U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

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Consumer Expenditures in 2015

This Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) Annual Report

presents integrated data from the 2015 Diary and Interview

portions of the CE, including data tables. The tables show

average expenditures, income, and characteristics for consumer

units1 classified by the following characteristics: quintiles and

deciles of income, before-tax income class, age of the reference

person, size of the consumer unit, composition of the consumer

unit, number of earners, housing tenure and type of area (urban

or rural), region of residence, occupation, highest education level

of any consumer-unit member, race, and Hispanic or Latino

origin. This report highlights spending patterns for 2015 from the CE, including a brief discussion of expenditure

changes for the year, and provides a description of the CE survey.

Consumer spending increased 4.6 percent in 2015, according to annual data from the CE. This follows an increase of

4.7 percent in 2014, previously recorded by the CE. The average annual expenditures by consumer units (CUs)

increased from $53,495 in 2014 to $55,978 in 2015. Accompanying the 2015 increase in expenditures was an

increase of 4.1 percent in average income before taxes from 2014 ($66,877) to 2015 ($69,627). Prices, as measured

by the average annual change in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U, U.S. city average, all

items, base period 1982–1984=100), rose by 0.1 percent in 2015, compared with the 4.6-percent increase in

spending. In 2014, prices increased by 1.6 percent, compared with the 4.7-percent increase in spending.

Developments in 2015

During 2015, spending increased across the nine largest aggregated categories of expenditures tracked by CE: food,

housing, apparel and services, transportation, healthcare, entertainment, education, cash contributions, and personal

insurance and pensions. (See table A.) Expenditures on healthcare and cash contributions rose only slightly, up 1.2

and 1.7 percent, respectively. Expenditures on education and personal insurance and pensions rose more noticeably,

up 6.4 percent and 10.9 percent, respectively. Expenditures on food, housing, apparel and services, transportation,

and entertainment rose between 3.4 and 4.7 percent, continuing the increases observed in 2014.

Consumer confidence levels also increased from 87 in 2014 to 98 in 2015, as published by the Consumer Confidence

Index of the Conference Board. (The base year for the Consumer Confidence Index is 1985. Index values of 100 or

higher reflect greater consumer optimism than measured in the base year.) The improvement in consumer confidence

coincides with the gradual decline in the unemployment rate in 2015. According to the Current Population Survey, the

monthly unemployment rate fell steadily throughout the year, from 5.7 percent in January to 5.0 percent in December.

The average unemployment rate in 2015 was 5.3 percent, compared with an average of 6.2 percent in 2014. Despite

these declines in the unemployment rate, the measure still remained above prerecession levels of 4.6 percent in 2006

and 2007. Although the number of long-term unemployed individuals (those without a job for 27 weeks or more)

declined from 3.2 million in 2014 to 2.3 million in 2015, it was still higher than prerecession levels (1.2 million in 2007).

April 2017 | Report 1066
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In addition, the rise in consumer confidence may reflect the acceleration in the economic recovery, as shown by the

2.4-percent increase in real GDP in 2015, compared with a 1.2-percent increase in 2014.

Item 2012 2013 2014 2015

Percent change

2012–13 2013–14 2014–15

Number of consumer units (in thousands) 124,416 125,670 127,006 128,437 ... ... ...

Consumer unit characteristics

Income before taxes $65,596 $63,784 $66,877 $69,627 -2.8 4.8 4.1

Age of reference person 50.0 50.1 50.3 50.5 ... ... ...

Average number in consumer unit

People 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 ... ... ...

Children under 18 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 ... ... ...

Adults 65 and older 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 ... ... ...

Earners 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.3 ... ... ...

Vehicles 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 ... ... ...

Percent homeowner 64 64 63 62 ... ... ...

Average annual expenditures $51,442 $51,100 $53,495 $55,978 -0.7 4.7 4.6

Food 6,599 6,602 6,759 7,023 0 2.4 3.9

Food at home 3,921 3,977 3,971 4,015 1.4 -0.2 1.1

Cereals and bakery products 538 544 519 518 1.1 -4.6 -0.2

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs 852 856 892 896 0.5 4.2 0.4

Dairy products 419 414 423 413 -1.2 2.2 -2.4

Fruits and vegetables 731 751 756 769 2.7 0.7 1.7

Other food at home 1,380 1,412 1,382 1,419 2.3 -2.1 2.7

Food away from home 2,678 2,625 2,787 3,008 -2.0 6.2 7.9

Alcoholic beverages 451 445 463 515 -1.3 4.0 11.2

Housing 16,887 17,148 17,798 18,409 1.5 3.8 3.4

Shelter 9,891 10,080 10,491 10,742 1.9 4.1 2.4

Owned dwellings 6,056 6,108 6,149 6,210 0.9 0.7 1.0

Rented dwellings 3,186 3,324 3,631 3,802 4.3 9.2 4.7

Other lodging 649 649 710 730 0 9.4 2.8

Utilities, fuels, and public services 3,648 3,737 3,921 3,885 2.4 4.9 -0.9

Household operations 1,159 1,144 1,174 1,309 -1.3 2.6 11.5

Housekeeping supplies 610 645 632 655 5.7 -2.0 3.6

Household furnishings and equipment 1,580 1,542 1,581 1,818 -2.4 2.5 15.0

Table A. Average annual expenditures by major category of all consumer units and percent changes,

Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2012–15

See footnotes at end of table.
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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Expenditure shares

Table B provides the percent distribution of total annual expenditures shares by major expenditure categories for all

CUs from 2012 to 2015. Expenditure shares usually do not fluctuate much in the short term and therefore are more

useful for identifying spending trends over time. As in previous years, housing was the largest component of overall

expenditures, accounting for 32.9 percent of total expenditures in 2015. Housing expenditures were followed by

transportation (17.0 percent) and food expenditures (12.5 percent). 

The most notable changes in expenditure shares between 2014 and 2015 were in personal insurance and pensions,

and the transportation subcategories of vehicle purchases and gasoline and motor oil. Personal insurance and

pensions increased from 10.7 percent to 11.3 percent of expenditures, reversing multiple years of consecutive

decline. Although the share for total transportation held steady at 17.0 percent, within that category, vehicle purchases

increased from 6.2 percent to 7.1 percent of expenditures, and gasoline declined from 4.6 percent to 3.7 percent of

Item 2012 2013 2014 2015

Percent change

2012–13 2013–14 2014–15

Apparel and services 1,736 1,604 1,786 1,846 -7.6 11.3 3.4

Transportation 8,998 9,004 9,073 9,503 0.1 0.8 4.7

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) 3,210 3,271 3,301 3,997 1.9 0.9 21.1

Gasoline and motor oil 2,756 2,611 2,468 2,090 -5.3 -5.5 -15.3

Other vehicle expenses 2,490 2,584 2,723 2,756 3.8 5.4 1.2

Public and other transportation 542 537 581 661 -0.9 8.2 13.8

Healthcare 3,556 3,631 4,290 4,342 2.1 18.1 1.2

Entertainment 2,605 2,482 2,728 2,842 -4.7 9.9 4.2

Personal care products and services 628 608 645 683 -3.2 6.1 5.9

Reading 109 102 103 114 -6.4 1.0 10.7

Education 1,207 1,138 1,236 1,315 -5.7 8.6 6.4

Tobacco products and smoking supplies 332 330 319 349 -0.6 -3.3 9.4

Miscellaneous 829 645 782 871 -22.2 21.2 11.4

Cash contributions 1,913 1,834 1,788 1,819 -4.1 -2.5 1.7

Personal insurance and pensions 5,591 5,528 5,726 6,349 -1.1 3.6 10.9

Life and other personal insurance 353 319 327 333 -9.6 2.5 1.8

Pensions and Social Security 5,238 5,209 5,399 6,016 -0.6 3.6 11.4

Table A. Average annual expenditures by major category of all consumer units and percent changes,

Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2012–15
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spending. Healthcare decreased from 8.0 percent to 7.8 percent. The shares for all other major categories stayed the

same or remained within 0.1 percentage point of their 2014 levels.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Spending category 2012 2013 2014 2015

Average annual expenditures 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Food 12.8 12.9 12.6 12.5

Food at home 7.6 7.8 7.4 7.2

Food away from home 5.2 5.1 5.2 5.4

Alcoholic beverages 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9

Housing 32.8 33.6 33.3 32.9

Shelter 19.2 19.7 19.6 19.2

Utilities, fuels, and public services 7.1 7.3 7.3 6.9

Household operations 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.3

Housekeeping supplies 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.2

Household furnishings and equipment 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.2

Apparel and services 3.4 3.1 3.3 3.3

Transportation 17.5 17.6 17.0 17.0

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) 6.2 6.4 6.2 7.1

Gasoline and motor oil 5.4 5.1 4.6 3.7

Other vehicle expenses 4.8 5.1 5.1 4.9

Public and other transportation 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2

Healthcare 6.9 7.1 8.0 7.8

Entertainment 5.1 4.9 5.1 5.1

Personal care products and services 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2

Reading 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2

Education 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.3

Tobacco products and smoking supplies 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6

Miscellaneous 1.6 1.3 1.5 1.6

Cash contributions 3.7 3.6 3.3 3.2

Personal insurance and pensions 10.9 10.8 10.7 11.3

Life and other personal insurance 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6

Pensions and Social Security 10.2 10.2 10.1 10.7

Table B. Percent distribution of total annual expenditures by major category for all consumer units,

Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2012–15
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Housing

Average expenditures on mortgage interest and charges for homeowners with a mortgage decreased only slightly in

2015. Homeowners spent 0.2 percent less on this component in 2015 ($7,939) than they did in 2014 ($7,952). By

comparison, homeowners with a mortgage spent $8,779 on this component in 2007. This reflects the continuing trend

of lower interest rates, which, despite recent increases, has been in place since the recent recession that began in

December 2007 and ended in June 2009.

In addition, although the recession led to an overall trend of fewer CUs owning homes, the CE reported a reversal of

this trend in 2013, when the number of homeowners increased from 79.9 million in 2012 to 80.1 million in 2013. There

has not been much change since then, with homeownership declining to 79.6 million in 2014 and increasing to 80.0

million in 2015, still slightly below the prerecession level of 80.2 million homeowners in 2007 (homeowners made up

66.8 percent of all CUs in that year).

In percentage terms, homeownership dropped again this year to 62.3 percent from 62.7 percent in 2014. According to

the CPI-U, rents for primary residences have increased 21.9 percent between 2007 and 2015. During the 2007–15

time span, the average annual rental payments reported in the CE increased 28.0 percent ($9,900 in 2015, compared

with $7,732 in 2007), reflecting the increase in demand for rental units.

Also of note is the drop in spending on utilities, fuels, and public services, as a percentage of total expenditures, from

7.3 percent in 2014 to 6.9 percent in 2015. By comparison, expenditures on this item reached 7.6 percent of

expenditures in 2010. This decline is partially due to lower expenditures on natural gas and electricity, which declined

4.1 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively, from 2014 to 2015.

Gasoline

Average expenditures on gasoline decreased in 2015. CUs spent 16.1 percent less in 2015 ($1,915) than they did in

2014 ($2,284), reflecting how oil and gasoline prices decreased throughout 2015. Chart 1 shows the percent change

in expenditures on gasoline and the price of gasoline between 2007 and 2015. For most years, the change in

consumer spending is similar to the change in prices. In 2015, the percentage decline in spending on gasoline was

smaller (16.1 percent) than the drop in the CPI index for gasoline (27.2 percent).

Gasoline expenditures decreased in every income quintile in 2015. The first (lowest) quintile had the largest

percentage decrease in expenditures from 2014 to 2015—a decline of 19.7 percent—from $1,095 to $880. By age of

reference person, all age groups decreased spending in 2015. The largest percentage decrease was in the 65–74

age group (down 19.3 percent to $1,535), followed by the 55–64 age group (down 18.3 percent to $1,946). 
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Expenditures by income quintile

Spending increased across all five income quintiles in 2015. This continued the trend seen in 2014, when there were

also increases in all five income quintiles. (See chart 2.) The third quintile increased spending by 1.1 percent in 2015,

while the lower two and upper two quintiles increase spending between 3.2 and 5.9 percent. Table C shows more

details on spending by income quintile.
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All income quintiles showed higher spending on food away from home, housing, transportation, and personal

insurance and pensions in 2015 relative to 2014. (See table C.) Among these categories, personal insurance and

pensions expenditures rose most significantly, with increases between 9.0 percent and 18.2 percent among the

quintiles. Cash contributions expenditures rose for the lowest (up 40.7 percent) and highest quintiles (up 3.1 percent),

while the middle three quintiles reduced their expenditures in this category between 1.2 percent and 7.1 percent.

Food at home, apparel and services, and healthcare all saw increases in 3 of the 5 quintiles. Four of five quintiles

increased spending on entertainment, food, and all other expenditures.

Item

Lowest Second Third Fourth Highest

Dollar Percent Dollar Percent Dollar Percent Dollar Percent Dollar Percent

Average annual expenditure change

Total 757 3.2 1517 4.5 517 1.1 3254 5.4 6145 5.9

Food 100 2.7 268 5.6 -193 -3.2 386 5.0 755 6.5

Food at home -7 -0.3 133 4.2 -225 -6.1 44 1.0 271 4.5

Food away from home 106 9.1 135 8.4 32 1.4 343 10.5 485 8.7

Table C. Dollar change and percent change in average annual expenditures on major categories by

income quintile, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2014–15

See footnotes at end of table.
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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Food

Food expenditures increased for all but the third quintile in 2015. This is similar to 2014, when expenditures increased

for all but the second quintile. The highest quintile registered the largest percentage increase in food expenditures, an

increase of 6.5 percent, from $11,595 in 2014 to $12,350 in 2015. This reflected a 4.5-percent increase in food-athome spending and an 8.7-percent increase in food-away-from-home expenditures. Although expenditures on food

away from home for the upper two and lower two quintiles increased significantly, with percentage increases ranging

from 8.4 to 10.5, no clear pattern emerged for expenditures on food at home. The lowest and third quintile reduced

expenditures by 0.3 and 6.1 percent, respectively; the second, fourth, and highest quintiles increased expenditures

4.2, 1.0, and 4.5 percent, respectively.

There was an increase in food expenditures in all but the 65–74 age group (which declined 1.4 percent) in 2015. The

under-25 and 35–44 age groups had the highest percentage increase in overall food expenditures in 2015, up 10.6

and 9.7 percent, respectively, outpacing their overall expenditure increases of 1.9 and 4.5 percent. The 45–54 and

over-75 age groups also increased overall food expenditures by considerable margins, up 4.6 percent and 4.9

percent, respectively. These increases were similar to their overall expenditure increases of 6.2 percent and 4.0

percent. Increases for the 25–34 and 55–64 age groups were more modest, up 0.1 and 2.8 percent, respectively,

which was lower than the rate of increase in their overall expenditures, up 5.1 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively.

Notes

1 A consumer unit consists of either: (1) all members of a particular household who are related by blood, marriage,

adoption, or other legal arrangements; (2) a person living alone or sharing a household with others or living as a

roomer in a private home or lodging house or in permanent living quarters in a hotel or motel, but who is financially

independent; or (3) two or more persons living together who use their income to make joint expenditure decisions.

Item

Lowest Second Third Fourth Highest

Dollar Percent Dollar Percent Dollar Percent Dollar Percent Dollar Percent

Housing 247 2.6 324 2.6 361 2.3 840 4.3 1215 3.8

Apparel and services -10 -1.3 17 1.5 -231 -15.1 126 6.8 400 11.0

Transportation 4 0.1 227 4.0 345 4.1 486 4.5 1046 6.2

Healthcare 62 3.3 171 5.3 -61 -1.5 245 4.8 -171 -2.4

Entertainment 162 14.6 172 11.0 -146 -6.2 83 2.8 290 5.2

Cash contributions 206 40.7 -80 -7.1 -84 -5.9 -23 -1.2 123 3.1

Personal insurance and pensions 91 18.2 146 9.2 427 12.0 921 13.7 1467 9.0

All other expenditures -105 -5.1 272 14.2 99 3.8 190 5.2 1020 13.6

Table C. Dollar change and percent change in average annual expenditures on major categories by

income quintile, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2014–15
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Statistical Tables

Item All consumer units Lowest 20 percent Second 20 percent Third 20 percent Fourth 20 percent Highest 20 percent

Number of consumer units (in thousands) 128,437 25,672 25,562 25,700 25,730 25,773

Lower limit (1) (1) $19,572 $37,638 $62,587 $103,057

Consumer unit characteristics

Income before taxes $69,627 $10,916 $28,343 $49,606 $80,813 $177,851

Age of reference person 50.5 53.3 53.6 49.3 47.9 48.7

Average number in consumer unit

People 2.5 1.7 2.2 2.5 2.9 3.1

Children under 18 .6 .3 .5 .6 .7 .8

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

Earners 1.3 .5 .8 1.3 1.8 2.0

Vehicles 1.9 .9 1.5 1.9 2.4 2.7

Percent homeowner 62 38 53 60 73 87

Average annual expenditures $55,978 $24,470 $35,063 $45,912 $63,671 $110,508

Food 7,023 3,767 5,022 5,799 8,165 12,350

Food at home 4,015 2,499 3,271 3,445 4,545 6,310

Cereals and bakery products 518 333 432 450 598 776

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs 896 590 776 766 1,008 1,338

Dairy products 413 249 329 362 462 662

Fruits and vegetables 769 483 621 643 863 1,233

Other food at home 1,419 843 1,112 1,225 1,614 2,302

Food away from home 3,008 1,268 1,751 2,354 3,620 6,040

Alcoholic beverages 515 195 253 387 578 1,161

Table 1. Quintiles of income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
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Item All consumer units Lowest 20 percent Second 20 percent Third 20 percent Fourth 20 percent Highest 20 percent

Housing 18,409 9,890 12,832 15,809 20,408 33,027

Shelter 10,742 6,033 7,320 8,985 11,786 19,537

Owned dwellings 6,210 1,817 2,906 4,363 7,480 14,437

Rented dwellings 3,802 4,034 4,121 4,267 3,660 2,933

Other lodging 730 182 293 355 647 2,167

Utilities, fuels, and public services 3,885 2,328 3,211 3,768 4,454 5,653

Household operations 1,309 462 714 1,006 1,346 3,006

Housekeeping supplies 655 378 517 563 701 1,113

Household furnishings and equipment 1,818 689 1,070 1,487 2,121 3,717

Apparel and services 1,846 776 1,139 1,303 1,984 4,025

Transportation 9,503 3,559 5,923 8,820 11,330 17,834

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) 3,997 1,136 2,260 3,716 4,995 7,853

Gasoline and motor oil 2,090 939 1,532 2,110 2,632 3,226

Other vehicle expenses 2,756 1,270 1,859 2,538 3,115 4,985

Public and other transportation 661 214 271 455 587 1,769

Healthcare 4,342 1,930 3,423 3,965 5,327 7,048

Entertainment 2,842 1,270 1,738 2,219 3,051 5,919

Personal care products and services 683 307 453 524 797 1,331

Reading 114 37 82 107 134 210

Education 1,315 689 494 614 986 3,779

Tobacco products and smoking supplies 349 308 360 376 372 332

Miscellaneous 871 439 550 674 982 1,706

Cash contributions 1,819 712 1,054 1,335 1,890 4,089

Table 1. Quintiles of income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
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(1) Not applicable.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Item All consumer units Lowest 20 percent Second 20 percent Third 20 percent Fourth 20 percent Highest 20 percent

Personal insurance and pensions 6,349 592 1,740 3,980 7,667 17,699

Life and other personal insurance 333 85 132 193 405 846

Pensions and Social Security 6,016 507 1,609 3,787 7,261 16,853

Table 1. Quintiles of income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

Item All consumer

units

Lowest 10

percent

Second 10

percent

Third 10

percent

Fourth 10

percent

Fifth 10

percent

Sixth 10

percent

Seventh 10

percent

Eight 10

percent

Ninth 10

percent

Highest 10

percent

Number of consumer units

(in thousands)

128,437 12,886 12,787 12,800 12,762 12,853 12,847 12,862 12,867 12,897 12,876

Lower limit (1) (1) $11,890 $19,572 $27,964 $37,638 $49,452 $62,587 $79,640 $103,057 $144,180

Consumer unit

characteristics

Income before taxes $69,627 $6,063 $15,806 $23,902 $32,797 $43,280 $55,934 $70,812 $90,810 $120,634 $235,160

Age of reference person 50.5 48.1 58.4 55.0 52.3 50.3 48.3 48.2 47.5 48.0 49.4

Average number in

consumer unit

People 2.5 1.6 1.7 2.0 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.8 2.9 3.0 3.1

Children under 18 .6 .3 .4 .5 .6 .6 .6 .7 .7 .7 .8

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

Earners 1.3 .5 .5 .7 1.0 1.3 1.4 1.7 1.8 2.0 2.1

Vehicles 1.9 .8 1.0 1.3 1.7 1.8 2.0 2.3 2.5 2.7 2.8

Table 2. Deciles of income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
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Item All consumer

units

Lowest 10

percent

Second 10

percent

Third 10

percent

Fourth 10

percent

Fifth 10

percent

Sixth 10

percent

Seventh 10

percent

Eight 10

percent

Ninth 10

percent

Highest 10

percent

Percent homeowner 62 31 46 52 55 58 63 71 75 84 89

Average annual

expenditures

$55,978 $23,705 $25,244 $32,545 $37,586 $42,227 $49,599 $58,398 $68,942 $87,860 $133,180

Food 7,023 3,860 3,674 4,554 5,489 5,312 6,287 7,512 8,817 10,537 14,160

Food at home 4,015 2,566 2,432 2,918 3,623 3,245 3,645 4,246 4,844 5,526 7,092

Cereals and bakery

products

518 345 322 384 481 427 473 530 666 683 868

Meats, poultry, fish,

and eggs

896 604 577 674 878 746 785 1,000 1,016 1,216 1,460

Dairy products 413 252 247 296 361 328 395 425 498 579 744

Fruits and vegetables 769 499 467 532 710 600 685 808 919 1,045 1,420

Other food at home 1,419 866 819 1,032 1,193 1,144 1,306 1,483 1,745 2,003 2,601

Food away from home 3,008 1,294 1,241 1,636 1,867 2,067 2,641 3,266 3,973 5,010 7,068

Alcoholic beverages 515 226 164 235 271 317 457 461 694 875 1,447

Housing 18,409 9,322 10,463 12,407 13,258 14,991 16,628 18,978 21,837 26,286 39,776

Shelter 10,742 5,727 6,341 7,215 7,426 8,531 9,439 10,898 12,674 15,200 23,882

Owned dwellings 6,210 1,529 2,107 2,767 3,045 3,869 4,858 6,653 8,306 11,281 17,598

Rented dwellings 3,802 4,043 4,024 4,140 4,103 4,329 4,205 3,715 3,604 2,632 3,235

Other lodging 730 155 209 308 279 334 376 530 763 1,287 3,048

Utilities, fuels, and

public services

3,885 2,126 2,532 3,056 3,367 3,629 3,907 4,299 4,608 5,252 6,055

Household operations 1,309 451 474 697 731 870 1,142 1,246 1,446 2,186 3,828

Housekeeping supplies 655 356 400 479 554 538 589 626 777 957 1,268

Table 2. Deciles of income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
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Item All consumer

units

Lowest 10

percent

Second 10

percent

Third 10

percent

Fourth 10

percent

Fifth 10

percent

Sixth 10

percent

Seventh 10

percent

Eight 10

percent

Ninth 10

percent

Highest 10

percent

Household furnishings

and equipment

1,818 661 717 960 1,180 1,422 1,552 1,910 2,332 2,691 4,743

Apparel and services 1,846 745 807 1,001 1,276 1,198 1,408 1,781 2,186 2,606 5,443

Transportation 9,503 3,616 3,504 5,389 6,459 8,081 9,558 10,795 11,865 16,492 19,178

Vehicle purchases (net

outlay)

3,997 1,170 1,101 1,881 2,641 3,482 3,949 4,828 5,162 7,528 8,178

Gasoline and motor oil 2,090 901 978 1,341 1,725 1,993 2,228 2,493 2,771 3,185 3,267

Other vehicle expenses 2,756 1,346 1,194 1,859 1,860 2,232 2,845 2,972 3,259 4,712 5,260

Public and other

transportation

661 199 230 309 234 374 536 502 673 1,067 2,473

Healthcare 4,342 1,508 2,356 3,237 3,610 3,719 4,211 5,073 5,581 6,407 7,691

Entertainment 2,842 1,179 1,361 1,530 1,947 2,042 2,395 2,731 3,372 4,598 7,240

Personal care products

and services

683 323 290 424 481 500 547 732 861 1,092 1,569

Reading 114 31 42 77 87 110 104 131 138 161 259

Education 1,315 1,019 356 579 409 507 722 825 1,147 2,237 5,323

Tobacco products and

smoking supplies

349 296 320 329 390 380 371 354 390 382 281

Miscellaneous 871 469 409 469 631 583 764 885 1,078 1,338 2,075

Cash contributions 1,819 696 729 1,015 1,093 1,233 1,438 1,833 1,948 2,725 5,454

Personal insurance and

pensions

6,349 414 771 1,298 2,184 3,252 4,709 6,306 9,028 12,124 23,283

Life and other personal

insurance

333 54 116 105 159 185 201 306 505 515 1,177

Table 2. Deciles of income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 14

(1)Not applicable.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Item All consumer

units

Lowest 10

percent

Second 10

percent

Third 10

percent

Fourth 10

percent

Fifth 10

percent

Sixth 10

percent

Seventh 10

percent

Eight 10

percent

Ninth 10

percent

Highest 10

percent

Pensions and Social

Security

6,016 359 655 1,193 2,025 3,067 4,508 6,000 8,523 11,609 22,106

Table 2. Deciles of income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

Item All consumer

units

Less than

$5,000

$5,000 to

$9,999

$10,000 to

$14,999

$15,000 to

$19,999

$20,000 to

$29,999

$30,000 to

$39,999

$40,000 to

$49,999

$50,000 to

$69,999

$70,000 and

more

Number of consumer units (in

thousands)

128,437 5,726 4,330 7,889 8,284 14,878 12,536 10,914 18,112 45,768

Consumer unit characteristics

Income before taxes $69,627 $1,971 $8,103 $12,705 $17,479 $24,927 $34,746 $44,568 $59,293 $137,312

Age of reference person 50.5 45.4 47.8 57.4 58.0 54.7 51.7 49.9 48.5 48.2

Average number in

consumer unit

People 2.5 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.8 2.1 2.4 2.5 2.6 3.0

Children under 18 .6 .3 .4 .3 .4 .5 .6 .6 .7 .8

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

Earners 1.3 .5 .5 .4 .5 .7 1.0 1.3 1.5 1.9

Vehicles 1.9 .9 .9 .8 1.1 1.4 1.7 1.9 2.1 2.6

Percent homeowner 62 27 31 40 49 53 54 58 65 81

Average annual expenditures $55,978 $24,632 $22,842 $23,019 $26,818 $33,269 $38,634 $42,529 $51,394 $91,251

Food 7,023 4,204 3,432 3,616 3,819 4,705 5,550 5,219 6,595 10,687

Table 3. Income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 15

Item All consumer

units

Less than

$5,000

$5,000 to

$9,999

$10,000 to

$14,999

$15,000 to

$19,999

$20,000 to

$29,999

$30,000 to

$39,999

$40,000 to

$49,999

$50,000 to

$69,999

$70,000 and

more

Food at home 4,015 2,678 2,247 2,577 2,485 3,037 3,588 3,152 3,864 5,594

Cereals and bakery

products

518 366 306 338 325 410 460 427 493 708

Meats, poultry, fish, and

eggs

896 660 471 642 583 689 889 706 843 1,205

Dairy products 413 249 237 255 254 306 354 333 412 578

Fruits and vegetables 769 526 433 481 489 555 701 585 724 1,085

Other food at home 1,419 878 801 861 834 1,077 1,185 1,101 1,391 2,019

Food away from home 3,008 1,526 1,185 1,040 1,334 1,668 1,961 2,067 2,731 5,092

Alcoholic beverages 515 262 197 165 175 229 280 369 410 939

Housing 18,409 9,369 9,357 9,693 10,762 12,409 13,714 15,082 17,213 27,795

Shelter 10,742 5,868 5,858 5,890 6,357 7,109 7,772 8,603 9,798 16,323

Owned dwellings 6,210 1,578 1,659 1,765 2,133 2,808 3,217 3,896 5,289 11,566

Rented dwellings 3,802 4,116 4,032 3,941 4,039 4,004 4,254 4,370 4,101 3,231

Other lodging 730 174 167 184 185 297 302 337 408 1,525

Utilities, fuels, and public

services

3,885 2,070 2,174 2,288 2,672 3,109 3,447 3,618 4,041 5,143

Household operations 1,309 378 441 484 527 693 735 915 1,164 2,300

Housekeeping supplies 655 349 309 365 424 502 571 515 575 956

Household furnishings

and equipment

1,818 704 574 667 782 996 1,188 1,432 1,635 3,073

Apparel and services 1,846 860 702 642 882 1,057 1,279 1,157 1,450 3,207

Transportation 9,503 3,943 3,211 3,131 3,900 5,717 6,494 8,221 9,809 15,158

Table 3. Income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 16

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Item All consumer

units

Less than

$5,000

$5,000 to

$9,999

$10,000 to

$14,999

$15,000 to

$19,999

$20,000 to

$29,999

$30,000 to

$39,999

$40,000 to

$49,999

$50,000 to

$69,999

$70,000 and

more

Vehicle purchases (net

outlay)

3,997 1,627 849 737 1,316 2,169 2,421 3,652 4,155 6,684

Gasoline and motor oil 2,090 907 969 848 1,035 1,434 1,757 2,003 2,315 2,984

Other vehicle expenses 2,756 1,149 1,212 1,395 1,287 1,819 2,050 2,197 2,827 4,218

Public and other

transportation

661 260 181 151 261 295 266 369 513 1,272

Healthcare 4,342 1,483 1,562 1,989 2,423 3,351 3,587 3,761 4,444 6,344

Entertainment 2,842 1,182 1,246 1,059 1,540 1,618 1,934 2,091 2,431 4,739

Personal care products and

services

683 300 264 327 323 432 523 443 604 1,114

Reading 114 40 22 36 43 74 102 117 101 179

Education 1,315 1,415 822 338 554 462 423 586 709 2,590

Tobacco products and

smoking supplies

349 337 282 296 302 346 384 384 382 345

Miscellaneous 871 547 430 275 509 466 666 648 720 1,421

Cash contributions 1,819 446 659 904 747 1,031 1,161 1,207 1,432 3,187

Personal insurance and

pensions

6,349 245 656 547 839 1,372 2,537 3,244 5,093 13,547

Life and other personal

insurance

333 63 40 98 111 107 169 194 222 670

Pensions and Social

Security

6,016 182 615 450 728 1,265 2,368 3,050 4,871 12,877

Table 3. Income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 17

Item All consumer

units

Less than

$15,000

$15,000 to

$29,999

$30,000 to

$39,999

$40,000 to

$49,999

$50,000 to

$69,999

$70,000 to

$99,999

$100,000 to

$149,999

$150,000 to

$199,999

$200,000 and

more

Number of consumer units (in

thousands)

128,437 17,946 23,162 12,536 10,914 18,112 18,168 15,616 6,020 5,964

Consumer unit

characteristics

Income before taxes $69,627 $8,169 $22,263 $34,746 $44,568 $59,293 $83,413 $119,828 $170,277 $314,010

Age of reference person 50.5 51.3 55.9 51.7 49.9 48.5 47.6 48.0 49.2 49.6

Average number in

consumer unit

People 2.5 1.6 2.0 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.2

Children under 18 .6 .3 .5 .6 .6 .7 .7 .7 .8 .9

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

Earners 1.3 .5 .7 1.0 1.3 1.5 1.8 1.9 2.1 2.1

Vehicles 1.9 .8 1.3 1.7 1.9 2.1 2.4 2.7 2.8 2.8

Percent homeowner 62 34 52 54 58 65 74 84 87 90

Average annual expenditures $55,978 $23,479 $30,974 $38,634 $42,529 $51,394 $66,008 $86,140 $113,272 $158,731

Food 7,023 3,751 4,394 5,550 5,219 6,595 8,506 10,349 13,433 15,210

Food at home 4,015 2,523 2,843 3,588 3,152 3,864 4,611 5,539 6,858 7,360

Cereals and bakery

products

518 338 380 460 427 493 615 691 852 879

Meats, poultry, fish,

and eggs

896 603 652 889 706 843 1,013 1,209 1,469 1,494

Dairy products 413 248 288 354 333 412 461 581 716 777

Fruits and vegetables 769 482 532 701 585 724 888 1,050 1,411 1,428

Table 4. Income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 18

Item All consumer

units

Less than

$15,000

$15,000 to

$29,999

$30,000 to

$39,999

$40,000 to

$49,999

$50,000 to

$69,999

$70,000 to

$99,999

$100,000 to

$149,999

$150,000 to

$199,999

$200,000 and

more

Other food at home 1,419 850 992 1,185 1,101 1,391 1,633 2,008 2,410 2,782

Food away from home 3,008 1,228 1,551 1,961 2,067 2,731 3,895 4,810 6,575 7,850

Alcoholic beverages 515 204 210 280 369 410 605 893 1,188 1,777

Housing 18,409 9,507 11,821 13,714 15,082 17,213 20,871 26,032 33,244 47,927

Shelter 10,742 5,875 6,840 7,772 8,603 9,798 12,105 14,992 19,390 29,557

Owned dwellings 6,210 1,680 2,566 3,217 3,896 5,289 7,763 11,114 14,378 21,500

Rented dwellings 3,802 4,019 4,017 4,254 4,370 4,101 3,650 2,665 3,001 3,669

Other lodging 730 177 257 302 337 408 692 1,213 2,011 4,388

Utilities, fuels, and public

services

3,885 2,191 2,953 3,447 3,618 4,041 4,489 5,172 5,813 6,382

Household operations 1,309 439 633 735 915 1,164 1,371 2,107 2,712 5,213

Housekeeping supplies 655 346 475 571 515 575 763 957 1,356 1,139

Household furnishings

and equipment

1,818 656 920 1,188 1,432 1,635 2,143 2,803 3,973 5,635

Apparel and services 1,846 725 995 1,279 1,157 1,450 2,132 2,551 4,245 6,957

Transportation 9,503 3,407 5,069 6,494 8,221 9,809 11,857 15,745 16,835 22,003

Vehicle purchases (net

outlay)

3,997 1,048 1,864 2,421 3,652 4,155 5,289 7,217 6,715 9,509

Gasoline and motor oil 2,090 896 1,291 1,757 2,003 2,315 2,661 3,126 3,201 3,378

Other vehicle expenses 2,756 1,271 1,631 2,050 2,197 2,827 3,278 4,364 5,276 5,659

Public and other

transportation

661 193 283 266 369 513 629 1,039 1,643 3,458

Healthcare 4,342 1,724 3,019 3,587 3,761 4,444 5,436 6,308 7,351 8,185

Table 4. Income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 19

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Item All consumer

units

Less than

$15,000

$15,000 to

$29,999

$30,000 to

$39,999

$40,000 to

$49,999

$50,000 to

$69,999

$70,000 to

$99,999

$100,000 to

$149,999

$150,000 to

$199,999

$200,000 and

more

Entertainment 2,842 1,146 1,590 1,934 2,091 2,431 3,213 4,442 6,588 8,273

Personal care products

and services

683 302 393 523 443 604 842 1,082 1,443 1,681

Reading 114 34 63 102 117 101 134 166 209 315

Education 1,315 799 495 423 586 709 1,057 2,077 4,512 6,664

Tobacco products and

smoking supplies

349 306 331 384 384 382 354 389 334 215

Miscellaneous 871 399 481 666 648 720 1,018 1,366 1,728 2,486

Cash contributions 1,819 698 929 1,161 1,207 1,432 2,002 2,723 3,594 7,597

Personal insurance and

pensions

6,349 477 1,182 2,537 3,244 5,093 7,982 12,018 18,566 29,440

Life and other personal

insurance

333 73 109 169 194 222 459 499 1,016 1,413

Pensions and Social

Security

6,016 404 1,073 2,368 3,050 4,871 7,522 11,519 17,550 28,027

Table 4. Income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

Item All consumer

units

Under 25

years

25 to 34

years

35 to 44

years

45 to 54

years

55 to 64

years

65 years and

older

65 to 74

years

75 years and

older

Number of consumer units (in

thousands)

128,437 7,605 21,018 21,514 24,252 24,089 29,960 17,336 12,623

Consumer unit characteristics

Income before taxes $69,627 $31,606 $64,472 $84,938 $95,248 $75,262 $46,627 $54,067 $36,408

Table 5. Age of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 20

Item All consumer

units

Under 25

years

25 to 34

years

35 to 44

years

45 to 54

years

55 to 64

years

65 years and

older

65 to 74

years

75 years and

older

Age of reference person 50.5 21.4 29.6 39.5 49.6 59.3 74.3 68.9 81.6

Average number in consumer unit

People 2.5 2.0 2.7 3.3 2.8 2.2 1.7 1.8 1.6

Children under 18 .6 .4 1.0 1.4 .7 .2 .1 .1 (1)

Adults 65 and older .4 (1) (1) (1) (1) .1 1.4 1.4 1.4

Earners 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.3 .5 .7 .3

Vehicles 1.9 1.1 1.7 1.9 2.3 2.1 1.7 1.9 1.4

Percent homeowner 62 14 39 57 70 75 79 80 77

Average annual expenditures $55,978 $32,797 $52,062 $65,334 $69,753 $58,781 $44,664 $49,477 $38,123

Food 7,023 4,890 6,636 8,844 8,406 6,992 5,506 6,214 4,561

Food at home 4,015 2,543 3,539 4,944 4,713 4,200 3,398 3,803 2,859

Cereals and bakery products 518 335 463 642 576 522 470 506 423

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs 896 599 754 1,113 1,115 940 715 834 557

Dairy products 413 243 378 512 466 427 360 393 316

Fruits and vegetables 769 462 677 988 855 791 678 728 612

Other food at home 1,419 904 1,267 1,688 1,701 1,519 1,174 1,343 950

Food away from home 3,008 2,347 3,097 3,900 3,693 2,792 2,108 2,411 1,702

Alcoholic beverages 515 250 543 697 547 574 362 451 244

Housing 18,409 11,328 18,305 22,204 21,160 18,188 15,529 16,465 14,253

Shelter 10,742 7,410 11,084 13,221 12,468 10,246 8,570 8,940 8,061

Owned dwellings 6,210 1,150 4,378 7,765 8,278 6,872 5,457 6,080 4,601

Rented dwellings 3,802 6,026 6,323 4,852 3,284 2,454 2,218 1,764 2,842

Other lodging 730 233 384 605 906 919 895 1,096 618

Table 5. Age of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 21

Item All consumer

units

Under 25

years

25 to 34

years

35 to 44

years

45 to 54

years

55 to 64

years

65 years and

older

65 to 74

years

75 years and

older

Utilities, fuels, and public services 3,885 2,058 3,298 4,283 4,642 4,182 3,624 3,833 3,339

Household operations 1,309 472 1,688 1,979 1,237 948 1,122 1,082 1,176

Housekeeping supplies 655 270 512 650 749 746 722 809 605

Household furnishings and

equipment

1,818 1,119 1,723 2,071 2,064 2,067 1,492 1,802 1,072

Apparel and services 1,846 1,271 1,864 2,584 2,605 1,596 1,060 1,331 698

Transportation 9,503 6,320 9,777 10,945 11,781 10,024 6,846 8,028 5,228

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) 3,997 3,085 4,578 4,689 4,857 4,072 2,567 3,011 1,958

Gasoline and motor oil 2,090 1,432 2,152 2,516 2,611 2,138 1,445 1,709 1,083

Other vehicle expenses 2,756 1,479 2,426 2,948 3,572 3,093 2,268 2,651 1,747

Public and other transportation 661 324 621 792 741 721 566 657 440

Healthcare 4,342 978 2,770 3,873 4,669 5,112 5,756 5,715 5,814

Entertainment 2,842 1,354 2,475 3,192 3,317 3,323 2,464 3,005 1,728

Personal care products and

services

683 406 611 818 821 714 573 608 526

Reading 114 38 86 95 106 115 175 157 199

Education 1,315 2,572 1,123 1,178 2,659 1,162 263 294 221

Tobacco products and smoking

supplies

349 230 364 383 465 401 209 259 142

Miscellaneous 871 198 628 1,142 1,041 849 900 989 779

Cash contributions 1,819 397 874 1,664 2,395 2,066 2,287 2,273 2,306

Personal insurance and pensions 6,349 2,564 6,006 7,716 9,780 7,664 2,733 3,686 1,425

Life and other personal insurance 333 24 127 317 475 482 332 397 243

Table 5. Age of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 22

(1) Value is too small to display.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Item All consumer

units

Under 25

years

25 to 34

years

35 to 44

years

45 to 54

years

55 to 64

years

65 years and

older

65 to 74

years

75 years and

older

Pensions and Social Security 6,016 2,540 5,879 7,399 9,305 7,181 2,401 3,289 1,182

Table 5. Age of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

Item All consumer units One person

Two or more people

Total Two people Three people Four people Five or more people

Number of consumer units (in thousands) 128,437 37,477 90,961 42,943 19,562 16,338 12,117

Consumer unit characteristics

Income before taxes $69,627 $35,522 $83,678 $74,527 $88,483 $95,886 $91,889

Age of reference person 50.5 54.0 49.1 55.0 45.5 42.8 42.4

Average number in consumer unit

People 2.5 1.0 3.1 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.7

Children under 18 .6 (1) .8 .1 .7 1.5 2.8

Adults 65 and older .4 .3 .4 .6 .2 .1 .2

Earners 1.3 .6 1.6 1.2 1.8 2.0 2.2

Vehicles 1.9 1.0 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.4 2.5

Percent homeowner 62 47 69 72 66 68 64

Average annual expenditures $55,978 $33,508 $65,228 $58,668 $67,702 $75,276 $70,972

Food 7,023 3,989 8,268 7,085 8,526 9,771 10,015

Food at home 4,015 2,185 4,766 3,964 4,929 5,624 6,180

Cereals and bakery products 518 266 621 506 628 741 858

Table 6. Size of consumer unit: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 23

Item All consumer units One person

Two or more people

Total Two people Three people Four people Five or more people

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs 896 459 1,075 884 1,094 1,274 1,450

Dairy products 413 216 493 409 493 616 626

Fruits and vegetables 769 435 906 752 950 1,077 1,151

Other food at home 1,419 810 1,670 1,414 1,763 1,917 2,096

Food away from home 3,008 1,805 3,502 3,121 3,597 4,148 3,835

Alcoholic beverages 515 393 565 648 569 511 343

Housing 18,409 12,393 20,886 19,059 21,268 24,044 22,504

Shelter 10,742 8,069 11,843 10,903 12,026 13,615 12,495

Owned dwellings 6,210 3,321 7,400 6,699 7,405 8,999 7,723

Rented dwellings 3,802 4,382 3,563 3,111 3,943 3,865 4,146

Other lodging 730 366 880 1,093 678 751 626

Utilities, fuels, and public services 3,885 2,348 4,518 4,062 4,580 5,026 5,353

Household operations 1,309 650 1,580 1,156 1,796 2,371 1,667

Housekeeping supplies 655 375 769 754 764 749 857

Household furnishings and equipment 1,818 951 2,175 2,184 2,103 2,283 2,131

Apparel and services 1,846 957 2,211 1,596 2,230 3,390 2,766

Transportation 9,503 4,960 11,374 9,669 12,216 13,687 12,951

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) 3,997 1,851 4,881 3,877 5,407 6,238 5,763

Gasoline and motor oil 2,090 1,085 2,503 2,085 2,589 3,043 3,121

Other vehicle expenses 2,756 1,632 3,218 2,896 3,474 3,672 3,353

Public and other transportation 661 393 771 812 746 735 714

Healthcare 4,342 2,638 5,044 5,406 4,728 4,943 4,406

Table 6. Size of consumer unit: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 24

(1)Not applicable.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Item All consumer units One person

Two or more people

Total Two people Three people Four people Five or more people

Entertainment 2,842 1,711 3,307 3,312 3,219 3,468 3,229

Personal care products and services 683 417 792 729 839 887 814

Reading 114 80 128 151 101 124 94

Education 1,315 735 1,554 991 2,102 2,074 1,963

Tobacco products and smoking supplies 349 253 389 321 449 449 455

Miscellaneous 871 685 948 870 1,003 998 1,069

Cash contributions 1,819 1,400 1,991 2,238 1,791 1,517 2,076

Personal insurance and pensions 6,349 2,897 7,771 6,594 8,662 9,413 8,288

Life and other personal insurance 333 127 418 404 438 408 443

Pensions and Social Security 6,016 2,770 7,353 6,190 8,223 9,005 7,844

Table 6. Size of consumer unit: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

Item

All

consumer

units

Married couple consumer units

One parent, at

least one child

under 18

Single person and

other consumer

Total units

Married

couple only

Married couple with children Other married

couple consumer

Total units

Oldest child

under 6

Oldest child

6 to 17

Oldest child

18 or older

Number of consumer

units (in thousands)

128,437 62,003 28,007 29,300 5,313 14,374 9,613 4,697 7,400 59,034

Consumer unit

characteristics

Income before taxes $69,627 $96,764 $84,390 $107,586 $99,362 $110,541 $107,713 $103,044 $41,092 $44,701

Table 7. Composition of consumer unit: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 25

Item

All

consumer

units

Married couple consumer units

One parent, at

least one child

under 18

Single person and

other consumer

Total units

Married

couple only

Married couple with children Other married

couple consumer

Total units

Oldest child

under 6

Oldest child

6 to 17

Oldest child

18 or older

Age of reference

person

50.5 51.3 59.3 43.7 32.9 41.5 53.0 51.2 39.0 51.2

Average number in

consumer unit

People 2.5 3.2 2.0 4.0 3.5 4.2 3.9 5.0 2.9 1.7

Children under 18 .6 .8 (1) 1.5 1.5 2.2 .6 1.4 1.7 .2

Adults 65 and older .4 .4 .8 .1 (1) (2) .2 .6 (2) .3

Earners 1.3 1.6 1.1 2.0 1.7 1.8 2.5 2.4 1.0 1.0

Vehicles 1.9 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.0 2.4 3.0 2.9 1.2 1.3

Percent homeowner 62 79 84 74 64 73 82 75 37 48

Average annual

expenditures

$55,978 $73,344 $65,534 $80,741 $74,838 $81,612 $82,782 $74,292 $45,745 $38,899

Food 7,023 9,142 7,733 10,555 8,961 10,766 11,143 9,069 6,112 4,850

Food at home 4,015 5,169 4,273 6,003 5,059 6,139 6,328 5,481 3,786 2,797

Cereals and

bakery products

518 667 532 789 647 828 809 729 537 355

Meats, poultry, fish,

and eggs

896 1,147 939 1,336 980 1,379 1,474 1,241 851 630

Dairy products 413 540 436 637 591 658 630 570 387 279

Fruits and

vegetables

769 1,000 838 1,145 1,023 1,129 1,242 1,098 656 532

Other food at home 1,419 1,815 1,530 2,095 1,819 2,146 2,174 1,843 1,356 1,001

Table 7. Composition of consumer unit: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 26

Item

All

consumer

units

Married couple consumer units

One parent, at

least one child

under 18

Single person and

other consumer

Total units

Married

couple only

Married couple with children Other married

couple consumer

Total units

Oldest child

under 6

Oldest child

6 to 17

Oldest child

18 or older

Food away from

home

3,008 3,974 3,460 4,552 3,902 4,627 4,814 3,587 2,326 2,053

Alcoholic beverages 515 620 701 564 591 531 603 486 249 434

Housing 18,409 22,901 20,508 25,198 27,153 26,132 22,737 22,846 16,829 13,869

Shelter 10,742 12,925 11,554 14,334 14,755 15,324 12,622 12,305 9,837 8,564

Owned dwellings 6,210 9,017 8,098 10,063 9,519 10,943 9,049 7,964 3,898 3,552

Rented dwellings 3,802 2,783 2,013 3,414 4,794 3,442 2,609 3,433 5,560 4,652

Other lodging 730 1,125 1,442 857 442 939 964 908 379 359

Utilities, fuels, and

public services

3,885 4,814 4,374 5,092 4,067 5,147 5,577 5,705 3,717 2,930

Household

operations

1,309 1,811 1,239 2,417 5,191 2,270 1,103 1,438 1,562 749

Housekeeping

supplies

655 893 890 904 797 884 997 846 418 426

Household

furnishings and

equipment

1,818 2,459 2,450 2,451 2,342 2,508 2,438 2,553 1,296 1,200

Apparel and services 1,846 2,287 1,650 2,913 2,931 2,987 2,802 2,307 1,806 1,377

Transportation 9,503 12,691 10,852 14,196 12,997 13,628 15,747 14,268 7,983 6,334

Vehicle purchases

(net outlay)

3,997 5,494 4,382 6,441 6,309 6,140 6,963 6,214 3,499 2,487

Table 7. Composition of consumer unit: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 27

Item

All

consumer

units

Married couple consumer units

One parent, at

least one child

under 18

Single person and

other consumer

Total units

Married

couple only

Married couple with children Other married

couple consumer

Total units

Oldest child

under 6

Oldest child

6 to 17

Oldest child

18 or older

Gasoline and motor

oil

2,090 2,735 2,260 3,085 2,629 3,030 3,420 3,388 1,753 1,453

Other vehicle

expenses

2,756 3,560 3,254 3,819 3,420 3,491 4,571 3,771 2,356 1,950

Public and other

transportation

661 901 956 851 639 966 792 896 374 444

Healthcare 4,342 6,077 6,692 5,529 4,778 5,435 6,083 5,833 2,371 2,765

Entertainment 2,842 3,807 3,811 3,897 2,998 4,325 3,751 3,263 2,144 1,906

Personal care products

and services

683 875 811 928 815 967 931 928 641 483

Reading 114 152 183 134 91 143 147 79 57 80

Education 1,315 1,794 957 2,533 924 2,194 3,927 2,177 1,108 837

Tobacco products and

smoking supplies

349 341 270 346 228 340 420 726 232 373

Miscellaneous 871 1,032 961 1,091 1,062 1,026 1,204 1,087 849 704

Cash contributions 1,819 2,419 2,823 2,150 1,303 2,372 2,285 1,690 1,294 1,254

Personal insurance and

pensions

6,349 9,206 7,582 10,706 10,006 10,766 11,003 9,532 4,071 3,633

Life and other

personal insurance

333 545 535 548 356 589 593 590 167 131

Pensions and Social

Security

6,016 8,661 7,048 10,158 9,650 10,177 10,410 8,942 3,904 3,503

Table 7. Composition of consumer unit: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 28

(1) No data reported.

(2) Value is too small to display.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Item All consumer units

Single consumers Consumer units of two or more people

No earner One earner No earner One earner Two earners Three or more earners

Number of consumer units (in thousands) 128,437 16,018 21,459 13,198 26,013 40,675 11,075

Consumer unit characteristics

Income before taxes $69,627 $18,958 $47,887 $33,542 $63,614 $103,808 $116,617

Age of reference person 50.5 67.5 44.0 66.2 48.7 44.1 48.0

Average number in consumer unit

People 2.5 1.0 1.0 2.3 3.0 3.0 4.3

Children under 18 .6 (1) (1) .3 1.1 .8 1.0

Adults 65 and older .4 .7 .1 1.3 .3 .1 .2

Earners 1.3 (1) 1.0 (1) 1.0 2.0 3.3

Vehicles 1.9 .9 1.2 1.8 1.9 2.3 3.1

Percent homeowner 62 54 41 75 61 70 75

Average annual expenditures $55,978 $25,975 $39,117 $43,102 $56,354 $73,178 $84,242

Food 7,023 3,272 4,516 5,956 7,530 8,940 10,774

Food at home 4,015 2,143 2,215 3,947 4,585 4,871 6,005

Cereals and bakery products 518 289 249 540 601 628 768

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs 896 459 458 906 1,046 1,073 1,413

Dairy products 413 222 212 399 485 504 611

Fruits and vegetables 769 438 432 759 846 932 1,173

Table 8. Number of earners in consumer unit: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 29

Item All consumer units

Single consumers Consumer units of two or more people

No earner One earner No earner One earner Two earners Three or more earners

Other food at home 1,419 736 865 1,343 1,606 1,735 2,040

Food away from home 3,008 1,129 2,301 2,009 2,945 4,069 4,770

Alcoholic beverages 515 170 556 334 428 715 647

Housing 18,409 10,767 13,607 14,639 19,380 23,283 23,148

Shelter 10,742 6,589 9,174 7,489 11,001 13,535 12,800

Owned dwellings 6,210 2,882 3,648 4,739 6,209 8,771 8,337

Rented dwellings 3,802 3,437 5,088 2,045 3,945 3,812 3,562

Other lodging 730 270 438 705 847 952 901

Utilities, fuels, and public services 3,885 2,291 2,391 3,901 4,227 4,575 5,730

Household operations 1,309 654 647 1,019 1,367 1,982 1,272

Housekeeping supplies 655 429 336 757 728 761 934

Household furnishings and equipment 1,818 805 1,059 1,472 2,058 2,429 2,412

Apparel and services 1,846 707 1,142 902 2,006 2,607 2,995

Transportation 9,503 3,379 6,141 7,021 9,334 12,515 17,302

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) 3,997 1,112 2,402 2,962 3,623 5,433 8,097

Gasoline and motor oil 2,090 706 1,368 1,523 2,157 2,733 3,645

Other vehicle expenses 2,756 1,295 1,883 2,105 2,842 3,481 4,604

Public and other transportation 661 266 488 432 712 868 956

Healthcare 4,342 2,937 2,415 6,139 4,517 4,947 5,322

Entertainment 2,842 1,448 1,907 2,801 2,833 3,687 3,675

Personal care products and services 683 355 463 531 717 883 969

Reading 114 91 72 179 111 123 116

Table 8. Number of earners in consumer unit: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 30

(1)Not applicable.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Item All consumer units

Single consumers Consumer units of two or more people

No earner One earner No earner One earner Two earners Three or more earners

Education 1,315 482 923 403 1,048 1,785 3,270

Tobacco products and smoking supplies 349 236 265 317 383 358 608

Miscellaneous 871 543 790 768 846 1,011 1,171

Cash contributions 1,819 1,154 1,584 2,148 1,849 2,018 2,036

Personal insurance and pensions 6,349 435 4,735 964 5,373 10,304 12,209

Life and other personal insurance 333 116 135 418 307 465 504

Pensions and Social Security 6,016 319 4,600 546 5,066 9,840 11,706

Table 8. Number of earners in consumer unit: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

Item All consumer

units

Housing tenure Type of area

Homeowner

Renter

Urban

Rural

Total Homeowner with

mortgage

Homeowner without

mortgage Total CentralCity

Other

Urban

Number of consumer units (in

thousands)

128,437 80,049 45,453 34,596 48,388 116,906 45,975 70,930 11,532

Consumer unit characteristics

Income before taxes $69,627 $85,254 $101,721 $63,619 $43,774 $71,578 $62,517 $77,451 $49,841

Age of reference person 50.5 55.1 49.2 63.0 42.9 50.0 48.0 51.3 55.7

Average number in consumer unit

People 2.5 2.6 2.9 2.2 2.3 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.5

Table 9. Housing tenure and type of area: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 31

Item All consumer

units

Housing tenure Type of area

Homeowner

Renter

Urban

Rural

Total Homeowner with

mortgage

Homeowner without

mortgage Total CentralCity

Other

Urban

Children under 18 .6 .6 .8 .3 .6 .6 .6 .6 .6

Adults 65 and older .4 .5 .2 .8 .2 .3 .3 .4 .5

Earners 1.3 1.4 1.7 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.1

Vehicles 1.9 2.3 2.5 2.1 1.2 1.8 1.5 2.1 2.4

Percent homeowner 62 100 100 100 (1) 61 48 69 79

Average annual expenditures $55,978 $65,656 $75,486 $52,198 $39,937 $57,059 $50,175 $61,494 $45,031

Food 7,023 8,000 8,622 6,899 5,392 7,133 6,438 7,573 5,909

Food at home 4,015 4,569 4,767 4,200 3,089 4,043 3,596 4,325 3,731

Cereals and bakery products 518 592 613 552 394 524 460 565 455

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs 896 1,003 1,048 917 717 897 827 942 879

Dairy products 413 474 489 445 310 413 358 449 406

Fruits and vegetables 769 866 899 803 606 781 711 826 640

Other food at home 1,419 1,634 1,717 1,483 1,061 1,426 1,239 1,544 1,351

Food away from home 3,008 3,431 3,856 2,699 2,303 3,090 2,842 3,248 2,178

Alcoholic beverages 515 591 679 431 389 536 505 556 299

Housing 18,409 20,353 24,964 14,269 15,187 19,035 17,605 19,958 12,063

Shelter 10,742 11,018 14,691 6,193 10,286 11,284 10,882 11,546 5,245

Owned dwellings 6,210 9,920 13,512 5,202 72 6,456 4,955 7,429 3,713

Rented dwellings 3,802 116 106 128 9,901 4,069 5,260 3,296 1,099

Other lodging 730 982 1,073 863 313 759 666 820 433

Utilities, fuels, and public services 3,885 4,634 4,981 4,177 2,647 3,885 3,429 4,180 3,887

Table 9. Housing tenure and type of area: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 32

Item All consumer

units

Housing tenure Type of area

Homeowner

Renter

Urban

Rural

Total Homeowner with

mortgage

Homeowner without

mortgage Total CentralCity

Other

Urban

Household operations 1,309 1,605 1,931 1,174 819 1,367 1,195 1,478 719

Housekeeping supplies 655 804 802 809 404 651 561 708 692

Household furnishings and

equipment

1,818 2,292 2,559 1,917 1,031 1,848 1,538 2,047 1,520

Apparel and services 1,846 2,165 2,555 1,477 1,314 1,915 1,714 2,041 1,151

Transportation 9,503 11,332 12,812 9,419 6,474 9,425 7,723 10,524 10,294

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) 3,997 4,947 5,808 3,816 2,425 3,866 2,971 4,446 5,324

Gasoline and motor oil 2,090 2,408 2,725 1,992 1,563 2,068 1,714 2,297 2,313

Other vehicle expenses 2,756 3,203 3,479 2,872 2,012 2,790 2,329 3,086 2,404

Public and other transportation 661 773 800 738 474 701 709 696 253

Healthcare 4,342 5,534 5,375 5,749 2,369 4,313 3,590 4,780 4,641

Entertainment 2,842 3,541 3,854 3,097 1,683 2,850 2,286 3,214 2,756

Personal care products and services 683 793 890 642 498 705 628 754 452

Reading 114 139 134 153 73 119 109 125 66

Education 1,315 1,482 1,799 1,060 1,038 1,396 1,332 1,437 494

Tobacco products and smoking

supplies

349 333 330 338 376 330 300 349 549

Miscellaneous 871 1,027 1,111 917 613 873 723 970 852

Cash contributions 1,819 2,366 2,313 2,435 913 1,859 1,552 2,058 1,409

Personal insurance and pensions 6,349 8,000 10,048 5,309 3,617 6,571 5,669 7,156 4,094

Life and other personal insurance 333 466 543 364 113 338 288 370 279

Table 9. Housing tenure and type of area: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 33

(1)Not applicable.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Item All consumer

units

Housing tenure Type of area

Homeowner

Renter

Urban

Rural

Total Homeowner with

mortgage

Homeowner without

mortgage Total CentralCity

Other

Urban

Pensions and Social Security 6,016 7,534 9,504 4,946 3,504 6,233 5,380 6,786 3,815

Table 9. Housing tenure and type of area: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

Item All consumer units Northeast Midwest South West

Number of consumer units (in thousands) 128,437 23,426 27,674 49,104 28,233

Consumer unit characteristics

Income before taxes $69,627 $79,482 $67,760 $61,792 $76,905

Age of reference person 50.5 51.8 50.7 50.7 49.1

Average number in consumer unit

People 2.5 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.7

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

Adults 65 and older .4 .4 .3 .4 .3

Earners 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.4

Vehicles 1.9 1.6 2.0 1.9 2.0

Percent homeowner 62 61 65 65 56

Average annual expenditures $55,978 $58,976 $55,071 $52,020 $61,244

Food 7,023 6,882 7,090 6,613 7,776

Food at home 4,015 3,939 4,152 3,756 4,387

Table 10. Region of residence: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 34

Item All consumer units Northeast Midwest South West

Cereals and bakery products 518 542 533 481 546

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs 896 879 946 869 907

Dairy products 413 426 439 365 458

Fruits and vegetables 769 823 757 690 870

Other food at home 1,419 1,268 1,478 1,351 1,607

Food away from home 3,008 2,943 2,938 2,857 3,389

Alcoholic beverages 515 562 523 421 630

Housing 18,409 20,817 17,370 16,518 20,716

Shelter 10,742 12,814 9,886 8,939 12,999

Owned dwellings 6,210 7,684 6,115 5,224 6,796

Rented dwellings 3,802 4,277 3,076 3,032 5,460

Other lodging 730 853 695 683 744

Utilities, fuels, and public services 3,885 4,210 3,775 3,954 3,604

Household operations 1,309 1,575 1,121 1,176 1,503

Housekeeping supplies 655 594 702 662 648

Household furnishings and equipment 1,818 1,624 1,887 1,789 1,962

Apparel and services 1,846 1,792 1,716 1,656 2,343

Transportation 9,503 9,026 9,597 9,598 9,640

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) 3,997 3,570 3,996 4,527 3,431

Gasoline and motor oil 2,090 1,827 2,058 2,123 2,279

Other vehicle expenses 2,756 2,656 2,965 2,495 3,086

Public and other transportation 661 972 578 453 844

Healthcare 4,342 4,328 4,616 4,264 4,221

Table 10. Region of residence: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 35

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Item All consumer units Northeast Midwest South West

Entertainment 2,842 2,754 2,859 2,682 3,177

Personal care products and services 683 699 673 615 794

Reading 114 130 117 89 142

Education 1,315 2,021 1,343 973 1,295

Tobacco products and smoking supplies 349 318 418 388 240

Miscellaneous 871 877 926 698 1,113

Cash contributions 1,819 1,667 1,563 1,896 2,059

Personal insurance and pensions 6,349 7,103 6,260 5,608 7,098

Life and other personal insurance 333 409 323 291 353

Pensions and Social Security 6,016 6,694 5,937 5,317 6,746

Table 10. Region of residence: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

Item

All

consumer

units

Selfemployed

workers

Wage and salary earners

Retired

All other,

including not

reporting

Total wage

and salary

earners

Managers and

professionals

Technical, sales

and clerical

workers

Service

workers

Construction

workers and

mechanics

Operators,

fabricators and

laborers

Number of consumer

units (in thousands)

128,437 7,953 77,591 31,036 20,214 15,256 3,455 7,630 24,986 17,908

Consumer unit

characteristics

Income before taxes $69,627 $110,918 $82,008 $111,909 $67,902 $53,779 $63,869 $62,406 $38,947 $40,449

Age of reference

person

50.5 50.5 43.9 44.4 42.9 43.7 44.5 44.7 73.5 47.3

Table 11. Occupation of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 36

Item

All

consumer

units

Selfemployed

workers

Wage and salary earners

Retired

All other,

including not

reporting

Total wage

and salary

earners

Managers and

professionals

Technical, sales

and clerical

workers

Service

workers

Construction

workers and

mechanics

Operators,

fabricators and

laborers

Average number in

consumer unit

People 2.5 2.7 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.7 2.7 2.7 1.7 2.7

Children under 18 .6 .7 .7 .7 .7 .7 .7 .7 .1 .8

Adults 65 and older .4 .3 .1 .1 .1 .2 .1 .1 1.2 .2

Earners 1.3 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.8 .2 .6

Vehicles 1.9 2.2 2.0 2.1 1.9 1.7 2.3 2.1 1.7 1.5

Percent homeowner 62 72 59 69 55 47 60 57 79 48

Average annual

expenditures

$55,978 $78,132 $61,634 $78,813 $54,270 $46,337 $49,941 $48,287 $42,478 $40,759

Food 7,023 8,382 7,645 9,502 6,999 5,989 6,547 6,142 5,265 6,301

Food at home 4,015 4,648 4,155 4,873 3,989 3,446 3,863 3,454 3,334 4,094

Cereals and

bakery products

518 609 526 609 511 474 453 393 452 534

Meats, poultry,

fish, and eggs

896 1,051 918 981 931 789 988 873 711 990

Dairy products 413 502 420 515 386 338 365 346 357 419

Fruits and

vegetables

769 892 801 969 755 665 753 578 655 742

Other food at

home

1,419 1,595 1,491 1,800 1,405 1,181 1,305 1,263 1,158 1,409

Table 11. Occupation of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 37

Item

All

consumer

units

Selfemployed

workers

Wage and salary earners

Retired

All other,

including not

reporting

Total wage

and salary

earners

Managers and

professionals

Technical, sales

and clerical

workers

Service

workers

Construction

workers and

mechanics

Operators,

fabricators and

laborers

Food away from

home

3,008 3,734 3,490 4,629 3,009 2,543 2,684 2,687 1,930 2,207

Alcoholic beverages 515 725 603 840 474 408 567 437 367 274

Housing 18,409 23,419 19,960 24,919 18,047 15,918 15,403 15,189 14,947 14,318

Shelter 10,742 14,233 11,800 14,760 10,715 9,525 8,902 8,492 8,169 8,200

Owned dwellings 6,210 9,396 6,764 9,528 5,689 4,112 4,897 4,519 5,146 3,878

Rented dwellings 3,802 3,565 4,284 4,000 4,491 5,046 3,619 3,675 2,265 3,962

Other lodging 730 1,272 751 1,232 535 367 385 297 758 360

Utilities, fuels, and

public services

3,885 4,388 4,034 4,469 3,837 3,573 3,843 3,796 3,551 3,481

Household

operations

1,309 1,591 1,509 2,210 1,207 947 871 876 1,052 676

Housekeeping

supplies

655 779 641 788 552 479 467 735 732 557

Household

furnishings and

equipment

1,818 2,428 1,976 2,691 1,736 1,395 1,320 1,290 1,443 1,404

Apparel and services 1,846 3,958 1,979 2,570 1,696 1,675 1,199 1,440 1,031 1,518

Transportation 9,503 11,643 10,865 12,860 10,118 8,545 10,818 9,438 6,838 6,401

Vehicle purchases

(net outlay)

3,997 4,302 4,741 5,669 4,445 3,579 5,011 3,956 2,614 2,566

Gasoline and motor

oil

2,090 2,497 2,364 2,500 2,271 2,098 2,687 2,445 1,420 1,653

Table 11. Occupation of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 38

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Item

All

consumer

units

Selfemployed

workers

Wage and salary earners

Retired

All other,

including not

reporting

Total wage

and salary

earners

Managers and

professionals

Technical, sales

and clerical

workers

Service

workers

Construction

workers and

mechanics

Operators,

fabricators and

laborers

Other vehicle

expenses

2,756 3,788 3,028 3,556 2,875 2,385 2,769 2,732 2,278 1,811

Public and other

transportation

661 1,056 731 1,135 527 484 351 306 526 370

Healthcare 4,342 5,871 4,001 5,067 3,600 2,955 3,208 3,197 5,811 3,092

Entertainment 2,842 3,967 2,998 4,081 2,400 2,173 1,952 2,398 2,525 2,121

Personal care

products and services

683 856 745 1,010 641 541 460 530 568 503

Reading 114 113 106 167 66 69 53 70 171 68

Education 1,315 1,916 1,639 2,372 1,207 985 1,560 1,150 214 1,180

Tobacco products and

smoking supplies

349 353 347 252 392 367 516 492 225 534

Miscellaneous 871 1,528 914 1,126 765 822 724 706 788 515

Cash contributions 1,819 2,948 1,797 2,640 1,361 1,138 1,167 1,129 2,140 961

Personal insurance

and pensions

6,349 12,452 8,035 11,407 6,503 4,752 5,769 5,969 1,588 2,972

Life and other

personal insurance

333 858 313 464 234 176 204 232 353 157

Pensions and

Social Security

6,016 11,595 7,722 10,943 6,269 4,575 5,565 5,737 1,235 2,816

Table 11. Occupation of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 39

Item All consumer

units

Less than college graduate College graduate

Total Less than high

school graduate

High school

graduate

High school graduate

with some college

Associate's

degree Total Bachelor'sdegree

Master's, professional,

doctoral degree

Number of consumer units

(in thousands)

128,437 76,988 9,382 25,760 28,263 13,582 51,450 30,405 21,044

Consumer unit

characteristics

Income before taxes $69,627 $46,470 $26,359 $40,082 $51,118 $62,806 $104,277 $90,594 $124,046

Age of reference person 50.5 51.4 56.0 53.6 48.8 49.5 49.2 48.0 51.0

Average number in

consumer unit

People 2.5 2.4 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.5 2.6

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

Adults 65 and older .4 .4 .5 .4 .4 .3 .3 .3 .4

Earners 1.3 1.1 .7 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.5

Vehicles 1.9 1.7 1.0 1.6 1.9 2.2 2.1 2.1 2.1

Percent homeowner 62 56 44 56 55 66 71 68 77

Average annual

expenditures

$55,978 $41,715 $26,766 $36,381 $45,991 $53,144 $76,988 $69,373 $87,927

Food 7,023 5,568 4,278 4,959 5,988 6,688 9,051 8,405 9,951

Food at home 4,015 3,422 3,126 3,123 3,590 3,835 4,834 4,564 5,207

Cereals and bakery

products

518 448 392 423 463 503 614 576 665

Meats, poultry, fish,

and eggs

896 813 770 747 862 868 1,009 987 1,040

Dairy products 413 339 299 303 358 397 514 484 555

Table 12. Highest education level of any member: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 40

Item All consumer

units

Less than college graduate College graduate

Total Less than high

school graduate

High school

graduate

High school graduate

with some college

Associate's

degree Total Bachelor'sdegree

Master's, professional,

doctoral degree

Fruits and vegetables 769 614 595 551 649 678 981 903 1,089

Other food at home 1,419 1,206 1,069 1,100 1,259 1,389 1,716 1,614 1,857

Food away from home 3,008 2,147 1,152 1,835 2,398 2,853 4,217 3,841 4,744

Alcoholic beverages 515 324 163 271 383 409 782 659 951

Housing 18,409 14,140 10,429 12,831 15,118 17,139 24,750 22,231 28,379

Shelter 10,742 7,977 6,265 7,156 8,613 9,395 14,879 13,286 17,182

Owned dwellings 6,210 3,910 1,953 3,275 4,383 5,483 9,652 8,250 11,677

Rented dwellings 3,802 3,729 4,196 3,665 3,794 3,392 3,911 4,012 3,766

Other lodging 730 338 116 216 436 520 1,316 1,024 1,739

Utilities, fuels, and

public services

3,885 3,544 2,594 3,418 3,643 4,232 4,396 4,183 4,704

Household operations 1,309 796 390 668 910 1,082 2,074 1,680 2,643

Housekeeping supplies 655 530 450 462 563 641 826 747 935

Household furnishings

and equipment

1,818 1,294 730 1,127 1,389 1,790 2,574 2,335 2,915

Apparel and services 1,846 1,234 846 959 1,452 1,561 2,704 2,576 2,890

Transportation 9,503 7,723 4,127 6,766 8,788 9,796 12,153 11,605 12,948

Vehicle purchases (net

outlay)

3,997 3,259 1,478 2,896 3,800 4,054 5,101 4,934 5,342

Gasoline and motor oil 2,090 1,887 1,178 1,747 2,021 2,366 2,392 2,383 2,405

Other vehicle expenses 2,756 2,286 1,255 1,919 2,651 2,923 3,447 3,385 3,541

Table 12. Highest education level of any member: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 41

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Item All consumer

units

Less than college graduate College graduate

Total Less than high

school graduate

High school

graduate

High school graduate

with some college

Associate's

degree Total Bachelor'sdegree

Master's, professional,

doctoral degree

Public and other

transportation

661 290 216 204 317 453 1,213 903 1,660

Healthcare 4,342 3,434 2,358 3,203 3,600 4,269 5,696 5,097 6,560

Entertainment 2,842 2,112 1,103 1,725 2,359 3,017 3,906 3,398 4,628

Personal care products

and services

683 501 308 414 566 658 944 858 1,065

Reading 114 72 39 65 83 84 175 143 219

Education 1,315 539 199 198 846 784 2,472 2,160 2,923

Tobacco products and

smoking supplies

349 458 332 499 484 414 186 227 127

Miscellaneous 871 723 309 580 836 1,044 1,091 1,093 1,090

Cash contributions 1,819 1,107 646 839 1,269 1,595 2,884 2,165 3,922

Personal insurance and

pensions

6,349 3,778 1,627 3,073 4,217 5,688 10,195 8,755 12,275

Life and other personal

insurance

333 191 100 164 217 250 545 499 612

Pensions and Social

Security

6,016 3,587 1,527 2,909 4,000 5,438 9,650 8,256 11,663

Table 12. Highest education level of any member: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 42

Item All consumer units

White and all other races, Asian

Black or African-American

Total White and all other races (1) Asian

Number of consumer units (in thousands) 128,437 111,771 106,176 5,595 16,667

Consumer unit characteristics

Income before taxes $69,627 $72,781 $71,750 $92,364 $48,469

Age of reference person 50.5 51.0 51.3 44.2 47.9

Average number in consumer unit

People 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.8 2.4

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

Adults 65 and older .4 .4 .4 .3 .3

Earners 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.2

Vehicles 1.9 2.0 2.0 1.5 1.2

Percent homeowner 62 65 66 54 41

Average annual expenditures $55,978 $58,281 $57,997 $63,672 $40,372

Food 7,023 7,365 7,302 8,515 4,644

Food at home 4,015 4,190 4,180 4,375 2,792

Cereals and bakery products 518 538 536 574 376

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs 896 916 913 977 752

Dairy products 413 439 441 403 230

Fruits and vegetables 769 806 789 1,117 510

Other food at home 1,419 1,491 1,501 1,303 923

Food away from home 3,008 3,175 3,122 4,140 1,851

Alcoholic beverages 515 561 573 362 193

Housing 18,409 18,883 18,711 22,170 15,213

Table 13. Race of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 43

Item All consumer units

White and all other races, Asian

Black or African-American

Total White and all other races (1) Asian

Shelter 10,742 10,998 10,795 14,856 9,024

Owned dwellings 6,210 6,618 6,525 8,386 3,476

Rented dwellings 3,802 3,595 3,485 5,694 5,189

Other lodging 730 786 786 776 358

Utilities, fuels, and public services 3,885 3,916 3,934 3,567 3,678

Household operations 1,309 1,383 1,371 1,612 811

Housekeeping supplies 655 687 697 505 429

Household furnishings and equipment 1,818 1,898 1,913 1,631 1,271

Apparel and services 1,846 1,903 1,889 2,149 1,453

Transportation 9,503 9,810 9,790 10,174 7,436

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) 3,997 4,136 4,158 3,723 3,065

Gasoline and motor oil 2,090 2,149 2,151 2,097 1,694

Other vehicle expenses 2,756 2,831 2,822 3,003 2,244

Public and other transportation 661 695 660 1,351 432

Healthcare 4,342 4,645 4,686 3,876 2,305

Entertainment 2,842 3,039 3,075 2,371 1,500

Personal care products and services 683 698 698 696 574

Reading 114 124 125 97 48

Education 1,315 1,399 1,347 2,380 747

Tobacco products and smoking supplies 349 363 374 146 260

Miscellaneous 871 922 932 718 530

Cash contributions 1,819 1,892 1,926 1,245 1,328

Table 13. Race of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 44

(1)All other races includes Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, and approximately 1 percent reporting more than one race.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Item All consumer units

White and all other races, Asian

Black or African-American

Total White and all other races (1) Asian

Personal insurance and pensions 6,349 6,678 6,567 8,773 4,142

Life and other personal insurance 333 346 346 334 247

Pensions and Social Security 6,016 6,332 6,221 8,440 3,895

Table 13. Race of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

Item All consumer units Hispanic or Latino

Not Hispanic or Latino

Total White and all other races Black or African-American

Number of consumer units (in thousands) 128,437 16,728 111,710 95,409 16,301

Consumer unit characteristics

Income before taxes $69,627 $54,746 $71,855 $75,864 $48,387

Age of reference person 50.5 43.9 51.5 52.2 47.9

Average number in consumer unit

People 2.5 3.1 2.4 2.4 2.4

Children under 18 .6 1.0 .5 .5 .6

Adults 65 and older .4 .2 .4 .4 .3

Earners 1.3 1.6 1.2 1.3 1.2

Vehicles 1.9 1.7 1.9 2.0 1.3

Percent homeowner 62 45 65 69 41

Average annual expenditures $55,978 $47,663 $57,223 $60,072 $40,421

Food 7,023 6,929 7,037 7,437 4,632

Table 14. Hispanic or Latino origin of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

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Item All consumer units Hispanic or Latino

Not Hispanic or Latino

Total White and all other races Black or African-American

Food at home 4,015 4,182 3,990 4,190 2,785

Cereals and bakery products 518 526 517 541 372

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs 896 1,080 868 888 752

Dairy products 413 396 415 446 229

Fruits and vegetables 769 857 756 796 510

Other food at home 1,419 1,323 1,434 1,519 922

Food away from home 3,008 2,747 3,047 3,247 1,847

Alcoholic beverages 515 354 539 596 195

Housing 18,409 16,855 18,641 19,222 15,228

Shelter 10,742 10,257 10,815 11,120 9,030

Owned dwellings 6,210 4,256 6,503 7,015 3,501

Rented dwellings 3,802 5,695 3,519 3,237 5,169

Other lodging 730 305 794 868 359

Utilities, fuels, and public services 3,885 3,567 3,933 3,974 3,694

Household operations 1,309 1,000 1,355 1,451 793

Housekeeping supplies 655 575 666 706 429

Household furnishings and equipment 1,818 1,457 1,872 1,971 1,282

Apparel and services 1,846 2,035 1,818 1,881 1,444

Transportation 9,503 9,101 9,563 9,915 7,501

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) 3,997 3,718 4,039 4,198 3,106

Gasoline and motor oil 2,090 2,208 2,072 2,134 1,707

Other vehicle expenses 2,756 2,700 2,764 2,849 2,262

Table 14. Hispanic or Latino origin of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Item All consumer units Hispanic or Latino

Not Hispanic or Latino

Total White and all other races Black or African-American

Public and other transportation 661 475 688 733 426

Healthcare 4,342 2,632 4,598 4,987 2,318

Entertainment 2,842 1,771 3,002 3,256 1,499

Personal care products and services 683 604 694 714 575

Reading 114 48 124 137 48

Education 1,315 825 1,388 1,500 732

Tobacco products and smoking supplies 349 154 379 398 264

Miscellaneous 871 619 909 973 531

Cash contributions 1,819 923 1,953 2,059 1,332

Personal insurance and pensions 6,349 4,814 6,579 6,998 4,122

Life and other personal insurance 333 157 359 379 242

Pensions and Social Security 6,016 4,657 6,219 6,619 3,881

Table 14. Hispanic or Latino origin of reference person: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

Item All consumer

units

Less than

$70,000

$70,000 to

$79,999

$80,000 to

$99,999

$100,000 and

more

$100,000 to

$199,999

$120,000 to

$149,999

$150,000 and

more

Number of consumer units (in

thousands)

128,437 82,669 7,258 10,910 27,600 8,231 7,385 11,984

Consumer unit characteristics

Income before taxes $69,627 $32,154 $74,690 $89,216 $172,793 $108,541 $132,409 $241,806

Age of reference person 50.5 51.8 47.7 47.5 48.6 48.3 47.6 49.4

Table 15. Higher income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

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Item All consumer

units

Less than

$70,000

$70,000 to

$79,999

$80,000 to

$99,999

$100,000 and

more

$100,000 to

$199,999

$120,000 to

$149,999

$150,000 and

more

Average number in consumer unit

People 2.5 2.2 2.8 2.9 3.1 3.0 3.1 3.1

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

Adults 65 and older .4 .4 .3 .3 .2 .2 .2 .2

Earners 1.3 .9 1.7 1.8 2.0 1.9 2.0 2.1

Vehicles 1.9 1.5 2.3 2.5 2.7 2.5 2.8 2.8

Percent homeowner 62 52 72 75 86 82 87 89

Average annual expenditures $55,978 $36,513 $61,367 $69,154 $107,869 $80,286 $92,746 $135,988

Food 7,023 5,023 7,827 8,989 12,122 9,846 10,971 14,354

Food at home 4,015 3,154 4,254 4,867 6,242 5,417 5,691 7,122

Cereals and bakery products 518 415 529 676 769 688 694 866

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs 896 728 1,037 996 1,331 1,201 1,219 1,482

Dairy products 413 322 409 499 655 573 592 748

Fruits and vegetables 769 597 825 934 1,214 1,034 1,070 1,420

Other food at home 1,419 1,093 1,454 1,762 2,273 1,921 2,116 2,606

Food away from home 3,008 1,869 3,573 4,122 5,881 4,429 5,280 7,232

Alcoholic beverages 515 283 575 626 1,160 893 895 1,496

Housing 18,409 13,220 19,595 21,726 32,352 24,375 27,895 40,561

Shelter 10,742 7,653 11,305 12,637 19,099 14,073 16,017 24,450

Owned dwellings 6,210 3,245 7,043 8,242 14,070 10,110 12,233 17,922

Rented dwellings 3,802 4,118 3,680 3,631 2,955 2,931 2,368 3,334

Other lodging 730 290 582 765 2,073 1,032 1,415 3,194

Table 15. Higher income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 48

Item All consumer

units

Less than

$70,000

$70,000 to

$79,999

$80,000 to

$99,999

$100,000 and

more

$100,000 to

$199,999

$120,000 to

$149,999

$150,000 and

more

Utilities, fuels, and public

services

3,885 3,189 4,293 4,620 5,574 4,970 5,398 6,096

Household operations 1,309 760 1,285 1,429 2,911 1,833 2,414 3,958

Housekeeping supplies 655 490 736 783 1,083 874 1,062 1,241

Household furnishings and

equipment

1,818 1,128 1,976 2,257 3,686 2,625 3,004 4,816

Apparel and services 1,846 1,103 2,035 2,201 3,915 2,447 2,674 5,638

Transportation 9,503 6,376 11,415 12,153 17,331 14,646 16,961 19,394

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) 3,997 2,509 5,187 5,356 7,603 6,600 7,904 8,105

Gasoline and motor oil 2,090 1,594 2,487 2,777 3,197 2,964 3,306 3,289

Other vehicle expenses 2,756 1,950 3,163 3,354 4,837 4,201 4,536 5,452

Public and other transportation 661 323 578 665 1,695 881 1,214 2,548

Healthcare 4,342 3,235 5,176 5,611 6,941 5,934 6,727 7,765

Entertainment 2,842 1,796 2,844 3,465 5,744 4,513 4,351 7,426

Personal care products and

services

683 446 765 895 1,293 969 1,215 1,563

Reading 114 79 131 136 208 153 182 262

Education 1,315 609 899 1,162 3,600 1,656 2,547 5,583

Tobacco products and smoking

supplies

349 352 318 378 339 391 387 275

Miscellaneous 871 567 1,007 1,027 1,687 1,256 1,493 2,106

Cash contributions 1,819 1,061 2,086 1,946 3,966 2,388 3,098 5,586

Personal insurance and pensions 6,349 2,363 6,694 8,838 17,211 10,821 13,352 23,978

Table 15. Higher income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015

See footnotes at end of table.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 49

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Item All consumer

units

Less than

$70,000

$70,000 to

$79,999

$80,000 to

$99,999

$100,000 and

more

$100,000 to

$199,999

$120,000 to

$149,999

$150,000 and

more

Life and other personal

insurance

333 146 338 540 809 420 588 1,213

Pensions and Social Security 6,016 2,217 6,355 8,298 16,402 10,401 12,764 22,764

Table 15. Higher income before taxes: average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2015
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Technical Notes

Starting in 1888, the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) was collected approximately every 10 years until 1973;

annual collection began in late 1979. The CE’s principal objective is to collect information on the buying habits of U.S.

consumers. Consumer expenditure data are used in a variety of research activities by government, business, labor,

and academic analysts. In addition, the data are required for the regular revision of the Consumer Price Index (CPI)

market basket. The CE, which is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics, consists of

two survey instruments with independent samples: a Diary Survey completed by participating consumer units (CUs)

for two consecutive 1-week periods, and an Interview Survey in which expenditures of consumer units are obtained in

four interviews over the course of a year, conducted at 3-month intervals. Results in this report are based on

integrated data from both surveys. Survey participants record dollar amounts for goods and services purchased

during the reporting period, regardless of whether payment is made at the time of purchase. Expenditure amounts

include all sales and excise taxes for items purchased by the consumer unit. All business-related expenditures are

excluded from both surveys, as are expenditures for which the CU is reimbursed.

Each survey queries an independent sample of CUs that are representative of the U.S. population. For the Diary

Survey, about 7,000 consumer units are sampled each year. Each CU keeps a diary for two 1-week periods, yielding

approximately 14,000 diaries a year. The Interview Survey, selected on a rotating panel basis, collects data from

about 7,000 CUs each quarter. With the rotating panel, some CUs rotate out of the survey each quarter, while others

rotate in. Each consumer unit is interviewed once per quarter, for four consecutive quarters. Data are collected on an

ongoing basis in 91 geographic areas of the United States. The Interview Survey is designed to capture expenditure

data that respondents can reasonably recall for a period of 3 months or longer. In general, these expenditures are

relatively large, such as expenditures for real property, automobiles, and major appliances, or they occur on a regular

basis, such as rent, utility payments, and insurance premiums. The Interview Survey also collects data on

expenditures incurred on leisure trips. Including broad estimates of food spending, it is estimated that about 95

percent of expenditures are covered in the Interview Survey. Nonprescription drugs, household supplies, and

personal care items are excluded. The Diary Survey is designed to capture expenditures on small, frequently

purchased items that are normally more difficult for respondents to recall buying over an extended period. Detailed

entries of expenses are kept for food and beverages—consumed either at home or in eating places—and for tobacco,

housekeeping supplies, nonprescription drugs, personal care products and services, most apparel, and any other

goods or services purchased within the period. Expenditures incurred by members of the CU while away from home

overnight or longer are excluded from the Diary Survey. Although this survey was designed to collect information on

expenditures that could not be recalled easily over an extended period, respondents are asked to report all expenses

(except those spent while traveling overnight that the consumer unit incurs during the survey week.)

Integrated data from the Diary and Interview Surveys provide a complete accounting of consumer expenditures and

income that neither survey is designed to do on its own. Data on some expenditure items are collected in only one of

the surveys. For example, the Diary Survey does not collect information on reimbursements, whereas the Interview

Survey does. Examples of expenditures for which reimbursements are excluded from the Diary Survey are medical

care; automobile repairs; and construction, repairs, alterations, and maintenance of property. For items that are

unique to one survey or the other, the choice of which survey to use as the source of data is obvious. However, there

is considerable overlap in coverage between the surveys, and integrating the data involves a determination of the

appropriate survey from which to select specific expenditure items. When data are available from both surveys, the

more reliable of the two as determined by statistical methods is selected. As a result, some items are selected from
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 51

the Interview Survey, others from the Diary Survey. Because of the overlap in the item coverage between the two

surveys, the survey source is reviewed every 2 years and statistical methods are used to select the best source. See

“CE Source Selection for Publication Tables” in the Consumer Expenditure Survey Anthology, 2011 (BLS Report, no.

1030) for source selection details. 

The population and spending coverage of the CE differs from those used by the CPI. The CE data cover the total

population including rural areas, whereas the CPI covers only the population in urban and metropolitan areas.

Definitions of components also differ between the CE and CPI. For example, homeownership is treated differently in

the two surveys: actual expenditures of homeownership are reported in the CE, whereas the CPI uses a rental

equivalence approach that estimates the change in the cost of obtaining, in the rental marketplace, services

equivalent to those provided by owner-occupied homes.

Interpreting the data

Expenditures are averages for CUs with specified characteristics, regardless of whether a particular unit incurred an

expense for a specific item during the recordkeeping period. The average expenditure for an item may be

considerably lower than the expenditure by the consumer units that purchased the item. The less frequently an item is

purchased, the greater the difference between the average for all consumer units and the average for those

purchasing the item. Similarly, an individual consumer unit may spend more or less than the average, depending on

its particular characteristics. Factors such as income, age of family members, geographic location, and personal

preference also influence expenditures. In addition, even within groups with similar characteristics, the distribution of

expenditures varies substantially. These points should be considered when comparing reported averages to individual

circumstances. Users of these survey data should also keep in mind that prices for many goods and services have

risen since the survey was conducted. For example, all prices, as measured by the CPI-U, increased 1.3 percent from

2015 (annual average index) to 2016 (not seasonally adjusted). In addition, sample surveys are subject to two types

of error: sampling and nonsampling. Sampling errors occur because the data are collected from a sample

representing the population, rather than from the entire population. Nonsampling errors result from the inability or

unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information, differences in interviewers’ abilities, mistakes in recording

or coding, and other processing errors.

Tables and data

Tables in this report include integrated data from both the Diary and Interview components of the CE, enabling data

users to associate the full range of expenditures with consumers’ demographic characteristics. Tables show data

classified by income quintile, income decile, income class, age of the reference person, size of the consumer unit,

composition of the consumer unit, number of earners, housing tenure, type of area (urban or rural), race, Hispanic

origin, region of residence, occupation, and highest education level of any consumer-unit member. Tables for the

aforementioned classifications, but with more detail than is given in this report, can be accessed on the CE page of

the BLS website. Also available are tables showing average annual data over a 2-year period for

1. income before taxes, cross-tabulated by age, consumer unit size, or region

2. single consumers by gender, cross-tabulated by either income or age
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Page 52

3. selected metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs).

Data are available for 1984–2015. Other survey information available on the website includes answers to frequently

asked questions, a glossary of terms, and order forms for survey products. Beginning with the 2000 data, estimates of

standard errors for integrated Diary and Interview Survey data are also available.

The CE also produces prepublication tables, which are more detailed and contain additional subcategories of

spending, but also have larger variances. They are available upon request to CEXInfo@bls.gov. Prepublication

tables for all CUs are now available.

Other available data

The 2015 CE public-use microdata, including Interview Survey data, Diary Survey data, and paradata (information

about the survey process), are available on the CE website for free electronic download. The Interview Survey files

contain expenditure data in two different formats: MTBI files that present monthly values by coding items based on

the CPI pricing scheme, and EXPN files that organize expenditures by the section of the Interview Survey

questionnaire in which they are collected. Expenditure values on EXPN files cover different time periods depending

on the specific questions asked, and the files also contain relevant nonexpenditure information not found on the MTBI

files. Beginning with the 2013 public-use microdata, the new estimates of local, state, and federal tax liabilities are

included. The CE introduced these estimates to improve the quality of the surveyed tax liabilities, which suffered from

low response rates. The surveyed public-use tax data were still available for 2013, after which they were no longer

collected. For more information on the improvements, see Improving Data Quality in the Consumer Expenditure

Survey with TAXSIM, and for new applications of the tax estimates see New and Improved Estimates of Personal

Income Taxes have Tripled the Tax Data. Free public-use microdata are available online from the years 1996 to 2015. For releases published before 1996,

users can continue to purchase USB flash drives using the public-use microdata order form. Future releases of

public-use microdata will be available online for free download.

The Consumer Expenditure program also publishes Beyond the Numbers articles. These reports include analyses of

expenditure data as they apply to various topics of interest, as well as methodological and research articles pertaining

to a number of survey topics. As of February 2017, the most recent of these reports are Spending habits of urban

consumers and “blue-collar” consumers living in urban areas, 1984 and 2015, and What the Consumer Expenditure

Survey Tells Us About Mortgage Instruments Before And After The Housing Collapse. Additional data also are

presented in articles in the Monthly Labor Review.

Information on the methodology used to calculate and collect CE data is available online. Also included are general

articles and research papers using CE data, including documents in the CE research library.

For more detailed information on the availability of current and earlier data, contact the Division of Consumer

Expenditure Surveys, Office of Prices and Living Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Avenue,

NE, Washington, DC 20212-0001; call (202) 691-6900; email: cexinfo@bls.gov; or visit us online. Information in this

publication is in the public domain and, with appropriate credit, may be reproduced without permission. Upon request,
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

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the information in this report will be made available to individuals who are sensory-impaired individuals. Voice phone:

(202) 691-5200. Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339.