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

Expenditure Survey, 2009-2010

Item

All consumer

units in the

South

Washington,

D.C. Baltimore Atlanta Miami DallasFort Worth Houston

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ....... 44,134 2,143 939 2,139 1,636 2,441 1,837 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ...................................... $58,733 $104,658 $84,537 $70,367 $59,410 $71,972 $70,713 

Age of reference person ................................. 49.7 46.9 52.0 45.9 49.4 45.1 47.0 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.7 2.7 2.9 

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

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

Earners ......................................................... 1.2 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 2.0 

Percent homeowner ....................................... 68 67 69 68 61 60 68 

Average annual expenditures ........................... $44,978 $70,075 $52,815 $47,502 $42,266 $52,977 $56,764 

Food ............................................................... 5,794 7,693 6,158 5,399 5,381 6,673 6,610 

Food at home ............................................... 3,407 4,199 3,544 2,938 3,591 3,506 3,527 

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 462 569 487 387 523 456 438 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 795 968 932 705 826 786 817 

Dairy products ............................................ 354 453 326 283 448 358 351 

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 585 839 641 509 801 638 638 

Other food at home .................................... 1,211 1,370 1,159 1,054 993 1,267 1,283 

Food away from home .................................. 2,386 3,494 2,614 2,461 1,790 3,168 3,083 

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 347 585 385 365 234 373 541 

Housing .......................................................... 15,137 25,427 20,642 17,932 18,407 18,181 19,323 

Shelter .......................................................... 8,322 16,398 13,293 10,849 12,274 10,183 10,903 

Owned dwellings ........................................ 5,420 10,630 9,147 7,445 6,967 6,336 7,499 

Rented dwellings ........................................ 2,357 4,447 3,137 2,990 4,372 3,338 2,793 

Other lodging .............................................. 546 1,321 1,009 415 935 508 612 

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,795 4,103 4,276 4,078 3,737 4,346 4,539 

Household operations .................................. 954 1,769 930 1,142 928 1,204 1,494 

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 627 791 613 743 452 704 618 

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,439 2,366 1,530 1,120 1,016 1,744 1,770 

Apparel and services ...................................... 1,645 2,666 1,749 1,668 1,493 2,245 2,095 

Transportation ................................................ 7,496 10,067 6,566 7,164 6,569 8,016 9,410 

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 2,666 3,363 11,937 2,330 11,585 2,257 3,351 

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 2,166 2,139 2,123 2,249 2,149 2,452 2,471 

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,343 3,411 2,036 2,148 2,419 2,905 3,058 

Public transportation ..................................... 321 1,155 471 438 417 403 531 

Healthcare ...................................................... 3,036 3,554 3,043 2,668 1,629 3,182 3,413 

Entertainment ................................................. 2,406 3,656 2,594 2,230 1,562 2,660 2,833 

Personal care products and services ............. 579 992 701 656 601 721 755 

Reading .......................................................... 82 165 92 71 21 81 129 

Education ....................................................... 758 1,901 1,641 832 567 722 1,176 

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 397 229 291 213 141 340 341 

Miscellaneous ................................................. 742 854 546 883 622 678 1,268 

Cash contributions .......................................... 1,662 1,950 1,622 1,511 745 1,989 2,193 

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 4,897 10,336 6,784 5,911 4,294 7,115 6,677 

Life and other personal insurance ................ 292 412 318 231 124 411 325 

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 4,605 9,923 6,466 5,679 4,171 6,704 6,352 

1 Data are likely to have large sampling errors.

Source: Consumer Expenditure Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, September, 2011