Table 60. Number of earners in consumer unit: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income,

Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2004

(Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

Item Aggregate

Single consumers Consumer units of two or more persons

No earner One earner No earner One earner Two earners

Three or

more

earners

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ............... 116,282 12,607 21,079 10,012 23,873 39,198 9,513 

Percent distribution of consumer units ..................... 100.0 10.8 18.1 8.6 20.5 33.7 8.2 

Consumer unit characteristics (mean values): 

Income before taxes ............................................. $54,453 $15,219 $35,873 $26,878 $50,684 $76,821 $93,931 

Income after taxes ................................................ 52,287 15,077 33,748 25,812 49,228 73,516 90,744 

Age of reference person ........................................ 48.5 68.9 41.7 65.9 46.7 42.7 46.4 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ................................................................ 2.5 1.0 1.0 2.3 3.0 3.0 4.3 

Children under 18 ................................................ .6 n.a. n.a. .3 1.1 .9 1.1 

Persons 65 and over ............................................ .3 .7 .1 1.2 .3 .1 .1 

Earners ................................................................ 1.3 n.a. 1.0 n.a. 1.0 2.0 3.3 

Vehicles ............................................................... 1.9 .8 1.2 1.8 2.0 2.5 3.2 

Percent distribution:

Sex of reference person:

Male ..................................................................... 48 32 52 53 42 52 55 

Female ................................................................. 52 68 48 47 58 48 45 

Housing tenure:

Homeowner ......................................................... 68 59 47 77 68 76 81 

With mortgage ................................................... 42 10 30 19 43 59 67 

Without mortgage .............................................. 25 49 17 58 25 17 15 

Renter .................................................................. 32 41 53 23 32 24 19 

Race of reference person:

Black or African-American ................................... 12 12 11 14 16 9 11 

White, Asian, and All Other Races ...................... 88 88 89 86 84 91 89 

Hispanic or Latino origin of reference person:

Hispanic or Latino (new UCC Q20032) ............... 11 6 7 7 14 11 19 

Not Hispanic or Latino (new UCC Q20032) ......... 89 94 93 93 86 89 81 

Education of reference person:

Elementary (1-8) .................................................. 5 14 2 10 6 3 7 

High school (9-12) ............................................... 35 48 25 48 41 31 34 

College ................................................................. 59 37 72 42 53 66 59 

Never attended and other .................................... 1 ( ) 1 ( ) 1 ( ) 1 1 ( ) 1 ( ) 1 ( )

At least one vehicle owned or leased .................... 88 64 83 85 91 96 96 

Annual aggregate expenditures ............................... $5,043,501 4.6 12.3 6.5 21.0 43.1 12.5 

Food ....................................................................... 670,766 4.8 10.6 7.9 22.5 41.3 13.0 

Food at home ....................................................... 388,283 5.6 8.9 9.3 23.9 39.4 13.0 

Cereals and bakery products ............................. 53,470 5.9 8.3 9.4 25.1 38.2 13.0 

Cereals and cereal products ............................ 17,843 6.0 7.6 9.8 24.8 37.8 13.9 

Bakery products ............................................... 35,627 5.9 8.7 9.2 25.2 38.5 12.6 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ............................ 102,057 5.2 8.2 9.9 23.8 39.0 13.9 

Beef ................................................................. 30,783 4.6 8.0 10.1 24.0 38.5 14.7 

Pork ................................................................. 21,015 5.8 7.5 10.3 24.3 38.7 13.4 

Other meats ..................................................... 12,527 5.0 7.9 9.3 23.4 39.7 14.6 

Poultry .............................................................. 18,052 5.3 8.6 8.1 23.4 40.4 14.1 

Fish and seafood ............................................. 14,826 5.1 9.1 10.8 23.3 39.0 12.7 

Eggs ................................................................. 4,854 7.3 9.3 10.9 24.1 36.6 11.9 

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 60. Number of earners in consumer unit: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income,

Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2004 — Continued

(Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

Item Aggregate

Single consumers Consumer units of two or more persons

No earner One earner No earner One earner Two earners

Three or

more

earners

Dairy products .................................................... $42,991 5.6 8.6 9.3 24.1 39.7 12.6 

Fresh milk and cream ...................................... 16,744 5.9 7.8 9.6 25.6 38.7 12.4 

Other dairy products ........................................ 26,247 5.4 9.1 9.2 23.1 40.4 12.8 

Fruits and vegetables ........................................ 65,077 6.2 9.0 9.8 24.0 38.3 12.7 

Fresh fruits ....................................................... 21,664 6.2 9.3 9.7 24.5 37.5 12.7 

Fresh vegetables ............................................. 21,223 5.9 8.7 10.1 23.1 39.3 12.8 

Processed fruits ............................................... 12,719 6.8 9.4 9.2 24.7 38.3 11.6 

Processed vegetables ..................................... 9,471 6.2 8.5 9.9 23.7 38.1 13.6 

Other food at home ............................................ 124,688 5.3 9.7 8.5 23.3 40.8 12.5 

Sugar and other sweets ................................... 14,864 5.5 8.6 10.1 23.5 39.3 13.0 

Fats and oils .................................................... 10,312 6.3 8.9 10.3 23.2 38.1 13.2 

Miscellaneous foods ........................................ 61,173 5.3 9.7 7.9 23.3 41.7 12.1 

Nonalcoholic beverages .................................. 33,587 5.3 10.1 8.0 23.6 40.5 12.4 

Food prepared by consumer unit on

out-of-town trips ............................................. 4,752 3.1 11.2 9.6 21.5 40.1 14.4 

Food away from home ......................................... 282,483 3.7 13.0 5.9 20.5 43.8 13.0 

Alcoholic beverages ............................................... 53,292 4.0 18.5 6.7 17.1 43.4 10.4 

Housing .................................................................. 1,618,136 5.9 13.3 6.6 22.0 41.5 10.8 

Shelter ................................................................. 930,071 5.9 15.3 5.7 21.7 41.0 10.5 

Owned dwellings ................................................ 619,141 4.2 11.7 5.4 21.6 45.3 11.9 

Mortgage interest and charges ........................ 341,424 1.5 11.9 2.8 21.2 49.7 12.9 

Property taxes .................................................. 161,768 6.3 11.0 8.0 22.2 41.4 11.1 

Maintenance, repairs, insurance, other

expenses ....................................................... 115,949 9.0 12.1 9.7 21.7 37.7 9.8 

Rented dwellings ............................................... 255,946 10.5 24.5 5.8 21.8 30.7 6.7 

Other lodging ..................................................... 54,984 3.9 12.4 7.9 22.4 41.3 12.2 

Utilities, fuels, and public services ....................... 340,315 6.6 11.5 8.2 22.3 39.6 11.8 

Natural gas ........................................................ 49,305 7.7 11.0 8.9 22.1 38.6 11.7 

Electricity ........................................................... 123,772 6.4 11.2 8.8 22.9 39.5 11.1 

Fuel oil and other fuels ...................................... 14,016 11.7 8.6 10.3 22.5 36.0 10.9 

Telephone services ............................................ 115,144 5.6 13.0 6.7 21.6 40.4 12.7 

Water and other public services ........................ 38,078 6.6 10.0 9.0 22.5 40.0 11.9 

Household operations .......................................... 87,540 8.9 8.1 5.2 20.8 49.3 7.7 

Personal services .............................................. 34,851 10.7 1.3 1.2 18.7 63.3 4.7 

Other household expenses ................................ 52,689 7.7 12.6 7.8 22.1 40.1 9.7 

Housekeeping supplies ........................................ 68,966 5.8 9.4 9.2 23.3 41.5 10.7 

Laundry and cleaning supplies .......................... 17,235 5.3 8.8 8.8 24.4 40.0 12.7 

Other household products ................................. 33,691 5.9 8.7 9.3 24.1 42.2 9.9 

Postage and stationery ...................................... 18,040 6.0 11.4 9.6 20.8 41.7 10.3 

Household furnishings and equipment ................ 191,244 3.4 10.9 7.6 22.9 43.4 11.8 

Household textiles ............................................. 18,299 5.1 10.8 11.1 24.1 38.4 10.6 

Furniture ............................................................ 48,486 2.7 9.4 7.2 24.1 44.4 12.2 

Floor coverings .................................................. 6,045 2.2 10.9 10.5 23.1 41.2 12.0 

Major appliances ................................................ 23,705 3.2 9.3 9.6 23.1 44.9 9.9 

Small appliances, miscellaneous

housewares ..................................................... 12,150 6.0 10.3 7.7 21.9 42.5 11.7 

Miscellaneous household equipment ................. 82,560 3.1 12.5 6.3 22.0 43.7 12.4 

Apparel and services ............................................. 210,799 3.4 11.7 5.5 22.6 44.7 12.1 

Men and boys ...................................................... 47,147 3.0 9.1 5.6 21.9 46.7 13.7 

Men, 16 and over ............................................... 36,822 3.2 10.7 5.7 19.2 46.6 14.6 

Boys, 2 to 15 ...................................................... 10,325 2.0 3.3 5.5 31.5 47.2 10.5 

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 60. Number of earners in consumer unit: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income,

Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2004 — Continued

(Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

Item Aggregate

Single consumers Consumer units of two or more persons

No earner One earner No earner One earner Two earners

Three or

more

earners

Women and girls .................................................. $85,713 3.9 12.3 5.5 22.4 43.2 12.8 

Women, 16 and over ......................................... 73,216 4.4 13.9 5.7 20.2 42.6 13.2 

Girls, 2 to 15 ...................................................... 12,497 1.3 2.6 4.2 35.2 46.5 10.2 

Children under 2 .................................................. 9,116 1.2 3.3 4.6 32.1 50.0 8.9 

Footwear .............................................................. 38,138 3.2 13.1 5.9 24.3 42.6 11.0 

Other apparel products and services ................... 30,685 3.4 14.9 4.9 19.7 46.9 10.2 

Transportation ........................................................ 907,129 3.0 11.7 6.0 20.2 44.7 14.5 

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ............................ 395,018 2.3 11.3 5.9 20.0 45.1 15.3 

Cars and trucks, new ......................................... 203,305 2.3 10.9 6.7 21.9 44.8 13.4 

Cars and trucks, used ........................................ 183,986 2.4 11.8 5.3 18.3 44.5 17.6 

Other vehicles .................................................... 7,727 21.4 210.7 2.8 10.2 66.8 10.0 

Gasoline and motor oil ......................................... 185,767 3.2 11.4 6.0 20.7 44.4 14.3 

Other vehicle expenses ....................................... 275,032 3.5 12.2 5.9 19.8 44.7 13.9 

Vehicle finance charges ..................................... 37,607 1.3 10.0 3.1 18.6 52.2 14.8 

Maintenance and repairs ................................... 75,759 4.1 13.9 6.2 19.7 43.5 12.7 

Vehicle insurance .............................................. 112,139 4.3 11.8 6.8 19.6 42.9 14.6 

Vehicle rental, leases, licenses, other

charges ............................................................ 49,527 2.6 12.0 5.7 21.5 45.1 13.2 

Public transportation ............................................ 51,312 4.0 12.7 6.8 22.0 42.1 12.4 

Health care ............................................................ 299,289 10.1 9.0 13.3 21.4 36.3 9.9 

Health insurance .................................................. 154,854 9.9 8.6 14.2 21.3 36.2 9.8 

Medical services .................................................. 75,393 8.1 9.3 9.0 21.7 40.8 11.1 

Drugs ................................................................... 55,814 13.4 9.6 16.8 21.9 29.8 8.5 

Medical supplies .................................................. 13,228 8.8 9.8 12.8 20.6 37.9 10.1 

Entertainment ........................................................ 257,887 3.6 11.5 8.5 20.7 44.3 11.4 

Fees and admissions ........................................... 61,390 3.0 12.5 6.5 21.3 44.4 12.3 

Television, radios, sound equipment ................... 91,582 5.5 13.5 6.4 20.8 42.5 11.4 

Pets, toys, hobbies, and playground

equipment .......................................................... 44,216 3.8 11.0 4.9 22.3 48.1 9.8 

Other entertainment supplies, equipment,

and services ....................................................... 60,700 1.3 7.9 16.4 18.7 44.1 11.6 

Personal care products and services ..................... 67,485 5.3 12.3 7.3 21.4 40.8 12.8 

Reading ................................................................. 15,165 7.5 14.1 8.8 19.5 40.6 9.5 

Education ............................................................... 105,264 4.5 15.6 1.4 18.7 40.3 19.5 

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ............... 33,504 5.1 11.7 6.6 23.3 41.4 11.9 

Miscellaneous ........................................................ 80,207 6.8 14.8 8.2 21.7 37.9 10.5 

Cash contributions ................................................. 163,729 6.3 14.8 8.8 19.3 41.1 9.7 

Personal insurance and pensions .......................... 560,849 .3 12.8 .8 18.0 52.6 15.5 

Life and other personal insurance ....................... 45,390 3.7 7.1 8.4 21.7 44.9 14.3 

Pensions and Social Security .............................. 515,460 3 ( ) 13.3 .2 17.6 53.2 15.6 

Sources of income and personal taxes: 

Money income before taxes ................................... 6,331,893 3.0 11.9 4.2 19.1 47.6 14.1 

Wages and salaries ............................................. 5,022,494 4 ( ) 12.7 4 ( ) 18.3 53.1 15.8 

Self-employment income ..................................... 349,759 4 ( ) 12.2 3 ( ) 20.9 50.5 16.4 

Social Security, private and government

retirement ........................................................... 680,028 22.4 5.2 33.3 22.8 12.9 3.4 

Interest, dividends, rental income, other

property income ................................................. 146,596 15.9 15.5 15.7 16.8 29.9 6.2 

Unemployment and workers’ compensation,

veterans’ benefits ............................................... 27,503 4.8 11.7 5.9 25.3 42.0 10.3 

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 60. Number of earners in consumer unit: Shares of annual aggregate expenditures and sources of income,

Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2004 — Continued

(Aggregates in millions of dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

Item Aggregate

Single consumers Consumer units of two or more persons

No earner One earner No earner One earner Two earners

Three or

more

earners

Public assistance, supplemental security

income, food stamps .......................................... $35,819 17.6 1.6 28.8 32.0 14.3 5.7 

Regular contributions for support ......................... 47,980 9.9 15.3 12.9 27.6 24.8 9.6 

Other income ....................................................... 21,715 18.3 18.5 6.7 27.1 25.2 4.3 

Personal taxes ....................................................... 251,848 .7 17.8 4.2 13.8 51.4 12.0 

Federal income taxes .......................................... 176,626 .3 18.6 5.0 12.2 51.8 12.1 

State and local income taxes ............................... 54,899 .1 17.1 3 ( ) 16.7 53.7 12.4 

Other taxes .......................................................... 20,323 5.8 12.8 9.1 19.6 42.5 10.2 

Income after taxes ................................................. 6,080,045 3.1 11.7 4.3 19.3 47.4 14.2 

1 Value less than 0.5. 2 Data are likely to have large sampling errors. 3 Value less than 0.05.4 No data reported.

n.a. Not applicable.