U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

MARCH 2014 REPORT 1046

BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov 1

Consumer Expenditures in 2012

Consumer spending increased by 3.5 percent, 

based on 2012 data from the Consumer 

Expenditure Survey (CE). This is the second 

consecutive year that expenditures increased after 3 

consecutive years of declining expenditures. Consumer 

units’ (CUs) average annual expenditures increased 

from $49,705 in 2011 to $51,442 in 2012. With this 

increase, the 2012 level surpassed the 2008 spending 

level of $50,486. Most of the rise in expenditures in 

2012 was due to a rise in incomes from 2011 to 2012. 

Average annual income before taxes increased 3.0 

percent; from $63,685 in 2011 to $65,596 in 2012. This 

is much higher than the 1.9-percent increase in 2011. 

Prices, as measured by the average annual change in the 

Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U, 

U.S. city average, all items) rose by 2.1 percent in 

2012; far below the 3.5-percent increase in spending. In 

2011, prices increased by 3.2 percent, which was close 

to the 3.3-percent increase in spending that year. The 

remainder of this report highlights consumer spending 

patterns for 2012 from the CE. (For more information 

on the Consumer Expenditure Survey, see the technical 

notes at the end of this report.)

Developments in 2012

During 2012, consumers increased their spending in all 

but 1 of the 7 major categories of expenditures tracked: 

food, housing, apparel and services, transportation, 

healthcare, entertainment, and personal insurance and 

pensions. (See table A.) This is in comparison to 2011 

when consumers increased their spending in all of the 

major categories. In 2012, expenditures increased by 

a range of 0.5 percent for housing to 8.5 percent for 

transportation. Apparel and services was the only major 

category for which spending decreased in 2012 (–0.2 

percent). The increase in transportation expenditures 

CONTENTS

Developments in 2012. 

Expenditure shares. 

Housing. 

Vehicle purchases. 

Food. 

Statistical Tables. 

Technical Notes. .

Brief description of the Consumer Expenditure

Survey. .

Interpreting the data. .

Tables and data. .

Other available data. .
2 BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

Table A

Average annual expenditures by major category of all consumer units and percent changes, 

Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2009–2012

Item 2009 2010 2011 2012 Percent change

2009–2010 2010–2011 2011–2012

Number of consumer units (in thousands) 120,847 121,107 122,287 124,416 ... ... ...

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes $62,857 $62,481 $63,685 $65,596 -.6 1.9 3.0

Age of reference person 49.4 49.4 49.7 50.0 ... ... ...

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 ... ... ...

Children under 18 .6 .6 .6 .6 ... ... ...

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

Earners 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 ... ... ...

Vehicles 2.0 1.9 1.9 1.9 ... ... ...

Percent homeowner 66 66 65 64 ... ... ...

Average annual expenditures $49,067 $48,109 $49,705 $51,442 -2.0 3.3 3.5

Food 6,372 6,129 6,458 6,599 -3.8 5.4 2.2

Food at home 3,753 3,624 3,838 3,921 -3.4 5.9 2.2

Cereals and bakery products 506 502 531 538 -.8 5.8 1.3

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs 841 784 832 852 -6.8 6.1 2.4

Dairy products 406 380 407 419 -6.4 7.1 2.9

Fruits and vegetables 656 679 715 731 3.5 5.3 2.2

Other food at home 1,343 1,278 1,353 1,380 -4.8 5.9 2.0

Food away from home 2,619 2,505 2,620 2,678 -4.4 4.6 2.2

Alcoholic beverages 435 412 456 451 -5.3 10.7 -1.1

Housing 16,895 16,557 16,803 16,887 -2.0 1.5 .5

Shelter 10,075 9,812 9,825 9,891 -2.6 .1 .7

Owned dwellings 6,543 6,277 6,148 6,056 -4.1 -2.1 -1.5

Rented dwellings 2,860 2,900 3,029 3,186 1.4 4.4 5.2

Other lodging 672 635 648 649 -5.5 2.0 .2

Utilities, fuels, and public services 3,645 3,660 3,727 3,648 .4 1.8 -2.1

Household operations 1,011 1,007 1,122 1,159 -.4 11.4 3.3

Housekeeping supplies 659 612 615 610 -7.1 .5 -.8

Household furnishings and equipment 1,506 1,467 1,514 1,580 -2.6 3.2 4.4

Apparel and services 1,725 1,700 1,740 1,736 -1.4 2.4 -.2

Transportation 7,658 7,677 8,293 8,998 .2 8.0 8.5

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) 2,657 2,588 2,669 3,210 -2.6 3.1 20.3

Gasoline and motor oil 1,986 2,132 2,655 2,756 7.4 24.5 3.8

Other vehicle expenses 2,536 2,464 2,454 2,490 -2.8 -.4 1.5

Public and other transportation 479 493 516 542 2.9 4.7 5.0

Health care 3,126 3,157 3,313 3,556 1.0 4.9 7.3

Entertainment 2,693 2,504 2,572 2,605 -7.0 2.7 1.3

Personal care products and services 596 582 634 628 -2.3 8.9 -.9

Reading 110 100 115 109 -9.1 15.0 -5.2

Education 1,068 1,074 1,051 1,207 .6 -2.1 14.8

Tobacco products and smoking supplies 380 362 351 332 -4.7 -3.0 -5.4

Miscellaneous 816 849 775 829 4.0 -8.7 7.0

Cash contributions 1,723 1,633 1,721 1,913 -5.2 5.4 11.2

Personal insurance and pensions 5,471 5,373 5,424 5,591 -1.8 .9 3.1

Life and other personal insurance 309 318 317 353 2.9 -.3 11.4

Pensions and Social Security 5,162 5,054 5,106 5,238 -2.1 1.0 2.6

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov 3

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

can largely be attributed to the 20.3-percent increase in 

vehicle purchases.

With the increase in average annual expenditures (3.5 

percent) being higher than the increase in average income 

before taxes in 2012 (3.0 percent), this increase in spending 

coincided with a rise in consumer confidence. Consumer

confidence levels increased a little in 2012, as reflected by

the Consumer Confidence Index of the Conference Board,

which registered an average level of 67 in 2012, up from 58 

in 2011.1

 (The level is an index, with 1985 = 100. Levels of 

100 or more reflect consumer optimism.) The improvement

in consumer confidence may be in part due to a small, but

gradual decrease in the unemployment rate in 2012. The 

unemployment rate, although lower, still remained above 

prerecession levels. According to the Current Population 

Survey (CPS), the average monthly national unemployment 

rate was 8.1 percent in 2012, lower than the average rate 

of 8.9 percent for 2011. The number of long-term (over 26 

weeks) unemployed individuals, although declining from 

6 million in 2011 to just over 5.1 million in 2012, was still 

higher than prerecession levels. In addition, this slight 

increase in consumer confidence may also be reflective

of the gradual economic recovery, as evidenced by the 

2.2-percent increase in real GDP in 2012.2

Expenditure shares. Table B provides the percent 

distribution of total annual expenditures by major 

expenditure categories for all consumer units, from 2009 

to 2012. Expenditure shares usually do not fluctuate

much in the short term and thus are more useful for 

identifying spending trends over time. As in previous years, 

housing is the largest component of overall expenditures, 

accounting for 32.8 percent of total expenditures in 

2012. This was followed by transportation (17.5 percent) 

and food expenditures (12.8 percent). The most notable 

change in expenditure shares was in vehicle purchases, 

which increased to 6.2 percent of total expenditures in 

2012, compared with 5.4 percent in 2011. In contrast, the 

expenditure share on shelter decreased to 19.2 percent in 

2012, from 19.8 percent in 2011. 

Housing. Spending on housing increased slightly in all but 

the third CU income quintile in 2012. The highest income 

quintile exhibited the largest increase in spending on 

housing (1.3 percent), from $29,321 in 2011 to $29,705 in 

2012. (See table 1.)

Homeowners continued to report declining expenditures 

on mortgage interest and charges; a trend since 2007. 

Homeowners spent 18.3 percent less on this component of 

housing in 2012 ($4,735) than they did in 2007 ($5,799). 

This is likely the result of the continuing trend of lower 

interest rates, which has been in place since the recession 

of December 2007—June 2009.

In addition, although the recession led to an overall 

trend of fewer CUs owning homes, results from the 

CE showed an increase of homeowners from 79.4 

million in 2011, to 79.9 million in 2012. However, this 

is still below the prerecession level of 80.2 million 

homeowners in 2007. Concurrently, there has been an 

increase in renters since 2007. In 2012, there were 44.5 

million renters, compared with 39.9 million in 2007. 

According to the CPI-U, rents for primary residences 

have increased 10.9 percent since 2007. During that 

same time span, the average annual rental payments 

reported in the CE increased 14 percent ($8,812 in 2012, 

compared with $7,732 in 2007), reflecting the increase

in demand for rental units.

Vehicle purchases. Expenditures on vehicle purchases 

increased significantly in 2012, following a smaller

increase in 2011. CUs spent 20.3 percent more in 2012 

($3,210) than they did in 2011 ($2,669). Within this 

increase, spending on new cars and trucks increased 

by 29.5 percent while spending on used cars and 

trucks increased by 13.2 percent. Despite this increase, 

expenditures on vehicle purchases remain below the 

prerecession level of $3,244 in 2007. Chart 1 shows the 

correlation between changes in expenditures on vehicles 

and prices of new and used motor vehicles between 

2007 and 2012. For the most part, change in consumer 

spending was more volatile than price change. From 

2007 and 2008, annual consumer spending on vehicles 

dropped significantly while prices dropped modestly.

Spending on vehicles continued to decrease until 2011, 

when the increase in spending (3.1 percent) was higher 
4 BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

than the increase in prices for new and used vehicles 

(2.7 percent). 

Vehicle purchases increased by double digits in every 

income quintile in 2012 with the highest increase (32 

percent) occurring in the fourth income quintile. By 

age of reference person, all but one age group (55 to 

64 years old) increased spending in 2012. The biggest 

increase was in the 65-to-74-year-old age group (61.1 

percent), followed by the under-25-years age group (38.6 

percent). It should be noted that vehicle purchases data 

can be volatile due to the lower reporting rate of vehicle 

purchases. However, the vehicle purchase reporting rate 

was similar from 2011 to 2012, suggesting consumers 

were buying more expensive vehicles. 

Expenditures by income quintile: From 2010 through 

2012, all five income quintiles increased expenditures.

However, chart 2 shows that there was a shift in the 

annual change in overall expenditure levels among income 

quintiles, between 2011 and 2012. From 2010 to 2011, the 

lowest (first) income quintile increased expenditures by

5.0 percent and the second income quintile increased by 

6.0 percent. Conversely, the highest (fifth) income quintile

increased expenditures by 1.8 percent. From 2011 to 2012, 

the highest income quintile increased expenditures by 5.1 

percent whereas the lowest two quintiles had small increases 

of 0.7 percent for the lowest quintile and 1.7 percent for the 

second quintile. Within spending categories, the two highest 

income quintiles both increased expenditures on food, 

apparel and services, and education, whereas the two lowest 

quintiles decreased in these categories. The biggest increase 

between 2011 and 2012 was in education where the fourth 

income quintile increased expenditures by 26.5 percent 

and the highest income quintile increased expenditures by 

-5.2

-15.1

-3.6 -2.6

3.1

20.3

-1.4 -1.1

0.2

3.9

2.7

0.8

-20.0

-15.0

-10.0

-5.0

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

CE Vehicle purchases (net outlay) CPI-U New and used motor vehicles

Spending and price percent changes on vehicle purchases, Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE), 

Consumer Price Index (CPI), 2007–2012

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Percent Change

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Chart 1
BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov 5

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

31.5 percent. This was primarily due to increases in college 

tuition expenditures.

Food: Expenditures on food increased for all but the 

lowest two income quintiles in 2012. This differs from 

2011, when food expenditures increased in all income 

quintiles. In 2012, the fourth income quintile registered 

the largest percentage increase in food expenditures, 

an increase of 4.9 percent from $7,466 in 2011, to 

$7,831. This reflected a 5.3-percent increase in food at

home spending and a 4.4-percent increase in food away 

from home expenditures. The first and second income

quintiles had decreases in overall food expenditures of 1.3 

percent and 2.9 percent, respectively. This contrasts with 

increases of 7.2 percent (lowest quintile) and 10.6 percent 

(second quintile) in 2011. The decrease in food spending 

for the lowest income quintile was spread evenly among 

the food subcomponents: food at home decreased by 

1.3 percent and food away from home decreased by 1.2 

Table B

Percent distribution of total annual expenditures by major category for all consumer units, 

Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2009–2012

Spending category 2009 2010 2011 2012

Average annual expenditures 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Food 13.0 12.7 13.0 12.8

Food at home 7.6 7.5 7.7 7.6

Food away from home 5.3 5.2 5.3 5.2

Alcoholic beverages 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9

Housing 34.4 34.4 33.8 32.8

Shelter 20.5 20.4 19.8 19.2

Utilities, fuels, and public services 7.4 7.6 7.5 7.1

Household operations 2.1 2.1 2.3 2.3

Housekeeping supplies 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2

Household furnishings and equipment 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.1

Apparel and services 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.4

Transportation 15.6 16.0 16.7 17.5

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) 5.4 5.4 5.4 6.2

Gasoline and motor oil 4.0 4.4 5.3 5.4

Other vehicle expenses 5.2 5.1 4.9 4.8

Public and other transportation 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.1

Health care 6.4 6.6 6.7 6.9

Entertainment 5.5 5.2 5.2 5.1

Personal care products and services 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.2

Reading 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

Education 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.3

Tobacco products and smoking supplies 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.6

Miscellaneous 1.7 1.8 1.6 1.6

Cash contributions 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.7

Personal insurance and pensions 11.2 11.2 10.9 10.9

Life and other personal insurance 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.7

Pensions and Social Security 10.5 10.5 10.3 10.2

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
6 BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

5.0

6.0

2.9

4.1

1.8

0.7

1.7

1.4

4.4

5.1

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

Lowest quintile Second quintile Third quintile Fourth quintile Highest quintile

2010–2011 2011–2012

Percent change in Average Annual Expenditures by Income Quintile, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2010–2012

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

percent. There was an increase in food expenditures for 

all age groups except the 35- to 44-year-old and 65-yearand older-age groups between 2011 and 2012. The 25- to 

34-year-old-age group had the highest percentage increase 

in overall food expenditures, with spending rising 4.9 

percent in 2012. Spending on food for the older age 

groups decreased by 0.2 percent for the 65- to 74-yearold group and by 6.1 percent for the 75 years and older 

group. This differs from 2011, where both of these age 

groups increased spending on food. 

Endnotes

1. For more information regarding the Conference Board Consumer 

Confidence Survey, see: http://future.aae.wisc.edu/data/

monthly_values/by_area/998?area=US.

2. For more information on the Bureau of Economic Analysis 

2012 real GDP release, see: http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/

national/gdp/2013/gdp4q12_3rd.htm.

3. In 2012, BLS published two education tables: education of 

reference person and highest education level of any member. 

Beginning in 2013, only the table, highest education level of any 

member will be published.

Chart 2

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov 7

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

Statistical Tables
8 BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

Table 1. Quintiles of income before taxes: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer

Expenditure Survey, 2012

Item

All

consumer

units

Lowest

20

percent

Second

20

percent

Third

20

percent

Fourth

20

percent

Highest

20

percent

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ....... 124,416 24,927 24,863 24,848 24,836 24,942

Lower limit ........................................................ n.a. n.a. $19,112 $36,134 $59,514 $96,228

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ....................................... $65,596 $9,988 $27,585 $47,265 $75,952 $167,010

Age of reference person ................................. 50.0 52.5 51.7 49.3 47.8 48.9

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 1.7 2.2 2.5 2.8 3.1

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

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

Earners ......................................................... 1.3 .5 .9 1.3 1.7 2.0

Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 1.0 1.4 1.9 2.4 2.8

Percent homeowner ....................................... 64 39 54 64 75 89

Average annual expenditures ........................... $51,442 $22,154 $32,632 $43,004 $59,980 $99,368

Food ............................................................... 6,599 3,502 4,524 5,798 7,831 11,334

Food at home ............................................... 3,921 2,416 2,991 3,633 4,593 5,968

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 538 341 407 503 638 800

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 852 553 672 805 974 1,258

Dairy products ............................................ 419 243 312 377 498 664

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 731 440 558 670 831 1,156

Other food at home .................................... 1,380 839 1,041 1,279 1,652 2,090

Food away from home .................................. 2,678 1,086 1,533 2,164 3,239 5,366

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 451 152 260 363 559 922

Housing .......................................................... 16,887 8,836 12,258 14,755 18,863 29,705

Shelter .......................................................... 9,891 5,451 7,055 8,544 10,948 17,442

Owned dwellings ........................................ 6,056 1,724 3,055 4,542 7,301 13,644

Rented dwellings ........................................ 3,186 3,527 3,776 3,670 3,056 1,905

Other lodging .............................................. 649 200 223 331 592 1,893

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,648 2,177 2,980 3,561 4,192 5,330

Household operations .................................. 1,159 380 712 855 1,243 2,602

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 610 305 481 525 737 1,001

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,580 522 1,031 1,271 1,743 3,330

Apparel and services ...................................... 1,736 759 1,132 1,313 2,121 3,352

Transportation ................................................ 8,998 3,447 5,462 8,181 11,549 16,344

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,210 993 1,603 2,781 4,479 6,193

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 2,756 1,222 2,013 2,745 3,494 4,305

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,490 1,051 1,615 2,290 3,033 4,457

Public and other transportation .................... 542 181 231 365 543 1,389

Health care ..................................................... 3,556 1,677 2,787 3,363 4,169 5,785

Entertainment ................................................. 2,605 989 1,603 2,056 2,930 5,444

Personal care products and services ............. 628 255 407 509 775 1,194

Reading .......................................................... 109 44 69 87 135 212

Education ....................................................... 1,207 628 431 526 1,046 3,399

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 332 301 342 386 356 273

Miscellaneous ................................................. 829 376 635 736 779 1,617

Cash contributions .......................................... 1,913 698 1,109 1,310 2,189 4,252

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 5,591 489 1,612 3,623 6,678 15,534

Life and other personal insurance ................ 353 97 139 232 391 903

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 5,238 392 1,473 3,391 6,287 14,631

n.a. Not applicable.
BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov 9

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

Table 2. Income before taxes: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2012

Item

All

consumer

units

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) ....... 124,416 4,906 5,171 8,094 8,006 14,515 13,526 11,010 17,972 41,216

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ....................................... $65,596 - $2,153 $8,010 $12,676 $17,483 $24,834 $34,700 $44,759 $59,283 $133,437

Age of reference person ................................. 50.0 45.7 48.1 56.7 55.7 53.5 49.1 49.6 47.8 48.5

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 1.7 1.8 1.6 1.9 2.1 2.4 2.5 2.6 3.0

Children under 18 ......................................... .6 .4 .5 .3 .5 .5 .6 .6 .6 .8

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

Earners ......................................................... 1.3 .5 .5 .4 .6 .8 1.1 1.3 1.5 1.9

Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 .9 .8 .9 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.9 2.1 2.7

Percent homeowner ....................................... 64 34 31 41 48 53 56 64 68 85

Average annual expenditures ........................... $51,442 $23,462 $19,783 $20,188 $25,691 $30,869 $36,229 $41,567 $49,982 $85,410

Food ............................................................... 6,599 3,747 3,035 3,211 3,959 4,271 4,962 5,698 6,518 10,205

Food at home ............................................... 3,921 2,322 2,232 2,235 2,762 2,877 3,216 3,621 3,910 5,560

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 538 321 315 313 388 400 421 521 549 750

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 852 518 552 527 599 626 752 791 825 1,185

Dairy products ............................................ 419 208 223 218 300 299 337 374 414 614

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 731 426 376 408 514 536 599 655 719 1,055

Other food at home .................................... 1,380 849 766 768 961 1,016 1,108 1,281 1,403 1,956

Food away from home .................................. 2,678 1,426 803 977 1,197 1,394 1,746 2,077 2,608 4,645

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 451 149 148 117 193 219 335 352 420 804

Housing .......................................................... 16,887 9,116 8,240 8,178 10,116 11,728 13,224 14,645 16,278 25,809

Shelter .......................................................... 9,891 5,811 5,249 4,988 6,054 6,686 7,703 8,384 9,551 15,063

Owned dwellings ........................................ 6,056 2,063 1,218 1,531 2,202 2,815 3,564 4,500 5,585 11,355

Rented dwellings ........................................ 3,186 3,372 3,873 3,338 3,647 3,651 3,909 3,569 3,541 2,300

Other lodging .............................................. 649 376 159 119 204 220 230 316 424 1,408

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,648 1,898 1,947 2,161 2,609 2,894 3,225 3,557 3,823 4,917

Household operations .................................. 1,159 355 348 350 465 701 768 899 923 2,112

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 610 375 250 268 351 483 490 527 557 930

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,580 677 445 411 636 964 1,038 1,278 1,425 2,787

Apparel and services ...................................... 1,736 928 763 593 947 1,064 1,163 1,398 1,559 2,932

Transportation ................................................ 8,998 3,917 2,748 2,987 4,128 4,991 6,311 7,531 9,928 14,781

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,210 11,582 774 697 1,100 1,425 1,751 2,197 3,855 5,711

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 2,756 1,161 1,054 1,125 1,558 1,896 2,337 2,651 3,091 4,034

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,490 912 724 1,030 1,285 1,450 1,941 2,365 2,533 3,968

Public and other transportation .................... 542 262 196 136 185 220 281 318 449 1,068

Health care ..................................................... 3,556 1,363 1,318 1,731 2,196 2,844 2,906 3,244 3,689 5,212

Entertainment ................................................. 2,605 1,020 802 1,039 1,075 1,481 1,816 1,934 2,438 4,534

Personal care products and services ............. 628 240 233 249 290 412 423 479 606 1,058

Reading .......................................................... 109 40 44 43 50 65 77 87 103 185

Education ....................................................... 1,207 881 963 438 402 319 589 571 647 2,515

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 332 280 339 288 298 336 384 364 374 306

Miscellaneous ................................................. 829 462 346 305 410 766 557 666 727 1,316

Cash contributions .......................................... 1,913 1,101 463 550 796 1,104 1,130 1,193 1,819 3,450

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 5,591 218 340 458 830 1,271 2,353 3,407 4,875 12,302

Life and other personal insurance ................ 353 76 78 115 106 133 188 209 266 722

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 5,238 142 263 343 724 1,137 2,164 3,198 4,609 11,580

1 Data are likely to have large sampling errors.
10 BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

Table 3. Higher income before taxes: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2012

Item

All

consumer

units

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) ....... 124,416 83,200 6,946 10,977 23,293 7,183 6,947 9,162

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ....................................... $65,596 $31,989 $74,689 $88,974 $171,910 $108,977 $132,318 $251,270

Age of reference person ................................. 50.0 50.8 47.9 48.1 48.9 48.7 48.5 49.4

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 2.2 2.8 2.9 3.2 3.1 3.2 3.2

Children under 18 ......................................... .6 .5 .7 .7 .8 .8 .8 .9

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

Earners ......................................................... 1.3 1.0 1.7 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.0

Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 1.5 2.4 2.5 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8

Percent homeowner ....................................... 64 54 75 80 90 87 89 92

Average annual expenditures ........................... $51,442 $34,679 $59,984 $67,418 $101,423 $77,966 $89,521 $129,211

Food ............................................................... 6,599 4,842 8,250 8,612 11,527 9,599 11,287 13,375

Food at home ............................................... 3,921 3,124 4,945 4,865 6,060 5,279 6,003 6,790

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 538 435 669 664 814 720 797 909

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 852 691 1,074 1,086 1,264 1,127 1,204 1,430

Dairy products ............................................ 419 324 541 533 673 581 654 767

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 731 574 878 906 1,176 985 1,172 1,347

Other food at home .................................... 1,380 1,100 1,783 1,676 2,134 1,867 2,175 2,336

Food away from home .................................. 2,678 1,718 3,306 3,747 5,467 4,320 5,284 6,585

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 451 279 583 659 937 737 899 1,140

Housing .......................................................... 16,887 12,476 18,456 21,039 30,243 23,410 27,330 37,877

Shelter .......................................................... 9,891 7,328 10,437 12,293 17,748 13,796 15,837 22,296

Owned dwellings ........................................ 6,056 3,431 6,721 8,888 13,898 10,653 12,588 17,436

Rented dwellings ........................................ 3,186 3,625 3,065 2,708 1,881 2,072 1,752 1,828

Other lodging .............................................. 649 272 650 697 1,969 1,070 1,498 3,032

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,648 3,020 4,149 4,432 5,374 4,795 5,158 5,992

Household operations .................................. 1,159 687 1,194 1,454 2,696 1,732 2,297 3,757

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 610 454 841 787 1,021 836 988 1,208

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,580 986 1,835 2,073 3,404 2,252 3,050 4,624

Apparel and services ...................................... 1,736 1,152 2,209 2,394 3,399 2,509 3,184 4,315

Transportation ................................................ 8,998 6,139 11,590 12,953 16,578 14,841 14,907 19,217

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,210 1,972 4,267 5,283 6,343 6,126 5,146 7,421

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 2,756 2,123 3,432 3,827 4,311 4,143 4,363 4,404

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,490 1,763 3,381 3,203 4,487 3,775 4,232 5,248

Public and other transportation .................... 542 282 510 640 1,437 797 1,167 2,144

Health care ..................................................... 3,556 2,737 4,167 4,535 5,843 5,277 5,448 6,593

Entertainment ................................................. 2,605 1,655 3,112 3,202 5,578 3,934 4,874 7,456

Personal care products and services ............. 628 417 898 822 1,213 1,049 1,110 1,422

Reading .......................................................... 109 72 141 148 216 162 204 267

Education ....................................................... 1,207 560 1,045 1,230 3,559 1,917 2,462 5,681

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 332 344 384 357 259 311 250 225

Miscellaneous ................................................. 829 588 794 946 1,648 1,313 1,392 2,108

Cash contributions .......................................... 1,913 1,151 1,878 2,381 4,422 2,683 3,196 6,716

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 5,591 2,266 6,477 8,139 16,000 10,223 12,980 22,820

Life and other personal insurance ................ 353 170 368 487 938 532 660 1,469

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 5,238 2,097 6,109 7,652 15,062 9,691 12,320 21,351
BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov 11

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

Table 4. Age of reference person: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2012

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) ....... 124,416 8,159 20,112 21,598 24,624 22,770 27,154 14,993 12,161

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ....................................... $65,596 $36,639 $58,832 $78,169 $81,704 $77,507 $44,713 $53,521 $33,853

Age of reference person ................................. 50.0 21.7 29.6 39.4 49.6 59.1 74.8 68.9 82.1

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 2.0 2.8 3.4 2.7 2.1 1.7 1.8 1.5

Children under 18 ......................................... .6 .4 1.1 1.4 .6 .2 .1 .1 1 ( )

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

Earners ......................................................... 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.3 .5 .6 .2

Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 1.2 1.7 2.0 2.3 2.2 1.6 1.9 1.3

Percent homeowner ....................................... 64 15 40 62 72 79 80 80 79

Average annual expenditures ........................... $51,442 $31,411 $49,544 $58,069 $62,103 $55,636 $40,410 $45,968 $33,530

Food ............................................................... 6,599 4,412 6,513 7,701 7,917 6,800 5,059 5,793 4,141

Food at home ............................................... 3,921 2,529 3,680 4,490 4,707 4,012 3,273 3,719 2,716

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 538 355 512 632 633 527 459 490 421

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 852 573 755 999 1,047 887 686 804 539

Dairy products ............................................ 419 251 394 497 498 433 342 385 289

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 731 456 683 808 872 733 659 723 580

Other food at home .................................... 1,380 894 1,335 1,555 1,657 1,432 1,127 1,318 887

Food away from home .................................. 2,678 1,883 2,833 3,210 3,210 2,788 1,785 2,074 1,426

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 451 354 564 501 454 493 315 407 201

Housing .......................................................... 16,887 10,957 17,157 19,858 19,076 17,247 13,833 15,076 12,298

Shelter .......................................................... 9,891 7,285 10,458 11,849 11,244 9,728 7,605 8,372 6,659

Owned dwellings ........................................ 6,056 1,307 4,552 7,676 7,625 6,991 5,101 5,970 4,030

Rented dwellings ........................................ 3,186 5,748 5,603 3,691 2,712 1,788 1,828 1,557 2,162

Other lodging .............................................. 649 230 304 483 907 949 676 845 467

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,648 1,879 3,130 4,077 4,304 3,992 3,340 3,595 3,025

Household operations .................................. 1,159 538 1,338 1,559 1,080 1,029 1,076 1,004 1,164

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 610 303 538 618 668 736 597 670 507

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,580 952 1,693 1,755 1,780 1,763 1,215 1,436 942

Apparel and services ...................................... 1,736 1,246 2,061 2,264 2,041 1,622 1,022 1,287 691

Transportation ................................................ 8,998 6,410 9,724 9,991 10,644 9,519 6,538 8,214 4,468

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,210 2,867 4,175 3,610 3,537 2,895 2,250 2,993 1,333

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 2,756 1,931 2,822 3,342 3,421 2,887 1,775 2,222 1,224

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,490 1,322 2,238 2,532 3,046 3,046 2,041 2,414 1,579

Public and other transportation .................... 542 291 489 506 640 691 472 585 332

Health care ..................................................... 3,556 1,024 2,047 2,948 3,687 4,377 5,118 5,259 4,944

Entertainment ................................................. 2,605 1,257 2,382 3,232 3,051 2,911 2,020 2,413 1,532

Personal care products and services ............. 628 360 574 694 707 696 569 652 465

Reading .......................................................... 109 44 72 93 118 133 142 148 136

Education ....................................................... 1,207 1,886 1,021 1,050 2,426 1,118 236 245 223

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 332 262 351 358 431 372 193 249 124

Miscellaneous ................................................. 829 372 660 876 924 908 902 1,031 743

Cash contributions .......................................... 1,913 488 1,104 1,469 2,430 2,353 2,454 2,289 2,658

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 5,591 2,339 5,313 7,033 8,196 7,088 2,009 2,904 906

Life and other personal insurance ................ 353 50 144 325 446 517 397 484 290

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 5,238 2,289 5,169 6,709 7,749 6,571 1,612 2,420 616

1 Value is less than or equal to 0.05.
12 BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

Table 5. Size of consumer unit: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2012

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) ....... 124,416 36,942 87,474 39,676 18,980 16,852 11,966

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ....................................... $65,596 $34,102 $78,897 $72,885 $79,557 $90,184 $81,887

Age of reference person ................................. 50.0 54.3 48.2 54.3 45.6 41.7 41.5

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 1.0 3.1 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.7

Children under 18 ......................................... .6 n.a. .9 .1 .7 1.6 2.8

Persons 65 and older ................................... .3 .3 .3 .6 .2 .1 .1

Earners ......................................................... 1.3 .6 1.6 1.2 1.7 1.9 2.1

Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 1.0 2.3 2.1 2.3 2.4 2.4

Percent homeowner ....................................... 64 50 70 73 67 70 66

Average annual expenditures ........................... $51,442 $30,716 $60,097 $55,068 $60,943 $67,622 $64,963

Food ............................................................... 6,599 3,497 7,857 6,836 7,671 9,225 9,725

Food at home ............................................... 3,921 1,964 4,712 3,932 4,612 5,563 6,351

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 538 270 646 512 628 781 943

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 852 392 1,038 862 1,029 1,189 1,447

Dairy products ............................................ 419 207 505 414 488 616 685

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 731 384 871 742 844 1,043 1,116

Other food at home .................................... 1,380 711 1,651 1,400 1,624 1,934 2,160

Food away from home .................................. 2,678 1,533 3,145 2,904 3,058 3,662 3,374

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 451 344 495 606 430 426 315

Housing .......................................................... 16,887 11,532 19,138 17,158 19,781 21,548 21,280

Shelter .......................................................... 9,891 7,437 10,926 9,786 11,468 12,240 12,001

Owned dwellings ........................................ 6,056 3,412 7,172 6,268 7,297 8,608 7,951

Rented dwellings ........................................ 3,186 3,715 2,963 2,619 3,360 2,906 3,553

Other lodging .............................................. 649 311 791 898 811 726 497

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,648 2,291 4,221 3,736 4,304 4,683 5,049

Household operations .................................. 1,159 640 1,378 1,052 1,569 1,943 1,360

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 610 316 729 688 703 773 845

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,580 848 1,883 1,896 1,737 1,908 2,024

Apparel and services ...................................... 1,736 865 2,090 1,690 2,083 2,631 2,702

Transportation ................................................ 8,998 4,599 10,848 10,055 10,803 12,001 11,914

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,210 1,377 3,985 3,787 3,766 4,360 4,459

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 2,756 1,420 3,320 2,808 3,432 3,833 4,115

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,490 1,472 2,911 2,804 3,016 3,073 2,865

Public and other transportation .................... 542 330 632 655 588 735 476

Health care ..................................................... 3,556 2,339 4,069 4,399 3,845 3,730 3,810

Entertainment ................................................. 2,605 1,485 3,071 2,829 2,939 3,667 3,249

Personal care products and services ............. 628 380 730 712 681 807 765

Reading .......................................................... 109 83 121 139 109 108 95

Education ....................................................... 1,207 675 1,432 917 1,954 2,124 1,339

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 332 251 366 339 401 338 439

Miscellaneous ................................................. 829 647 906 917 938 950 756

Cash contributions .......................................... 1,913 1,484 2,094 2,459 2,073 1,631 1,567

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 5,591 2,535 6,881 6,015 7,235 8,433 7,008

Life and other personal insurance ................ 353 154 437 468 416 435 366

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 5,238 2,382 6,445 5,546 6,818 7,998 6,642

n.a. Not applicable.
BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov 13

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

Table 6. Composition of consumer unit: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2012

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

husband

and wife

consumer

units

Total

Oldest

child

under 6

Oldest

child

6 to 17

Oldest

child 18

or older

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ....... 60,428 25,936 29,252 5,676 14,797 8,778 5,241 6,524 57,463

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ....................................... $90,393 $81,717 $98,104 $85,200 $100,698 $102,074 $90,293 $34,194 $43,086

Age of reference person ................................. 50.1 58.4 42.8 32.7 40.9 52.7 49.9 38.0 51.3

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 3.2 2.0 3.9 3.5 4.2 3.9 4.9 2.9 1.7

Children under 18 ......................................... .9 n.a. 1.6 1.5 2.2 .6 1.4 1.7 .2

Persons 65 and older ................................... .4 .7 .1 1 ( ) 1 ( ) .2 .6 1 ( ) .3

Earners ......................................................... 1.6 1.2 1.9 1.7 1.8 2.4 2.3 1.0 .9

Vehicles ........................................................ 2.5 2.4 2.6 2.0 2.5 3.1 2.9 1.2 1.3

Percent homeowner ....................................... 80 85 76 64 76 86 74 36 51

Average annual expenditures ........................... $67,310 $61,285 $72,814 $64,103 $74,659 $75,286 $67,187 $38,667 $36,152

Food ............................................................... 8,615 7,463 9,611 7,331 10,458 9,626 9,431 5,895 4,528

Food at home ............................................... 5,089 4,263 5,742 4,452 6,095 5,958 6,041 3,673 2,699

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 698 559 803 623 878 789 890 515 369

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 1,095 922 1,213 830 1,302 1,304 1,411 802 598

Dairy products ............................................ 561 448 656 570 693 647 652 353 275

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 953 825 1,060 858 1,100 1,118 1,073 676 499

Other food at home .................................... 1,781 1,509 2,011 1,571 2,122 2,099 2,016 1,327 957

Food away from home .................................. 3,526 3,200 3,869 2,879 4,363 3,668 3,390 2,222 1,829

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 553 670 475 503 502 411 351 175 377

Housing .......................................................... 20,771 18,258 22,980 23,621 23,432 21,803 20,803 14,593 13,061

Shelter .......................................................... 11,739 10,213 13,149 13,106 13,616 12,389 11,417 8,586 8,095

Owned dwellings ........................................ 8,493 7,284 9,641 8,851 10,036 9,486 8,066 3,505 3,782

Rented dwellings ........................................ 2,220 1,712 2,568 3,751 2,619 1,717 2,797 4,872 4,010

Other lodging .............................................. 1,025 1,217 940 504 961 1,186 554 209 302

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 4,487 3,997 4,752 3,867 4,797 5,250 5,430 3,298 2,806

Household operations .................................. 1,562 1,106 2,004 3,891 1,785 1,151 1,354 1,244 725

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 815 772 856 713 925 829 820 477 407

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 2,169 2,170 2,220 2,044 2,309 2,183 1,782 989 1,027

Apparel and services ...................................... 2,235 1,760 2,685 2,450 2,870 2,523 2,250 2,113 1,154

Transportation ................................................ 12,163 11,254 12,786 10,925 12,522 14,424 13,174 6,353 5,968

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 4,594 4,355 4,732 4,357 4,523 5,328 5,003 2,104 1,881

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 3,599 3,023 3,999 3,283 4,038 4,397 4,212 2,231 1,929

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 3,214 3,058 3,322 2,710 3,205 3,903 3,372 1,767 1,808

Public and other transportation .................... 757 818 733 575 756 796 587 251 350

Health care ..................................................... 4,828 5,407 4,310 3,381 4,167 5,150 4,854 1,704 2,430

Entertainment ................................................. 3,554 3,228 3,948 3,023 4,530 3,563 3,013 1,846 1,689

Personal care products and services ............. 804 781 835 678 908 812 769 518 454

Reading .......................................................... 145 172 126 96 125 148 117 50 79

Education ....................................................... 1,706 985 2,417 793 2,240 3,767 1,313 846 724

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 314 282 317 236 299 401 457 248 360

Miscellaneous ................................................. 954 987 950 936 956 948 814 946 683

Cash contributions .......................................... 2,550 3,117 2,078 1,705 1,955 2,528 2,375 720 1,378

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 8,117 6,919 9,295 8,426 9,695 9,184 7,467 2,660 3,268

Life and other personal insurance ................ 554 627 505 460 501 540 470 142 164

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 7,562 6,291 8,790 7,966 9,194 8,643 6,996 2,518 3,103

1 Value is less than or equal to 0.05. n.a. Not applicable.
14 BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

Table 7. Number of earners in consumer unit: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure

Survey, 2012

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) ....... 124,416 15,943 20,999 11,753 26,075 39,702 9,944

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ....................................... $65,596 $19,704 $45,033 $33,243 $63,836 $94,352 $110,647

Age of reference person ................................. 50.0 67.6 44.1 64.6 47.8 43.9 47.1

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 1.0 1.0 2.4 3.0 3.1 4.4

Children under 18 ......................................... .6 n.a. n.a. .4 1.0 .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 3.3

Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 .9 1.2 1.7 1.9 2.4 3.3

Percent homeowner ....................................... 64 57 45 74 63 72 79

Average annual expenditures ........................... $51,442 $23,641 $36,030 $39,119 $52,654 $67,596 $75,840

Food ............................................................... 6,599 2,953 3,890 5,757 7,142 8,512 10,372

Food at home ............................................... 3,921 1,961 1,966 3,909 4,405 4,885 6,220

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 538 272 269 555 605 664 851

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 852 406 383 866 980 1,056 1,434

Dairy products ............................................ 419 203 210 396 473 532 653

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 731 385 383 740 812 897 1,166

Other food at home .................................... 1,380 696 722 1,351 1,536 1,737 2,116

Food away from home .................................. 2,678 991 1,923 1,848 2,737 3,627 4,152

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 451 125 500 312 408 607 537

Housing .......................................................... 16,887 9,845 12,807 13,522 17,845 21,047 21,641

Shelter .......................................................... 9,891 6,069 8,476 6,896 10,352 12,148 12,322

Owned dwellings ........................................ 6,056 2,916 3,788 4,335 6,292 8,206 8,706

Rented dwellings ........................................ 3,186 2,924 4,315 2,003 3,377 3,056 2,640

Other lodging .............................................. 649 229 373 558 683 885 976

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,648 2,247 2,324 3,561 3,973 4,313 5,288

Household operations .................................. 1,159 655 628 985 1,190 1,682 1,124

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 610 314 317 701 690 748 818

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,580 559 1,061 1,381 1,640 2,157 2,091

Apparel and services ...................................... 1,736 548 1,094 1,192 1,961 2,330 2,718

Transportation ................................................ 8,998 3,009 5,806 6,199 9,227 12,260 15,113

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,210 702 1,889 2,078 3,318 4,566 5,668

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 2,756 905 1,811 1,930 2,807 3,690 4,830

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,490 1,157 1,711 1,863 2,520 3,270 3,905

Public and other transportation .................... 542 245 395 328 582 735 709

Health care ..................................................... 3,556 2,829 1,968 4,984 3,787 3,881 4,499

Entertainment ................................................. 2,605 1,182 1,711 1,932 2,750 3,556 3,360

Personal care products and services ............. 628 304 435 501 660 811 907

Reading .......................................................... 109 78 86 126 108 123 136

Education ....................................................... 1,207 441 852 268 1,129 1,651 2,734

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 332 224 272 325 363 357 455

Miscellaneous ................................................. 829 515 745 988 843 915 930

Cash contributions .......................................... 1,913 1,400 1,547 2,424 1,736 2,202 2,206

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 5,591 188 4,318 588 4,695 9,342 10,229

Life and other personal insurance ................ 353 145 160 318 355 504 521

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 5,238 142 4,158 1271 4,339 8,838 9,707

1 Data are likely to have large sampling errors. n.a. Not applicable.
BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov 15

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

Table 8. Housing tenure and type of area: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2012

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) ....... 124,416 79,945 47,946 31,999 44,471 114,117 36,929 77,188 10,299

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ....................................... $65,596 $80,330 $93,941 $59,937 $39,109 $66,877 $56,338 $71,919 $51,405

Age of reference person ................................. 50.0 54.5 48.5 63.6 42.0 49.7 47.3 50.8 54.1

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 2.6 2.9 2.1 2.3 2.5 2.3 2.6 2.4

Children under 18 ......................................... .6 .6 .8 .3 .7 .6 .6 .6 .6

Persons 65 and older ................................... .3 .4 .2 .8 .2 .3 .3 .4 .4

Earners ......................................................... 1.3 1.4 1.7 .9 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.2

Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 2.3 2.4 2.1 1.2 1.8 1.4 2.1 2.5

Percent homeowner ....................................... 64 100 100 100 n.a. 63 47 70 82

Average annual expenditures ........................... $51,442 $59,983 $68,228 $47,255 $36,076 $52,227 $45,115 $55,577 $42,699

Food ............................................................... 6,599 7,465 7,920 6,565 5,037 6,652 5,929 6,975 5,981

Food at home ............................................... 3,921 4,357 4,579 3,899 3,134 3,929 3,496 4,119 3,827

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 538 599 631 531 428 540 474 569 515

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 852 937 994 819 700 850 773 884 883

Dairy products ............................................ 419 473 499 419 322 420 365 444 409

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 731 809 845 733 591 739 675 766 642

Other food at home .................................... 1,380 1,539 1,610 1,396 1,094 1,381 1,210 1,456 1,378

Food away from home .................................. 2,678 3,108 3,341 2,666 1,903 2,723 2,433 2,856 2,154

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 451 513 563 417 339 465 477 460 290

Housing .......................................................... 16,887 18,756 22,705 12,849 13,526 17,364 15,861 18,070 11,604

Shelter .......................................................... 9,891 10,307 13,590 5,387 9,142 10,289 9,882 10,484 5,470

Owned dwellings ........................................ 6,056 9,349 12,591 4,492 135 6,237 4,562 7,038 4,048

Rented dwellings ........................................ 3,186 57 50 67 8,812 3,389 4,828 2,701 935

Other lodging .............................................. 649 901 949 828 195 663 492 745 487

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,648 4,338 4,648 3,874 2,408 3,655 3,184 3,880 3,577

Household operations .................................. 1,159 1,439 1,638 1,139 655 1,201 1,013 1,291 693

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 610 725 734 705 403 610 480 667 612

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,580 1,947 2,094 1,744 918 1,609 1,302 1,749 1,252

Apparel and services ...................................... 1,736 1,877 2,125 1,411 1,481 1,764 1,770 1,761 1,419

Transportation ................................................ 8,998 10,658 12,110 8,468 6,013 9,011 6,949 9,991 8,862

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,210 3,863 4,569 2,805 2,038 3,218 2,166 3,721 3,128

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 2,756 3,188 3,584 2,593 1,979 2,717 2,099 3,012 3,189

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,490 2,962 3,286 2,463 1,638 2,505 2,086 2,699 2,323

Public and other transportation .................... 542 645 671 607 357 571 598 559 222

Health care ..................................................... 3,556 4,541 4,311 4,896 1,786 3,518 2,759 3,881 3,980

Entertainment ................................................. 2,605 3,196 3,536 2,657 1,541 2,635 2,119 2,874 2,278

Personal care products and services ............. 628 733 805 605 440 643 585 670 460

Reading .......................................................... 109 139 135 145 56 110 98 116 98

Education ....................................................... 1,207 1,383 1,756 818 891 1,270 1,087 1,358 507

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 332 307 324 281 377 317 296 327 494

Miscellaneous ................................................. 829 1,022 1,025 1,032 482 850 725 909 591

Cash contributions .......................................... 1,913 2,385 2,182 2,690 1,063 1,927 1,834 1,971 1,753

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 5,591 7,007 8,733 4,421 3,045 5,700 4,627 6,213 4,381

Life and other personal insurance ................ 353 478 539 386 127 361 257 410 264

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 5,238 6,529 8,194 4,035 2,917 5,339 4,370 5,803 4,117

n.a. Not applicable.
16 BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

Table 9. Race of reference person: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer

Expenditure Survey, 2012

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) ....... 124,416 108,778 103,386 5,393 15,637

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ....................................... $65,596 $68,253 $67,319 $86,156 $47,119

Age of reference person ................................. 50.0 50.4 50.7 44.1 47.7

Average number in consumer unit:

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

Children under 18 ......................................... .6 .6 .6 .7 .8

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

Earners ......................................................... 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.4 1.1

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

Percent homeowner ....................................... 64 67 68 54 43

Average annual expenditures ........................... $51,442 $53,290 $52,870 $61,399 $38,627

Food ............................................................... 6,599 6,875 6,822 7,980 4,701

Food at home ............................................... 3,921 4,059 4,044 4,367 2,973

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 538 557 556 584 404

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 852 855 846 1,034 836

Dairy products ............................................ 419 443 446 372 254

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 731 760 747 1,037 530

Other food at home .................................... 1,380 1,443 1,448 1,339 949

Food away from home .................................. 2,678 2,816 2,777 3,613 1,728

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 451 486 492 360 212

Housing .......................................................... 16,887 17,246 17,058 20,821 14,395

Shelter .......................................................... 9,891 10,099 9,904 13,841 8,441

Owned dwellings ........................................ 6,056 6,402 6,299 8,380 3,645

Rented dwellings ........................................ 3,186 2,994 2,902 4,770 4,521

Other lodging .............................................. 649 702 703 691 275

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,648 3,666 3,677 3,456 3,525

Household operations .................................. 1,159 1,209 1,195 1,469 810

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 610 632 638 497 459

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,580 1,641 1,643 1,558 1,160

Apparel and services ...................................... 1,736 1,741 1,710 2,391 1,697

Transportation ................................................ 8,998 9,322 9,280 10,117 6,751

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,210 3,362 3,363 3,339 2,155

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 2,756 2,817 2,825 2,659 2,329

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,490 2,571 2,566 2,658 1,927

Public and other transportation .................... 542 571 525 1,461 340

Health care ..................................................... 3,556 3,779 3,804 3,285 2,013

Entertainment ................................................. 2,605 2,761 2,784 2,303 1,526

Personal care products and services ............. 628 637 640 594 565

Reading .......................................................... 109 119 120 97 45

Education ....................................................... 1,207 1,289 1,184 3,295 641

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 332 344 354 161 245

Miscellaneous ................................................. 829 867 868 849 563

Cash contributions .......................................... 1,913 1,992 2,025 1,356 1,358

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 5,591 5,832 5,730 7,789 3,914

Life and other personal insurance ................ 353 357 357 361 321

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 5,238 5,475 5,373 7,428 3,593

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

approximately 1 percent reporting more than one race.
BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov 17

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

Table 10. Hispanic or Latino origin of reference person: Average annual expenditures and

characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2012

Item

All

consumer

units

Hispanic

or Latino

Not Hispanic or Latino

Total

White and

all other

races

Black

or

AfricanAmerican

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ....... 124,416 15,597 108,819 93,385 15,434

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ....................................... $65,596 $48,066 $68,109 $71,552 $47,277

Age of reference person ................................. 50.0 42.8 51.1 51.6 47.7

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 3.3 2.4 2.3 2.5

Children under 18 ......................................... .6 1.1 .5 .5 .8

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

Earners ......................................................... 1.3 1.6 1.2 1.3 1.1

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

Percent homeowner ....................................... 64 46 67 71 43

Average annual expenditures ........................... $51,442 $42,268 $52,757 $55,097 $38,634

Food ............................................................... 6,599 6,570 6,603 6,924 4,678

Food at home ............................................... 3,921 4,116 3,893 4,050 2,954

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 538 534 538 561 402

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 852 1,037 826 825 835

Dairy products ............................................ 419 427 418 446 251

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 731 820 718 750 528

Other food at home .................................... 1,380 1,298 1,392 1,468 938

Food away from home .................................. 2,678 2,454 2,710 2,875 1,724

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 451 338 467 510 212

Housing .......................................................... 16,887 15,061 17,149 17,605 14,393

Shelter .......................................................... 9,891 9,215 9,987 10,244 8,432

Owned dwellings ........................................ 6,056 4,185 6,324 6,763 3,664

Rented dwellings ........................................ 3,186 4,843 2,949 2,694 4,491

Other lodging .............................................. 649 187 715 787 278

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,648 3,325 3,695 3,721 3,535

Household operations .................................. 1,159 728 1,221 1,288 815

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 610 568 616 642 462

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,580 1,225 1,631 1,711 1,149

Apparel and services ...................................... 1,736 2,030 1,694 1,694 1,695

Transportation ................................................ 8,998 8,306 9,097 9,485 6,755

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,210 2,890 3,256 3,439 2,154

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 2,756 2,727 2,760 2,831 2,328

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,490 2,294 2,518 2,615 1,934

Public and other transportation .................... 542 395 563 600 339

Health care ..................................................... 3,556 1,893 3,795 4,088 2,024

Entertainment ................................................. 2,605 1,588 2,751 2,953 1,531

Personal care products and services ............. 628 556 639 651 565

Reading .......................................................... 109 40 119 132 45

Education ....................................................... 1,207 488 1,310 1,423 631

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 332 157 357 375 246

Miscellaneous ................................................. 829 553 868 919 561

Cash contributions .......................................... 1,913 782 2,075 2,192 1,364

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 5,591 3,905 5,833 6,146 3,934

Life and other personal insurance ................ 353 112 387 398 324

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 5,238 3,793 5,446 5,749 3,610
18 BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

Table 11. Region of residence: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer

Expenditure Survey, 2012

Item

All

consumer

units

Northeast Midwest South West

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ....... 124,416 22,459 27,584 46,338 28,035

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ....................................... $65,596 $72,036 $65,217 $60,219 $69,700

Age of reference person ................................. 50.0 50.9 49.6 50.3 49.3

Average number in consumer unit:

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

Children under 18 ......................................... .6 .6 .6 .6 .6

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

Earners ......................................................... 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.4

Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 1.6 2.0 1.9 2.0

Percent homeowner ....................................... 64 62 68 66 59

Average annual expenditures ........................... $51,442 $55,884 $48,602 $47,757 $56,782

Food ............................................................... 6,599 6,962 6,393 6,156 7,246

Food at home ............................................... 3,921 4,056 3,906 3,652 4,272

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 538 586 556 488 564

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 852 898 797 839 893

Dairy products ............................................ 419 448 421 383 452

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 731 798 728 637 836

Other food at home .................................... 1,380 1,327 1,405 1,304 1,526

Food away from home .................................. 2,678 2,906 2,486 2,504 2,974

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 451 535 437 375 524

Housing .......................................................... 16,887 19,745 15,012 15,280 19,103

Shelter .......................................................... 9,891 12,274 8,530 8,298 11,953

Owned dwellings ........................................ 6,056 7,480 5,644 5,147 6,823

Rented dwellings ........................................ 3,186 3,938 2,282 2,617 4,416

Other lodging .............................................. 649 856 604 534 715

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,648 3,979 3,455 3,704 3,481

Household operations .................................. 1,159 1,435 973 1,030 1,333

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 610 597 588 609 644

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,580 1,460 1,466 1,640 1,691

Apparel and services ...................................... 1,736 1,833 1,564 1,662 1,950

Transportation ................................................ 8,998 8,857 8,604 9,080 9,367

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,210 2,906 3,216 3,413 3,115

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 2,756 2,503 2,713 2,863 2,824

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,490 2,612 2,242 2,434 2,730

Public and other transportation .................... 542 836 432 371 698

Health care ..................................................... 3,556 3,572 3,844 3,234 3,795

Entertainment ................................................. 2,605 2,723 2,550 2,407 2,894

Personal care products and services ............. 628 635 572 628 680

Reading .......................................................... 109 134 107 82 137

Education ....................................................... 1,207 1,789 1,180 851 1,358

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 332 354 341 364 250

Miscellaneous ................................................. 829 938 808 665 1,033

Cash contributions .......................................... 1,913 1,798 1,851 1,699 2,417

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 5,591 6,009 5,339 5,273 6,030

Life and other personal insurance ................ 353 332 334 393 320

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 5,238 5,677 5,005 4,879 5,710
BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov 19

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

Table 12. Occupation of reference person: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2012

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) ....... 6,058 76,929 31,412 19,690 13,335 4,097 8,396 22,812 18,617

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ....................................... $86,024 $78,173 $107,270 $63,123 $52,945 $60,792 $53,151 $38,015 $40,778

Age of reference person ................................. 49.6 43.9 45.1 43.2 42.6 42.6 43.9 74.0 46.0

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.7 2.8 2.7 1.7 2.8

Children under 18 ......................................... .6 .7 .7 .6 .8 .8 .8 .1 .9

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

Earners ......................................................... 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.7 .2 .6

Vehicles ........................................................ 2.1 2.0 2.2 1.9 1.8 2.4 2.0 1.6 1.5

Percent homeowner ....................................... 71 63 73 58 49 64 57 80 49

Average annual expenditures ........................... $61,645 $57,431 $73,079 $49,627 $44,275 $50,035 $41,511 $38,699 $39,195

Food ............................................................... 7,412 7,209 8,695 6,610 5,790 6,847 5,399 5,084 5,744

Food at home ............................................... 4,447 4,079 4,631 3,799 3,572 4,179 3,413 3,292 3,885

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 558 560 633 523 512 589 438 451 548

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 995 877 934 820 809 1,025 832 698 895

Dairy products ............................................ 471 439 512 413 366 419 342 341 418

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 896 757 884 678 673 749 616 646 680

Other food at home .................................... 1,525 1,446 1,668 1,365 1,213 1,398 1,184 1,156 1,344

Food away from home .................................. 2,966 3,129 4,064 2,811 2,218 2,668 1,986 1,792 1,859

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 645 528 679 484 361 402 371 325 242

Housing .......................................................... 18,696 18,402 22,990 16,153 14,854 15,620 13,504 13,534 14,174

Shelter .......................................................... 11,084 10,936 13,747 9,599 8,980 8,484 7,857 7,352 8,292

Owned dwellings ........................................ 7,350 6,735 9,380 5,358 4,431 5,321 4,417 4,913 4,228

Rented dwellings ........................................ 2,808 3,494 3,170 3,792 4,223 2,885 3,144 1,835 3,695

Other lodging .............................................. 926 707 1,197 449 327 278 296 605 370

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,781 3,802 4,234 3,632 3,381 3,658 3,322 3,317 3,377

Household operations .................................. 1,194 1,287 1,914 963 809 763 715 1,012 800

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 708 616 744 539 491 563 526 630 536

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,930 1,762 2,351 1,420 1,193 2,151 1,085 1,223 1,169

Apparel and services ...................................... 2,050 1,995 2,457 1,872 1,371 1,999 1,462 1,006 1,482

Transportation ................................................ 9,540 10,470 12,010 9,660 9,221 10,524 8,593 6,082 6,340

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 2,848 3,894 4,346 3,751 3,599 3,637 3,129 1,942 2,059

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 3,076 3,166 3,416 2,937 2,793 3,838 3,035 1,731 2,210

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 3,051 2,789 3,264 2,550 2,449 2,741 2,158 1,977 1,727

Public and other transportation .................... 565 621 983 422 381 308 270 431 344

Health care ..................................................... 4,084 3,280 4,169 2,889 2,464 2,811 2,393 5,029 2,726

Entertainment ................................................. 3,796 2,871 3,852 2,408 1,992 2,689 1,749 1,960 1,935

Personal care products and services ............. 821 685 882 607 541 562 424 541 446

Reading .......................................................... 122 110 161 86 75 76 46 136 71

Education ....................................................... 1,304 1,478 2,284 1,017 970 669 739 214 1,277

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 341 339 234 371 368 589 489 199 460

Miscellaneous ................................................. 1,071 858 1,172 694 606 757 519 958 474

Cash contributions .......................................... 2,108 1,916 2,949 1,230 1,216 1,163 1,139 2,467 1,155

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 9,656 7,291 10,545 5,546 4,446 5,326 4,683 1,166 2,667

Life and other personal insurance ................ 627 370 536 271 218 209 304 316 235

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 9,029 6,920 10,009 5,275 4,228 5,118 4,379 849 2,432
20 BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

Table 13. Highest education level of any member: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey,

2012

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) ....... 124,416 76,789 10,571 26,601 25,793 13,825 47,626 28,069 19,557

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ....................................... $65,596 $44,603 $25,159 $39,357 $48,224 $62,809 $99,444 $85,802 $119,023

Age of reference person ................................. 50.0 50.7 56.2 53.0 47.5 48.3 48.9 47.4 51.1

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 2.4 2.2 2.4 2.4 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.7

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

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

Earners ......................................................... 1.3 1.2 .7 1.0 1.2 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5

Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 1.7 1.1 1.7 1.8 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.2

Percent homeowner ....................................... 64 58 47 59 56 68 74 71 79

Average annual expenditures ........................... $51,442 $39,107 $24,582 $34,786 $43,041 $50,836 $71,151 $63,135 $82,606

Food ............................................................... 6,599 5,409 3,913 4,944 5,749 6,658 8,435 7,928 9,143

Food at home ............................................... 3,921 3,442 2,862 3,263 3,542 3,980 4,654 4,379 5,032

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 538 473 383 453 481 554 637 592 700

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 852 802 672 812 772 926 930 911 957

Dairy products ............................................ 419 349 288 322 363 414 526 488 577

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 731 608 550 567 626 687 919 848 1,017

Other food at home .................................... 1,380 1,211 969 1,109 1,299 1,399 1,641 1,541 1,781

Food away from home .................................. 2,678 1,967 1,051 1,682 2,207 2,678 3,782 3,549 4,111

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 451 292 108 236 350 416 696 650 759

Housing .......................................................... 16,887 13,197 9,388 12,143 14,241 16,146 22,815 20,230 26,512

Shelter .......................................................... 9,891 7,532 5,521 6,871 8,168 9,155 13,693 12,103 15,976

Owned dwellings ........................................ 6,056 3,998 2,087 3,509 4,424 5,607 9,373 8,022 11,312

Rented dwellings ........................................ 3,186 3,226 3,362 3,150 3,373 2,995 3,122 3,213 2,991

Other lodging .............................................. 649 308 72 212 371 553 1,198 867 1,672

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,648 3,318 2,541 3,280 3,333 3,957 4,181 3,935 4,534

Household operations .................................. 1,159 726 390 600 845 1,003 1,856 1,495 2,373

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 610 516 382 475 564 592 753 676 859

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,580 1,106 554 918 1,331 1,439 2,331 2,021 2,770

Apparel and services ...................................... 1,736 1,329 1,042 1,083 1,540 1,588 2,366 2,226 2,565

Transportation ................................................ 8,998 7,381 3,835 6,225 8,422 10,342 11,594 10,817 12,710

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 3,210 2,621 932 1,880 3,290 4,090 4,161 3,827 4,641

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 2,756 2,466 1,549 2,318 2,557 3,282 3,223 3,156 3,319

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,490 2,041 1,191 1,839 2,244 2,666 3,202 3,062 3,405

Public and other transportation .................... 542 253 162 187 331 305 1,008 773 1,345

Health care ..................................................... 3,556 2,885 2,004 2,823 2,949 3,560 4,635 4,196 5,263

Entertainment ................................................. 2,605 1,901 1,134 1,630 2,118 2,571 3,725 3,220 4,443

Personal care products and services ............. 628 468 292 388 530 627 881 769 1,039

Reading .......................................................... 109 69 29 53 81 107 175 135 232

Education ....................................................... 1,207 564 120 214 892 959 2,244 1,792 2,891

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 332 426 331 497 421 372 179 219 123

Miscellaneous ................................................. 829 654 307 691 728 703 1,110 926 1,373

Cash contributions .......................................... 1,913 1,106 599 1,012 1,214 1,473 3,213 2,411 4,364

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 5,591 3,425 1,481 2,847 3,805 5,313 9,084 7,617 11,188

Life and other personal insurance ................ 353 205 107 203 207 281 591 479 752

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 5,238 3,220 1,374 2,645 3,598 5,032 8,493 7,139 10,436
Technical Notes

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov 21

Brief description of the Consumer 

Expenditure Survey

The current CE began in 1980 and has been conducted 

continually since then. Its principal objective is to collect 

information on the buying habits of Americans. 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 the regular revision of 

the CPI market basket every 2 years. The survey, which 

is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau 

of Labor Statistics (BLS), consists of two components: A 

diary (or recordkeeping) survey completed by participating 

consumer units for two consecutive 1-week periods and an 

interview survey by which expenditures of consumer units 

are obtained during 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, regardless of whether payment is made at 

the time of purchase. Expenditure amounts include all sales 

and excise taxes for items purchased by the consumer unit. 

All business-related expenditures are excluded from both 

surveys, as are expenditures for which the consumer unit is 

reimbursed. 

Each component of the survey queries an independent 

sample of CUs that are representative of the U.S. 

population. For the Diary Survey, about 7,000 CUs are 

sampled each year. Each CU keeps a diary for two 1-week 

periods, yielding approximately 14,000 diaries a year. 

The Interview sample, selected on a rotating panel basis, 

surveys about 7,000 consumer units each quarter. The 

rotating panel consists of some CUs dropping out of the 

survey each quarter, while other CUs come into the survey. 

Each CU is interviewed once per quarter, for 5 consecutive 

quarters. Data are collected on an ongoing basis in 91 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, or they 

occur on a regular basis, such as 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 buying. Detailed records of expenses 

are kept for food and beverages—consumed either at 

home or 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 

spent while traveling overnight) that the CU 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 is designed to do on its 

own. Data on some expenditure items are collected in 

only one of the surveys. For example, the Diary Survey 

does not collect information on reimbursements, whereas 

the Interview Survey does. Examples 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 

involves 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. Because of the overlap in the 
22 BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

item coverage between the two surveys, the survey source 

is reviewed every 2 years and statistical methods are used 

to select the best source. See “CE Source Selection for 

Publication Tables” in the Consumer Expenditure Survey 

Anthology, 2011 (BLS Report 1030) for source selection 

details. 

The population and spending coverage of the CE 

differs from that of the CPI. The CE data cover the total 

population including rural areas, whereas the CPI covers 

only the population in urban and metropolitan areas. 

Definitions of components also differ between the CE and

CPI. For example, homeownership is treated differently 

in the two surveys: actual expenditures of homeownership 

are reported in the CE, whereas the CPI uses a rentalequivalence approach that estimates 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 the difference between the 

average for all CUs and the average for those purchasing 

the item. Similarly, 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, all 

prices, as measured by the CPI-U, increased by 2.3 percent 

between 2012 (annual average index) and February 2014 

(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 or rural), race, Hispanic origin, region 

of residence, occupation, and education.3

 These are the 

same classifications published in previous BLS reports and

bulletins. Tables for the aforementioned classifications,

but with more detail than is given in this report, can be 

accessed on the CE page of the BLS website (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 gender, cross-tabulated by either 

income or age; and 3) selected metropolitan statistical 

areas (MSAs). Annual data are available for 1984–2012. 

Other survey information available on the website 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 are also available.

Other available data

The 2012 CE public-use microdata, including Interview 

Survey data, Diary Survey data, and paradata (information 

about the survey process), are now available on the CE 

website for free electronic download. The Interview 

files contain expenditure data in two different formats:

MTBI files that present monthly values in an itemcoding framework based on the CPI pricing scheme, and 

EXPN files that organize expenditures by the section of

the Interview Survey’s questionnaire in which they are 
BLS Reports │ March 2014 • www.bls.gov 23

CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2012

collected. Expenditure values on EXPN files cover different

periods depending on the specific questions asked, and the

files also contain relevant non-expenditure information not

found on the MTBI files. Past releases of post 1995 CE

public-use microdata for purchase will become available 

on the CE website for download. The 2004 to 2011 releases 

are already available online. Prior releases will be posted 

incrementally online in reverse chronological order through 

the 1996 release. For releases prior to 1996 and those not 

yet available online, users can continue to purchase USB 

flash drives using the public-use microdata order form

(http:/www.bls.gov/cex/pumdhome.htm). All future 

releases of public-use microdata will solely be available 

online for free download.

The Consumer Expenditure program publishes CE articles 

in BEYOND THE NUMBERS. 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 most 

recent of these reports, New education classification better 

reflects income and spending patterns in the Consumer 

Expenditure Survey. Additional CE analyses also are 

presented in articles in the Monthly Labor Review. These 

reports can be found at http://www.bls.gov/cex/csxart.

htm. For more detailed information on the availability 

of current and earlier data, call (202) 691-6900; Email: 

cexinfo@bls.gov. Online at http://www.bls.gov/cex., or 

contact the Division of Consumer Expenditure Survey, 

Office of Prices and Living Conditions, Bureau of Labor

Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Washington, DC 

20212-0001.

Information 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 sensory-impaired individuals: Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200, Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.