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

characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Surveys, 2019-2020

Item 

All 

consumer 

units in the 

Northeast 

New York Philadelphia Boston 

Number of consumer units (in thousands)1............................................ 23,104 7,649 1,847 1,870 

Consumer unit characteristics: 

 Income before taxes ............................................................................ $91,887 $100,425 $106,767 $113,592 

 Age of reference person ...................................................................... 53.3 52.2 53.3 52.7 

 Average number in consumer unit: 

 People ............................................................................................... 2.4 2.5 2.5 2.3 

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

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

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

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

 Percent homeowner............................................................................. 62 49 69 59 

Average annual expenditures ................................................................. $68,696 $75,275 $72,726 $91,578 

 Food ..................................................................................................... 8,632 9,693 8,489 10,860 

 Food at home ................................................................................... 5,497 5,987 5,191 6,938 

 Cereals and bakery products ........................................................ 747 774 722 1,031 

 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ....................................................... 1,219 1,452 1,030 1,416 

 Dairy products ............................................................................... 554 596 554 615 

 Fruits and vegetables .................................................................... 1,115 1,357 917 1,429 

 Other food at home ....................................................................... 1,861 1,807 1,968 2,447 

 Food away from home ...................................................................... 3,135 3,706 3,297 3,923 

 Alcoholic beverages............................................................................. 624 639 815 822 

 Housing ................................................................................................ 24,356 29,425 25,884 30,997 

 Shelter .............................................................................................. 14,990 19,342 15,680 20,368 

 Owned dwellings ........................................................................... 8,437 9,654 9,451 11,237 

 Rented dwellings ........................................................................... 5,496 8,691 4,621 7,622 

 Other lodging ................................................................................. 1,057 996 1,609 1,510 

 Utilities, fuels, and public services ................................................... 4,301 4,144 4,505 4,652 

 Household operations ...................................................................... 1,568 1,626 1,981 2,482 

 Housekeeping supplies .................................................................... 841 972 1,074 781 

 Household furnishings and equipment ............................................. 2,656 3,342 2,643 2,714 

 Apparel and services ........................................................................... 2,041 2,526 2,424 2,197 

 Transportation ...................................................................................... 9,769 9,350 9,823 11,176 

 Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ......................................................... 3,883 3,081 23,776 5,215 

 Gasoline, other fuels, and motor oil ................................................. 1,560 1,322 1,542 1,609 

 Other vehicle expenses .................................................................... 3,628 3,715 3,789 3,437 

 Public and other transportation ........................................................ 699 1,232 716 914 

 Healthcare............................................................................................ 5,108 4,683 5,618 6,962 

 Entertainment ...................................................................................... 3,144 3,176 3,078 3,997 

 Personal care products and services .................................................. 766 808 985 861 

 Reading ................................................................................................ 109 100 162 198 

 Education ............................................................................................. 2,504 2,872 2,375 4,824 

 Tobacco products and smoking supplies ............................................ 311 160 301 221 

 Miscellaneous ...................................................................................... 1,113 1,022 1,387 1,264 

 Cash contributions ............................................................................... 2,132 1,961 1,907 7,093 

 Personal insurance and pensions ....................................................... 8,086 8,858 9,477 10,106 

 Life and other personal insurance .................................................... 589 628 715 653 

 Pensions and Social Security ........................................................... 7,497 8,230 8,762 9,452 

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, 2021