1

Consumer Expenditures

in 2002

U.S. Department of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics

February 2004

Report 974

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.

C

onsumer units 1spent $40,677, on average, in 2002,

an increase of 2.9 percent over the previous year.

Spending rose 3.9 percent in 2001 and 2.8 percent in

2000. The increase in spending in 2002 was more than the

1.6-percent annual average rise in general price levels over

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

This report shows the latest results from the Bureau of Labor

Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey.

Developments in 2002

Changes in 2002 in the major components of spending—

food, housing, apparel and services, transportation, health

care, entertainment, and personal insurance and pensions—

ranged from an increase of 0.3 percent for apparel and services to 7.7 percent for health care. (See table A.) Spending

for entertainment and for personal insurance and pensions

rose 6.5 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively, whereas expenditures on food, housing, and transportation all rose by

less than the overall average of 2.9 percent.

There were no major changes from 2001 to 2002 in the

percent distribution (share of total expenditures 2) of each of

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

shares are relatively stable from year to year, and their 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 7.7-percent increase in health care in 2002, the share of

total expenditures allocated to that component rose just 0.3

percentage point—from 5.5 percent to 5.8 percent.

Food expenditures increased 1.0 percent in 2002, with

spending on food away from home increasing 1.8 percent

and spending on food at home rising just 0.4 percent. The

increase in spending on food away from home in 2002 was

less than the 4.6-percent rise a year earlier. The 2002 rise in

food-at-home spending resulted from increases in spending

for fruits and vegetables (5.7 percent) and other food at home

(1.9 percent) being offset somewhat by decreases in spending for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs (–3.6 percent), dairy

products (–1.2 percent), and cereals and bakery products (–0.4

percent). Data classified by region of residence of the consumer unit show that changes in overall food spending were

not substantially different across regions: spending rose 2.0

percent in the Northeast, 2.5 percent in the Midwest, and 1.5

percent in the West, while it dropped 1.0 percent in the South.

However, there were larger differences across regions in the

changes in spending within the food component. Spending

on food at home dropped 3 percent in the Northeast, whereas

it rose 4.2 percent in the West. Even larger differences occurred in spending on food away from home, with spending

on that component rising 9.5 percent in the Northeast and

dropping 2.2 percent in the West.

Spending on housing, the largest component of total

spending, rose 2.1 percent in 2002, following an increase of

5.6 percent in 2001. Consumer units spent an average of

$13,283 on housing in 2002, accounting for almost a third of

total spending. Expenditures for shelter, which includes

spending on owned and rented dwellings and on other lodging, rose 3.0 percent in 2002, somewhat less than the 6.9-

percent increase a year earlier. Spending on fuels, utilities,

and public services dropped by 3.0 percent in 2002, following an 11.2-percent increase in 2001. Prices for fuels, utilities, and public services, as measured by the CPI, also decreased (–4.4 percent) in 2002. Spending on the other housing components in 2002 included increases of 4.4 percent for

household operations, 4.1 percent for housefurnishings and

equipment, and 7.1 percent for housekeeping supplies. Data

classified by the type of area show that spending on housing rose more for rural consumers (6.7 percent) than it did for

urban consumers (1.5 percent) in 2002. Despite the larger

increase, rural consumers still spent substantially less for

housing than did urban consumers—$9,780, compared with

$13,771.

The average amount spent on apparel and services in

2002 showed little change from the previous year, rising just

0.3 percentage point, from $1,743 to $1,749. Spending on

apparel and services dropped 6.1 percent in 2001. Spending

on the components of apparel and services in 2002 included

increases for women’s and girls’ apparel (4.0 percent), apparel for children under age 2 (1.5 percent), and footwear (3.6

percent). These increases, however, were offset somewhat

by decreases of 3.2 percent for men’s and boys’ clothing and

7.3 percent for other apparel products and services.

Transportation spending rose 1.7 percent in 2002, the second consecutive year of moderate increases. In 2001, spending on transportation rose 2.9 percent, following 2 years of
2

larger increases—5.8 percent in 2000 and 6.0 percent in 1999.

Spending on vehicle purchases, the largest transportation

subcomponent, rose 2.4 percent in 2002. That increase, together with a 4.0-percent rise in other vehicle expenses, offset decreases in spending on gasoline and motor oil (–3.4

percent) and public transportation (–2.7 percent). Other vehicle expenses include spending on items such as maintenance and repairs, vehicle finance charges, and rentals and

leases. Prices for motor fuels, as measured by the CPI, also

decreased in 2002 (–6.5 percent). Data classified by the race

of the reference person3 show that spending on transportation by blacks rose 5.1 percent in 2002, compared with an

increase of 1.5 percent for whites and others. An increase of

10.4 percent for vehicle purchases by blacks, as against 1.8

percent for vehicle purchases by whites and others, was

primarily responsible for the larger increase in the overall

component for blacks. A year earlier, the opposite was the

case: whites and others increased their spending on vehicle

purchases by 5.4 percent, whereas blacks decreased their

spending by 4.0 percent. Spending on vehicles is subject to

large changes from year to year because vehicles are expensive items that are typically purchased infrequently, so relatively small changes in the percentage of consumer units

making such purchases can affect the overall average. Despite the larger increases in spending by blacks, their level of

transportation expenditures ($5,447) remained well below that

of whites and others ($8,077).

Spending on health care rose 7.7 percent in 2002, following increases of 5.5 percent in 2000 and 5.6 percent in 2001.

As was the case in both of the earlier years, the increase in

2002 was due primarily to relatively large increases for health

insurance and drugs (both prescription and nonprescription). Spending for health insurance rose 10.1 percent in

2002 and spending on drugs rose 8.6 percent. Spending for

medical services and for medical supplies, the other two

health care components, rose 3.0 percent and 5.6 percent,

respectively. Data classified by the age of the reference

person show that, in 2002, spending on health care by consumer units whose reference person was under age 25 rose

20.8 percent, whereas increases for units with reference person 65 years or older was just 2.7 percent. However, despite

the larger increase for the younger group, the older group

still spent a substantially bigger share of their total expenditures on health care than did the younger group—12.8 percent, compared with 2.6 percent.

Spending on entertainment rose 6.5 percent in 2002, following an increase of 4.8 percent in 2001 and a decrease of

1.5 percent in 2000. Among the components of entertainment, fees and admissions rose 2.9 percent; televisions, radios, and sound equipment, 4.9 percent; pets, toys, and playground equipment, 9.4 percent; and other entertainment supplies, equipment, and services, 10.8 percent. This last component includes expensive items, such as motorized recreational vehicles and boats, that are purchased relatively infrequently, so relatively small changes in the percentage of

consumer units purchasing such items can affect the overall

average. Data classified by the size of the consumer unit

show that the largest increase (11.8 percent) was in spending by the largest consumer units—those with five or more

persons—and that this increase was due primarily to a large

rise in spending on the other entertainment supplies, equipment, and services component.

Expenditures and deductions for personal insurance and

pensions rose 4.3 percent in 2002, following an increase of

11.1 percent in 2001. (See the accompanying box for a caveat

on these estimates.) Personal insurance and pensions accounts for 9.6 percent of the total expenditures of all consumer units. Data classified by income quintile show that

consumer units in the highest income quintile allocate 15.1

percent of their total expenditures to personal insurance and

pensions, compared with just 2.7 percent allocated by consumer units in the lowest income quintile. (The lowest quintile

includes a larger proportion of retired persons, students,

and persons just starting their careers, and these groups

typically do not spend as much for personal insurance and

pensions.)

Expenditure levels for the remaining components were

not as high as those for the major components of spending.

Among the smaller components, the largest increase in 2002

was for spending on education, which rose 16.0 percent,

following a 2.5-percent increase a year earlier. Spending on

alcoholic beverages and on personal care products and services increased more than the overall average in 2002, rising

7.7 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively. Miscellaneous expenditures, which include spending on items such as legal

and accounting fees, funeral expenses, and other items not

easily categorized elsewhere, rose 5.6 percent. Spending on

tobacco products and supplies also grew more than the overall average, rising 3.9 percent in 2002. Cash contributions

increased 1.5 percent, whereas spending on reading decreased 1.4 percent.3

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

reference person.

In 2001, the Interview portion of the Consumer Expenditure Survey began to include information collected from respondents in the form of income ranges

or brackets, in addition to discrete income amounts, as

reported in the past. Respondents who are unable or

unwilling to provide a specific dollar amount may be

able or willing to estimate a range for their income. The

bracketed amounts should provide more reliable income estimates because they increase the percentage

of households providing income data. Also affected

are those few expenditure items derived from income

data, such as deductions for Social Security. As a result, amounts for those items are not strictly comparable with previous data.

Consumer Expenditure Survey

Collection of Bracketed Income Data
3

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

2000–2002

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ............. 109,367 110,339 112,108

Income before taxes ............................................... $44,649 $47,507 $49,430

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

Age of reference person .................................. 48.2 48.1 48.1

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

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

Number of vehicles ............................................ 1.9 1.9 2.0

Percent homeowner ............................................... 66 66 66

Average annual expenditures ................................ $38,045 $39,518 $40,677 3.9 2.9

Food ................................................................... 5,158 5,321 5,375 3.2 1.0

Food at home ................................................ 3,021 3,086 3,099 2.2 .4

Cereals and bakery products ................. 453 452 450 –.2 –.4

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ................. 795 828 798 4.2 –3.6

Dairy products ........................................ 325 332 328 2.2 –1.2

Fruits and vegetables ............................. 521 522 552 .2 5.7

Other food at home ................................. 927 952 970 2.7 1.9

Food away from home ................................. 2,137 2,235 2,276 4.6 1.8

Alcoholic beverages .......................................... 372 349 376 –6.2 7.7

Housing .............................................................. 12,319 13,011 13,283 5.6 2.1

Shelter .......................................................... 7,114 7,602 7,829 6.9 3.0

Utilities, fuels, and public services ............... 2,489 2,767 2,684 11.2 –3.0

Household operations .................................. 684 676 706 –1.2 4.4

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 482 509 545 5.6 7.1

Housefurnishings and equipment ................. 1,549 1,458 1,518 –5.9 4.1

Apparel and services ........................................ 1,856 1,743 1,749 –6.1 .3

Transportation ................................................... 7,417 7,633 7,759 2.9 1.7

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) .................... 3,418 3,579 3,665 4.7 2.4

Gasoline and motor oil .................................. 1,291 1,279 1,235 –.9 –3.4

Other vehicle expenses ............................... 2,281 2,375 2,471 4.1 4.0

Public transportation ..................................... 427 400 389 –6.3 –2.7

Health care ........................................................ 2,066 2,182 2,350 5.6 7.7

Entertainment ..................................................... 1,863 1,953 2,079 4.8 6.5

Personal care products and services ............... 564 485 526 –14.0 8.5

Reading .............................................................. 146 141 139 –3.4 –1.4

Education ........................................................... 632 648 752 2.5 16.0

Tobacco products and supplies ........................ 319 308 320 –3.4 3.9

Miscellaneous .................................................... 776 750 792 –3.4 5.6

Cash contributions ............................................. 1,192 1,258 1,277 5.5 1.5

Personal insurance and pensions ..................... 3,365 3,737 3,899 11.1 4.3

Life and other personal insurance ............... 399 410 406 2.8 –1.0

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 2,966 3,326 3,493 12.1 5.0

1

 Income values are derived from “complete income reporters” only.

2

 See box on page 2.

Percent change

2000–2001 2001–02

Item 2000 2001 2002

1

2
4

Table B. Percent distribution of total annual expenditures by major category, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 1999–2002

Item 1999 2000 2001 2002

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

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

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

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

Housing ...................................................................... 32.6 32.4 32.9 32.7

Apparel and services ................................................ 4.7 4.9 4.4 4.3

Transportation ........................................................... 19.0 19.5 19.3 19.1

Vehicles ................................................................ 8.9 9.0 9.1 9.0

Gasoline and motor oil .......................................... 2.9 3.4 3.2 3.0

Other transportation ............................................. 7.2 7.1 7.0 7.0

Health care ................................................................ 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.8

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

Personal insurance and pensions ............................. 9.3 8.8 9.5 9.6

Life and other personal insurance ....................... 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0

Pensions and Social Security ............................... 8.2 7.8 8.4 8.6

Other expenditures .................................................... 10.5 10.5 10.0 10.3

1

 Includes expenditures for alcoholic beverages, personal care products and services, reading, education, and tobacco products and

supplies, as well as cash contributions and miscellaneous expenditures.

Brief description of the Consumer Expenditure

Survey

The current Consumer Expenditure Survey 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, regardless

of whether payment is 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 and 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

five 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 include relatively large

expenditures, such as those for real property, automobiles,

and major appliances, or expenditures that occur on a regular

basis, such as those for rent, utility payments, or insurance

premiums. 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

Interview survey also provides data on expenditures incurred

on leisure trips.

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 the Diary survey was designed to

collect information on expenditures that could not be recalled easily over a given period, respondents are asked to

report all expenses (except 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 component alone is

designed to do. Data on some expenditure items are collected in only one of the components. For example, the Diary

does not collect data on expenditures for overnight travel or

information on reimbursements, whereas the Interview does.

Examples of expenditures for which reimbursements are excluded are medical care; automobile repair; and construction, repairs, alterations, and maintenance of property.

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

choice of which survey to use as the source of data is obvious. However, there is considerable overlap in coverage

between the surveys. Because of this, integrating the data

1
5

presents the problem of determining the appropriate survey

component from which to select expenditure items. When

data are available from both survey sources, the more reliable of the two (as determined by statistical methods) is

selected. As a result, some items are selected from the Interview survey, and others, from the Diary survey.

Population coverage and definitions of components of

the Consumer Expenditure Survey differ from those of the

CPI. Consumer expenditure data cover the total population,

whereas the CPI covers only the urban population. In addition, home ownership is treated differently in the two surveys. Actual expenditures of homeowners are reported in

the Consumer Expenditure Survey, 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 those consumer units

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 consumer unit may spend more or

less than the average, depending on its particular characteristics. Factors such as income, age of family members, geographic location, taste, 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 3.6 percent between 2002 (annual average index) and October 2003.

In addition, sample surveys are subject to two types of

errors—sampling and nonsampling. Sampling errors occur

because the data are collected from a representative sample

rather than from the entire population. Nonsampling errors

result from the inability or unwillingness of respondents to

provide correct information, from differences in interviewers’ abilities, from mistakes in recording or coding, or from

other processing errors.

Tables and data

Tables in this report include integrated data from both the

Diary and Interview components of the Consumer Expenditure Survey, 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. (These are

the same classifications published in previous reports and

bulletins.)

Information on expenditures, income, and family characteristics of single persons, classified by either age and sex or

income and sex, is available. Tables that show consumer

expenditure data cross-tabulated by income before taxes and

age of the reference person, size of the consumer unit, or

region of residence also are available. These tables are not

presented in this report, but may be obtained from the BLS

Division of Consumer Expenditure Surveys.

Integrated Consumer Expenditure Survey data with more

detailed expenditure categories are published in biennial reports. The most recent is Consumer Expenditure Survey,

2000–2001, Report 969, September 2003. It contains tables

of average annual expenditures, income, and characteristics

for the same classifications that are shown in this report, but

in greater detail. Also included 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).

Also published in 2003 was Consumer Expenditure Survey

Anthology, 2003, Report 967, which includes analyses of

expenditure data as they apply to various topics of interest,

as well as methodological and research articles pertaining to

various survey topics. This anthology was the first in a

series to be published biennially.

Tables with the same level of detail as shown in the 2-year

report can be accessed through the Internet (http://

www.bls.gov/cex). Data are available for 1984–2002. Beginning with the 2000 data, estimates of standard error for integrated Diary and Interview survey data became available on

the Internet. Other survey information, including answers to

frequently asked questions, a glossary of terms, and order

forms for survey products, also is available on the Internet.

Other available data

The 2002 Diary and Interview microdata—that is, data on

individual consumer units—are available on CD-ROM. The

Interview 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 that 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 on the MTAB

files. Currently available on CD-ROM are microdata files

back to 1990 and for selected earlier years.

Consumer Expenditure Survey data also are available via

the BLS fax-on-demand service,which provides information

and data that may be accessed from a touch-tone telephone

24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by dialing (202) 691–6325.
6

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 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.

Consumer unit. A consumer unit is defined as members of a

household related by blood, marriage, adoption, or some

other legal arrangement; a single person living alone or sharing a household with others, but who is financially independent; or 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, as well as payments for pensions and

personal insurance.

Telephone: (202) 691–6900. E-mail: (cexinfo@bls.gov).

Internet: (http://www.bls.gov/cex).

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

sensory–impaired individuals: Voice phone: (202) 691–5200,

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

Glossary

Income. The combined income earned by all consumer unit

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.

Complete income reporter. 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. Complete income reporters are 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 of income tables.
Table 1. Quintiles of income before taxes: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2002

Item

All

consumer

units

Complete reporting of income Incomplete

reporting

of

income

Total

complete

reporting

Lowest

20

percent

Second

20

percent

Third

20

percent

Fourth

20

percent

Highest

20

percent

Number of consumer units (in thousands) .... 112,108 92,388 18,456 18,474 18,474 18,487 18,498 19,719 

Lower limit ..................................................... n.a. n.a. n.a. $14,599 $28,344 $46,507 $74,392 n.a.

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 ................................. $49,430 $49,430 $8,316 $21,162 $36,989 $59,177 $121,367 1 ( )

 Age of reference person .............................. 48.1 48.1 50.3 51.5 47.8 45.3 45.5 48.1 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ..................................................... 2.5 2.5 1.7 2.2 2.5 2.8 3.2 2.6 

 Children under 18 ...................................... .7 .7 .4 .5 .6 .8 .9 .7 

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

 Earners ...................................................... 1.4 1.4 .7 1.0 1.4 1.8 2.1 1.3 

 Vehicles ..................................................... 2.0 2.0 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 2.9 1.8 

Percent homeowner .................................... 66 66 42 56 65 77 89 69 

Average annual expenditures ........................ $40,677 $42,557 $19,061 $27,140 $36,881 $50,432 $79,199 $33,201 

 Food ............................................................ 5,375 5,612 3,186 4,140 5,071 6,574 9,083 4,771 

 Food at home ............................................ 3,099 3,217 2,144 2,677 3,073 3,660 4,528 2,799 

 Cereals and bakery products .................. 450 471 323 393 440 528 668 399 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ................. 798 815 575 700 779 928 1,091 758 

 Dairy products ......................................... 328 345 229 288 331 392 482 288 

 Fruits and vegetables .............................. 552 568 381 482 536 633 809 511 

 Other food at home ................................. 970 1,018 636 814 986 1,178 1,478 842 

 Food away from home ............................... 2,276 2,395 1,042 1,464 1,998 2,914 4,554 1,973 

Alcoholic beverages .................................... 376 415 172 234 389 465 814 275 

 Housing ....................................................... 13,283 13,481 6,640 9,117 11,743 15,340 24,541 12,619 

 Shelter ....................................................... 7,829 7,854 3,891 5,161 6,771 8,743 14,690 7,716 

 Owned dwellings ..................................... 5,165 5,148 1,422 2,355 3,810 6,159 11,980 5,244 

 Rented dwellings ..................................... 2,160 2,197 2,241 2,589 2,647 2,108 1,400 1,986 

 Other lodging ........................................... 505 509 228 216 313 476 1,309 485 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ............. 2,684 2,683 1,661 2,209 2,585 3,106 3,851 2,691 

 Household operations ............................... 706 736 237 415 610 768 1,650 563 

 Housekeeping supplies ............................. 545 606 306 428 501 929 865 395 

 Household furnishings and equipment ...... 1,518 1,602 544 904 1,277 1,795 3,484 1,254 

 Apparel and services ................................... 1,749 1,872 953 1,168 1,526 2,094 3,617 1,416 

Transportation ............................................. 7,759 7,984 3,285 5,013 7,472 10,369 13,769 6,727 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) .................. 3,665 3,778 1,603 2,322 3,588 5,083 6,288 3,134 

 Gasoline and motor oil .............................. 1,235 1,252 581 907 1,245 1,569 1,957 1,154 

 Other vehicle expenses ............................. 2,471 2,550 938 1,570 2,336 3,244 4,657 2,120 

 Public transportation .................................. 389 404 162 215 303 472 866 320 

Health care .................................................. 2,350 2,410 1,402 2,183 2,506 2,692 3,262 2,095 

 Entertainment .............................................. 2,079 2,167 813 1,103 1,644 2,659 4,608 1,745 

 Personal care products and services .......... 526 562 306 417 493 644 947 433 

 Reading ....................................................... 139 145 69 97 120 168 271 107 

 Education .................................................... 752 771 663 364 437 662 1,729 676 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies .... 320 334 238 331 390 410 299 260 

 Miscellaneous .............................................. 792 846 373 625 756 1,020 1,456 572 

 Cash contributions ....................................... 1,277 1,366 449 862 1,121 1,558 2,834 862 

Personal insurance and pensions ............... 3,899 4,593 512 1,484 3,213 5,776 11,967 644 

 Life and other personal insurance ............. 406 425 159 243 340 477 903 320 

 Pensions and Social Security .................... 3,493 4,169 353 1,242 2,873 5,298 11,064 324 

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, 2002

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

over

Number of consumer units (in thousands) 92,388 3,882 7,051 8,007 7,068 12,312 10,727 8,873 13,521 20,947 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 ............................ $49,430 $1,613 $7,725 $12,426 $17,328 $24,495 $34,423 $44,443 $58,933 $115,629 

 Age of reference person ......................... 48.1 38.9 51.1 55.9 53.0 50.4 47.7 46.4 45.3 45.4 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ................................................ 2.5 1.7 1.7 1.8 2.1 2.3 2.5 2.6 2.8 3.1 

 Children under 18 ................................. .7 .4 .4 .4 .5 .6 .6 .7 .8 .9 

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

 Earners ................................................. 1.4 .9 .6 .7 .9 1.0 1.3 1.5 1.8 2.0 

 Vehicles ................................................ 2.0 1.0 .9 1.2 1.4 1.6 2.0 2.1 2.5 2.9 

Percent homeowner ............................... 66 30 39 51 54 58 64 69 78 88 

Average annual expenditures ................... $42,557 $19,699 $16,488 $20,918 $25,015 $28,836 $35,095 $41,787 $50,406 $76,627 

 Food ....................................................... 5,612 3,485 2,865 3,238 3,768 4,349 4,881 5,502 6,548 8,874 

 Food at home ....................................... 3,217 2,206 1,838 2,317 2,483 2,768 3,006 3,241 3,555 4,524 

 Cereals and bakery products .............. 471 321 272 347 383 403 431 454 519 666 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ............. 815 612 478 640 615 729 782 807 896 1,099 

 Dairy products .................................... 345 227 215 233 275 294 315 371 377 481 

 Fruits and vegetables ......................... 568 386 311 418 447 502 527 559 612 807 

 Other food at home ............................. 1,018 660 562 678 762 840 951 1,050 1,151 1,471 

 Food away from home .......................... 2,395 1,278 1,027 922 1,286 1,581 1,875 2,261 2,994 4,350 

Alcoholic beverages ............................... 415 197 174 155 192 275 346 433 453 780 

 Housing .................................................. 13,481 6,776 6,073 7,100 8,540 9,595 11,240 13,159 15,276 23,695 

 Shelter .................................................. 7,854 4,124 3,536 4,066 4,954 5,368 6,451 7,671 8,581 14,212 

 Owned dwellings ................................ 5,148 1,506 1,164 1,588 2,165 2,511 3,547 4,720 6,047 11,502 

 Rented dwellings ................................ 2,197 2,181 2,202 2,305 2,583 2,640 2,601 2,604 2,082 1,461 

 Other lodging ...................................... 509 437 169 173 206 217 304 346 452 1,249 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ........ 2,683 1,451 1,558 1,889 2,068 2,316 2,526 2,749 3,126 3,782 

 Household operations ........................... 736 188 201 304 314 477 575 688 753 1,571 

 Housekeeping supplies ........................ 606 377 284 294 411 432 490 523 1,046 847 

 Household furnishings and equipment 1,602 636 494 547 792 1,001 1,198 1,529 1,770 3,283 

 Apparel and services .............................. 1,872 1,349 713 994 1,131 1,176 1,497 1,692 2,043 3,469 

Transportation ........................................ 7,984 2,975 2,591 3,951 4,752 5,275 7,041 8,651 10,555 13,487 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ............. 3,778 1,253 1,153 2,053 2,416 2,323 3,343 4,292 5,191 6,198 

 Gasoline and motor oil .......................... 1,252 604 499 649 796 987 1,261 1,289 1,592 1,927 

 Other vehicle expenses ........................ 2,550 934 781 1,085 1,365 1,734 2,172 2,688 3,302 4,527 

 Public transportation ............................. 404 183 158 165 176 231 264 382 471 834 

Health care ............................................. 2,410 1,060 1,139 1,854 2,118 2,289 2,379 2,598 2,672 3,230 

 Entertainment ......................................... 2,167 867 721 859 1,002 1,187 1,561 1,924 2,641 4,457 

 Personal care products and services ..... 562 300 252 351 386 432 464 551 655 915 

 Reading .................................................. 145 61 58 86 83 106 109 140 170 262 

 Education ................................................ 771 1,394 552 377 448 311 388 536 619 1,653 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies 334 191 244 249 298 364 390 401 422 302 

 Miscellaneous ......................................... 846 391 318 407 501 675 808 778 1,035 1,417 

 Cash contributions .................................. 1,366 350 437 507 800 981 1,093 1,182 1,560 2,704 

Personal insurance and pensions .......... 4,593 302 350 790 995 1,822 2,898 4,239 5,756 11,382 

 Life and other personal insurance ........ 425 125 134 213 211 259 324 385 469 867 

 Pensions and Social Security ............... 4,169 177 216 577 784 1,563 2,574 3,854 5,287 10,515 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.
Table 3. Age of reference person: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2002

Item

All

consumer

units

Under

25 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65 andover 65-74 75 andover

Number of consumer units (in thousands) .... 112,108 8,737 18,988 24,394 22,691 15,314 21,983 11,216 10,767 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 ................................. $49,430 $20,773 $49,133 $61,532 $64,974 $53,162 $29,711 $35,118 $23,890 

 Age of reference person .............................. 48.1 21.3 29.8 39.7 49.2 59.1 75.0 69.4 80.8 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ..................................................... 2.5 1.9 2.9 3.2 2.7 2.1 1.7 1.9 1.5 

 Children under 18 ...................................... .7 .4 1.1 1.3 .6 .2 .1 .1 2 ( )

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

 Earners ...................................................... 1.4 1.3 1.5 1.7 1.8 1.3 .5 .6 .3 

 Vehicles ..................................................... 2.0 1.1 1.8 2.2 2.4 2.2 1.5 1.9 1.2 

Percent homeowner .................................... 66 15 49 68 76 81 80 84 77 

Average annual expenditures ........................ $40,677 $24,229 $40,318 $48,330 $48,748 $44,330 $28,105 $32,243 $23,759 

 Food ............................................................ 5,375 3,621 5,471 6,314 6,228 5,559 3,910 4,479 3,302 

 Food at home ............................................ 3,099 1,926 3,093 3,601 3,528 3,114 2,548 2,877 2,195 

 Cereals and bakery products .................. 450 287 442 542 500 423 386 418 352 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ................. 798 460 817 918 929 807 641 745 529 

 Dairy products ......................................... 328 200 324 392 367 325 274 301 244 

 Fruits and vegetables .............................. 552 338 522 597 627 591 510 556 461 

 Other food at home ................................. 970 640 988 1,153 1,106 967 738 858 609 

 Food away from home ............................... 2,276 1,696 2,378 2,712 2,700 2,445 1,362 1,602 1,107 

Alcoholic beverages .................................... 376 394 395 367 465 420 237 324 144 

 Housing ....................................................... 13,283 7,436 13,727 16,350 15,476 13,831 9,176 10,052 8,257 

 Shelter ....................................................... 7,829 4,851 8,470 9,902 9,223 7,667 4,834 5,299 4,350 

 Owned dwellings ..................................... 5,165 830 4,701 7,105 6,787 5,595 3,162 3,849 2,447 

 Rented dwellings ..................................... 2,160 3,644 3,476 2,351 1,733 1,303 1,259 905 1,627 

 Other lodging ........................................... 505 377 293 446 704 770 413 545 275 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ............. 2,684 1,348 2,503 3,026 3,106 2,953 2,371 2,590 2,142 

 Household operations ............................... 706 198 895 1,010 613 561 602 486 723 

 Housekeeping supplies ............................. 545 226 389 589 633 838 466 547 379 

 Household furnishings and equipment ...... 1,518 812 1,469 1,823 1,900 1,811 903 1,131 663 

 Apparel and services ................................... 1,749 1,365 1,989 2,101 2,029 1,791 972 1,252 674 

Transportation ............................................. 7,759 5,102 8,423 9,400 9,173 8,449 4,481 5,731 3,178 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) .................. 3,665 2,635 4,269 4,592 4,203 3,882 1,818 2,430 1,180 

 Gasoline and motor oil .............................. 1,235 903 1,257 1,473 1,495 1,292 777 970 575 

 Other vehicle expenses ............................. 2,471 1,339 2,505 2,935 3,055 2,735 1,586 1,945 1,212 

 Public transportation .................................. 389 225 392 400 421 540 300 386 211 

Health care .................................................. 2,350 640 1,417 1,980 2,550 3,007 3,586 3,588 3,584 

 Entertainment .............................................. 2,079 1,212 2,027 2,685 2,565 2,297 1,139 1,371 896 

 Personal care products and services .......... 526 329 488 615 588 557 451 509 390 

 Reading ....................................................... 139 57 103 135 167 181 147 161 134 

 Education .................................................... 752 1,664 571 738 1,208 589 202 289 112 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies .... 320 286 315 376 415 361 152 220 81 

 Miscellaneous .............................................. 792 422 678 841 989 930 686 794 572 

 Cash contributions ....................................... 1,277 319 743 1,247 1,571 1,520 1,679 1,620 1,740 

Personal insurance and pensions ............... 3,899 1,382 3,972 5,183 5,323 4,838 1,286 1,853 696 

 Life and other personal insurance ............. 406 51 230 409 559 595 407 521 287 

 Pensions and Social Security .................... 3,493 1,331 3,742 4,774 4,764 4,243 880 1,332 409 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary. 2 Value less than 0.05.
Table 4. Size of consumer unit: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey,

2002

Item

All

consumer

units

One

person

Two or more persons

Total

two or

more

persons

Two

persons

Three

persons

Four

persons

Five or

more

persons

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ...... 112,108 33,055 79,053 34,849 17,308 15,822 11,074 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 ................................... $49,430 $27,042 $59,020 $52,694 $60,077 $67,755 $64,954 

 Age of reference person ............................... 48.1 51.3 46.7 52.7 43.8 41.0 40.7 

Average number in consumer unit:

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

 Children under 18 ....................................... .7 2 ( ) .9 .1 .8 1.6 2.8 

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

 Earners ....................................................... 1.4 .6 1.7 1.2 1.8 2.0 2.3 

 Vehicles ...................................................... 2.0 1.0 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.6 

Percent homeowner ...................................... 66 51 73 74 69 74 71 

Average annual expenditures ......................... $40,677 $24,190 $47,508 $41,797 $48,098 $54,033 $55,501 

 Food .............................................................. 5,375 2,913 6,367 5,318 6,361 7,445 8,302 

 Food at home .............................................. 3,099 1,558 3,718 2,943 3,733 4,431 5,247 

 Cereals and bakery products .................... 450 225 541 413 523 660 821 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ................... 798 359 975 767 986 1,148 1,400 

 Dairy products ........................................... 328 166 394 307 398 480 552 

 Fruits and vegetables ................................ 552 292 656 547 650 754 893 

 Other food at home ................................... 970 515 1,152 910 1,176 1,389 1,580 

 Food away from home ................................ 2,276 1,356 2,649 2,375 2,628 3,014 3,055 

Alcoholic beverages ...................................... 376 285 413 453 399 389 334 

 Housing ......................................................... 13,283 8,619 15,224 13,380 15,183 17,636 17,660 

 Shelter ......................................................... 7,829 5,465 8,818 7,728 8,847 10,299 10,088 

 Owned dwellings ....................................... 5,165 2,605 6,235 5,225 6,121 7,809 7,344 

 Rented dwellings ....................................... 2,160 2,538 2,002 1,839 2,234 1,957 2,214 

 Other lodging ............................................ 505 322 581 664 492 532 529 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services .............. 2,684 1,712 3,091 2,736 3,114 3,418 3,702 

 Household operations ................................. 706 400 834 513 977 1,267 998 

 Housekeeping supplies ............................... 545 270 656 677 551 676 722 

 Household furnishings and equipment ........ 1,518 772 1,826 1,725 1,695 1,976 2,151 

 Apparel and services .................................... 1,749 921 2,086 1,559 2,247 2,380 3,150 

Transportation ............................................... 7,759 3,890 9,377 8,110 10,003 10,685 10,510 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) .................... 3,665 1,662 4,502 3,805 4,994 5,177 4,966 

 Gasoline and motor oil ................................ 1,235 646 1,481 1,257 1,512 1,713 1,809 

 Other vehicle expenses .............................. 2,471 1,306 2,957 2,591 3,099 3,318 3,366 

 Public transportation ................................... 389 276 436 458 397 476 369 

Health care .................................................... 2,350 1,522 2,696 3,010 2,496 2,472 2,340 

 Entertainment ................................................ 2,079 1,193 2,448 2,115 2,308 2,928 3,038 

 Personal care products and services ............ 526 310 614 557 611 682 706 

 Reading ......................................................... 139 108 151 162 143 150 132 

 Education ...................................................... 752 562 831 491 935 1,156 1,279 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ...... 320 210 367 327 418 352 434 

 Miscellaneous ............................................... 792 602 872 797 859 926 1,049 

 Cash contributions ........................................ 1,277 998 1,394 1,516 1,203 1,242 1,523 

Personal insurance and pensions ................. 3,899 2,055 4,670 4,002 4,932 5,590 5,043 

 Life and other personal insurance ............... 406 183 499 492 499 520 493 

 Pensions and Social Security ..................... 3,493 1,872 4,170 3,510 4,433 5,071 4,550 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary. 2 Value less than 0.05.
Table 5. Composition of consumer unit: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2002

Item

Husband and wife consumer units

One

parent,

at least

one child

under 18

Single

person

and other

consumer

units

Total

husband

and wife

consumer

units

Husband

and wife

only

Husband and wife with children

Other

husband

and wife

consumer

units

Total

husband

and wife

with

children

Oldest

child

under 6

Oldest

child

6 to 17

Oldest

child 18

or over

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ... 56,265 23,118 28,790 5,547 15,206 8,036 4,357 6,730 49,112 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 ................................ $67,155 $58,967 $73,918 $67,587 $72,720 $81,042 $65,866 $26,966 $32,469 

 Age of reference person ............................ 48.4 56.9 41.6 32.2 39.8 51.3 48.1 37.2 49.2 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons .................................................... 3.2 2.0 3.9 3.5 4.1 3.9 5.0 2.9 1.6 

 Children under 18 .................................... .9 n.a. 1.6 1.5 2.1 .6 1.5 1.8 .2 

 Persons 65 and over ................................ .3 .6 .1 2 ( ) 2 ( ) .2 .5 2 ( ) .3 

 Earners .................................................... 1.7 1.2 2.0 1.7 1.9 2.6 2.4 1.0 1.0 

 Vehicles ................................................... 2.6 2.4 2.7 2.2 2.6 3.3 2.7 1.2 1.3 

Percent homeowner ................................... 82 86 80 69 81 87 76 40 52 

Average annual expenditures ...................... $52,334 $45,557 $57,835 $52,779 $58,104 $60,860 $52,484 $30,185 $28,627 

 Food ........................................................... 6,881 5,676 7,785 6,348 8,041 8,324 7,661 4,745 3,659 

 Food at home ........................................... 3,987 3,160 4,528 3,940 4,664 4,690 5,030 3,057 2,033 

 Cereals and bakery products ................. 579 442 676 560 708 697 711 461 292 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ................ 1,025 813 1,146 942 1,163 1,263 1,409 832 520 

 Dairy products ........................................ 426 329 497 454 517 487 506 318 212 

 Fruits and vegetables ............................ 714 602 779 711 789 808 914 498 364 

 Other food at home ................................ 1,242 974 1,431 1,274 1,487 1,434 1,491 948 645 

 Food away from home ............................. 2,894 2,516 3,257 2,408 3,376 3,634 2,630 1,688 1,625 

Alcoholic beverages ................................... 441 479 432 340 436 490 295 146 331 

 Housing ...................................................... 16,649 14,422 18,460 19,141 18,619 17,697 16,506 11,022 9,716 

 Shelter ..................................................... 9,578 8,110 10,795 11,269 10,912 10,247 9,323 6,513 6,007 

 Owned dwellings .................................... 7,411 6,114 8,536 8,506 8,728 8,196 6,860 3,102 2,874 

 Rented dwellings ................................... 1,451 1,157 1,611 2,384 1,600 1,097 1,962 3,280 2,818 

 Other lodging ......................................... 715 840 648 379 584 954 501 131 314 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ........... 3,271 2,915 3,478 2,979 3,491 3,797 3,787 2,471 2,042 

 Household operations .............................. 943 553 1,264 2,320 1,221 615 891 814 419 

 Housekeeping supplies ............................ 754 817 712 552 724 804 687 337 324 

 Household furnishings and equipment .... 2,104 2,027 2,212 2,021 2,271 2,234 1,819 886 925 

 Apparel and services ................................. 2,218 1,633 2,643 2,630 2,689 2,565 2,636 1,885 1,172 

Transportation ............................................ 10,199 8,592 11,425 10,467 11,203 12,506 10,629 5,549 5,266 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ................ 4,795 3,898 5,513 5,391 5,512 5,600 4,806 2,833 2,484 

 Gasoline and motor oil ............................. 1,621 1,345 1,807 1,494 1,761 2,112 1,852 912 837 

 Other vehicle expenses ........................... 3,287 2,818 3,649 3,176 3,491 4,274 3,400 1,645 1,647 

 Public transportation ................................ 496 531 455 406 439 521 571 159 298 

Health care ................................................ 3,110 3,614 2,716 2,233 2,676 3,127 3,027 1,252 1,629 

 Entertainment ............................................ 2,762 2,265 3,213 2,425 3,593 3,037 2,447 1,362 1,391 

 Personal care products and services ......... 662 608 711 549 757 736 641 428 379 

 Reading ..................................................... 174 192 166 132 169 184 130 72 107 

 Education ................................................... 952 490 1,366 336 1,246 2,303 675 454 563 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ... 336 286 344 275 318 440 548 262 311 

 Miscellaneous ............................................ 921 865 949 913 827 1,205 1,034 569 675 

 Cash contributions ..................................... 1,646 1,909 1,481 1,037 1,399 1,941 1,335 374 979 

Personal insurance and pensions .............. 5,384 4,524 6,144 5,952 6,129 6,304 4,920 2,066 2,448 

 Life and other personal insurance ........... 605 634 592 424 609 675 539 182 209 

 Pensions and Social Security .................. 4,779 3,891 5,552 5,528 5,520 5,629 4,381 1,883 2,239 

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

Survey, 2002

Item

All

consumer

units

Single consumers Consumer units of two or more persons

No earner One

earner No earner Oneearner

Two

earners

Three or

more

Number of consumer units (in thousands) .... 112,108 12,289 20,766 9,448 22,535 36,558 10,512 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 ................................. $49,430 $14,653 $33,475 $25,671 $44,393 $70,448 $79,070 

 Age of reference person .............................. 48.1 67.3 41.8 64.7 46.9 42.3 45.8 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ..................................................... 2.5 1.0 1.0 2.3 2.9 3.1 4.4 

 Children under 18 ...................................... .7 n.a. n.a. .4 1.0 .9 1.1 

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

 Earners ...................................................... 1.4 n.a. 1.0 n.a. 1.0 2.0 3.3 

 Vehicles ..................................................... 2.0 .8 1.2 1.8 2.0 2.5 3.2 

Percent homeowner .................................... 66 61 45 78 66 74 78 

Average annual expenditures ........................ $40,677 $17,607 $28,077 $29,721 $39,923 $52,991 $60,844 

 Food ............................................................ 5,375 2,383 3,223 4,542 5,650 6,729 8,381 

 Food at home ............................................ 3,099 1,620 1,521 2,959 3,546 3,704 4,884 

 Cereals and bakery products .................. 450 240 216 460 525 525 711 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ................. 798 387 344 738 931 967 1,328 

 Dairy products ......................................... 328 175 161 316 386 392 494 

 Fruits and vegetables .............................. 552 314 279 563 641 635 859 

 Other food at home ................................. 970 504 522 882 1,063 1,184 1,493 

 Food away from home ............................... 2,276 763 1,702 1,584 2,103 3,025 3,497 

Alcoholic beverages .................................... 376 113 385 208 320 491 528 

 Housing ....................................................... 13,283 7,030 9,559 9,825 13,324 17,101 17,640 

 Shelter ....................................................... 7,829 3,973 6,349 5,113 7,700 10,074 10,175 

 Owned dwellings ..................................... 5,165 1,890 3,028 3,278 4,995 7,384 7,560 

 Rented dwellings ..................................... 2,160 1,903 2,914 1,293 2,229 2,084 1,864 

 Other lodging ........................................... 505 180 406 542 476 606 752 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ............. 2,684 1,666 1,739 2,553 2,865 3,169 3,788 

 Household operations ............................... 706 608 277 505 681 1,069 636 

 Housekeeping supplies ............................. 545 272 268 541 551 710 798 

 Household furnishings and equipment ...... 1,518 511 926 1,113 1,526 2,079 2,243 

 Apparel and services ................................... 1,749 612 1,103 1,037 1,839 2,351 2,665 

Transportation ............................................. 7,759 2,173 4,906 5,330 7,576 10,384 13,372 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) .................. 3,665 816 2,163 2,382 3,699 4,960 6,538 

 Gasoline and motor oil .............................. 1,235 395 795 906 1,214 1,607 2,133 

 Other vehicle expenses ............................. 2,471 799 1,606 1,664 2,333 3,330 4,159 

 Public transportation .................................. 389 164 342 377 330 487 541 

Health care .................................................. 2,350 2,064 1,201 3,827 2,544 2,498 2,693 

 Entertainment .............................................. 2,079 701 1,484 1,265 2,037 2,801 3,172 

 Personal care products and services .......... 526 286 325 458 565 654 722 

 Reading ....................................................... 139 97 114 140 133 162 164 

 Education .................................................... 752 269 736 251 576 858 1,806 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies .... 320 142 250 210 324 387 529 

 Miscellaneous .............................................. 792 439 698 608 731 975 1,052 

 Cash contributions ....................................... 1,277 938 1,034 1,471 1,235 1,398 1,649 

Personal insurance and pensions ............... 3,899 361 3,058 550 3,070 6,202 6,470 

 Life and other personal insurance ............. 406 171 190 415 452 534 556 

 Pensions and Social Security .................... 3,493 189 2,868 135 2,618 5,668 5,914 

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

n.a. Not applicable.
Table 7. Housing tenure, type of area, race of reference person, and Hispanic origin of reference person: Average annual

expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2002

Item

All

consumer

units

Housing tenure Type of area Race of reference

person

Hispanic origin of

reference person

Homeowner Renter Urban Rural

White

and

other

Black Hispanic NonHispanic

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ... 112,108 74,419 37,689 98,386 13,722 98,553 13,554 10,500 101,608 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 ................................ $49,430 $59,345 $30,386 $50,985 $38,376 $51,177 $35,944 $37,360 $50,742 

 Age of reference person ............................ 48.1 52.0 40.4 47.6 51.3 48.4 45.6 42.2 48.7 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons .................................................... 2.5 2.6 2.2 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.7 3.3 2.4 

 Children under 18 .................................... .7 .7 .6 .7 .6 .6 .9 1.1 .6 

 Persons 65 and over ................................ .3 .4 .1 .3 .4 .3 .2 .2 .3 

 Earners .................................................... 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.6 1.3 

 Vehicles ................................................... 2.0 2.3 1.2 1.9 2.5 2.1 1.3 1.7 2.0 

Percent homeowner ................................... 66 100 n.a. 64 82 69 48 48 68 

Average annual expenditures ...................... $40,677 $46,908 $28,372 $41,600 $34,067 $42,135 $30,136 $34,742 $41,295 

 Food ........................................................... 5,375 6,009 4,123 5,465 4,739 5,542 4,186 5,666 5,349 

 Food at home ........................................... 3,099 3,454 2,397 3,129 2,884 3,159 2,669 3,643 3,047 

 Cereals and bakery products ................. 450 501 350 455 414 459 390 498 446 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ................ 798 881 636 804 756 789 862 1,057 774 

 Dairy products ........................................ 328 370 247 330 317 342 232 385 323 

 Fruits and vegetables ............................ 552 613 432 562 485 565 460 720 536 

 Other food at home ................................ 970 1,090 732 978 913 1,004 725 982 968 

 Food away from home ............................. 2,276 2,555 1,725 2,336 1,855 2,383 1,517 2,023 2,302 

Alcoholic beverages ................................... 376 402 324 395 241 402 190 301 383 

 Housing ...................................................... 13,283 15,058 9,777 13,771 9,780 13,633 10,756 11,841 13,431 

 Shelter ..................................................... 7,829 8,458 6,588 8,277 4,622 8,043 6,279 7,372 7,877 

 Owned dwellings .................................... 5,165 7,752 56 5,389 3,559 5,432 3,223 3,567 5,330 

 Rented dwellings ................................... 2,160 67 6,293 2,358 739 2,065 2,852 3,645 2,006 

 Other lodging ......................................... 505 639 239 530 324 546 204 161 540 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ........... 2,684 3,155 1,755 2,701 2,565 2,673 2,768 2,413 2,712 

 Household operations .............................. 706 876 370 751 381 733 509 407 737 

 Housekeeping supplies ............................ 545 674 291 511 790 578 313 471 552 

 Household furnishings and equipment .... 1,518 1,896 773 1,532 1,422 1,606 887 1,179 1,553 

 Apparel and services ................................. 1,749 1,942 1,369 1,814 1,292 1,756 1,704 2,097 1,716 

Transportation ............................................ 7,759 8,972 5,365 7,787 7,562 8,077 5,447 6,769 7,861 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ................ 3,665 4,238 2,533 3,647 3,796 3,836 2,420 3,130 3,720 

 Gasoline and motor oil ............................. 1,235 1,413 883 1,211 1,411 1,278 925 1,261 1,232 

 Other vehicle expenses ........................... 2,471 2,886 1,651 2,510 2,187 2,553 1,875 2,062 2,513 

 Public transportation ................................ 389 435 298 420 168 411 228 317 396 

Health care ................................................ 2,350 2,921 1,223 2,315 2,606 2,490 1,339 1,366 2,452 

 Entertainment ............................................ 2,079 2,501 1,246 2,124 1,755 2,211 1,124 1,409 2,148 

 Personal care products and services ......... 526 598 384 541 418 531 488 492 529 

 Reading ..................................................... 139 166 84 145 95 148 67 60 147 

 Education ................................................... 752 774 708 806 363 792 463 488 779 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ... 320 307 347 307 419 336 210 186 334 

 Miscellaneous ............................................ 792 895 589 808 683 818 606 628 809 

 Cash contributions ..................................... 1,277 1,588 663 1,300 1,112 1,327 917 612 1,346 

Personal insurance and pensions .............. 3,899 4,773 2,171 4,023 3,003 4,072 2,640 2,827 4,009 

 Life and other personal insurance ........... 406 524 173 407 398 419 312 196 428 

 Pensions and Social Security .................. 3,493 4,249 1,998 3,616 2,605 3,653 2,328 2,631 3,581 

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

n.a. Not applicable.
Table 8. Region of residence: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2002

Item

All

consumer

units

Northeast Midwest South West

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ............. 112,108 21,313 25,883 40,004 24,907 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 ......................................... $49,430 $53,983 $49,197 $45,641 $52,016 

 Age of reference person ...................................... 48.1 49.1 48.4 48.1 46.8 

Average number in consumer unit:

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

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

 Persons 65 and over ......................................... .3 .3 .3 .3 .3 

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

 Vehicles ............................................................. 2.0 1.7 2.2 1.9 2.1 

Percent homeowner ............................................ 66 64 70 68 62 

Average annual expenditures ................................ $40,677 $42,390 $40,601 $37,281 $44,728 

 Food .................................................................... 5,375 5,813 5,180 5,102 5,630 

 Food at home .................................................... 3,099 3,296 2,932 2,961 3,317 

 Cereals and bakery products ........................... 450 498 435 421 469 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .......................... 798 878 706 809 807 

 Dairy products ................................................. 328 348 320 300 365 

 Fruits and vegetables ...................................... 552 605 490 511 635 

 Other food at home .......................................... 970 967 981 919 1,041 

 Food away from home ....................................... 2,276 2,517 2,247 2,141 2,314 

Alcoholic beverages ............................................ 376 458 410 282 420 

 Housing ............................................................... 13,283 14,558 12,641 11,766 15,297 

 Shelter ............................................................... 7,829 8,962 7,097 6,478 9,792 

 Owned dwellings ............................................. 5,165 5,793 4,944 4,322 6,211 

 Rented dwellings ............................................. 2,160 2,567 1,657 1,744 3,003 

 Other lodging ................................................... 505 602 496 412 578 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ..................... 2,684 2,750 2,682 2,775 2,485 

 Household operations ........................................ 706 804 570 690 787 

 Housekeeping supplies ..................................... 545 498 709 489 506 

 Household furnishings and equipment .............. 1,518 1,544 1,583 1,333 1,727 

 Apparel and services ........................................... 1,749 1,965 1,728 1,592 1,836 

Transportation ..................................................... 7,759 7,185 8,133 7,393 8,449 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) .......................... 3,665 3,036 4,034 3,591 3,937 

 Gasoline and motor oil ....................................... 1,235 1,081 1,269 1,238 1,325 

 Other vehicle expenses ..................................... 2,471 2,456 2,487 2,299 2,742 

 Public transportation .......................................... 389 612 342 265 445 

Health care .......................................................... 2,350 2,207 2,383 2,431 2,310 

 Entertainment ...................................................... 2,079 2,287 2,143 1,705 2,436 

 Personal care products and services .................. 526 518 517 509 569 

 Reading ............................................................... 139 165 149 103 162 

 Education ............................................................. 752 1,062 718 487 947 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ............ 320 315 396 321 247 

 Miscellaneous ...................................................... 792 733 776 764 905 

 Cash contributions ............................................... 1,277 1,199 1,363 1,193 1,389 

Personal insurance and pensions ....................... 3,899 3,924 4,065 3,632 4,132 

 Life and other personal insurance ..................... 406 460 448 389 345 

 Pensions and Social Security ............................ 3,493 3,464 3,617 3,243 3,787 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.
Table 9. Occupation of reference person: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2002

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) .................................. 5,106 74,695 27,104 20,964 10,704 4,885 11,038 19,204 13,102 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 .................... $54,787 $57,422 $80,469 $49,363 $35,108 $50,401 $40,214 $26,399 $32,298 

 Age of reference person ................. 52.2 41.9 43.1 40.7 41.3 41.0 42.4 72.5 45.8 

Average number in consumer unit:

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

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

 Persons 65 and over .................... .4 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 1.1 .2 

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

 Vehicles ........................................ 2.3 2.1 2.2 2.0 1.8 2.5 2.2 1.6 1.6 

Percent homeowner ....................... 79 64 73 60 49 67 59 81 56 

Average annual expenditures ........... $46,880 $45,296 $57,200 $42,069 $34,515 $40,711 $34,601 $27,535 $31,099 

 Food ............................................... 5,906 5,835 6,797 5,497 5,114 5,480 4,939 3,798 4,810 

 Food at home ............................... 3,063 3,244 3,526 3,035 3,127 3,261 3,038 2,519 3,122 

 Cereals and bakery products ..... 433 467 516 438 453 450 418 384 458 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .... 766 839 851 798 847 937 834 616 843 

 Dairy products ............................ 322 340 377 318 315 335 316 277 338 

 Fruits and vegetables ................. 535 568 648 510 542 535 521 501 539 

 Other food at home .................... 1,007 1,030 1,134 971 971 1,003 949 740 945 

 Food away from home .................. 2,842 2,591 3,271 2,462 1,986 2,219 1,902 1,279 1,689 

Alcoholic beverages ....................... 500 436 554 374 323 428 369 208 224 

 Housing .......................................... 15,193 14,621 18,644 13,717 11,053 12,640 10,782 9,307 10,731 

 Shelter .......................................... 8,999 8,783 11,418 8,296 6,531 7,524 5,978 4,871 6,274 

 Owned dwellings ........................ 6,597 5,830 8,268 5,303 3,364 5,198 3,515 3,217 3,672 

 Rented dwellings ........................ 1,485 2,427 2,321 2,553 2,814 2,050 2,239 1,219 2,280 

 Other lodging .............................. 917 526 829 440 353 276 224 435 323 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services 3,059 2,784 3,166 2,658 2,442 2,694 2,461 2,382 2,410 

 Household operations .................. 938 758 1,127 700 406 531 403 616 449 

 Housekeeping supplies ................ 539 578 644 511 452 452 716 477 459 

 Household furnishings and

equipment ................................... 1,658 1,718 2,290 1,551 1,222 1,439 1,224 962 1,138 

 Apparel and services ...................... 1,788 2,004 2,532 1,906 1,618 1,447 1,507 899 1,515 

Transportation ................................ 7,102 8,959 10,494 8,491 7,507 9,025 7,458 4,468 5,997 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..... 2,576 4,332 4,854 4,183 3,905 4,458 3,691 1,793 3,029 

 Gasoline and motor oil ................. 1,334 1,387 1,519 1,320 1,180 1,539 1,322 779 1,000 

 Other vehicle expenses ................ 2,693 2,822 3,460 2,625 2,207 2,779 2,245 1,553 1,722 

 Public transportation ..................... 498 418 661 362 215 247 200 343 246 

Health care ..................................... 3,628 2,058 2,538 1,955 1,559 1,786 1,679 3,482 1,859 

 Entertainment ................................. 2,441 2,366 3,178 2,200 1,659 2,001 1,532 1,254 1,499 

 Personal care products and

services ...................................... 561 563 713 545 442 435 398 435 434 

 Reading .......................................... 177 142 211 127 83 90 82 146 92 

 Education ....................................... 855 914 1,319 861 634 501 472 177 632 

 Tobacco products and smoking

supplies ...................................... 315 354 251 354 377 582 482 163 363 

 Miscellaneous ................................. 1,144 843 1,106 730 654 895 570 657 565 

 Cash contributions .......................... 1,750 1,278 1,792 1,069 742 1,298 928 1,546 692 

Personal insurance and pensions .. 5,518 4,923 7,071 4,244 2,751 4,103 3,404 995 1,686 

 Life and other personal insurance 544 429 602 370 278 366 290 383 256 

 Pensions and Social Security ....... 4,974 4,494 6,470 3,873 2,473 3,737 3,114 612 1,430 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete income reporters" only; see glossary.
Table 10. Education of reference person: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2002

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

degree Total Bachelor’sdegree

Master’s,

professional,

doctorate

Number of consumer units (in thousands) 112,108 82,690 17,075 31,961 23,260 10,395 29,417 19,082 10,335 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes 1 ............................ $49,430 $39,402 $25,564 $39,618 $42,598 $54,860 $77,820 $69,408 $92,783 

 Age of reference person ......................... 48.1 48.7 54.9 49.7 43.9 46.1 46.4 45.0 49.1 

Average number in consumer unit:

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

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

 Persons 65 and over ............................ .3 .3 .5 .3 .2 .2 .2 .2 .2 

 Earners ................................................. 1.4 1.3 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 

 Vehicles ................................................ 2.0 1.9 1.4 2.0 1.9 2.3 2.1 2.1 2.1 

Percent homeowner ............................... 66 63 57 67 59 73 75 72 80 

Average annual expenditures ................... $40,677 $34,631 $24,930 $33,708 $38,654 $44,406 $57,384 $53,732 $64,118 

 Food ....................................................... 5,375 4,830 4,140 4,708 5,112 5,690 6,779 6,565 7,171 

 Food at home ....................................... 3,099 2,925 2,896 2,917 2,868 3,134 3,535 3,439 3,709 

 Cereals and bakery products .............. 450 424 405 422 423 462 516 499 546 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ............. 798 790 843 800 732 808 819 808 838 

 Dairy products .................................... 328 306 298 303 305 327 385 375 404 

 Fruits and vegetables ......................... 552 497 523 487 480 531 690 646 768 

 Other food at home ............................. 970 908 827 905 928 1,006 1,126 1,111 1,153 

 Food away from home .......................... 2,276 1,905 1,245 1,791 2,244 2,556 3,244 3,126 3,462 

Alcoholic beverages ............................... 376 303 185 273 372 433 561 538 604 

 Housing .................................................. 13,283 11,194 8,288 10,800 12,336 14,644 19,111 17,759 21,607 

 Shelter .................................................. 7,829 6,417 4,597 6,180 7,290 8,183 11,800 10,867 13,521 

 Owned dwellings ................................ 5,165 3,966 2,194 3,902 4,510 5,858 8,534 7,711 10,055 

 Rented dwellings ................................ 2,160 2,128 2,279 1,987 2,315 1,893 2,250 2,369 2,030 

 Other lodging ...................................... 505 323 124 290 465 433 1,015 787 1,436 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ........ 2,684 2,533 2,211 2,597 2,515 2,902 3,111 3,018 3,282 

 Household operations ........................... 706 518 260 427 713 789 1,232 1,088 1,499 

 Housekeeping supplies ........................ 545 502 402 440 465 956 653 624 708 

 Household furnishings and equipment 1,518 1,224 819 1,156 1,353 1,814 2,315 2,162 2,598 

 Apparel and services .............................. 1,749 1,486 1,226 1,392 1,630 1,890 2,435 2,311 2,661 

Transportation ........................................ 7,759 6,947 4,826 6,983 7,743 8,546 10,035 9,678 10,694 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ............. 3,665 3,339 2,375 3,351 3,848 3,744 4,581 4,507 4,718 

 Gasoline and motor oil .......................... 1,235 1,180 902 1,212 1,229 1,430 1,390 1,355 1,453 

 Other vehicle expenses ........................ 2,471 2,180 1,396 2,201 2,369 2,983 3,282 3,170 3,489 

 Public transportation ............................. 389 248 154 218 297 389 782 645 1,033 

Health care ............................................. 2,350 2,147 1,797 2,208 2,149 2,535 2,914 2,740 3,234 

 Entertainment ......................................... 2,079 1,683 872 1,588 2,071 2,433 3,176 3,021 3,462 

 Personal care products and services ..... 526 464 350 453 530 535 691 674 724 

 Reading .................................................. 139 102 55 96 127 138 242 204 311 

 Education ................................................ 752 505 120 306 953 746 1,442 1,278 1,746 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies 320 375 354 441 340 289 167 186 130 

 Miscellaneous ......................................... 792 696 495 624 881 839 1,060 932 1,295 

 Cash contributions .................................. 1,277 959 607 951 1,046 1,373 2,170 2,012 2,462 

Personal insurance and pensions .......... 3,899 2,937 1,614 2,886 3,364 4,314 6,600 5,834 8,017 

 Life and other personal insurance ........ 406 331 204 336 366 444 618 532 778 

 Pensions and Social Security ............... 3,493 2,607 1,410 2,551 2,999 3,870 5,982 5,301 7,239 

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