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

Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2011

(Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

Item Aggregate

Lowest

20

percent

Second

20

percent

Third

20

percent

Fourth

20

percent

Highest

20

percent

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ........................ 122,287 24,435 24,429 24,473 24,520 24,430 

Percent distribution of consumer units .............................. 100.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.1 20.0 

Consumer unit characteristics (mean values):

Income before taxes ...................................................... $63,685 $9,805 $27,117 $46,190 $74,019 $161,292 

Income after taxes ......................................................... 61,673 10,074 27,230 45,563 72,169 153,326 

Age of reference person ................................................. 49.7 51.8 51.7 48.9 48.0 48.2 

Average number in consumer unit:

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

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

Persons 65 and older .................................................... .3 .4 .5 .4 .3 .2 

Earners ......................................................................... 1.3 .5 .9 1.3 1.7 2.0 

Vehicles ........................................................................ 1.9 1.0 1.5 1.9 2.3 2.8 

Percent distribution:

Sex of reference person:

Male .............................................................................. 47 37 43 48 52 54 

Female .......................................................................... 53 63 57 52 48 46 

Housing tenure:

Homeowner ................................................................... 65 39 53 65 79 88 

With mortgage ............................................................. 40 12 23 40 57 70 

Without mortgage ........................................................ 25 28 30 26 22 18 

Renter ........................................................................... 35 61 47 35 21 12 

Race of reference person:

Black or African-American ............................................ 12 20 14 11 11 6 

White, Asian, and all other races .................................. 88 80 86 89 89 94 

Hispanic or Latino origin of reference person:

Hispanic or Latino ......................................................... 12 13 15 15 11 7 

Not Hispanic or Latino ................................................... 88 87 85 85 89 93 

Education of reference person:

Elementary (1-8) ........................................................... 5 9 7 4 2 1 

High school (9-12) ......................................................... 34 45 43 38 28 14 

College .......................................................................... 62 45 49 58 70 85 

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

At least one vehicle owned or leased ............................. 88 65 86 94 96 97 

Annual aggregate expenditures ........................................ $6,073,536 8.8 12.9 17.1 23.2 38.0 

Food ................................................................................ 787,257 11.0 14.4 17.4 23.1 34.0 

Food at home ................................................................ 467,770 12.7 15.9 18.2 22.8 30.4 

Cereals and bakery products ...................................... 64,679 13.0 16.1 18.1 22.8 30.1 

Cereals and cereal products ..................................... 21,313 13.1 16.2 17.9 23.0 29.9 

Bakery products ........................................................ 43,367 12.9 16.1 18.2 22.7 30.2 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..................................... 101,455 12.8 16.9 17.9 22.4 30.1 

Beef ........................................................................... 27,130 12.5 16.8 17.8 23.0 30.0 

Pork ........................................................................... 19,738 13.1 19.6 17.8 22.2 27.3 

Other meats .............................................................. 14,936 12.0 12.9 18.9 24.2 32.0 

Poultry ....................................................................... 18,829 13.1 16.8 17.4 21.4 31.4 

Fish and seafood ...................................................... 14,718 11.9 17.0 17.6 21.2 32.3 

Eggs .......................................................................... 6,103 15.8 18.4 18.9 21.4 25.5 

Dairy products ............................................................. 49,586 12.4 15.6 18.7 22.5 30.8 

Fresh milk and cream ............................................... 18,250 13.7 16.5 18.8 22.8 28.2 

Other dairy products ................................................. 31,336 11.7 15.0 18.6 22.4 32.3 

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, 2011 — Continued

(Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

Item Aggregate

Lowest

20

percent

Second

20

percent

Third

20

percent

Fourth

20

percent

Highest

20

percent

Fruits and vegetables .................................................. $87,131 12.5 15.8 17.7 22.1 31.8 

Fresh fruits ................................................................ 30,139 12.0 15.9 17.2 21.6 33.4 

Fresh vegetables ...................................................... 27,327 11.9 16.0 17.2 21.8 33.1 

Processed fruits ........................................................ 14,106 13.1 15.5 19.3 22.6 29.5 

Processed vegetables ............................................... 15,560 14.2 15.8 18.1 23.3 28.6 

Other food at home ..................................................... 164,919 12.9 15.3 18.6 23.4 29.8 

Sugar and other sweets ............................................ 17,598 12.6 15.2 18.0 24.2 30.0 

Fats and oils .............................................................. 13,360 14.6 16.2 20.4 22.8 26.1 

Miscellaneous foods ................................................. 84,156 13.1 15.3 18.3 23.4 29.9 

Nonalcoholic beverages ............................................ 43,996 13.0 15.8 19.3 23.4 28.5 

Food prepared by consumer unit on out-of-town

trips ......................................................................... 5,809 5.1 11.1 15.2 22.5 46.1 

Food away from home .................................................. 319,487 8.4 12.3 16.2 23.7 39.4 

Alcoholic beverages ........................................................ 55,649 7.5 11.6 14.2 23.2 43.6 

Housing ........................................................................... 2,054,287 10.4 14.4 17.8 22.5 34.9 

Shelter ........................................................................... 1,201,512 10.5 14.2 17.5 22.1 35.7 

Owned dwellings ......................................................... 751,805 5.3 9.6 15.7 24.9 44.5 

Mortgage interest and charges ................................. 389,328 3.8 7.2 15.3 26.8 46.9 

Property taxes ........................................................... 225,560 6.8 11.3 15.9 23.0 43.1 

Maintenance, repairs, insurance, other expenses .... 136,917 7.3 13.5 16.4 22.8 39.9 

Rented dwellings ......................................................... 370,466 21.9 24.8 22.7 17.1 13.5 

Other lodging .............................................................. 79,240 6.1 7.9 11.0 18.4 56.7 

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................................ 455,734 12.2 16.5 19.8 23.0 28.5 

Natural gas .................................................................. 51,316 11.6 16.1 18.4 22.6 31.4 

Electricity ..................................................................... 174,008 13.8 17.3 20.1 22.6 26.2 

Fuel oil and other fuels ................................................ 19,178 10.8 15.1 17.9 21.8 34.4 

Telephone services ..................................................... 149,977 11.1 16.0 20.4 23.9 28.6 

Water and other public services .................................. 61,254 11.6 15.9 19.2 23.0 30.3 

Household operations ................................................... 137,221 7.7 12.8 14.8 21.9 42.9 

Personal services ........................................................ 48,703 6.3 12.2 11.1 23.3 47.1 

Other household expenses ......................................... 88,519 8.4 13.1 16.8 21.0 40.6 

Housekeeping supplies ................................................. 74,925 11.2 14.3 17.6 22.6 34.2 

Laundry and cleaning supplies ................................... 17,680 13.6 16.4 19.0 23.1 28.0 

Other household products ........................................... 41,389 10.2 14.1 16.9 22.4 36.4 

Postage and stationery ............................................... 15,856 11.1 12.6 18.1 22.7 35.5 

Household furnishings and equipment .......................... 184,895 7.3 12.4 16.8 24.2 39.3 

Household textiles ....................................................... 13,312 9.6 12.2 17.6 23.2 37.5 

Furniture ...................................................................... 43,772 8.2 10.6 14.8 20.8 45.7 

Floor coverings ........................................................... 2,444 6.7 4.7 9.0 16.5 63.0 

Major appliances ......................................................... 23,713 7.5 10.9 17.3 27.1 37.3 

Small appliances, miscellaneous housewares ............ 10,902 8.3 14.1 15.0 21.8 40.9 

Miscellaneous household equipment .......................... 90,753 6.4 13.6 18.0 25.7 36.2 

Apparel and services ...................................................... 212,172 9.8 13.1 16.7 22.9 37.5 

Men and boys ............................................................... 49,239 9.1 12.0 18.4 22.1 38.4 

Men, 16 and over ........................................................ 39,518 9.2 11.6 17.8 22.5 38.8 

Boys, 2 to 15 ............................................................... 9,721 8.7 13.6 20.9 20.3 36.5 

Women and girls ........................................................... 87,921 9.3 12.4 16.4 24.2 37.6 

Women, 16 and over ................................................... 73,594 9.5 12.2 16.2 23.9 38.2 

Girls, 2 to 15 ................................................................ 14,327 8.5 13.7 17.3 25.9 34.6 

Children under 2 ........................................................... 8,309 12.6 11.6 21.5 25.7 28.7 

Footwear ....................................................................... 39,141 11.1 16.5 15.7 21.9 34.8 

Other apparel products and services ............................ 27,561 9.5 12.9 14.6 20.5 42.4 

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, 2011 — Continued

(Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

Item Aggregate

Lowest

20

percent

Second

20

percent

Third

20

percent

Fourth

20

percent

Highest

20

percent

Transportation ................................................................. $1,013,652 7.8 12.4 18.3 24.7 36.8 

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ...................................... 326,330 6.2 10.2 16.6 25.5 41.6 

Cars and trucks, new .................................................. 154,747 4.8 7.1 11.8 25.0 51.3 

Cars and trucks, used ................................................. 163,737 7.6 13.4 21.0 26.6 31.4 

Other vehicles ............................................................. 7,846 34.3 33.7 17.0 12.0 63.0 

Gasoline and motor oil .................................................. 324,618 9.2 14.9 20.3 24.9 30.7 

Other vehicle expenses ................................................ 299,599 8.3 13.0 18.9 24.9 34.9 

Vehicle finance charges .............................................. 28,444 3.9 10.2 19.6 28.0 38.4 

Maintenance and repairs ............................................ 98,390 7.8 13.1 18.4 25.3 35.4 

Vehicle insurance ........................................................ 119,847 10.6 14.5 20.2 25.2 29.5 

Vehicle rental, leases, licenses, and other charges .... 52,917 6.4 11.1 16.8 21.6 44.1 

Public and other transportation ..................................... 63,106 7.1 7.9 14.2 18.4 52.4 

Health care ...................................................................... 405,048 9.0 15.7 20.0 24.2 31.1 

Health insurance ........................................................... 235,058 9.1 16.8 20.3 24.6 29.2 

Medical services ........................................................... 93,870 7.1 12.9 19.7 24.5 35.7 

Drugs ............................................................................ 59,747 11.3 17.1 20.3 21.8 29.5 

Medical supplies ........................................................... 16,373 9.2 12.7 17.5 24.3 36.3 

Entertainment .................................................................. 314,210 7.6 12.6 16.5 24.2 39.1 

Fees and admissions .................................................... 72,630 4.9 6.9 12.8 20.7 54.8 

Audio and visual equipment and services ..................... 119,383 10.7 15.2 18.7 24.4 31.0 

Pets, toys, hobbies, and playground equipment ........... 76,944 8.1 14.2 18.2 24.4 35.1 

Other entertainment supplies, equipment, and services 45,253 3.2 12.1 13.7 29.1 41.9 

Personal care products and services .............................. 77,421 8.5 12.8 17.3 23.4 37.9 

Reading ........................................................................... 14,113 8.6 12.5 17.4 23.5 37.9 

Education ........................................................................ 128,467 15.3 9.0 10.7 15.8 49.2 

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ........................ 42,869 18.0 20.5 23.3 23.0 15.2 

Miscellaneous ................................................................. 94,719 9.9 14.9 15.3 22.8 37.0 

Cash contributions .......................................................... 210,440 8.0 10.8 15.2 22.3 43.7 

Personal insurance and pensions ................................... 663,231 1.6 6.2 12.9 23.8 55.5 

Life and other personal insurance ................................. 38,780 5.1 13.7 13.7 22.3 45.2 

Pensions and Social Security ....................................... 624,451 1.3 5.8 12.9 23.9 56.1 

Sources of income and personal taxes:

Money income before taxes ............................................ 7,787,814 3.1 8.5 14.5 23.3 50.6 

Wages and salaries ...................................................... 6,090,520 1.4 6.3 13.5 24.6 54.2 

Self-employment income .............................................. 399,724 -5.7 4.1 8.9 14.7 78.0 

Social Security, private and government retirement ..... 935,295 12.8 22.1 23.0 21.3 20.8 

Interest, dividends, rental income, other property

income ........................................................................ 156,669 1.6 5.1 11.6 17.3 64.4 

Unemployment and workers’ compensation, veterans’

benefits ....................................................................... 70,822 9.9 21.0 23.3 24.9 20.9 

Public assistance, supplemental security income, food

stamps ........................................................................ 63,631 45.0 27.6 15.4 8.7 3.3 

Regular contributions for support .................................. 44,545 21.0 20.2 18.6 16.1 24.1 

Other income ................................................................ 26,609 34.8 19.4 16.1 12.5 17.1 

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, 2011 — Continued

(Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

Item Aggregate

Lowest

20

percent

Second

20

percent

Third

20

percent

Fourth

20

percent

Highest

20

percent

Personal taxes (missing values not imputed) ................. $245,993 -2.7 -1.1 6.2 18.4 79.1 

Federal income taxes .................................................... 167,583 -4.4 -3.9 4.3 16.9 87.1 

State and local income taxes ........................................ 61,783 -.4 2.6 9.3 21.9 66.6 

Other taxes ................................................................... 16,627 5.9 12.7 14.8 21.3 45.3 

Income after taxes .......................................................... 7,541,821 3.3 8.8 14.8 23.5 49.7 

1 Value less than or equal to 0.5. 2 No data reported. 3 Data are likely to have large sampling errors.

Source: Consumer Expenditure Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, September, 2012