Table 58. Size of consumer unit: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income, Consumer Expenditure

Survey, 1999

(Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

Item Aggregate One

person

Two or more persons

Total

two or

more

persons

Two

persons

Three

persons

Four

persons

Five or

more

persons

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ................... 108,465 31,550 76,915 33,798 17,200 15,039 10,878 

Percent distribution of consumer units ........................ 100.0 29.1 70.9 31.2 15.9 13.9 10.0 

Consumer unit characteristics (mean values): 

Income before taxes 1 ............................................... $43,951 $25,247 $51,895 $47,779 $52,334 $59,551 $53,340 

Income after taxes 1 .................................................. 40,652 23,029 48,137 44,157 48,442 55,018 50,474 

 Age of reference person ............................................ 47.9 51.2 46.5 52.8 42.9 40.5 41.3 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ................................................................... 2.5 1.0 3.1 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.6 

 Children under 18 .................................................... .7 n.a. .9 .1 .8 1.6 2.8 

 Persons 65 and over ............................................... .3 .3 .3 .5 .1 .1 .1 

 Earners .................................................................... 1.3 .6 1.6 1.2 1.8 2.0 2.2 

 Vehicles ................................................................... 1.9 1.0 2.3 2.1 2.3 2.6 2.6 

Percent distribution:

Sex of reference person:

Male ....................................................................... 55 43 60 62 56 61 58 

 Female ................................................................... 45 57 40 38 44 39 42 

Housing tenure:

Homeowner ........................................................... 65 49 71 73 68 75 68 

 With mortgage ..................................................... 38 19 46 36 49 60 53 

 Without mortgage ................................................ 27 31 25 37 19 15 15 

 Renter .................................................................... 35 51 29 27 32 25 32 

Race of reference person:

Black ...................................................................... 12 11 12 10 15 12 16 

 White and other ..................................................... 88 89 88 90 85 88 84 

Education of reference person:

Elementary (1-8) .................................................... 6 7 6 6 5 4 9 

 High school (9-12) ................................................. 39 35 41 40 41 39 44 

 College .................................................................. 55 58 53 54 54 57 46 

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

At least one vehicle owned or leased ...................... 87 74 92 92 92 94 92 

Annual aggregate expenditures ................................... $4,012,363 17.5 82.5 32.9 18.4 18.4 12.8 

Food .......................................................................... 545,454 15.3 84.7 32.1 18.2 19.3 15.0 

 Food at home .......................................................... 316,055 14.2 85.8 31.1 18.6 19.4 16.7 

 Cereals and bakery products ................................. 48,584 14.2 85.8 30.1 19.0 20.3 16.5 

 Cereals and cereal products ................................ 17,331 13.1 86.9 28.1 19.0 21.4 18.4 

 Bakery products ................................................... 31,253 14.8 85.2 31.2 18.9 19.7 15.4 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ................................ 81,181 13.0 87.0 31.6 18.6 18.8 18.0 

 Beef ..................................................................... 23,865 11.9 88.1 31.6 18.8 18.7 19.0 

 Pork ..................................................................... 16,995 12.3 87.7 32.2 18.4 18.0 19.1 

 Other meats ......................................................... 10,529 14.0 86.0 31.2 17.8 20.3 16.7 

 Poultry ................................................................. 14,759 13.2 86.8 30.2 18.9 19.4 18.2 

 Fish and seafood ................................................. 11,516 14.7 85.3 33.1 18.9 18.3 15.0 

 Eggs .................................................................... 3,516 14.4 85.6 31.8 16.8 18.5 18.5 

Dairy products ....................................................... 34,946 13.8 86.2 30.3 18.6 20.1 17.2 

 Fresh milk and cream .......................................... 13,233 13.5 86.5 27.2 18.9 21.3 19.1 

 Other dairy products ............................................ 21,712 14.0 86.0 32.2 18.4 19.4 16.1 

 Fruits and vegetables ............................................ 54,162 15.1 84.9 32.4 17.9 18.8 15.8 

 Fresh fruits ........................................................... 16,533 16.0 84.0 32.1 17.6 18.3 15.9 

 Fresh vegetables ................................................. 16,103 14.7 85.3 33.8 18.3 18.3 14.9 

 Processed fruits ................................................... 12,247 15.2 84.8 31.8 17.7 19.4 15.9 

 Processed vegetables ......................................... 9,279 14.1 85.9 31.6 18.0 19.6 16.8 

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 58. Size of consumer unit: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income, Consumer Expenditure

Survey, 1999 — Continued

(Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

Item Aggregate One

person

Two or more persons

Total

two or

more

persons

Two

persons

Three

persons

Four

persons

Five or

more

persons

 Other food at home ................................................ $97,182 15.0 85.0 30.6 18.8 19.6 16.0 

 Sugar and other sweets ....................................... 12,091 14.6 85.4 31.8 17.6 19.0 17.0 

 Fats and oils ........................................................ 9,056 14.4 85.6 33.2 17.9 18.2 16.3 

 Miscellaneous foods ............................................ 45,515 15.1 84.9 29.3 19.6 20.1 15.9 

 Nonalcoholic beverages ...................................... 26,244 15.2 84.8 30.8 18.9 19.7 15.5 

Food prepared by consumer unit on

out-of-town trips ................................................. 4,276 14.5 85.5 34.2 16.3 18.8 16.1 

 Food away from home ............................................. 229,399 16.8 83.2 33.6 17.7 19.1 12.8 

Alcoholic beverages .................................................. 34,456 25.8 74.2 37.9 15.7 12.7 8.0 

Housing ..................................................................... 1,307,704 19.8 80.2 31.5 17.9 18.3 12.4 

 Shelter ..................................................................... 760,976 21.3 78.7 30.9 17.6 17.9 12.2 

 Owned dwellings ................................................... 490,775 14.8 85.2 31.7 18.7 21.3 13.5 

 Mortgage interest and charges ............................ 276,283 11.5 88.5 27.7 20.2 24.8 15.8 

 Property taxes ..................................................... 121,856 18.9 81.1 34.3 16.7 18.6 11.4 

Maintenance, repairs, insurance, other

expenses ........................................................... 92,637 19.5 80.5 40.3 16.9 14.2 9.1 

 Rented dwellings ................................................... 219,817 36.1 63.9 26.8 15.7 10.9 10.4 

 Other lodging ......................................................... 50,384 19.9 80.1 40.2 15.7 15.9 8.3 

Utilities, fuels, and public services ........................... 257,872 19.0 81.0 31.9 18.2 17.6 13.3 

 Natural gas ............................................................ 29,320 19.8 80.2 30.9 17.9 16.7 14.7 

 Electricity ............................................................... 97,539 18.3 81.7 32.4 18.1 17.9 13.3 

 Fuel oil and other fuels .......................................... 8,071 17.5 82.5 38.1 16.7 17.6 10.1 

 Telephone services ............................................... 92,079 20.3 79.7 31.1 18.6 17.2 12.9 

 Water and other public services ............................ 30,862 16.8 83.2 32.0 18.4 18.8 14.0 

 Household operations .............................................. 72,226 20.5 79.5 22.9 19.3 24.8 12.6 

 Personal services .................................................. 35,003 17.4 82.6 10.4 23.5 32.6 16.1 

 Other household expenses .................................... 37,223 23.4 76.6 34.6 15.3 17.3 9.3 

Housekeeping supplies ........................................... 54,022 13.7 86.3 34.7 17.6 20.1 14.0 

 Laundry and cleaning supplies .............................. 13,137 13.1 86.9 33.0 17.2 19.8 16.9 

 Other household products ..................................... 27,079 12.1 87.9 34.7 17.6 21.9 13.7 

 Postage and stationery .......................................... 13,806 17.2 82.8 36.2 17.9 17.0 11.7 

 Household furnishings and equipment .................... 162,609 15.6 84.4 36.8 18.2 18.0 11.4 

 Household textiles ................................................. 12,364 17.3 82.7 35.4 18.8 15.9 12.7 

 Furniture ................................................................ 39,613 15.8 84.2 33.2 18.6 20.2 12.2 

 Floor coverings ...................................................... 4,737 13.8 86.2 43.3 18.3 15.7 8.9 

 Major appliances ................................................... 19,859 17.3 82.7 36.7 16.4 18.1 11.5 

Small appliances, miscellaneous

housewares ......................................................... 11,021 19.6 80.4 42.7 14.6 14.2 9.0 

 Miscellaneous household equipment .................... 75,015 14.2 85.8 37.6 18.9 18.0 11.3 

Apparel and services ................................................. 188,973 15.4 84.6 29.9 18.1 21.4 15.2 

 Men and boys .......................................................... 45,651 11.9 88.1 30.1 17.4 23.2 17.4 

 Men, 16 and over ................................................... 35,565 14.4 85.6 35.5 17.5 18.8 13.7 

 Boys, 2 to 15 .......................................................... 10,086 3.1 96.9 10.9 16.8 38.8 30.3 

 Women and girls ...................................................... 71,018 14.8 85.2 32.7 17.8 21.3 13.5 

 Women, 16 and over ............................................. 59,373 17.2 82.8 36.6 17.4 18.3 10.6 

 Girls, 2 to 15 .......................................................... 11,645 2.5 97.5 13.1 19.9 36.4 28.0 

 Children under 2 ...................................................... 7,250 4.4 95.6 15.7 31.1 24.2 24.7 

 Footwear .................................................................. 32,860 12.8 87.2 27.6 18.5 22.4 18.8 

 Other apparel products and services ....................... 32,192 27.0 73.0 29.1 16.2 17.6 10.1 

Transportation ........................................................... 760,475 14.7 85.3 33.0 19.7 18.8 13.8 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ................................ 358,516 13.3 86.7 33.2 20.0 19.2 14.3 

 Cars and trucks, new ............................................. 176,575 13.5 86.5 38.4 19.5 16.3 12.3 

 Cars and trucks, used ............................................ 178,030 12.9 87.1 28.3 20.4 22.0 16.3 

 Other vehicles ........................................................ 3,911 320.4 79.6 24.2 23.2 24.3 38.0 

 Gasoline and motor oil ............................................. 114,400 15.6 84.4 31.5 19.2 18.9 14.8 

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 58. Size of consumer unit: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income, Consumer Expenditure

Survey, 1999 — Continued

(Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

Item Aggregate One

person

Two or more persons

Total

two or

more

persons

Two

persons

Three

persons

Four

persons

Five or

more

persons

 Other vehicle expenses ........................................... $244,458 15.7 84.3 32.3 20.2 18.7 13.1 

 Vehicle finance charges ........................................ 34,758 10.9 89.1 29.2 23.1 20.9 15.8 

 Maintenance and repairs ....................................... 72,034 16.7 83.3 32.6 19.3 18.4 13.0 

 Vehicle insurance .................................................. 82,041 16.5 83.5 32.3 19.9 18.5 12.8 

Vehicle rental, leases, licenses, other

charges ................................................................ 55,625 16.1 83.9 33.8 19.9 18.1 12.2 

 Public transportation ................................................ 43,101 18.2 81.8 39.6 16.2 14.5 11.5 

Health care ................................................................ 212,462 19.8 80.2 39.4 15.8 14.6 10.3 

 Health insurance ...................................................... 100,069 19.4 80.6 39.7 15.5 15.0 10.4 

 Medical services ...................................................... 60,491 18.1 81.9 36.2 17.3 16.8 11.6 

 Drugs ....................................................................... 40,125 23.8 76.2 43.5 14.3 10.2 8.2 

 Medical supplies ...................................................... 11,777 19.2 80.8 39.3 15.2 15.7 10.6 

Entertainment ............................................................ 205,071 16.0 84.0 33.7 19.2 19.3 11.8 

 Fees and admissions ............................................... 49,747 17.6 82.4 35.0 16.8 19.0 11.5 

 Television, radios, sound equipment ....................... 65,955 19.8 80.2 29.9 17.9 19.1 13.2 

 Pets, toys, and playground equipment .................... 37,488 15.4 84.6 32.5 18.8 20.9 12.5 

Other entertainment supplies, equipment,

and services .......................................................... 51,881 9.9 90.1 38.1 23.5 18.8 9.8 

Personal care products and services ........................ 44,268 17.8 82.2 33.9 18.4 17.5 12.4 

Reading ..................................................................... 17,287 22.4 77.6 36.2 17.1 15.8 8.6 

Education ................................................................... 68,832 19.3 80.7 24.9 19.9 22.1 13.8 

Tobacco products and smoking supplies .................. 32,549 18.3 81.7 31.3 19.7 17.9 12.8 

Miscellaneous ............................................................ 94,030 22.2 77.8 32.0 19.3 15.6 10.8 

Cash contributions ..................................................... 128,091 25.0 75.0 40.1 14.4 10.8 9.7 

Personal insurance and pensions ............................. 372,711 14.3 85.7 34.4 19.7 19.9 11.6 

 Life and other personal insurance ........................... 42,781 9.8 90.2 35.8 19.1 22.6 12.6 

 Pensions and Social Security .................................. 329,930 14.9 85.1 34.3 19.8 19.6 11.5 

Sources of income and personal taxes: 1

Money income before taxes ........................................ 3,590,418 17.1 82.9 33.6 18.7 18.8 11.8 

 Wages and salaries ................................................. 2,814,796 14.5 85.5 30.1 20.6 21.4 13.4 

 Self-employment income ......................................... 212,674 12.0 88.0 45.8 16.6 17.4 8.1 

 Social Security, private and government retirement 391,944 30.1 69.9 53.8 8.1 4.5 3.5 

 Interest, dividends, rental income, other property

income ................................................................... 90,225 48.2 51.8 35.6 8.1 5.9 2.2 

 Unemployment and workers’ compensation,

veterans’ benefits .................................................. 14,421 22.3 77.7 29.5 15.7 19.8 12.6 

 Public assistance, supplemental security income,

food stamps ........................................................... 26,165 14.8 85.2 25.3 18.2 16.5 25.2 

 Regular contributions for support ............................ 21,388 24.5 75.5 19.3 28.3 14.3 13.6 

 Other income ........................................................... 18,805 35.7 64.3 20.1 15.8 16.4 11.9 

Personal taxes ........................................................... 269,521 20.0 80.0 33.9 18.5 19.1 8.4 

 Federal income taxes .............................................. 205,294 19.9 80.1 33.8 18.7 19.5 8.0 

 State and local income taxes ................................... 50,310 20.3 79.7 33.1 18.2 17.8 10.6 

 Other taxes .............................................................. 13,917 21.1 78.9 38.7 16.1 17.3 6.7 

Income after taxes ..................................................... 3,320,962 16.9 83.1 33.6 18.7 18.8 12.0 

1 Components of income and taxes are derived from "complete

income reporters" only; see glossary. 2 Value less than 0.5.

3 Data are likely to have large sampling errors.

n.a. Not applicable.