Table 3004. Selected northeastern metropolitan statistical areas: Average annual expenditures and 

characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Surveys, 2021-2022

Item

All consumer

units in the

Northeast

New York Philadelphia Boston

Number of consumer units (in thousands)1........................................... 23,083 6,983 2,036 1,738 

Consumer unit characteristics:

 Income before taxes ........................................................................... $104,423 $117,048 $107,748 $130,663 

 Age of reference person ..................................................................... 53.0 52.0 53.7 49.7 

 Average number in consumer unit:

 People.............................................................................................. 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.2 

 Children under 18 ............................................................................ .5 .6 .6 .4 

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

 Earners ............................................................................................ 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.3 

 Vehicles ........................................................................................... 1.7 1.2 1.6 1.6 

 Percent homeowner............................................................................ 63 50 71 57 

Average annual expenditures ................................................................ $76,331 $83,064 $85,897 $89,795 

 Food .................................................................................................... 9,772 10,643 10,492 10,873 

 Food at home................................................................................... 6,217 6,639 6,126 6,561 

 Cereals and bakery products ....................................................... 834 818 809 911 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ...................................................... 1,305 1,534 1,269 1,198 

 Dairy products .............................................................................. 600 664 558 577 

 Fruits and vegetables ................................................................... 1,280 1,460 1,237 1,414 

 Other food at home....................................................................... 2,198 2,163 2,252 2,461 

 Food away from home..................................................................... 3,555 4,004 4,366 4,312 

 Alcoholic beverages............................................................................ 764 788 871 1,100 

 Housing............................................................................................... 26,493 31,213 28,453 31,679 

 Shelter.............................................................................................. 16,458 21,479 16,916 20,863 

 Owned dwellings .......................................................................... 9,412 10,509 11,200 10,944 

 Rented dwellings .......................................................................... 5,553 9,214 3,846 7,973 

 Other lodging ................................................................................ 1,493 1,756 1,870 1,946 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services................................................... 4,700 4,633 5,060 4,860 

 Household operations...................................................................... 1,961 1,986 2,543 2,390 

 Housekeeping supplies ................................................................... 837 790 861 780 

 Household furnishings and equipment ............................................ 2,536 2,325 3,073 2,786 

 Apparel and services .......................................................................... 2,194 2,699 3,597 1,807 

 Transportation..................................................................................... 11,026 10,326 11,247 11,697 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ........................................................ 3,954 3,115 23,877 4,334 

 Gasoline, other fuels, and motor oil................................................. 2,240 1,731 2,368 2,309 

 Other vehicle expenses ................................................................... 3,875 3,905 3,805 3,831 

 Public and other transportation ....................................................... 958 1,574 1,197 1,223 

 Healthcare........................................................................................... 5,914 5,154 6,958 6,923 

 Entertainment...................................................................................... 3,496 3,437 4,367 4,223 

 Personal care products and services ................................................. 900 1,056 959 1,058 

 Reading............................................................................................... 141 140 249 130 

 Education ............................................................................................ 2,002 2,737 2,592 3,036 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ........................................... 325 188 329 244 

 Miscellaneous ..................................................................................... 1,109 1,009 1,275 1,526 

 Cash contributions .............................................................................. 2,595 3,036 4,011 3,042 

 Personal insurance and pensions ...................................................... 9,601 10,639 10,496 12,456 

 Life and other personal insurance ................................................... 604 834 729 449 

 Pensions and Social Security .......................................................... 8,997 9,805 9,767 12,007 

1

 Data are rounded to the nearest thousands.

2

 Data are likely to have large sampling errors.

Source: Consumer Expenditure Surveys, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, September, 2023