 4,574 8,915 9,678 9,237 7,571 5,201 5,764 4,635 

 Owned dwellings ........................................ 5,263 765 4,837 6,940 6,893 5,769 3,515 4,300 2,725 

 Rented dwellings ........................................ 2,179 3,593 3,835 2,315 1,656 1,179 1,331 1,045 1,619 

 Other lodging .............................................. 445 216 243 423 688 623 355 419 291 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 2,811 1,329 2,580 3,142 3,335 3,089 2,484 2,723 2,244 

 Household operations .................................. 707 230 872 949 633 604 635 504 768 

 Housekeeping supplies ................................ 529 225 455 597 618 618 485 590 373 

 Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,497 737 1,571 1,731 1,801 1,831 923 1,180 657 

 Apparel and services ...................................... 1,640 1,117 1,849 2,091 1,953 1,562 908 1,190 611 

Transportation ................................................ 7,781 4,674 8,106 8,892 9,766 8,680 4,824 6,015 3,622 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,732 2,241 3,932 4,255 4,632 4,289 2,247 2,770 1,721 

 Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 1,333 947 1,388 1,582 1,644 1,411 792 1,019 563 

 Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,331 1,299 2,446 2,643 3,013 2,484 1,487 1,857 1,112 

 Public transportation ..................................... 385 187 340 411 476 495 298 370 226 

Healthcare ...................................................... 2,416 546 1,468 2,105 2,479 3,059 3,741 3,626 3,856 

 Entertainment ................................................. 2,060 950 1,958 2,519 2,407 2,414 1,469 2,016 909 

 Personal care products and services ............. 527 326 498 602 616 549 440 491 387 

 Reading .......................................................... 127 53 99 114 150 168 141 149 134 

 Education ....................................................... 783 1,490 684 694 1,377 743 129 176 81 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 290 230 285 312 385 337 162 219 105 

 Miscellaneous ................................................. 606 251 532 601 830 675 533 547 519 

 Cash contributions .......................................... 1,370 371 754 1,256 1,651 1,568 1,969 1,811 2,127 

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 4,055 1,382 4,137 5,196 6,003 4,819 1,251 1,847 651 

 Life and other personal insurance ................ 397 40 200 382 600 570 388 504 270 

 Pensions and Social Security ....................... 3,658 1,342 3,937 4,814 5,403 4,249 864 1,342 382 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.

2 Value less than 0.05.
Table 5. Size of consumer unit: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey,

2003

Item

All

consumer

units

One

person

Two or more persons

Total Two

persons

Three

persons

Four

persons

Five or

more

persons

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ................. 115,356 33,929 81,427 36,830 17,701 15,464 11,432 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 ............................................. $51,128 $27,131 $61,165 $55,980 $62,780 $70,136 $63,106 

 Age of reference person .......................................... 48.4 51.4 47.1 53.2 43.9 40.9 40.9 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ................................................................. 2.5 1.0 3.1 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.6 

 Children under 18 years ......................................... .6 n.a. .9 .1 .8 1.6 2.7

 Persons 65 and older ............................................ .3 .3 .3 .5 .2 .1 .1

 Earners .................................................................. 1.3 .6 1.6 1.3 1.7 1.9 2.2 

 Vehicles ................................................................. 1.9 1.0 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.5 

Percent homeowner ................................................ 67 49 74 76 70 76 73 

Average annual expenditures .................................... $40,817 $23,657 $47,921 $43,693 $47,406 $55,201 $52,565 

 Food ........................................................................ 5,340 2,831 6,357 5,432 6,173 7,472 8,178 

 Food at home ........................................................ 3,129 1,525 3,778 3,128 3,664 4,472 5,157 

 Cereals and bakery products ............................... 442 217 532 425 508 644 772 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .............................. 825 359 1,013 824 976 1,213 1,422 

 Dairy products ..................................................... 328 161 396 324 383 467 555 

 Fruits and vegetables .......................................... 535 280 639 552 609 740 832 

 Other food at home .............................................. 999 507 1,198 1,003 1,188 1,407 1,577 

 Food away from home ........................................... 2,211 1,306 2,579 2,304 2,509 3,000 3,020 

Alcoholic beverages ................................................ 391 280 436 468 419 436 358 

 Housing ................................................................... 13,432 8,768 15,369 13,536 15,596 18,322 16,930 

 Shelter ................................................................... 7,887 5,614 8,835 7,730 8,949 10,622 9,801 

 Owned dwellings ................................................. 5,263 2,692 6,334 5,263 6,220 8,299 7,304 

 Rented dwellings ................................................. 2,179 2,679 1,971 1,869 2,229 1,818 2,109 

 Other lodging ....................................................... 445 242 529 597 501 505 388 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ......................... 2,811 1,758 3,250 2,905 3,320 3,615 3,762 

 Household operations ............................................ 707 343 859 565 1,026 1,337 899 

 Housekeeping supplies ......................................... 529 284 628 582 636 685 690 

 Household furnishings and equipment .................. 1,497 769 1,798 1,754 1,666 2,064 1,778 

 Apparel and services ............................................... 1,640 837 1,968 1,547 1,916 2,503 2,698 

Transportation ......................................................... 7,781 3,839 9,422 8,683 9,562 10,459 10,185 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) .............................. 3,732 1,692 4,582 4,363 4,644 4,929 4,720 

 Gasoline and motor oil ........................................... 1,333 674 1,607 1,388 1,619 1,859 1,956 

 Other vehicle expenses ......................................... 2,331 1,217 2,795 2,458 2,910 3,220 3,122 

 Public transportation .............................................. 385 256 439 473 389 452 387 

Healthcare .............................................................. 2,416 1,558 2,774 3,093 2,532 2,581 2,379 

 Entertainment .......................................................... 2,060 1,041 2,482 2,421 2,263 2,821 2,554 

 Personal care products and services ...................... 527 316 614 563 603 693 689 

 Reading ................................................................... 127 93 142 159 130 135 110 

 Education ................................................................. 783 498 902 597 938 1,426 1,119 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ................ 290 193 330 310 351 329 364 

 Miscellaneous .......................................................... 606 423 682 650 658 801 661 

 Cash contributions ................................................... 1,370 1,032 1,511 1,810 1,179 1,270 1,385 

Personal insurance and pensions ........................... 4,055 1,948 4,933 4,424 5,087 5,952 4,956 

 Life and other personal insurance ......................... 397 159 497 496 488 498 511 

 Pensions and Social Security ................................ 3,658 1,790 4,436 3,928 4,599 5,454 4,446 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.

n.a. = Not applicable.
Table 6. Composition of consumer unit: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003

Item

Husband- and-wife consumer units

One

parent,

at least

one child

under 18

Single

person

and other

consumer

units

Total

Husband

and wife

only

Husband and wife with children

Other

husbandand-wife

consumer

units

Total

Oldest

child

under 6

Oldest

child

6 to 17

Oldest

child 18

or older

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ............. 58,448 25,132 28,584 5,496 15,047 8,041 4,732 6,999 49,909 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 .......................................... $69,472 $62,930 $75,557 $66,317 $77,508 $78,307 $66,597 $29,154 $32,970 

 Age of reference person ...................................... 48.6 56.8 41.6 32.1 40.0 51.2 47.3 37.4 49.6 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons .............................................................. 3.2 2.0 3.9 3.5 4.1 4.0 4.9 2.9 1.6 

 Children under 18 years ................................... .9 n.a. 1.6 1.5 2.1 .7 1.4 1.8 .2

 Persons 65 and over ......................................... .3 .6 .1 2 ( ) 2 ( ) .2 .4 2 ( ) .3

 Earners .............................................................. 1.7 1.2 2.0 1.7 1.8 2.6 2.3 1.0 1.0 

 Vehicles ............................................................. 2.6 2.4 2.7 2.1 2.6 3.3 2.8 1.2 1.3 

Percent homeowner ............................................. 83 85 82 72 81 90 78 40 52 

Average annual expenditures ................................ $53,030 $47,896 $57,702 $51,503 $59,183 $59,180 $52,110 $30,535 $27,867

 Food ..................................................................... 6,864 5,927 7,553 6,224 7,844 7,937 7,732 4,804 3,577

 Food at home ..................................................... 4,047 3,402 4,476 3,952 4,551 4,710 4,993 2,979 2,039 

 Cereals and bakery products ........................... 571 458 652 547 691 650 692 445 285 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .......................... 1,077 912 1,169 890 1,213 1,283 1,461 787 525 

 Dairy products .................................................. 427 352 485 444 497 491 468 307 211 

 Fruits and vegetables ....................................... 688 606 735 672 723 808 858 455 363 

 Other food at home .......................................... 1,285 1,074 1,435 1,399 1,428 1,479 1,515 985 656 

 Food away from home ....................................... 2,817 2,525 3,077 2,272 3,293 3,226 2,739 1,826 1,538 

Alcoholic beverages ............................................. 447 478 440 445 429 459 288 220 348 

 Housing ................................................................ 16,648 14,352 18,679 19,303 19,235 17,215 16,533 11,772 9,885 

 Shelter ................................................................ 9,480 8,001 10,812 10,963 11,292 9,812 9,289 7,152 6,125 

 Owned dwellings .............................................. 7,433 5,973 8,773 8,440 9,213 8,175 7,100 3,234 3,006 

 Rented dwellings .............................................. 1,405 1,280 1,455 2,204 1,488 883 1,764 3,724 2,870 

 Other lodging ................................................... 642 748 584 319 591 753 425 195 249 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ..................... 3,444 3,075 3,695 3,030 3,745 4,055 3,882 2,595 2,101 

 Household operations ........................................ 970 596 1,316 2,365 1,286 656 865 725 397 

 Housekeeping supplies ...................................... 699 659 734 645 728 813 683 349 348 

 Household furnishings and equipment ............... 2,055 2,021 2,122 2,300 2,183 1,880 1,814 951 914 

 Apparel and services ........................................... 2,085 1,632 2,431 2,232 2,614 2,219 2,441 1,799 1,085 

Transportation ...................................................... 10,627 9,580 11,546 9,832 11,526 12,755 10,658 4,592 4,893 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ........................... 5,308 4,933 5,713 4,953 5,849 5,977 4,858 1,734 2,166 

 Gasoline and motor oil ....................................... 1,740 1,463 1,949 1,613 1,927 2,220 1,956 993 903 

 Other vehicle expenses ..................................... 3,078 2,638 3,418 2,925 3,261 4,049 3,381 1,632 1,553 

 Public transportation .......................................... 501 547 466 342 489 509 463 234 271 

Healthcare ........................................................... 3,202 3,713 2,760 2,177 2,764 3,151 3,157 1,201 1,666

 Entertainment ....................................................... 2,793 2,699 2,958 2,401 3,414 2,478 2,295 1,453 1,281 

 Personal care products and services ................... 668 617 713 559 713 821 670 459 369 

 Reading ................................................................ 163 186 149 121 151 167 118 64 95 

 Education ............................................................. 1,053 610 1,510 413 1,438 2,393 639 493 508 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ............. 300 275 298 220 291 365 447 230 286 

 Miscellaneous ...................................................... 712 638 778 626 696 1,035 702 510 494 

 Cash contributions ............................................... 1,762 2,174 1,441 1,060 1,430 1,723 1,507 622 1,016 

Personal insurance and pensions ........................ 5,707 5,015 6,445 5,891 6,638 6,462 4,923 2,315 2,365 

 Life and other personal insurance ...................... 599 625 585 378 618 665 550 181 191 

 Pensions and Social Security ............................ 5,108 4,390 5,860 5,513 6,021 5,798 4,374 2,134 2,174 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.

2 Value less than 0.05.

n.a. = Not applicable.
Table 7. Number of earners in consumer unit: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer

Expenditure Survey, 2003

Item

All

consumer

units

Single consumers Consumer units of two or more persons

No earner One earner No earner One earner Two earners

Three or

more

earners

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ....... 115,356 12,482 21,447 10,056 23,586 38,486 9,299 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 .................................... $51,128 $14,696 $33,732 $27,491 $47,408 $73,689 $80,310 

 Age of reference person ................................. 48.4 68.6 41.4 65.0 46.5 43.0 46.2 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 1.0 1.0 2.4 3.0 3.0 4.4 

 Children under 18 years ............................... .6 n.a. n.a. .4 1.1 .9 1.0

 Persons 65 and older .................................. .3 .7 .1 1.2 .3 .1 .1

 Earners ......................................................... 1.3 n.a. 1.0 n.a. 1.0 2.0 3.4 

 Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 .8 1.1 1.7 1.9 2.5 3.2 

Percent homeowner ....................................... 67 59 44 77 67 76 81 

Average annual expenditures ........................... $40,817 $17,431 $27,277 $29,730 $41,737 $53,621 $59,832 

 Food ............................................................... 5,340 2,330 3,120 4,483 5,652 6,824 8,300 

 Food at home ............................................... 3,129 1,567 1,501 3,047 3,590 3,830 4,835 

 Cereals and bakery products ..................... 442 244 202 443 515 530 684 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 825 369 353 819 957 1,028 1,302 

 Dairy products ............................................ 328 163 160 323 385 396 501 

 Fruits and vegetables ................................. 535 310 263 546 621 631 811 

 Other food at home .................................... 999 481 522 915 1,113 1,245 1,536 

 Food away from home .................................. 2,211 763 1,620 1,436 2,063 2,995 3,466 

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 391 123 370 211 347 534 518 

 Housing .......................................................... 13,432 7,140 9,714 10,116 14,285 16,866 17,632 

 Shelter .......................................................... 7,887 4,097 6,496 5,173 8,302 9,787 10,206 

 Owned dwellings ........................................ 5,263 1,955 3,121 3,287 5,572 7,261 7,725 

 Rented dwellings ........................................ 2,179 1,984 3,084 1,419 2,306 1,952 1,799 

 Other lodging .............................................. 445 157 292 468 423 574 681 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 2,811 1,720 1,781 2,712 3,077 3,310 4,023 

 Household operations .................................. 707 493 256 567 747 1,038 713 

 Housekeeping supplies ................................ 529 293 279 506 566 673 738 

 Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,497 538 902 1,157 1,594 2,056 1,953 

 Apparel and services ...................................... 1,640 590 980 965 1,878 2,159 2,507 

Transportation ................................................ 7,781 2,229 4,776 5,108 7,569 10,882 12,747 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,732 912 2,145 2,227 3,569 5,541 5,728 

 Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 1,333 398 835 933 1,353 1,768 2,317 

 Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,331 746 1,491 1,600 2,287 3,087 4,163 

 Public transportation ..................................... 385 172 305 348 360 487 539 

Healthcare ..................................................... 2,416 2,192 1,189 3,790 2,573 2,626 2,796 

 Entertainment ................................................. 2,060 741 1,216 1,719 2,113 2,887 2,581

 Personal care products and services ............. 527 265 345 429 533 664 813 

 Reading .......................................................... 127 85 98 139 123 150 155 

 Education ....................................................... 783 213 664 289 673 947 1,957 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 290 156 215 196 321 340 456 

 Miscellaneous ................................................. 606 308 490 533 608 721 872 

 Cash contributions .......................................... 1,370 872 1,124 1,330 1,506 1,508 1,728 

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 4,055 186 2,974 422 3,556 6,512 6,770 

 Life and other personal insurance ................ 397 165 155 368 461 519 633 

 Pensions and Social Security ....................... 3,658 221 2,819 53 3,094 5,993 6,138 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.

2 Data are likely to have large sampling errors.

n.a. = Not applicable.
Table 8. Housing tenure and type of area: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003

Item

All

consumer

units

Housing tenure Type of area

Homeowner

Renter

Urban

Rural

Total

Homeowner

with

mortgage

Homeowner

without

mortgage

Total Central

city

Other

urban

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ....... 115,356 77,194 47,104 30,090 38,163 101,047 34,423 66,625 14,309 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 .................................... $51,128 $62,053 $72,831 $44,609 $29,827 $52,728 $43,768 $57,352 $40,140 

 Age of reference person ................................. 48.4 52.2 46.0 62.0 40.6 48.0 46.8 48.6 51.1 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 2.6 3.0 2.1 2.2 2.5 2.4 2.6 2.4 

 Children under 18 years ........................ ..... .6 .7 .9 .3 .6 .6 .6 .7 .6

 Persons 65 and older ..................................... .3 .4 .2 .7 .1 .3 .3 .3 .4

 Earners ......................................................... 1.3 1.4 1.7 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.3 

 Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 2.3 2.5 2.0 1.1 1.9 1.5 2.1 2.5 

Percent homeowner ....................................... 67 100 100 100 n.a. 65 52 72 80 

Average annual expenditures ........................... $40,817 $47,396 $55,419 $34,467 $27,522 $41,619 $36,444 $44,297 $35,157 

 Food ............................................................... 5,340 5,917 6,473 4,851 4,177 5,413 4,962 5,648 4,821 

 Food at home ............................................... 3,129 3,447 3,667 3,015 2,489 3,142 2,892 3,272 3,035 

 Cereals and bakery products ..................... 442 491 515 442 344 446 403 468 414 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 825 894 956 772 685 819 768 845 863 

 Dairy products ............................................ 328 365 388 318 254 329 298 345 322 

 Fruits and vegetables ................................. 535 588 611 543 430 547 512 566 452 

 Other food at home .................................... 999 1,110 1,196 940 777 1,001 909 1,049 985 

 Food away from home .................................. 2,211 2,470 2,806 1,837 1,688 2,271 2,070 2,375 1,786 

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 391 418 487 284 337 405 378 420 292 

 Housing .......................................................... 13,432 15,186 18,960 9,221 9,886 13,971 12,501 14,732 9,623 

 Shelter .......................................................... 7,887 8,471 11,488 3,749 6,706 8,325 7,637 8,681 4,797 

 Owned dwellings ........................................ 5,263 7,832 10,792 3,197 67 5,491 4,098 6,210 3,653 

 Rented dwellings ........................................ 2,179 64 55 78 6,459 2,369 3,175 1,953 840 

 Other lodging .............................................. 445 576 640 474 181 465 363 518 303 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 2,811 3,321 3,616 2,860 1,780 2,834 2,524 2,994 2,652 

 Household operations .................................. 707 882 1,015 673 354 748 652 798 416 

 Housekeeping supplies ................................ 529 631 673 549 323 528 452 567 538 

 Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,497 1,880 2,168 1,390 723 1,536 1,235 1,692 1,220 

 Apparel and services ...................................... 1,640 1,809 2,116 1,253 1,300 1,700 1,597 1,754 1,215 

Transportation ................................................ 7,781 9,199 10,788 6,708 4,912 7,659 6,609 8,202 8,639 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,732 4,505 5,300 3,261 2,167 3,578 3,145 3,802 4,814 

 Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 1,333 1,529 1,753 1,179 936 1,297 1,055 1,422 1,587 

 Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,331 2,727 3,250 1,906 1,529 2,367 1,990 2,562 2,078 

 Public transportation ..................................... 385 437 485 362 279 417 419 416 160 

Healthcare ..................................................... 2,416 3,009 2,773 3,386 1,218 2,390 2,045 2,568 2,600 

 Entertainment ................................................. 2,060 2,525 2,921 1,901 1,119 2,076 1,629 2,307 1,942 

 Personal care products and services ............. 527 599 658 492 382 544 500 567 408 

 Reading .......................................................... 127 155 158 149 72 133 119 141 86 

 Education ....................................................... 783 843 1,071 480 662 845 718 911 348 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 290 283 310 242 302 278 261 287 372 

 Miscellaneous ................................................. 606 720 780 626 376 615 509 670 541 

 Cash contributions .......................................... 1,370 1,742 1,650 1,887 616 1,428 1,207 1,543 956 

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 4,055 4,992 6,273 2,986 2,161 4,161 3,410 4,548 3,312 

 Life and other personal insurance ................ 397 527 626 373 134 400 308 448 375 

 Pensions and Social Security ....................... 3,658 4,464 5,647 2,612 2,027 3,760 3,102 4,100 2,937 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.

n.a. = Not applicable.
Table 9. Race of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics,

Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003

Item

All

consumer

units

White and all other races, and Asian

Black or

AfricanTotal American

White and

all other

races1

Asian

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ....... 115,356 101,614 98,041 3,573 13,743 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 2 .................................... $51,128 $53,292 $53,039 $60,393 $34,485 

 Age of reference person ................................. 48.4 48.6 48.8 42.4 46.7 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.8 2.6 

 Children under 18 years .............................. .6 .6 .6 .7 .9

 Persons 65 and older ................................... .3 .3 .3 .2 .2

 Earners ......................................................... 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.2 

 Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 2.0 2.1 1.6 1.3 

Percent homeowner ....................................... 67 69 70 57 49 

Average annual expenditures ........................... $40,817 $42,451 $42,360 $44,923 $28,708 

 Food ............................................................... 5,340 5,518 5,488 6,285 4,007 

 Food at home ............................................... 3,129 3,191 3,186 3,302 2,664 

 Cereals and bakery products ..................... 442 451 452 437 370 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 825 817 811 978 882 

 Dairy products ............................................ 328 342 345 247 227 

 Fruits and vegetables ................................. 535 548 539 788 438 

 Other food at home .................................... 999 1,033 1,040 852 747 

 Food away from home .................................. 2,211 2,327 2,302 2,983 1,343 

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 391 421 425 308 169 

 Housing .......................................................... 13,432 13,811 13,719 16,326 10,622 

 Shelter .......................................................... 7,887 8,127 8,026 10,902 6,117 

 Owned dwellings ........................................ 5,263 5,563 5,517 6,835 3,042 

 Rented dwellings ........................................ 2,179 2,076 2,018 3,661 2,946 

 Other lodging .............................................. 445 488 491 406 129 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 2,811 2,798 2,808 2,536 2,910 

 Household operations .................................. 707 742 740 783 453 

 Housekeeping supplies ................................ 529 552 555 471 357 

 Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,497 1,593 1,591 1,634 785 

 Apparel and services ...................................... 1,640 1,645 1,642 1,736 1,601 

Transportation ................................................ 7,781 8,147 8,172 7,454 5,074 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,732 3,953 3,988 2,992 2,097 

 Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 1,333 1,376 1,378 1,313 1,016 

 Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,331 2,412 2,414 2,383 1,728 

 Public transportation ..................................... 385 406 393 766 233 

Healthcare ...................................................... ...... 2,416 2,566 2,588 1,955 1,309 

 Entertainment ................................................. 2,060 2,202 2,220 1,713 1,007 

 Personal care products and services ............. 527 536 536 520 461 

 Reading .......................................................... 127 137 138 111 52 

 Education ....................................................... 783 829 791 1,890 442 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 290 305 311 119 180 

 Miscellaneous ................................................. 606 627 635 432 447 

 Cash contributions .......................................... 1,370 1,443 1,447 1,311 832 

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 4,055 4,265 4,247 4,762 2,504 

 Life and other personal insurance ................ 397 411 411 414 295 

 Pensions and Social Security ....................... 3,658 3,854 3,836 4,348 2,209 

1 All other races includes Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, and

approximately 1.3 percent reporting more than one race.

2 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.
Table 10. Hispanic or Latino origin of reference person: average annual expenditures

and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003

Item

All

consumer

units

Hispanic

or Latino

Not Hispanic or Latino

Total

Not

Hispanic or

Latino less

Black

or

AfricanAmerican

Black

or

AfricanAmerican

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ....... 115,356 11,727 103,629 90,019 13,610 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 .................................... $51,128 $37,150 $52,797 $55,463 $34,537 

 Age of reference person ................................. 48.4 41.6 49.2 49.5 46.7 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 3.3 2.4 2.4 2.6 

 Children under 18 years ............................... .6 1.1 .6 .5 .9

 Persons 65 and older .................................... .3 .2 .3 .3 .2

 Earners ......................................................... 1.3 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.2 

 Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 1.6 2.0 2.1 1.3 

Percent homeowner ....................................... 67 48 69 72 49 

Average annual expenditures ........................... $40,817 $34,575 $41,521 $43,459 $28,667 

 Food ............................................................... 5,340 5,717 5,291 5,486 3,977 

 Food at home ............................................... 3,129 3,597 3,070 3,134 2,639 

 Cereals and bakery products ..................... 442 486 436 447 366 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 825 1,059 795 783 876 

 Dairy products ............................................ 328 374 322 337 223 

 Fruits and vegetables ................................. 535 686 516 529 432 

 Other food at home .................................... 999 992 1,000 1,038 742 

 Food away from home .................................. 2,211 2,120 2,221 2,353 1,338 

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 391 315 401 437 158 

 Housing .......................................................... 13,432 12,300 13,562 14,005 10,621 

 Shelter .......................................................... 7,887 7,672 7,912 8,185 6,105 

 Owned dwellings ........................................ 5,263 3,889 5,418 5,775 3,063 

 Rented dwellings ........................................ 2,179 3,560 2,023 1,889 2,912 

 Other lodging .............................................. 445 224 470 521 130 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 2,811 2,490 2,848 2,837 2,920 

 Household operations .................................. 707 454 736 779 453 

 Housekeeping supplies ................................ 529 476 536 563 353 

 Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,497 1,208 1,531 1,642 789 

 Apparel and services ...................................... 1,640 1,756 1,626 1,631 1,590 

Transportation ................................................ 7,781 6,780 7,894 8,317 5,094 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,732 3,063 3,807 4,063 2,117 

 Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 1,333 1,328 1,333 1,381 1,017 

 Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,331 2,057 2,362 2,458 1,729 

 Public transportation ..................................... 385 331 391 416 230 

Healthcare .................................................... 2,416 1,439 2,527 2,711 1,311

 Entertainment ................................................. 2,060 1,245 2,153 2,326 1,009 

 Personal care products and services ............. 527 490 531 541 460 

 Reading .......................................................... 127 48 136 149 53 

 Education ....................................................... 783 477 818 877 425 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 290 171 303 322 179 

 Miscellaneous ................................................. 606 419 627 655 447 

 Cash contributions .......................................... 1,370 594 1,458 1,552 835 

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 4,055 2,824 4,195 4,450 2,507 

 Life and other personal insurance ................ 397 160 424 444 296 

 Pensions and Social Security ....................... 3,658 2,664 3,770 4,006 2,211 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.
Table 11. Region of residence: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003

Item

All

consumer

units

Northeast Midwest South West

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ........................ 115,356 22,182 26,438 41,325 25,412 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 ..................................................... $51,128 $56,513 $52,445 $46,729 $52,506 

 Age of reference person ................................................. 48.4 49.8 48.8 48.2 47.1 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ......................................................................... 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.6 

 Children under 18 years ................................................ .6 .6 .6 .6 .7

 Persons 65 and older .................................................... .3 .3 .3 .3 .3

 Earners ......................................................................... 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.4

 Vehicles ........................................................................ 1.9 1.7 2.1 1.9 2.0

Percent homeowner ........................................................ 67 64 70 69 63 

Average annual expenditures ........................................... $40,817 $42,162 $40,280 $37,625 $45,381 

 Food ................................................................................ 5,340 5,730 5,088 4,960 5,876 

 Food at home ................................................................ 3,129 3,306 2,904 2,996 3,428 

 Cereals and bakery products ...................................... 442 485 411 413 482

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..................................... 825 889 734 835 849

 Dairy products ............................................................. 328 353 323 298 359

 Fruits and vegetables .................................................. 535 586 472 489 633

 Other food at home ..................................................... 999 994 962 961 1,104 

 Food away from home .................................................. 2,211 2,424 2,184 1,964 2,449 

Alcoholic beverages ........................................................ 391 427 403 345 421 

 Housing ........................................................................... 13,432 14,811 12,634 12,006 15,371 

 Shelter ........................................................................... 7,887 9,134 7,086 6,660 9,630 

 Owned dwellings ......................................................... 5,263 5,932 4,908 4,528 6,244 

 Rented dwellings ......................................................... 2,179 2,664 1,720 1,802 2,848 

 Other lodging .............................................................. 445 537 458 330 538

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ................................ 2,811 2,889 2,855 2,891 2,569 

 Household operations ................................................... 707 813 614 666 778

 Housekeeping supplies ................................................. 529 523 575 496 537

 Household furnishings and equipment .......................... 1,497 1,452 1,504 1,294 1,858 

 Apparel and services ...................................................... 1,640 1,859 1,563 1,451 1,834 

Transportation ................................................................. 7,781 7,043 7,817 7,621 8,645 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ...................................... 3,732 3,040 3,775 3,893 4,028 

 Gasoline and motor oil .................................................. 1,333 1,157 1,357 1,321 1,479 

 Other vehicle expenses ................................................ 2,331 2,307 2,314 2,154 2,659 

 Public transportation ..................................................... 385 539 371 253 479

Healthcare ...................................................................... 2,416 2,127 2,586 2,396 2,525

 Entertainment .................................................................. 2,060 2,117 1,978 1,812 2,494 

 Personal care products and services .............................. 527 532 499 494 606

 Reading ........................................................................... 127 153 141 93 146

 Education ........................................................................ 783 1,040 796 581 875

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ........................ 290 306 363 275 224

Miscellaneous ................................................................. 606 548 647 556 695 

 Cash contributions .......................................................... 1,370 1,161 1,469 1,344 1,491 

Personal insurance and pensions ................................... 4,055 4,308 4,295 3,690 4,179 

 Life and other personal insurance ................................. 397 454 423 381 347

 Pensions and Social Security ....................................... 3,658 3,855 3,872 3,309 3,832 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.
Table 12. Occupation of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003

Item

Selfemployed

workers

Wage and salary earners

Retired

All other,

including

not

reporting

Total

wage and

salary

earners

Managers

and

professionals

Technical,

sales and

clerical

workers

Service

workers

Construction

workers and

mechanics

Operators,

fabricators

and

laborers

Number of consumer units (in thousands) 4,987 76,802 28,105 21,533 11,621 4,780 10,764 19,592 13,976 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 ............................. $58,302 $58,773 $83,126 $50,321 $35,496 $50,805 $41,020 $27,695 $37,616 

 Age of reference person ......................... 52.0 42.2 43.5 41.2 41.8 39.5 42.0 73.8 45.6 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ................................................. 2.4 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.7 2.9 2.8 1.7 2.8 

 Children under 18 years ....................... .5 .7 .7 .7 .8 .9 .9 .1 .9 

 Persons 65 and older ............................ .4 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 1.2 .2

 Earners ................................................. 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.7 .2 .7 

 Vehicles ................................................ 2.3 2.1 2.2 2.0 1.7 2.4 2.1 1.6 1.6 

Percent homeowner ................................ 81 65 75 62 49 65 59 81 56 

Average annual expenditures ................... $51,006 $44,934 $58,236 $40,564 $32,066 $40,620 $34,603 $28,418 $32,042 

 Food ........................................................ 6,563 5,743 6,743 5,317 4,531 5,924 5,125 3,937 4,698 

 Food at home ........................................ 3,617 3,229 3,521 2,972 2,764 3,590 3,267 2,594 3,162 

 Cereals and bakery products .............. 493 451 487 418 383 490 471 389 447 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ............. 1,049 840 852 771 768 1,050 914 662 885 

 Dairy products ..................................... 344 339 379 312 275 367 335 278 338 

 Fruits and vegetables .......................... 636 542 618 490 462 551 522 490 522 

 Other food at home ............................. 1,095 1,058 1,185 981 875 1,132 1,025 775 971 

 Food away from home .......................... 2,946 2,514 3,222 2,345 1,766 2,333 1,857 1,343 1,535 

Alcoholic beverages ................................ 557 455 597 415 358 373 300 208 248 

 Housing ................................................... 14,996 14,652 18,940 13,567 10,888 12,520 10,614 9,813 11,251 

 Shelter ................................................... 8,650 8,788 11,375 8,193 6,658 7,346 6,162 5,204 6,430 

 Owned dwellings ................................. 6,422 5,897 8,331 5,290 3,493 5,002 3,747 3,538 3,783 

 Rented dwellings ................................. 1,457 2,427 2,257 2,535 2,935 2,116 2,244 1,281 2,337 

 Other lodging ...................................... 772 464 787 367 231 228 171 385 309 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ........ 3,122 2,911 3,313 2,773 2,494 2,813 2,630 2,493 2,600 

 Household operations ........................... 869 757 1,161 648 394 628 368 623 494 

 Housekeeping supplies ......................... 593 546 713 494 426 456 375 489 471 

 Household furnishings and equipment .. 1,761 1,651 2,378 1,459 916 1,277 1,079 1,005 1,256 

 Apparel and services .............................. 1,691 1,854 2,343 1,778 1,348 1,414 1,454 911 1,509 

Transportation ......................................... 9,325 8,758 10,469 7,907 6,626 9,576 7,931 4,805 6,028 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) .............. 4,512 4,215 4,927 3,689 3,169 5,170 4,113 2,157 3,006 

 Gasoline and motor oil .......................... 1,510 1,495 1,622 1,423 1,271 1,715 1,452 825 1,089 

 Other vehicle expenses ........................ 2,643 2,637 3,254 2,465 1,936 2,521 2,173 1,511 1,687 

 Public transportation ............................. 659 411 666 329 249 170 192 312 246 

Healthcare ............................................. 3,794 2,098 2,708 1,972 1,554 1,697 1,521 3,623 1,981

 Entertainment .......................................... 2,866 2,231 3,096 1,993 1,371 1,801 1,564 1,560 1,515 

 Personal care products and services ...... 580 571 724 541 446 459 415 420 423 

 Reading ................................................... 174 128 197 108 72 77 72 143 83 

 Education ................................................ 813 963 1,554 759 622 513 395 164 654 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies 297 309 210 292 338 596 440 168 353 

 Miscellaneous ......................................... 1,124 641 815 589 397 543 593 513 359 

 Cash contributions .................................. 2,661 1,380 2,221 1,004 716 1,036 803 1,355 875 

Personal insurance and pensions ........... 5,565 5,151 7,617 4,323 2,798 4,090 3,376 797 2,065 

 Life and other personal insurance ......... 593 421 609 357 245 322 290 335 285 

 Pensions and Social Security ............... 4,972 4,730 7,008 3,966 2,553 3,767 3,086 462 1,780 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.
Table 13. Education of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003

Item

All

consumer

units

Less than college graduate College graduate

Total

Less than

high

school

graduate

High

school

graduate

High

school

graduate

with

some

college

Associate's

degree Total Bachelor’sdegree

Master’s,

professional,

doctoral

degree

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ......... 115,356 84,768 17,721 31,552 24,514 10,981 30,589 19,557 11,032 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 ...................................... $51,128 $40,164 $25,028 $40,113 $45,113 $54,087 $81,842 $74,921 $93,948 

 Age of reference person ................................... 48.4 49.0 55.6 50.2 44.4 45.4 46.6 44.7 49.9 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons .......................................................... 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.5 2.3 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.4 

 Children under 18 years ................................. .6 .7 .7 .6 .6 .7 .6 .6 .6

 Persons 65 and older ..................................... .3 .3 .5 .3 .2 .2 .2 .2 .3

 Earners ........................................................... 1.3 1.3 1.0 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 

 Vehicles .......................................................... 1.9 1.9 1.4 2.0 1.9 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.2 

Percent homeowner ......................................... 67 64 57 68 59 72 76 73 82 

Average annual expenditures ............................ $40,817 $34,372 $23,901 $33,956 $37,912 $44,547 $58,480 $54,726 $65,203 

 Food ................................................................. 5,340 4,838 4,086 4,701 5,136 5,783 6,641 6,381 7,127 

 Food at home ................................................. 3,129 2,987 2,913 2,986 2,907 3,298 3,491 3,414 3,637 

 Cereals and bakery products ....................... 442 425 408 424 423 456 485 482 493 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ...................... 825 832 860 839 758 941 805 794 825 

 Dairy products .............................................. 328 307 290 307 302 344 382 374 397 

 Fruits and vegetables ................................... 535 488 502 479 479 519 655 621 720 

 Other food at home ...................................... 999 935 853 937 945 1,037 1,164 1,143 1,202 

 Food away from home ................................... 2,211 1,850 1,173 1,715 2,229 2,486 3,150 2,967 3,490 

Alcoholic beverages ......................................... 391 302 161 255 401 453 620 565 725 

 Housing ............................................................ 13,432 11,181 8,351 10,923 12,260 14,060 19,631 18,357 21,908 

 Shelter ............................................................ 7,887 6,417 4,865 6,178 7,121 8,032 11,963 11,233 13,258

 Owned dwellings .......................................... 5,263 4,001 2,427 4,040 4,365 5,618 8,760 7,995 10,117 

 Rented dwellings .......................................... 2,179 2,158 2,346 1,917 2,373 2,071 2,238 2,406 1,939 

 Other lodging ................................................ 445 257 92 222 383 344 966 832 1,203 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ................. 2,811 2,647 2,311 2,740 2,610 3,000 3,268 3,159 3,461 

 Household operations .................................... 707 498 237 447 652 718 1,288 1,177 1,484 

 Housekeeping supplies .................................. 529 468 323 477 481 639 683 639 768 

 Household furnishings and equipment ........... 1,497 1,152 615 1,080 1,396 1,670 2,429 2,149 2,937 

 Apparel and services ........................................ 1,640 1,406 1,017 1,260 1,713 1,779 2,260 2,197 2,377 

Transportation .................................................. 7,781 6,954 4,412 7,296 7,265 9,380 10,068 9,717 10,694 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ....................... 3,732 3,396 2,059 3,659 3,382 4,833 4,661 4,577 4,810 

 Gasoline and motor oil ................................... 1,333 1,266 942 1,306 1,331 1,530 1,517 1,502 1,545 

 Other vehicle expenses .................................. 2,331 2,053 1,263 2,131 2,243 2,683 3,097 2,967 3,330 

 Public transportation ...................................... 385 238 148 200 308 334 793 671 1,009 

Healthcare ...................................................... 2,416 2,193 1,797 2,287 2,249 2,439 3,031 2,812 3,420

 Entertainment ................................................... 2,060 1,678 882 1,607 2,023 2,384 3,110 2,893 3,498 

 Personal care products and services ............... 527 453 305 436 518 592 725 694 781 

 Reading ............................................................ 127 90 42 83 118 125 230 194 294 

 Education ......................................................... 783 492 102 328 859 776 1,587 1,339 2,029 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ......... 290 342 342 380 305 318 144 158 119 

 Miscellaneous .................................................. 606 521 312 515 633 619 840 791 928 

 Cash contributions ........................................... 1,370 952 574 990 1,043 1,248 2,529 2,307 2,922 

Personal insurance and pensions .................... 4,055 2,970 1,519 2,895 3,388 4,590 7,064 6,321 8,381 

 Life and other personal insurance .................. 397 304 180 334 303 417 657 587 781 

 Pensions and Social Security ......................... 3,658 2,666 1,339 2,561 3,085 4,174 6,407 5,734 7,600 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.