For more precise budget category information, consult the original source. Figures based on household and personal expense records. Although farm and ranch family living levels have risen over the past decade, important differences exist among urban, rural and farm households and their expenditures. Urban consumers pay a greater proportion of their income in taxes. Urban households have slightly fewer members and are headed by persons considerably younger than their rural counterparts.
Rural consumers own more vehicles and are more likely to own their own homes.
In 1998 urban households spent a higher portion of their incomes on education and housing. Rural consumers had significantly higher expenditures for food, transportation and health care. Only 1.9 percent of U.S. households are considered rural, while 3.9 percent of households in the Midwest are rural. Very little data exists to address the very specific situation of the farm family. Farm families, although similar to rural households, have their own very different situation.