Table 2602. Generation of reference person: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income, Consumer 

Expenditure Surveys, 2021 

 (Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated) 

Item Aggregate 

Birth year 

of 1997 

or later 

Birth year 

from 1981 

to 1996 

Birth year 

from 1965 

to 1980 

Birth year 

from 1946 

to 1964 

Birth year 

of 1945 

or earlier 

Number of consumer units (in thousands)1....................................................... 133,595 6,065 35,032 35,415 43,622 13,460 

Percent distribution of consumer units .............................................................. 100.0 4.5 26.2 26.5 32.7 10.1 

Consumer unit characteristics (mean values): 

 Income before taxes ....................................................................................... $87,432 $44,283 $92,324 $117,577 $79,015 $42,113 

 Income after taxes .......................................................................................... 78,743 42,335 84,563 102,512 71,183 41,969 

 Age of reference person ................................................................................. 51.8 21.8 32.6 48.3 65.1 81.9 

 Average number in consumer unit: 

 People ......................................................................................................... 2.4 2.1 2.9 3.0 2.0 1.5 

 Children under 18 ....................................................................................... .6 .3 1.1 .8 .1 ( 2 ) 

 Adults 65 and older ..................................................................................... .4 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) .1 .8 1.4 

 Earners ........................................................................................................ 1.3 1.5 1.5 1.7 1.0 .2 

 Vehicles ....................................................................................................... 1.9 1.3 1.7 2.1 2.0 1.4 

Percent distribution: 

 Reference person: 

 Men ............................................................................................................. 47 49 48 48 47 45 

 Women ........................................................................................................ 53 51 52 52 53 55 

 Housing tenure: 

 Homeowner ................................................................................................. 65 17 49 68 77 77 

 With mortgage.......................................................................................... 38 9 40 51 36 15 

 Without mortgage .................................................................................... 27 8 9 18 41 62 

 Renter.......................................................................................................... 35 83 51 32 23 23 

 Race of reference person: 

 Black or African-American .......................................................................... 13 14 14 15 13 8 

 White, Asian, and all other races, not including Black or 

 African-American ..................................................................................... 87 86 86 85 87 92 

 Hispanic or Latino origin of reference person: 

 Hispanic or Latino ....................................................................................... 15 21 19 18 10 5 

 Not Hispanic or Latino ................................................................................. 85 79 81 82 90 95 

 Education of reference person: 

 Elementary (1-8) ......................................................................................... 3 ( 2 ) 2 3 3 5 

 High school (9-12) ....................................................................................... 28 36 25 25 30 37 

 College ........................................................................................................ 69 63 73 72 67 57 

 Never attended and other ........................................................................... ( 2 ) ( 3 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 1 

 At least one vehicle owned or leased ............................................................ 89 74 90 92 92 83 

Annual aggregate expenditures ........................................................................ $8,937,383 2.8 27.1 33.2 30.1 6.8 

 Food ............................................................................................................... 1,105,178 3.0 26.9 34.1 29.2 6.8 

 Food at home .............................................................................................. 701,087 2.6 25.1 33.7 30.7 7.9 

 Cereals and bakery products ................................................................... 89,592 2.6 25.2 34.0 29.7 8.6 

 Cereals and cereal products ................................................................ 28,017 3.0 26.9 34.8 27.8 7.5 

 Bakery products .................................................................................... 61,575 2.4 24.4 33.6 30.5 9.1 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................................................................. 148,655 2.9 24.7 33.9 31.0 7.5 

 Beef....................................................................................................... 39,018 2.8 26.5 34.0 29.8 6.9 

 Pork....................................................................................................... 29,713 2.9 23.6 33.0 32.1 8.4 

 Other meats .......................................................................................... 20,081 3.1 23.2 34.1 30.8 8.8 

 Poultry ................................................................................................... 27,052 3.3 25.3 35.1 30.5 5.8 

 Fish and seafood .................................................................................. 23,778 3.0 23.4 33.3 32.6 7.7 

 Eggs ...................................................................................................... 9,012 2.5 26.3 33.4 29.6 8.2 

 Dairy products .......................................................................................... 65,568 2.4 24.4 33.0 31.7 8.5 

 Fresh milk and cream ........................................................................... 20,941 2.8 24.3 33.5 31.8 7.5 

 Other dairy products ............................................................................. 44,627 2.3 24.4 32.8 31.6 8.9 

 Fruits and vegetables .............................................................................. 137,670 2.8 25.0 34.0 29.9 8.5 

 Fresh fruits ............................................................................................ 50,421 2.6 25.0 33.5 30.3 8.6 

 Fresh vegetables .................................................................................. 43,712 2.8 25.5 34.0 29.3 8.4 

 Processed fruits .................................................................................... 17,683 3.5 23.7 33.2 29.9 9.7 

 Processed vegetables .......................................................................... 25,854 2.6 24.8 35.2 30.0 7.5 

 Other food at home .................................................................................. 259,603 2.4 25.5 33.6 31.2 7.3 

 Sugar and other sweets........................................................................ 24,263 2.2 23.5 33.8 32.0 8.5 

See footnotes at end of table. 
Table 2602. Generation of reference person: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income, Consumer 

Expenditure Surveys, 2021 — Continued 

 (Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated) 

Item Aggregate 

Birth year 

of 1997 

or later 

Birth year 

from 1981 

to 1996 

Birth year 

from 1965 

to 1980 

Birth year 

from 1946 

to 1964 

Birth year 

of 1945 

or earlier 

 Fats and oils ......................................................................................... 17,664 3.0 23.2 33.3 32.3 8.2 

 Miscellaneous foods ............................................................................. 139,776 2.2 26.5 33.3 30.5 7.6 

 Nonalcoholic beverages ....................................................................... 68,632 2.7 24.4 34.1 32.2 6.7 

 Food prepared by consumer unit on out of town trips.......................... 9,267 2.4 27.4 34.5 31.8 3.9 

 Food away from home ................................................................................ 404,091 3.7 30.0 34.6 26.6 5.1 

 Alcoholic beverages ....................................................................................... 73,841 3.0 29.9 29.4 32.2 5.5 

 Housing .......................................................................................................... 3,021,905 3.1 27.9 31.0 30.6 7.4 

 Shelter ......................................................................................................... 1,771,197 3.6 29.0 31.1 29.1 7.2 

 Owned dwellings ...................................................................................... 1,014,119 .8 22.8 34.0 35.0 7.4 

 Mortgage interest and charges ............................................................. 371,521 .8 29.4 39.7 27.5 2.6 

 Property taxes....................................................................................... 330,672 .9 19.7 31.8 38.3 9.4 

 Maintenance, repairs, insurance, and other expenses ........................ 311,926 .8 18.0 29.7 40.4 11.0 

 Rented dwellings ..................................................................................... 625,766 8.4 41.1 24.9 18.4 7.3 

 Other lodging ........................................................................................... 131,312 2.2 19.2 38.1 35.2 5.3 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services .............................................................. 564,237 2.5 24.0 31.4 33.7 8.5 

 Natural gas ............................................................................................... 59,764 2.2 21.6 29.9 36.2 10.2 

 Electricity .................................................................................................. 207,189 2.7 24.4 30.2 33.8 8.9 

 Fuel oil and other fuels ............................................................................ 16,247 4

.8 14.1 31.4 40.9 12.7 

 Telephone services .................................................................................. 188,193 2.6 25.8 33.4 31.5 6.7 

 Residential phone service, VOIP, and phone cards ............................ 22,060 4

.6 8.8 21.5 47.6 21.4 

 Cellular phone service .......................................................................... 166,134 2.8 28.1 35.0 29.4 4.7 

 Water and other public services .............................................................. 92,843 2.0 22.9 30.6 35.2 9.3 

 Household operations ................................................................................. 218,873 1.7 33.6 27.8 28.3 8.6 

 Personal services .................................................................................... 50,394 4

.2 70.9 20.2 4.4 44.2 

 Other household expenses ...................................................................... 168,479 2.1 22.4 30.1 35.5 9.9 

 Housekeeping supplies ............................................................................... 107,042 2.1 21.3 30.9 36.5 9.3 

 Laundry and cleaning supplies ................................................................ 23,789 2.6 24.0 33.0 31.5 8.9 

 Other household products ....................................................................... 68,508 2.0 20.2 31.0 38.1 8.7 

 Postage and stationery ............................................................................ 14,745 1.3 21.9 26.8 37.1 12.9 

 Household furnishings and equipment ....................................................... 360,556 2.9 27.1 31.8 32.6 5.6 

 Household textiles ................................................................................... 16,221 1.7 19.8 36.9 34.2 7.3 

 Furniture ................................................................................................... 95,600 2.8 30.8 33.7 27.4 5.3 

 Floor coverings ........................................................................................ 4,439 1.5 29.4 33.9 27.6 7.6 

 Major appliances ...................................................................................... 61,922 2.1 25.9 30.5 34.3 7.2 

 Small appliances and miscellaneous housewares .................................. 18,949 2.8 28.1 31.0 31.4 6.7 

 Miscellaneous household equipment ...................................................... 163,425 3.4 26.0 30.7 35.1 4.9 

 Apparel and services ...................................................................................... 233,952 3.8 32.0 36.5 23.3 4.3 

 Men and boys .............................................................................................. 56,507 3.8 34.0 35.8 23.2 3.2 

 Men, 16 and over ..................................................................................... 41,298 4.8 29.7 34.1 27.4 4.0 

 Boys, 2 to 15 ............................................................................................ 15,210 41.4 45.7 40.4 11.8 4

.8 

 Women and girls ......................................................................................... 87,858 3.4 28.3 38.9 24.2 5.1 

 Women, 16 and over ............................................................................... 73,157 3.7 26.1 37.6 26.7 5.9 

 Girls, 2 to 15 ............................................................................................. 14,701 42.2 39.3 45.3 12.0 41.2 

 Children under 2.......................................................................................... 8,844 42.6 71.1 12.2 12.3 41.8 

 Footwear ..................................................................................................... 44,801 4.6 29.7 38.2 23.9 3.6 

 Other apparel products and services .......................................................... 35,942 4.3 31.2 35.7 23.5 5.4 

 Transportation ................................................................................................ 1,464,325 3.3 30.3 33.8 27.8 4.8 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ................................................................... 645,014 3.1 33.5 34.1 25.1 4.1 

 Cars and trucks, new ............................................................................... 295,306 42.7 30.8 37.5 24.8 4.3 

 Cars and trucks, used .............................................................................. 341,296 3.3 36.0 31.3 25.4 4.1 

 Other vehicles .......................................................................................... 8,412 48.6 29.8 34.5 27.1 ( 3 ) 

 Gasoline, other fuels, and motor oil ............................................................ 286,902 3.9 29.1 33.4 29.0 4.6 

 Other vehicle expenses .............................................................................. 472,093 3.2 26.6 33.2 30.8 6.2 

 Vehicle finance charges........................................................................... 36,325 2.8 32.6 35.1 26.9 2.6 

 Maintenance and repairs ......................................................................... 130,199 3.0 25.9 33.0 32.3 5.9 

 Vehicle rental, leases, licenses, and other charges ................................ 101,488 3.4 26.9 32.2 30.6 6.9 

 Vehicle insurance .................................................................................... 204,080 3.4 25.7 33.6 30.7 6.6 

 Public and other transportation ................................................................... 60,316 2.9 31.7 35.6 26.2 3.5 

 Healthcare ...................................................................................................... 728,228 1.1 19.4 27.0 39.4 13.1 

 Health insurance ......................................................................................... 494,784 1.0 18.3 26.5 40.7 13.4 

 Medical services.......................................................................................... 142,902 1.5 25.1 29.2 32.8 11.3 

 Drugs ........................................................................................................... 66,401 1.3 15.0 25.3 44.1 14.3 

 Medical supplies.......................................................................................... 24,141 1.5 18.3 28.4 38.8 13.1 

 Entertainment ................................................................................................. 476,379 2.1 25.4 35.1 31.6 5.8 

See footnotes at end of table. 
Table 2602. Generation of reference person: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income, Consumer 

Expenditure Surveys, 2021 — Continued 

 (Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated) 

Item Aggregate 

Birth year 

of 1997 

or later 

Birth year 

from 1981 

to 1996 

Birth year 

from 1965 

to 1980 

Birth year 

from 1946 

to 1964 

Birth year 

of 1945 

or earlier 

 Fees and admissions .................................................................................. 87,296 2.3 29.4 41.8 21.7 4.7 

 Audio and visual equipment and services .................................................. 136,305 2.3 24.6 29.9 33.9 9.2 

 Pets, toys, hobbies, and playground equipment ........................................ 129,294 2.4 27.1 32.0 32.5 6.0 

 Pets .......................................................................................................... 102,783 2.2 23.2 33.2 34.9 6.6 

 Toys, hobbies, and playground equipment ............................................. 26,511 43.2 42.2 27.4 23.4 3.8 

 Other entertainment supplies, equipment, and services ............................ 123,484 1.6 21.8 39.3 34.9 2.4 

 Personal care products and services ............................................................. 102,831 2.9 26.5 33.3 29.4 7.9 

 Reading .......................................................................................................... 15,229 3.1 24.5 24.7 34.9 12.8 

 Education ....................................................................................................... 163,787 7.8 21.6 48.7 19.4 2.6 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....................................................... 45,605 2.8 29.0 29.2 35.6 3.5 

 Miscellaneous ................................................................................................. 131,738 1.4 24.8 35.9 30.2 7.7 

 Cash contributions ......................................................................................... 322,566 1.4 12.6 30.2 38.9 16.9 

 Personal insurance and pensions .................................................................. 1,051,819 2.2 30.8 39.2 26.2 1.6 

 Life and other personal insurance .............................................................. 63,249 1.0 15.7 35.7 39.6 7.9 

 Pensions and Social Security ..................................................................... 988,570 2.3 31.8 39.5 25.3 1.1 

Sources of income and personal taxes: 

 Income before taxes ....................................................................................... $11,680,535 2.3 27.7 35.6 29.5 4.9 

 Wages and salaries .................................................................................... 9,005,474 2.6 32.6 39.6 24.2 1.0 

 Self-employment income ............................................................................ 812,912 1.7 21.4 43.3 31.5 2.0 

 Social Security, private and government retirement ................................... 1,286,764 4

.1 1.7 6.2 61.1 30.9 

 Interest, dividends, rental income, and other property income .................. 304,491 .9 7.9 27.7 48.9 14.6 

 Public assistance, Supplemental Security Income, Supplementary 

 Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ..................................................... 78,876 4.2 30.3 31.9 28.5 5.1 

 Unemployment and workers' compensation, veterans' benefits, and 

 regular contributions for support .............................................................. 147,077 2.8 27.9 30.2 31.4 7.6 

 Other income ............................................................................................... 44,941 18.0 23.8 31.7 19.9 6.6 

 Personal taxes (contains some imputed values) ........................................... 1,160,821 1.0 23.4 46.0 29.4 .2 

 Federal income taxes .................................................................................. 1,143,769 1.0 24.0 43.0 30.0 2.0 

 Stimulus payment ....................................................................................... -339,560 3.1 30.7 30.2 28.3 7.7 

 State and local income taxes ...................................................................... 342,557 1.5 29.0 41.5 26.6 1.4 

 Other taxes .................................................................................................. 14,055 442.7 14.4 17.8 22.3 2.8 

 Income after taxes .......................................................................................... 10,519,715 2.4 28.2 34.5 29.5 5.4 

1

 Data are rounded to the nearest thousands. 

2

 Value is too small to display. 

3

 No data reported. 

4

 Data are likely to have large sampling errors. 

Source: Consumer Expenditure Surveys, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, September, 2022