Table 55. Quintiles of income before taxes: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income,

Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003

(Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

Item

Complete reporting of income

Aggregate

Lowest

20

percent

Second

20

percent

Third

20

percent

Fourth

20

percent

Highest

20

percent

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

Percent distribution of consumer units .............................. 100.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 

Consumer unit characteristics (mean values): 

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

Income after taxes 1 ........................................................ 48,596 8,260 20,543 36,363 58,593 119,091 

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

Average number in consumer unit:

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

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

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

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

 Vehicles ........................................................................ 2.0 .9 1.5 2.0 2.5 2.9 

Percent distribution:

Sex of reference person:

Male ............................................................................ 51 37 45 53 58 59 

 Female ........................................................................ 49 63 55 47 42 41 

Housing tenure:

Homeowner ................................................................. 66 41 55 65 79 90 

 With mortgage ........................................................... 41 11 22 40 59 72 

 Without mortgage ...................................................... 25 30 33 25 20 18 

 Renter ......................................................................... 34 59 45 35 21 10 

Race of reference person:

Black or African American ........................................... 12 18 14 11 8 6 

 White, Asian, and All Other Races .............................. 88 82 86 89 92 94 

Education of reference person:

Elementary (1-8) ......................................................... 6 13 11 5 2 1 

 High school (9-12) ....................................................... 36 45 48 40 31 17 

 College ........................................................................ 57 41 41 55 67 82 

 Never attended and other ........................................... 2 ( ) 1 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 2 ( ) 2 ( )

At least one vehicle owned or leased ........................... 88 64 87 95 97 98 

Annual aggregate expenditures ........................................ $4,039,935 8.6 12.4 16.9 23.6 38.4 

Food ................................................................................ 474,544 11.3 14.6 18.2 23.4 32.5 

 Food at home ................................................................ 271,570 13.1 16.8 19.2 23.0 27.9 

 Cereals and bakery products ...................................... 38,211 13.9 17.1 18.8 23.1 27.0 

 Cereals and cereal products ..................................... 12,956 14.9 17.5 19.4 22.5 25.7 

 Bakery products ........................................................ 25,254 13.4 17.0 18.4 23.5 27.7 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..................................... 70,096 13.1 17.4 19.4 23.5 26.6 

 Beef ........................................................................... 21,151 11.3 16.7 18.8 26.5 26.7 

 Pork ........................................................................... 14,359 14.8 19.9 20.1 21.1 24.2 

 Other meats .............................................................. 8,698 13.7 17.3 19.1 24.2 25.6 

 Poultry ....................................................................... 12,181 13.8 17.3 19.2 22.7 27.1 

 Fish and seafood ...................................................... 10,492 12.3 14.5 20.1 22.1 31.0 

 Eggs .......................................................................... 3,214 16.0 20.5 21.0 19.5 23.1 

Dairy products ............................................................. 28,757 12.7 16.8 19.6 22.8 28.0 

 Fresh milk and cream ............................................... 11,029 14.0 18.3 20.0 22.2 25.4 

 Other dairy products ................................................. 17,728 11.9 15.9 19.4 23.2 29.6 

 Fruits and vegetables .................................................. 46,572 13.3 17.4 19.4 21.6 28.4 

 Fresh fruits ................................................................ 14,853 12.1 17.1 19.3 21.4 30.1 

 Fresh vegetables ...................................................... 15,029 13.0 17.5 19.6 20.8 29.1 

 Processed fruits ........................................................ 9,385 14.2 17.6 18.7 22.4 27.1 

 Processed vegetables ............................................... 7,306 14.9 17.5 19.9 22.9 24.9 

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 55. Quintiles of income before taxes: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income,

Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003 — Continued

(Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

Item

Complete reporting of income

Aggregate

Lowest

20

percent

Second

20

percent

Third

20

percent

Fourth

20

percent

Highest

20

percent

 Other food at home ..................................................... $87,933 12.7 15.8 19.1 23.5 29.0 

 Sugar and other sweets ............................................ 10,342 13.0 17.0 18.6 22.8 28.6 

 Fats and oils .............................................................. 7,288 14.1 18.1 19.9 21.9 26.0 

 Miscellaneous foods ................................................. 43,004 12.4 15.4 19.0 23.7 29.5 

 Nonalcoholic beverages ............................................ 23,579 13.4 16.1 19.7 23.7 27.0 

Food prepared by consumer unit on

out-of-town trips ...................................................... 3,720 7.5 9.0 14.8 24.8 43.9 

 Food away from home .................................................. 202,974 8.9 11.7 16.7 23.9 38.7 

Alcoholic beverages ........................................................ 37,544 8.9 10.4 14.8 24.9 40.9 

Housing ........................................................................... 1,314,092 10.1 13.6 17.2 22.5 36.7 

 Shelter ........................................................................... 771,460 10.3 13.5 17.1 22.3 36.9 

 Owned dwellings ......................................................... 510,962 5.7 9.4 14.6 24.6 45.7 

 Mortgage interest and charges ................................. 286,979 3.5 7.2 14.3 26.7 48.2 

 Property taxes ........................................................... 127,619 8.7 11.3 14.7 22.0 43.3 

Maintenance, repairs, insurance, other

expenses ................................................................. 96,364 8.1 13.4 15.4 21.9 41.2 

 Rented dwellings ......................................................... 216,191 22.0 24.5 24.2 17.3 12.0 

 Other lodging .............................................................. 44,307 6.2 6.6 10.6 20.0 56.8 

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................................ 274,604 12.2 16.4 19.4 23.0 29.1 

 Natural gas .................................................................. 37,697 12.5 16.7 18.5 22.1 30.1 

 Electricity ..................................................................... 99,461 13.1 17.1 19.9 22.6 27.3 

 Fuel oil and other fuels ................................................ 10,892 12.0 16.5 18.1 22.4 31.0 

 Telephone services ..................................................... 94,431 11.6 15.8 19.2 23.6 29.8 

 Water and other public services .................................. 32,123 10.7 15.4 19.4 23.6 30.9 

 Household operations ................................................... 71,058 6.6 11.1 13.7 20.9 47.7 

 Personal services ........................................................ 29,522 5.9 11.3 12.8 21.3 48.7 

 Other household expenses ......................................... 41,536 7.1 11.0 14.3 20.6 47.0 

Housekeeping supplies ................................................. 48,749 10.3 14.3 16.5 22.7 36.2 

 Laundry and cleaning supplies ................................... 12,180 12.5 18.1 18.9 22.7 27.8 

 Other household products ........................................... 24,065 9.3 12.5 15.8 21.8 40.5 

 Postage and stationery ............................................... 12,504 10.0 14.1 15.6 24.3 35.9 

 Household furnishings and equipment .......................... 148,221 6.6 10.2 15.3 23.3 44.6 

 Household textiles ....................................................... 10,982 6.9 13.0 16.9 22.5 40.6 

 Furniture ...................................................................... 40,799 6.2 8.4 14.3 23.8 47.4 

 Floor coverings ........................................................... 5,288 8.7 5.5 10.3 16.5 59.0 

 Major appliances ......................................................... 19,504 7.4 14.4 18.0 22.4 37.8 

Small appliances, miscellaneous

housewares ............................................................... 8,350 8.7 13.5 15.5 22.2 40.1 

 Miscellaneous household equipment .......................... 63,298 6.1 9.5 15.3 24.1 45.0 

Apparel and services ...................................................... 152,676 10.3 12.3 16.7 23.0 37.7 

 Men and boys ............................................................... 33,765 9.2 10.1 17.8 24.4 38.4 

 Men, 16 and over ........................................................ 25,429 8.6 9.9 17.4 24.8 39.4 

 Boys, 2 to 15 ............................................................... 8,336 11.1 11.0 19.2 23.3 35.2 

 Women and girls ........................................................... 59,847 10.3 12.4 16.3 22.9 38.1 

 Women, 16 and over ................................................... 49,868 10.8 12.3 16.3 22.7 38.0 

 Girls, 2 to 15 ................................................................ 9,979 7.7 13.2 16.3 24.1 38.8 

 Children under 2 ........................................................... 7,564 9.4 14.6 20.5 22.1 33.4 

 Footwear ....................................................................... 26,061 14.8 15.2 16.7 25.3 28.0 

 Other apparel products and services ............................ 25,439 7.7 10.9 14.8 19.6 47.0 

Transportation ................................................................. 781,789 7.1 12.2 17.9 26.6 36.2 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ...................................... 377,043 6.4 11.2 17.4 27.6 37.4 

 Cars and trucks, new .................................................. 209,782 4.9 9.4 13.0 25.2 47.6 

 Cars and trucks, used ................................................. 160,644 8.4 14.0 23.2 30.6 23.7 

 Other vehicles ............................................................. 6,616 35.0 4 ( ) 16.3 33.2 45.5 

 Gasoline and motor oil .................................................. 131,804 9.1 14.5 20.0 25.7 30.8 

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 55. Quintiles of income before taxes: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income,

Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2003 — Continued

(Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

Item

Complete reporting of income

Aggregate

Lowest

20

percent

Second

20

percent

Third

20

percent

Fourth

20

percent

Highest

20

percent

 Other vehicle expenses ................................................ $234,233 7.1 12.7 18.5 26.2 35.5 

 Vehicle finance charges .............................................. 37,297 5.1 9.8 19.2 29.3 36.6 

 Maintenance and repairs ............................................ 63,116 7.9 14.4 18.3 25.2 34.3 

 Vehicle insurance ........................................................ 90,524 7.7 14.2 19.8 25.4 32.9 

Vehicle rental, leases, licenses, other

charges ..................................................................... 43,296 6.2 9.6 15.7 26.5 42.0 

 Public transportation ..................................................... 38,710 7.6 11.6 12.9 21.6 46.2 

Health care ...................................................................... 240,660 11.5 17.1 20.5 22.0 28.9 

 Health insurance ........................................................... 123,411 11.7 17.7 20.6 22.7 27.2 

 Medical services ........................................................... 59,535 8.6 12.4 20.8 22.7 35.6 

 Drugs ............................................................................ 46,953 15.1 21.3 20.2 19.4 24.1 

 Medical supplies ........................................................... 10,760 9.8 17.1 18.6 21.6 32.9 

Entertainment .................................................................. 205,426 6.5 11.9 16.5 22.9 42.1 

 Fees and admissions .................................................... 49,779 5.1 7.3 12.6 22.4 52.5 

 Television, radios, sound equipment ............................ 72,374 9.9 14.3 18.5 23.5 33.8 

 Pets, toys, and playground equipment .......................... 37,295 6.5 17.4 17.2 22.6 36.2 

Other entertainment supplies, equipment,

and services ................................................................ 45,978 2.7 8.8 16.9 22.8 48.7 

Personal care products and services .............................. 50,385 10.4 13.2 17.3 22.8 36.3 

Reading ........................................................................... 12,982 8.8 13.2 17.1 22.7 38.2 

Education ........................................................................ 76,328 14.6 7.2 8.8 15.7 53.7 

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ........................ 29,894 15.4 20.5 22.6 23.2 18.3 

Miscellaneous ................................................................. 62,979 9.0 14.0 18.0 26.9 32.2 

Cash contributions .......................................................... 141,962 6.1 10.8 14.7 20.0 48.3 

Personal insurance and pensions ................................... 458,673 1.8 5.8 13.3 25.4 53.6 

 Life and other personal insurance ................................. 40,325 6.0 10.9 14.7 21.0 47.3 

 Pensions and Social Security ....................................... 418,348 1.4 5.3 13.1 25.9 54.2 

Sources of income and personal taxes: 1

Money income before taxes .............................................. 4,979,403 3.2 8.4 14.7 23.9 49.8 

 Wages and salaries ...................................................... 4,012,508 1.5 6.1 14.0 25.3 53.1 

 Self-employment income .............................................. 208,249 -3.0 3.9 7.9 17.5 73.7 

 Social Security, private and government retirement ..... 545,459 14.2 24.4 22.0 19.0 20.4 

 Interest, dividends, rental income, other property

income ........................................................................ 106,877 1.6 7.6 12.7 17.1 61.0 

 Unemployment and workers’ compensation, veterans’

benefits ....................................................................... 26,217 11.3 19.1 22.1 25.3 22.2 

 Public assistance, supplemental security income, food

stamps ........................................................................ 30,609 50.0 26.4 14.3 6.3 3.0 

 Regular contributions for support .................................. 33,396 16.9 21.0 18.2 23.3 20.6 

 Other income ................................................................ 16,088 26.3 19.9 13.2 18.0 22.6 

Personal taxes ................................................................ 246,569 -.5 7.4 9.3 20.1 63.7 

 Federal income taxes .................................................... 179,498 -1.2 8.2 7.7 19.1 66.3 

 State and local income taxes ........................................ 48,845 5 ( ) 3.5 12.1 22.9 61.4 

 Other taxes ................................................................... 18,226 5.2 10.0 18.0 22.1 44.6 

Income after taxes .......................................................... 4,732,834 3.4 8.5 15.0 24.1 49.1 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete

income reporters" only; see glossary. 2 Value less than 0.5.

3 Data are likely to have large sampling errors. 4 No data reported. 5 Value less than 0.05.