In 2023, the average consumer unit in the United States spent about 9,985 U.S. dollars on food. Americans spent the most on housing, at 25,436 U.S. dollars, reflecting around one third of annual expenditure. The total average U.S. consumer spending amounted to 77,280 U.S. dollars.

In 2023, the average annual expenditures of households in the United States amounted to about 77,280 U.S. dollars per year. This was an increase from the previous year, reflecting an increase of around six percent between 2022 and 2023.

Graph and download economic data for Expenditures: Total Average Annual Expenditures by Age: from Age 25 to 34 (CXUTOTALEXPLB0403M) from 1984 to 2023 about age, 25 years +, average, expenditures, and USA.

Household Budget Survey (HBS): Average expenditure by household, average expenditure by person and expenditure distribution (vertical and horizontal percentages) by expenditure group and expenditure quintile. Annual. National.

Media and entertainment spending patterns in the United States reveal intriguing age-related disparities. A late-2024 study found that Americans spent an average of 1,399 U.S. dollars annually on digital media and entertainment, a slight decrease from two years prior. Notably, consumers aged 35 to 54 outspent other age groups, allocating 1,610 U.S. dollars per year to digital media consumption. Generational differences in media spending The rise of digital platforms has transformed how different age groups consume media. While 66 percent of the general population spent less than 1,000 U.S. dollars on media and entertainment annually, this figure rose to 77 percent for those aged 55 and older. Interestingly, it is not the youngest age group that was ready to spend more on media subscriptions, services and products, but millennials - their annual expenses were more likely to reach up to five thousand U.S. dollars. This disparity suggests that younger and older generations may be more frugal with their entertainment choices. Consumption follows similar age patterns The spending behavior is a direct result of how different generations consume media. Data on time spent with media types in the United States clearly suggest that millennials favor the more expensive ones - they devote more of their weekly hours to TV connected devices and video on a computer, as well as apps on tablets and internet on a computer. These media are the ones hosting the majority of subscription services - hence the increased spending outcomes. Younger and older generations in this case seem to spend more of their time with free entertainment sources.

Household final consumption expenditure (formerly private consumption) is the market value of all goods and services, including durable products (such as cars, washing machines, and home computers), purchased by households. It excludes purchases of dwellings but includes imputed rent for owner-occupied dwellings. It also includes payments and fees to governments to obtain permits and licenses. Here, household consumption expenditure includes the expenditures of nonprofit institutions serving households, even when reported separately by the country. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Graph and download economic data for Expenditures: Total Average Annual Expenditures by Deciles of Income Before Taxes: Fifth 10 Percent (41st to 50th Percentile) (CXUTOTALEXPLB1506M) from 2014 to 2023 about percentile, tax, average, expenditures, income, and USA.

This statistic represents the average vehicle purchase expenditure by Americans in 2016, with a breakdown by type of expenditure and age of consumer. Americans aged between 25 and 34 spent, on average, 1,906 U.S. dollars on gasoline and motor oil in 2016.

Survey of Household Spending (SHS), average household spending, Canada, regions and provinces.

Graph and download economic data for Expenditures: Total Average Annual Expenditures by Race: White, Asian, and All Other Races, Not Including Black or African American (CXUTOTALEXPLB0902M) from 1984 to 2023 about asian, average, white, expenditures, and USA.

Abstract

The Consumer Expenditure (CE) program provides a continuous and comprehensive flow of the data on the buying habits of American consumers. These data are used widely in economic research and analysis, and in support of the revision of the Consumer Price Index. To meet the needs of users, The Bureau of Labor Statistics produces population estimates (for consumer units or Cu's) of average expenditure in new releases, reports and articles in the Monthly Labour review. Tabulated CE data are also available on the internet and by facsimile transmission. These microdata files present detailed expenditure and income data for the Diary component of the CE for 2004. They include weekly expenditure (EXPD), annual income (DTBD) files, and imputed income files (DTBD_IMPUTED1). The data in EXPD, DTBD, and DTBD_IMPUTED files are categorized by a Universal Classification Code (UCC). The advantage of the EXPD and DTBD files is that with the data classified in a standardized format, the user may perform comparative expenditure (income) analysis with relative ease. The FMLD and MEMD files present data on the characteristics and demographics of CUs and CU Members. The summary level expenditure and income information on the FMLD files permits the data user to link consumer spending, by general expenditure category, and household characteristics and demographics on one set of files. Estimates of average expenditures in 2004 from the Diary survey, integrated with data from the Interview survey, are published in Consumer Expenditures in 2004 (Due in 2006).A list of recent publications containing data from the CE appears at the end of this documentation. The microdata files are in the public domain and, with appropriate credit, may be reproduced without permission. A suggested citation is: “U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, Diary Survey, 2004”.

State Identifier Since the CE is not designed to produce state-level estimates, summing the consumer unit weights by state will not yield state population totals. A CU's basic weight reflects its probability of selection among a group of primary sampling units of similar characteristics. For example, sample units in an urban nonmetropolitan area in California may represent similar areas in Wyoming and Nevada. Among other adjustments, CUs are post-stratified nationally by sex-age-race. For example, the weights of consumer units containing a black male, age 16-24 in Alabama, Colorado, or New York, are all adjusted equivalently. Therefore, weighted population state totals will not match population totals calculated from other surveys that are designed to represent state data. To summarize, the CE sample was not designed to produce precise estimates for individual states. Although state-level estimates that are unbiased in a repeated sampling sense can be calculated for various statistical measures, such as means and aggregates, their estimates will generally be subject to large variances. Additionally, a particular state-population estimate from the CE sample may be far from the true state-population estimate.

Interpreting the data Several factors should be considered when interpreting the expenditure data. The average expenditure for an item may be considerably lower than the expenditure by those CUs that purchased the item. The less frequently an item is purchased, the greater the difference between the average for all consumer units and the average of those purchasing. (See Section V.B. for ESTIMATION OF TOTAL AND MEAN EXPENDITURES). Also, an individual CU may spend more or less than the average, depending on its particular characteristics. Factors such as income, age of family Members, geographic location, taste and personal preference also influence expenditures. Furthermore, even within groups with similar characteristics, the distribution of expenditures varies substantially.
Expenditures reported are the direct out-of-pocket expenditures. Indirect expenditures, which may be significant, may be reflected elsewhere. For example, rental contracts often include utilities. Renters with such contracts would record no direct expense for utilities, and therefore, appear to have no utility expenses. Employers or insurance companies frequently pay other costs.CUs with Members whose employers pay for all or part of their health insurance or life insurance would have lower direct expenses for these items than those who pay the entire amount themselves. These points should be considered when relating reported averages to individual circumstances.

The Diary survey PUMD are organized into five major data files for each quarter: 1. FMLD - a file with characteristics, income, and summary level expenditures for the household 2. MEMD - a file with characteristics and income for each member in the household
3. EXPD - a detailed weekly expenditure file categorized by UCC 4. DTBD - a detailed annual income file categorized by UCC
5. DTID - a household imputed income file categorized by UCC

Analysis unit

Consumer unit

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

In 2023, the average annual expenditures of consumer units in the United States totaled to 77,280 U.S. dollars. This is an increase from the previous year, when the average annual expenditures of consumer units totaled to 72,967 U.S. dollars.

United States CES: Average Annual Expenditure data was reported at 77,280.000 USD in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 72,967.000 USD for 2022. United States CES: Average Annual Expenditure data is updated yearly, averaging 42,106.000 USD from Dec 1984 (Median) to 2023, with 40 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 77,280.000 USD in 2023 and a record low of 21,975.000 USD in 1984. United States CES: Average Annual Expenditure data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.H065: Consumer Expenditure Survey.

Table of INEBase Average expenditure by household, average expenditure by person and expenditure distribution (vertical and horizontal percentages) by expenditure group and expenditure quintile. Annual. National. Household Budget Survey (HBS)

Detailed breakdown of average weekly household expenditure on goods and services in the UK. Data are shown by place of purchase, income group (deciles) and age of household reference person.

Government spending in the United States was last recorded at 34.4 percent of GDP in 2023 . This dataset provides - United States Government Spending To Gdp- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The average planned back-to-school spending per household in the United States gradually increased year-on-year, reaching about 890 U.S. dollars in 2023. While this was an increase of over 400 dollars since the beginning of the survey period in 2004, the numbers had begun to fall back down by 2024. That year, U.S. consumers planned to spend an average of 875 U.S. dollars on back-to-school purchases. Spending breakdown In 2024, parents planned to spend the most on electronics or computer-related equipment, with average household spending expected to reach just over 309 U.S. dollars. Although parents relied on several kinds of outlets for back-to-school supplies, the leading location for such items was online. More than half of respondents planned to undertake their shopping there. Department stores stood in second place. Back-to-school vs. back-to-college spending While parents planned to spend hundreds of dollars to send their children back to school, college students and their families were willing to spend even more. In 2024, the average household spend for back-to-college was expected to equal more than 1,300 U.S. dollars.

U.S. consumers were asked how much money they spent on average on groceries per week. The findings present that U.S. households' weekly grocery expenditure amounted to about 165 U.S. dollars in 2024. Between 2019 and 2024, the average weekly expenditure grew exponentially, favored by the pandemic first and inflation after. Food affordability Since the pandemic, food affordability has been a challenge for consumers around the world, leading to changes around their food consumption. In the United States, meats, specialty foods and snacks are among the less purchased products, other changes include the purchase of generic products to save money on groceries. Generational differences Due to the rise of online grocery shopping, the difference in generational consumer behavior is significant. Millennials are most likely to shop online for their groceries, followed by Gen Z, while older generations prefer in-store shopping. When it comes to shopping frequency, those aged between 25 and 34 tended to shop more often compared to the youngest and oldest generations.

In 2023, the lowest 20 percent of income consumer units spent about 41.3 percent of their total expenditure on housing. Consumer units belonging to the highest 20 percent of income spent only 29.2 percent on housing. Additionally, those in the highest income quintile spent 17.7 percent of their total expenditure on personal insurance and pensions, while the lowest 20 percent spent only 2.1 percent.

This statistic shows the average household food expenditure by income in the United States in 2023. In that year, households with an income range of 30,000 to 39,999 U.S. dollars spent 6,665 U.S. dollars on food on average.