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

Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2008

(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) ........................ 120,770 24,122 24,143 24,172 24,157 24,177 

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 ...................................................... $63,563 $10,263 $27,442 $47,196 $74,090 $158,652 

Income after taxes ......................................................... 61,774 10,608 27,843 46,936 72,628 150,692 

Age of reference person ................................................. 49.1 51.6 51.6 47.9 46.9 47.4 

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 .3 .2 .2 

Earners ......................................................................... 1.3 .5 .9 1.4 1.7 2.0 

Vehicles ........................................................................ 2.0 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.4 2.8 

Percent distribution:

Sex of reference person:

Male .............................................................................. 47 38 43 47 51 55 

Female .......................................................................... 53 62 57 53 49 45 

Housing tenure:

Homeowner ................................................................... 66 39 56 67 79 91 

With mortgage ............................................................. 42 12 24 42 59 74 

Without mortgage ........................................................ 24 26 32 25 20 17 

Renter ........................................................................... 34 61 44 33 21 9 

Race of reference person:

Black or African-American ............................................ 12 19 15 12 9 6 

White, Asian, and all other races .................................. 88 81 85 88 91 94 

Hispanic or Latino origin of reference person:

Hispanic or Latino ......................................................... 12 13 16 12 10 6 

Not Hispanic or Latino ................................................... 88 87 84 88 90 94 

Education of reference person:

Elementary (1-8) ........................................................... 5 10 7 4 2 1 

High school (9-12) ......................................................... 35 46 47 38 30 15 

College .......................................................................... 60 44 46 58 68 84 

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

At least one vehicle owned or leased ............................. 89 67 88 94 97 98 

Annual aggregate expenditures ........................................ $6,094,697 8.8 12.6 16.9 23.2 38.5 

Food ................................................................................ 776,825 10.8 14.2 17.4 23.6 34.1 

Food at home ................................................................ 451,454 12.6 15.6 18.3 23.2 30.2 

Cereals and bakery products ...................................... 61,119 13.0 15.0 18.2 23.6 30.2 

Cereals and cereal products ..................................... 20,448 14.2 15.0 18.7 23.1 29.0 

Bakery products ........................................................ 40,671 12.4 15.0 18.0 23.9 30.7 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..................................... 102,033 12.8 16.9 19.1 22.6 28.6 

Beef ........................................................................... 28,799 12.0 16.7 19.2 21.7 30.4 

Pork ........................................................................... 19,649 13.7 17.3 20.2 22.8 26.0 

Other meats .............................................................. 12,837 12.4 16.1 19.9 23.0 28.6 

Poultry ....................................................................... 19,175 13.6 16.9 19.2 22.7 27.6 

Fish and seafood ...................................................... 15,417 11.6 17.3 16.3 24.0 30.9 

Eggs .......................................................................... 6,156 15.0 17.2 20.4 21.6 25.8 

Dairy products ............................................................. 51,786 13.0 15.3 18.0 22.8 30.9 

Fresh milk and cream ............................................... 20,269 14.1 16.8 18.0 22.5 28.6 

Other dairy products ................................................. 31,518 12.3 14.3 18.0 22.9 32.5 

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, 2008 — 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 .................................................. $79,194 12.5 15.9 17.7 22.9 30.9 

Fresh fruits ................................................................ 26,756 12.0 15.8 17.4 22.8 32.0 

Fresh vegetables ...................................................... 25,542 12.6 15.9 17.3 22.4 31.9 

Processed fruits ........................................................ 14,032 12.5 15.3 17.9 23.7 30.6 

Processed vegetables ............................................... 12,864 13.1 17.1 19.3 23.3 27.2 

Other food at home ..................................................... 157,321 12.4 15.0 18.3 23.7 30.6 

Sugar and other sweets ............................................ 15,580 12.9 15.2 18.7 22.5 30.8 

Fats and oils .............................................................. 12,595 14.9 16.5 18.5 22.6 27.6 

Miscellaneous foods ................................................. 81,963 11.9 14.7 18.4 23.9 31.0 

Nonalcoholic beverages ............................................ 41,289 13.0 15.8 18.4 23.9 28.9 

Food prepared by consumer unit on out-of-town

trips ......................................................................... 5,894 6.9 11.0 15.0 23.9 43.1 

Food away from home .................................................. 325,371 8.2 12.1 16.1 24.1 39.6 

Alcoholic beverages ........................................................ 53,558 8.3 12.4 15.8 24.3 39.4 

Housing ........................................................................... 2,065,912 10.4 13.5 17.5 22.6 36.0 

Shelter ........................................................................... 1,229,818 10.4 13.2 17.2 22.2 37.0 

Owned dwellings ......................................................... 816,456 5.5 9.4 15.8 24.6 44.7 

Mortgage interest and charges ................................. 462,120 3.9 7.7 15.6 25.8 47.0 

Property taxes ........................................................... 212,347 7.1 11.2 15.7 23.0 43.1 

Maintenance, repairs, insurance, other expenses .... 141,988 8.1 12.2 16.9 23.1 39.7 

Rented dwellings ......................................................... 329,033 23.9 24.3 22.4 17.3 12.2 

Other lodging .............................................................. 84,330 4.9 7.5 10.1 18.2 59.2 

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................................ 440,720 12.3 16.5 19.6 23.2 28.4 

Natural gas .................................................................. 64,158 11.7 16.0 19.0 22.7 30.6 

Electricity ..................................................................... 163,444 13.4 17.3 19.6 22.4 27.3 

Fuel oil and other fuels ................................................ 23,163 10.1 17.0 18.2 25.3 29.5 

Telephone services ..................................................... 136,089 11.8 16.2 20.3 23.7 28.0 

Water and other public services .................................. 53,865 11.4 15.6 19.3 23.8 29.8 

Household operations ................................................... 120,468 7.0 10.2 13.9 22.9 46.0 

Personal services ........................................................ 46,280 4.6 8.8 12.4 25.2 49.1 

Other household expenses ......................................... 74,189 8.5 11.1 14.8 21.5 44.0 

Housekeeping supplies ................................................. 78,880 11.4 13.9 16.9 23.2 34.6 

Laundry and cleaning supplies ................................... 17,821 13.4 15.8 19.0 23.0 28.8 

Other household products ........................................... 42,224 10.3 12.7 15.6 22.7 38.6 

Postage and stationery ............................................... 18,834 11.9 14.7 17.7 24.5 31.2 

Household furnishings and equipment .......................... 196,026 8.0 10.6 16.6 23.3 41.5 

Household textiles ....................................................... 15,234 9.0 12.6 15.6 19.0 43.8 

Furniture ...................................................................... 46,812 7.8 10.8 13.1 25.7 42.5 

Floor coverings ........................................................... 5,383 8.7 12.1 14.8 21.6 42.9 

Major appliances ......................................................... 24,651 8.4 12.1 17.0 24.7 37.8 

Small appliances, miscellaneous housewares ............ 13,616 7.8 13.3 17.4 19.9 41.6 

Miscellaneous household equipment .......................... 90,330 7.8 9.2 18.5 22.9 41.6 

Apparel and services ...................................................... 217,176 10.7 12.8 15.1 22.6 38.8 

Men and boys ............................................................... 51,483 8.5 11.9 14.8 23.5 41.4 

Men, 16 and over ........................................................ 41,502 8.0 11.6 14.2 23.3 43.0 

Boys, 2 to 15 ............................................................... 9,981 10.5 13.1 17.5 24.4 34.5 

Women and girls ........................................................... 86,595 10.6 12.5 15.2 22.6 39.1 

Women, 16 and over ................................................... 71,960 10.8 12.9 15.0 21.8 39.6 

Girls, 2 to 15 ................................................................ 14,635 9.9 10.5 16.0 26.7 36.8 

Children under 2 ........................................................... 11,185 11.2 16.7 16.9 24.6 30.7 

Footwear ....................................................................... 37,909 13.6 14.2 15.5 24.0 32.7 

Other apparel products and services ............................ 30,004 10.6 11.8 14.4 18.9 44.3 

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, 2008 — 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 ................................................................. $1,038,811 8.0 13.1 18.2 24.3 36.3 

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ...................................... 332,698 6.1 12.1 18.1 24.0 39.7 

Cars and trucks, new .................................................. 157,600 4.0 9.1 14.7 23.4 48.8 

Cars and trucks, used ................................................. 158,872 7.5 15.4 21.4 25.3 30.4 

Other vehicles ............................................................. 16,225 14.1 9.5 18.5 16.6 41.3 

Gasoline and motor oil .................................................. 327,872 9.1 14.9 19.9 25.2 30.9 

Other vehicle expenses ................................................ 316,280 8.6 13.3 17.9 24.9 35.4 

Vehicle finance charges .............................................. 37,717 4.8 12.0 20.4 29.5 33.2 

Maintenance and repairs ............................................ 88,214 8.3 14.0 16.9 24.4 36.3 

Vehicle insurance ........................................................ 134,230 10.7 14.4 19.2 24.6 31.2 

Vehicle rental, leases, licenses, and other charges .... 56,120 6.3 10.3 14.5 23.3 45.6 

Public transportation ..................................................... 61,961 8.6 8.8 11.7 18.8 52.1 

Healthcare ....................................................................... 359,365 10.9 16.5 19.4 23.6 29.5 

Health insurance ........................................................... 199,678 11.9 17.4 20.2 22.6 27.9 

Medical services ........................................................... 87,755 8.1 13.1 17.2 27.0 34.6 

Drugs ............................................................................ 58,197 11.5 19.3 20.4 22.7 26.2 

Medical supplies ........................................................... 13,734 11.5 13.8 18.2 21.6 34.9 

Entertainment .................................................................. 342,185 7.6 12.1 17.1 23.1 40.1 

Fees and admissions .................................................... 74,337 5.1 7.2 12.1 21.0 54.6 

Audio and visual equipment and services ..................... 125,111 10.3 14.0 18.3 24.4 33.0 

Pets, toys, hobbies, and playground equipment ........... 84,872 7.3 12.3 18.4 21.2 40.9 

Other entertainment supplies, equipment, and services 57,865 5.6 14.1 18.9 26.0 35.4 

Personal care products and services .............................. 74,300 9.9 13.0 16.6 22.8 37.6 

Reading ........................................................................... 14,030 9.4 12.5 17.4 22.0 38.7 

Education ........................................................................ 126,275 11.9 6.9 9.5 16.1 55.5 

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ........................ 38,244 16.9 19.6 22.4 24.2 17.0 

Miscellaneous ................................................................. 101,374 7.1 12.2 18.1 22.7 39.9 

Cash contributions .......................................................... 209,721 6.5 10.5 15.2 23.5 44.3 

Personal insurance and pensions ................................... 676,923 1.9 6.3 13.4 24.4 54.0 

Life and other personal insurance ................................. 38,264 5.3 9.2 14.9 22.1 48.5 

Pensions and Social Security ....................................... 638,659 1.7 6.2 13.3 24.5 54.4 

Sources of income and personal taxes:

Money income before taxes ............................................ 7,676,460 3.2 8.6 14.9 23.3 50.0 

Wages and salaries ...................................................... 6,160,177 1.7 6.7 14.2 24.4 52.9 

Self-employment income .............................................. 388,778 -6.3 3.4 10.1 18.2 74.6 

Social Security, private and government retirement ..... 794,300 15.3 24.4 22.5 19.7 18.2 

Interest, dividends, rental income, other property

income ........................................................................ 182,259 2.5 7.0 11.8 18.6 60.1 

Unemployment and workers’ compensation, veterans’

benefits ....................................................................... 27,198 11.1 17.4 24.3 21.5 25.7 

Public assistance, supplemental security income, food

stamps ........................................................................ 44,800 48.5 26.3 13.6 7.9 3.7 

Regular contributions for support .................................. 53,864 15.5 16.2 17.7 18.9 31.7 

Other income ................................................................ 25,084 31.5 17.0 14.0 16.5 21.0 

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, 2008 — 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 ................................................................ $216,057 -3.9 -4.5 2.9 16.4 89.1 

Federal income taxes .................................................... 219,443 -1.0 .4 7.6 19.4 73.6 

2008 Tax stimulus (new UCC Q20082) ........................ -94,645 8.6 15.9 23.0 27.3 25.3 

State and local income taxes ........................................ 65,485 1.0 3.1 10.8 19.4 65.7 

Other taxes ................................................................... 25,774 5.5 9.6 16.7 22.5 45.6 

Income after taxes .......................................................... 7,460,402 3.4 9.0 15.2 23.5 48.8 

1 Value less than or equal to 0.5.