Table 23. Selected southern metropolitan statistical areas: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer

Expenditure Survey, 2008-2009

Item

All consumer

units in the

South

Washington,

D.C. Baltimore Atlanta Miami DallasFort Worth Houston

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ....... 43,758 2,181 985 2,125 1,673 2,371 1,848 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ...................................... $58,761 $99,881 $84,177 $70,931 $64,010 $69,055 $76,652 

Age of reference person ................................. 49.4 47.6 50.4 46.4 48.2 45.7 46.8 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 2.6 2.4 2.4 2.6 2.6 2.8 

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

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

Earners ......................................................... 1.3 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.6 

Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.4 1.8 1.9 

Percent homeowner ....................................... 68 68 68 67 60 61 66 

Average annual expenditures ........................... $46,287 $69,106 $52,452 $45,941 $47,601 $53,886 $59,131 

Food ............................................................... 6,026 7,835 5,931 5,375 5,803 6,734 7,009 

Food at home ............................................... 3,488 4,160 3,300 2,717 3,741 3,600 3,649 

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 471 563 446 389 520 480 453 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 836 970 853 644 867 804 921 

Dairy products ............................................ 380 476 356 279 467 384 373 

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 580 809 597 456 780 607 598 

Other food at home .................................... 1,221 1,342 1,049 949 1,106 1,325 1,305 

Food away from home .................................. 2,539 3,675 2,630 2,658 2,062 3,134 3,359 

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 379 673 353 324 349 408 710 

Housing .......................................................... 15,332 25,622 20,795 17,072 19,016 18,198 18,866 

Shelter .......................................................... 8,502 16,842 13,617 10,639 12,592 10,253 10,776 

Owned dwellings ........................................ 5,628 11,447 9,623 7,313 7,115 6,248 7,326 

Rented dwellings ........................................ 2,329 4,180 3,329 2,857 4,442 3,533 2,789 

Other lodging .............................................. 544 1,216 665 469 1,036 473 661 

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,701 3,977 4,209 3,899 3,740 4,275 4,505 

Household operations .................................. 940 1,842 879 915 1,035 1,201 1,242 

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 656 767 860 522 558 719 634 

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,533 2,193 1,230 1,096 1,091 1,749 1,710 

Apparel and services ...................................... 1,779 2,687 1,511 1,580 1,677 2,161 2,256 

Transportation ................................................ 7,941 9,563 6,621 6,760 8,427 8,689 10,843 

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 2,669 3,028 11,452 1,597 2,921 2,877 3,874 

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 2,519 2,465 2,444 2,631 2,680 2,616 2,980 

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,431 2,864 2,178 2,171 2,318 2,806 3,421 

Public transportation ..................................... 322 1,206 547 360 508 390 568 

Healthcare ...................................................... 2,940 3,239 2,973 2,417 1,565 3,032 3,267 

Entertainment ................................................. 2,489 3,320 2,591 2,045 1,807 2,910 2,972 

Personal care products and services ............. 586 969 650 611 623 733 711 

Reading .......................................................... 86 146 80 81 25 83 110 

Education ....................................................... 808 1,853 1,472 788 570 920 1,041 

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 359 220 242 212 124 247 329 

Miscellaneous ................................................. 755 969 659 814 1,183 670 1,220 

Cash contributions .......................................... 1,718 2,002 1,461 1,695 1,762 1,996 2,233 

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 5,087 10,008 7,112 6,167 4,669 7,105 7,566 

Life and other personal insurance ................ 310 523 400 282 90 329 339 

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 4,777 9,485 6,712 5,885 4,578 6,776 7,227 

1 Data are likely to have large sampling errors.

Source: Consumer Expenditure Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, October, 2010