Table 2600. Generation of reference person: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income, Consumer 

Expenditure Survey, 2017 

 (Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated) 

Item Aggregate 

Birth year 

of 1927 

or earlier1

Birth year 

from 1928 

to 19451

Birth year 

from 1946 

to 1964 

Birth year 

from 1965 

to 1980 

Birth year 

of 1981 

or later 

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ................................130,001 1,439 16,471 44,694 34,780 32,618 

Percent distribution of consumer units ................................ 100.0 1.1 12.7 34.4 26.8 25.1 

Consumer unit characteristics (mean values): 

 Income before taxes ................................................................ $73,573 $31,992 $41,118 $78,907 $95,032 $61,608 

 Income after taxes ................................................................ 63,606 30,653 38,486 66,697 81,022 54,939 

 Age of reference person ................................................................ 50.9 91.9 78.1 61.1 44.3 28.5 

 Average number in consumer unit: 

 People ................................................................................................ 2.5 1.3 1.6 2.2 3.1 2.6 

 Children under 18 ................................................................ .6 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) .2 1.1 .9 

 Adults 65 and older ................................................................ .4 1.2 1.4 .5 ( 2 ) ( 2 ) 

 Earners ................................................................................................ 1.3 3

.1 .3 1.2 1.7 1.5 

 Vehicles ................................................................................................ 1.9 .9 1.6 2.2 2.1 1.6 

Percent distribution: 

 Reference person: 

 Men ................................................................................................ 47 43 43 50 47 46 

 Women ................................................................................................ 53 57 57 50 53 54 

 Housing tenure: 

 Homeowner ................................................................ 63 66 81 77 62 35 

 With mortgage ................................................................ 36 5 18 40 48 28 

 Without mortgage ................................................................ 27 61 63 37 13 7 

 Renter ................................................................................................ 37 34 19 23 38 65 

 Race of reference person: 

 Black or African-American ................................................................ 13 4 9 13 14 15 

 White, Asian, and all other races ................................ 87 96 91 87 86 85 

 Hispanic or Latino origin of reference 

 person: 

 Hispanic or Latino ................................................................ 14 2 6 9 19 19 

 Not Hispanic or Latino ................................................................86 98 94 91 81 81 

 Education of reference person: 

 Elementary (1-8)................................................................ 3 9 5 3 3 1 

 High school (9-12) ................................................................ 30 38 39 31 26 25 

 College ................................................................................................ 67 52 56 65 70 73 

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

 At least one vehicle owned or leased ................................ 88 68 87 91 92 84 

Annual aggregate expenditures ................................................................ $7,805,368 .7 9.4 36.2 32.2 21.5 

 Food ................................................................................................ 1,003,471 .5 9.7 35.0 32.2 22.5 

 Food at home ................................................................ 566,472 .5 10.6 36.2 31.4 21.3 

 Cereals and bakery products ................................ 73,262 .8 10.9 35.6 31.3 21.5 

 Cereals and cereal products ................................ 22,914 .6 9.4 32.2 33.1 24.8 

 Bakery products ................................................................ 50,348 .9 11.6 37.1 30.5 19.9 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ................................ 122,516 .4 10.2 37.7 31.4 20.3 

 Beef ................................................................................................ 32,897 .3 10.5 37.9 30.9 20.4 

 Pork ................................................................................................ 23,512 .4 11.3 39.4 30.9 18.0 

 Other meats ................................................................ 16,644 .5 10.5 40.2 29.7 19.1 

 Poultry ................................................................ 24,148 3

.2 8.3 34.7 33.2 23.6 

 Fish and seafood ................................................................ 18,167 .7 10.7 38.6 31.4 18.6 

 Eggs ................................................................ 7,148 .4 9.6 33.6 33.3 23.1 

 Dairy products ................................................................ 58,440 .6 11.3 35.1 31.9 21.0 

 Fresh milk and cream ................................................................ 19,072 .5 10.5 33.6 32.8 22.6 

 Other dairy products ................................................................ 39,368 .6 11.7 35.9 31.6 20.2 

 Fruits and vegetables ................................................................ 108,616 .6 10.9 35.4 30.8 22.3 

 Fresh fruits ................................................................ 40,770 .6 10.8 35.7 31.3 21.7 

 Fresh vegetables ................................................................ 35,629 .6 11.1 35.4 30.8 22.1 

 Processed fruits ................................................................ 14,545 .8 10.9 34.4 31.0 22.9 

 Processed vegetables................................................................ 17,672 .4 10.7 35.6 29.8 23.4 

 Other food at home ................................................................ 203,638 .5 10.3 36.3 31.6 21.3 

See footnotes at end of table. 
Table 2600. Generation of reference person: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income, Consumer 

Expenditure Survey, 2017 — Continued 

 (Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated) 

Item Aggregate 

Birth year 

of 1927 

or earlier1

Birth year 

from 1928 

to 19451

Birth year 

from 1946 

to 1964 

Birth year 

from 1965 

to 1980 

Birth year 

of 1981 

or later 

 Sugar and other sweets ................................................................ 19,415 .7 11.9 37.9 31.3 18.3 

 Fats and oils ................................................................ 15,163 .4 11.2 37.0 30.5 20.8 

 Miscellaneous foods ................................................................ 106,935 .4 9.9 35.0 32.1 22.6 

 Nonalcoholic beverages ................................................................ 54,863 .6 10.1 37.5 30.8 20.9 

 Food prepared by consumer unit on 

 out-of-town trips ................................................................ 7,263 3

.1 11.7 40.4 33.0 14.8 

 Food away from home ................................................................ 436,999 .5 8.6 33.4 33.3 24.1 

 Alcoholic beverages ................................................................72,466 .5 9.0 36.9 30.1 23.5 

 Housing ................................................................................................ 2,584,719 1.1 9.5 34.4 31.9 23.1 

 Shelter ................................................................................................ 1,546,404 1.2 8.6 33.1 32.6 24.4 

 Owned dwellings ................................................................ 903,065 .7 9.3 40.2 34.0 15.9 

 Mortgage interest and charges ................................ 424,449 3

.1 4.0 34.7 41.3 19.9 

 Property taxes ................................................................ 268,515 1.0 13.1 44.3 29.7 11.9 

 Maintenance, repairs, insurance, other 

 expenses ................................................................ 210,101 1.3 15.0 46.0 24.6 13.1 

 Rented dwellings ................................................................ 541,671 2.2 7.4 18.8 30.9 40.7 

 Other lodging ................................................................ 101,668 .9 9.7 46.7 30.0 12.7 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ................................ 498,645 .7 11.2 37.4 31.1 19.6 

 Natural gas ................................................................ 49,470 1.1 12.7 39.0 30.0 17.2 

 Electricity ................................................................ 184,552 .8 12.1 37.5 29.6 20.1 

 Fuel oil and other fuels ................................................................ 12,613 31.4 18.1 45.8 23.7 11.1 

 Telephone services ................................................................ 176,234 .6 8.7 36.1 33.4 21.2 

 Residential phone service, VOIP, and 

 phone cards ................................................................30,904 1.9 22.6 44.5 22.2 8.8 

 Cellular phone service ................................................................ 145,329 .3 5.8 34.3 35.8 23.8 

 Water and other public services................................ 75,776 .8 12.7 37.6 31.2 17.7 

 Household operations ................................................................ 183,521 1.7 10.4 29.0 31.8 27.1 

 Personal services ................................................................ 57,094 32.8 31.6 8.1 37.7 49.9 

 Other household expenses ................................ 126,427 1.2 14.3 38.5 29.2 16.8 

 Housekeeping supplies ................................................................ 97,973 .6 14.0 40.7 28.2 16.5 

 Laundry and cleaning supplies ................................ 23,014 .5 11.6 35.9 32.5 19.4 

 Other household products ................................................................ 55,503 .6 14.6 41.4 27.2 16.2 

 Postage and stationery ................................................................ 19,456 3

.6 15.0 44.6 25.6 14.0 

 Household furnishings and equipment ................................258,176 .9 9.4 37.3 30.5 21.9 

 Household textiles ................................................................ 14,814 3

.3 12.2 37.3 26.2 24.0 

 Furniture ................................................................ 67,010 3

.2 8.7 34.3 32.2 24.6 

 Floor coverings ................................................................ 3,956 32.3 3.5 31.5 23.0 39.7 

 Major appliances ................................................................36,440 3

.3 10.9 36.5 31.9 20.4 

 Small appliances, miscellaneous 

 housewares ................................................................ 16,972 3

.1 9.0 42.6 27.1 21.2 

 Miscellaneous household equipment ................................ 118,986 1.7 9.2 38.8 30.3 20.0 

 Apparel and services ................................................................ 237,997 .4 6.9 32.7 33.8 26.2 

 Men and boys ................................................................ 57,442 3

.5 4.8 32.4 37.1 25.2 

 Men, 16 and over ................................................................ 44,472 3

.5 5.6 37.8 32.1 24.0 

 Boys, 2 to 15 ................................................................ 12,970 3

.5 1.9 14.1 54.1 29.4 

 Women and girls ................................................................ 90,065 3

.3 8.1 35.7 33.5 22.4 

 Women, 16 and over ................................................................ 75,243 3

.3 9.1 39.5 29.5 21.5 

 Girls, 2 to 15 ................................................................ 14,822 ( 2 ) 2.8 16.5 53.6 27.1 

 Children under 2 ................................................................ 9,948 ( 4 ) 33.1 16.5 30.2 50.2 

 Footwear ................................................................ 49,203 3

.7 6.2 31.0 34.9 27.2 

 Other apparel products and services ................................ 31,340 .3 9.4 32.3 28.1 29.9 

 Transportation................................................................ 1,244,638 .3 8.5 36.0 32.5 22.6 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ................................ 527,018 3

.1 7.0 35.2 34.1 23.7 

 Cars and trucks, new ................................................................ 246,965 3

.1 8.2 40.5 32.8 18.5 

 Cars and trucks, used ................................................................ 273,142 ( 2 ) 5.8 30.5 35.6 28.1 

 Other vehicles ................................................................ 6,911 ( 4 ) 313.0 30.0 22.7 34.3 

 Gasoline, other fuels, and motor oil ................................ 255,856 .3 7.0 34.3 34.0 24.5 

 Other vehicle expenses ................................................................ 369,202 .7 11.6 38.2 29.4 20.1 

 Vehicle finance charges ................................................................ 28,642 ( 2 ) 3.9 32.8 36.5 26.8 

 Maintenance and repairs ................................................................ 124,022 .4 16.5 37.4 28.5 17.2 

 Vehicle insurance ................................................................ 125,482 31.5 9.8 40.5 27.8 20.4 

 Vehicle rental, leases, licenses, and other 

 charges ................................................................ 91,057 .4 9.7 37.8 30.4 21.7 

 Public and other transportation ................................ 92,563 .6 9.1 36.8 32.0 21.5 

See footnotes at end of table. 
Table 2600. Generation of reference person: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income, Consumer 

Expenditure Survey, 2017 — Continued 

 (Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated) 

Item Aggregate 

Birth year 

of 1927 

or earlier1

Birth year 

from 1928 

to 19451

Birth year 

from 1946 

to 1964 

Birth year 

from 1965 

to 1980 

Birth year 

of 1981 

or later 

 Healthcare ................................................................ 640,626 1.3 17.0 41.3 25.6 14.7 

 Health insurance ................................................................443,860 1.4 17.4 40.8 25.4 15.0 

 Medical services ................................................................113,348 1.3 12.8 41.7 27.9 16.3 

 Drugs ................................................................................................ 63,096 1.4 21.4 44.2 22.6 10.4 

 Medical supplies ................................................................ 20,321 1.0 18.6 41.4 25.4 13.6 

 Entertainment ................................................................ 416,176 .3 8.3 36.9 34.9 19.6 

 Fees and admissions ................................................................ 97,482 .3 8.4 31.2 40.8 19.4 

 Audio and visual equipment and services ................................ 128,094 .7 11.2 38.0 30.1 19.9 

 Pets, toys, hobbies, and playground 

 equipment ................................................................ 112,809 .1 8.1 39.0 34.5 18.2 

 Pets ................................................................................................ 92,176 3

.1 8.7 40.8 34.5 15.9 

 Toys, hobbies, and playground equipment ................................ 20,633 3

.1 5.7 31.0 34.6 28.6 

 Other entertainment supplies, equipment, 

 and services ................................................................ 77,791 ( 2 ) 3.8 39.0 36.0 21.2 

 Personal care products and services ................................ 99,005 .6 10.5 34.7 33.9 20.3 

 Reading ................................................................................................ 14,285 31.1 18.9 39.4 26.2 14.4 

 Education ................................................................................................ 193,813 ( 2 ) 3.4 33.5 38.5 24.5 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ................................43,201 3

.2 5.6 40.9 30.4 22.9 

 Miscellaneous ................................................................ 131,260 .8 11.1 42.7 29.4 16.0 

 Cash contributions ................................................................243,462 2.4 16.7 41.6 28.0 11.3 

 Personal insurance and pensions ................................ 880,250 .1 4.8 37.8 36.1 21.2 

 Life and other personal insurance ................................ 54,290 .9 12.4 47.8 28.6 10.3 

 Pensions and Social Security ................................ 825,960 3

.1 4.4 37.1 36.6 21.9 

Sources of income and personal taxes: 

 Money income before taxes ................................................................ $9,564,613 .5 7.1 36.9 34.6 21.0 

 Wages and salaries ................................................................ 7,486,721 ( 2 ) 2.0 34.0 39.1 24.8 

 Self-employment income ................................................................ 585,794 3

.4 6.7 39.7 39.5 13.6 

 Social Security, private and government 

 retirement ................................................................ 1,078,984 3.1 39.7 50.2 5.6 1.4 

 Interest, dividends, rental income, other 

 property income ................................................................ 248,242 2.8 18.1 60.8 15.3 2.9 

 Public assistance, Supplemental Security 

 Income, Supplementary Nutrition 

 Assistance Program (SNAP) ................................ 59,818 3

.4 5.7 32.8 32.7 28.4 

 Unemployment and workers' 

 compensation, veterans' benefits, and 

 regular contributions for support ................................ 59,437 3

.7 15.7 36.0 30.1 17.4 

 Other income ................................................................ 45,618 3

.4 4.1 25.1 26.9 43.5 

 Personal taxes (contains some imputed 

 values) ................................................................................................ 1,295,773 .1 3.3 42.1 37.6 16.8 

 Federal income taxes ................................................................ 1,016,467 .2 3.6 42.9 37.5 15.9 

 State and local income taxes ................................ 272,722 ( 2 ) 2.4 39.3 38.2 20.1 

 Other taxes ................................................................ 6,583 3

.1 8.7 44.9 29.6 16.6 

 Income after taxes ................................................................ 8,268,840 .5 7.7 36.1 34.1 21.7 

1

 Birth year data processed before January 2017 for the Diary survey and April 2017 for the Interview survey had a cutoff date of 1928 instead of 1927. 

2

 Value is too small to display. 

3

 Data are likely to have large sampling errors. 

4

 No data reported. 

Source: Consumer Expenditure Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, September, 2018