Table 23. Selected southern metropolitan statistical areas: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer

Expenditure Survey, 2010-2011

Item

All consumer

units in the

South

Washington,

D.C. Baltimore Atlanta Miami DallasFort Worth Houston

Number of consumer units (in thousands) ....... 44,675 2,105 944 2,331 1,638 2,504 1,992 

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes ...................................... $58,802 $108,724 $92,055 $69,914 $52,934 $70,942 $67,442 

Age of reference person ................................. 50.0 48.2 52.1 46.7 51.3 45.6 45.8 

Average number in consumer unit:

Persons ........................................................ 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.8 3.0 

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

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

Earners ......................................................... 1.2 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.6 

Vehicles ........................................................ 1.9 1.9 1.9 1.7 1.4 1.8 2.0 

Percent homeowner ....................................... 68 67 73 69 57 61 66 

Average annual expenditures ........................... $44,978 $72,448 $55,363 $49,692 $38,354 $54,628 $54,659 

Food ............................................................... 5,813 8,342 6,920 5,798 4,933 6,994 6,857 

Food at home ............................................... 3,421 4,482 4,061 3,291 3,358 3,949 3,702 

Cereals and bakery products ..................... 466 592 614 440 470 550 478 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .................... 787 1,011 927 791 848 885 802 

Dairy products ............................................ 348 466 375 327 383 388 358 

Fruits and vegetables ................................. 601 875 727 591 740 748 717 

Other food at home .................................... 1,218 1,538 1,419 1,143 917 1,378 1,347 

Food away from home .................................. 2,393 3,860 2,859 2,507 1,575 3,045 3,155 

Alcoholic beverages ....................................... 356 740 372 431 228 383 430 

Housing .......................................................... 14,940 25,590 20,695 18,448 15,911 18,241 18,287 

Shelter .......................................................... 8,116 16,628 12,946 10,681 10,391 10,248 9,925 

Owned dwellings ........................................ 5,169 10,724 8,829 7,301 5,245 6,407 6,487 

Rented dwellings ........................................ 2,429 4,309 2,921 2,879 4,813 3,371 2,853 

Other lodging .............................................. 518 1,596 1,196 502 334 470 585 

Utilities, fuels, and public services ................ 3,872 4,254 4,424 4,348 3,496 4,461 4,472 

Household operations .................................. 962 1,740 1,024 1,166 701 1,237 1,483 

Housekeeping supplies ................................ 577 720 687 724 458 739 620 

Household furnishings and equipment ......... 1,412 2,247 1,615 1,528 865 1,557 1,788 

Apparel and services ...................................... 1,561 2,775 1,719 1,644 897 2,260 2,218 

Transportation ................................................ 7,929 10,889 6,606 7,998 6,039 9,314 9,146 

Vehicle purchases (net outlay) ..................... 2,728 3,176 11,962 2,761 11,149 3,175 2,542 

Gasoline and motor oil ................................. 2,513 2,479 2,401 2,645 2,268 2,918 3,050 

Other vehicle expenses ................................ 2,358 4,009 1,877 2,060 2,205 2,833 2,975 

Public and other transportation .................... 331 1,224 366 533 418 388 578 

Health care ..................................................... 3,101 4,306 3,283 2,724 1,872 3,464 3,224 

Entertainment ................................................. 2,353 3,710 2,876 2,281 1,404 2,675 2,642 

Personal care products and services ............. 586 1,049 646 647 542 827 784 

Reading .......................................................... 84 196 110 76 23 103 132 

Education ....................................................... 689 1,300 2,173 1,064 526 632 1,130 

Tobacco products and smoking supplies ....... 396 232 260 167 197 420 365 

Miscellaneous ................................................. 688 1,184 456 724 430 582 1,125 

Cash contributions .......................................... 1,623 2,130 1,679 1,624 765 1,949 2,320 

Personal insurance and pensions .................. 4,858 10,004 7,567 6,067 4,585 6,783 6,000 

Life and other personal insurance ................ 296 436 380 235 138 384 319 

Pensions and Social Security ....................... 4,562 9,568 7,187 5,833 4,447 6,399 5,680 

1 Data are likely to have large sampling errors.

Source: Consumer Expenditure Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, September, 2012