Table 24. Selected western metropolitan statistical areas: Average annual expenditures and

characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2008-2009

Item

All

consumer

units in the

West

Los

Angeles

San

Francisco San Diego Seattle Phoenix

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ....... 27,011 5,117 2,909 1,086 1,910 1,633 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ...................................... $66,678 $68,749 $91,330 $67,554 $79,874 $65,128 

Age of reference person ................................. 47.9 48.9 46.9 47.0 47.5 46.1 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.6 2.8 2.5 2.3 2.3 2.7 

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

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

Earners ......................................................... 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.2 1.4 1.4 

Vehicles ........................................................ 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.5 2.6 1.9 

Percent homeowner ....................................... 63 53 55 53 63 70 

Average annual expenditures ........................... $54,226 $56,529 $67,730 $53,820 $66,015 $53,618 

Food ............................................................... 6,970 7,531 7,952 6,541 8,082 6,402 

Food at home ............................................... 4,081 4,260 4,280 3,644 4,596 3,596 

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 522 511 565 453 614 464 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 882 996 891 726 865 800 

Dairy products ............................................ 452 438 476 397 539 362 

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 766 864 920 785 842 608 

Other food at home .................................... 1,460 1,451 1,427 1,283 1,736 1,363 

Food away from home .................................. 2,889 3,271 3,672 2,897 3,486 2,806 

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 524 504 714 647 839 503 

Housing .......................................................... 19,404 21,811 26,064 22,207 22,029 18,698 

Shelter .......................................................... 12,549 14,938 19,096 15,146 13,829 11,185 

Owned dwellings ........................................ 7,898 8,271 11,227 7,741 8,727 7,695 

Rented dwellings ........................................ 3,951 6,086 6,508 6,973 4,069 2,918 

Other lodging .............................................. 700 580 1,361 432 1,033 573 

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,356 3,257 3,139 2,989 3,554 3,892 

Household operations .................................. 1,146 1,370 1,344 1,571 1,592 1,174 

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 637 643 585 678 741 633 

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,717 1,603 1,899 1,823 2,312 1,813 

Apparel and services ...................................... 1,866 2,140 2,413 2,407 2,464 1,793 

Transportation ................................................ 8,227 8,784 9,535 7,171 9,380 9,330 

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 2,558 2,513 2,748 11,941 3,395 2,887 

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 2,347 2,667 2,235 2,412 2,454 2,658 

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,649 2,989 3,252 2,373 2,589 3,275 

Public transportation ..................................... 673 615 1,300 445 943 509 

Healthcare ...................................................... 3,093 2,620 3,319 2,249 3,684 3,326 

Entertainment ................................................. 3,197 2,599 3,247 2,459 4,463 3,814 

Personal care products and services ............. 687 710 909 685 833 868 

Reading .......................................................... 131 108 150 83 218 98 

Education ....................................................... 960 895 1,555 720 1,070 473 

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 268 202 188 101 342 340 

Miscellaneous ................................................. 965 909 958 666 1,490 884 

Cash contributions .......................................... 1,954 1,659 2,029 1,484 2,918 1,814 

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 5,981 6,058 8,697 6,399 8,202 5,274 

Life and other personal insurance ................ 263 259 255 224 408 179 

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 5,717 5,799 8,443 6,175 7,794 5,095 

1 Data are likely to have large sampling errors.

Source: Consumer Expenditure Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, October, 2010