Consumer Spending in the United States increased to 16445.70 USD Billion in the second quarter of 2025 from 16345.80 USD Billion in the first quarter of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Consumer Spending - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

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.

Real Consumer Spending in the United States increased to 2.50 percent in the second quarter of 2025 from 0.60 percent in the first quarter of 2025. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for the United States Real Consumer Spending QoQ.

Personal Spending in the United States increased 0.60 percent in August of 2025 over the previous month. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United States Personal Spending - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) consists of two parts: the Quarterly Interview Survey and the Diary Survey. Both surveys provide information on the purchasing habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit characteristics (e.g., age, education, occupation). The Quarterly Interview Survey (CEQ) includes information on monthly out-of-pocket expenses like housing, apparel, transportation, healthcare, insurance, and entertainment. The Diary Survey (CED) includes information on frequently purchased items like food, beverages, tobacco, personal care products, and nonprescription drugs. Approximately 20,000 independent interview surveys and 11,000 independent diary surveys are completed annually. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes 12-month estimates of consumer expenditures annually, summarized by various income levels and demographic characteristics. Geographic data is available at the national level; for regions, divisions, selected states, and selected metropolitan statistical areas; and by population size of area.

This dataset provides annual estimates developed by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis on consumer spending in the State of Iowa beginning in 1998. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) is the value of the goods and services purchased by, or on the behalf of, Iowa residents. PCE is reported in millions of current dollars. Also provided is per capita PCE which is reported in current dollars. The Census Bureau’s annual midyear (July 1) population estimates are used for per capita variables. Consumption category indicates the goods or services associated with personal consumption. All includes both goods and services. Goods include both durable goods and non durable goods. Durable goods include: motor vehicles and parts, furnishings and durable household equipment, recreational goods and vehicles, and other durable goods. Non durable goods include: food and beverages purchased for off-premises consumption, clothing and footwear, gasoline and other energy goods, and other non durable goods. Services include household consumption expenditures (for services) and final consumption expenditures of nonprofit institutions serving households (NPISHs). Household consumption expenditures include: housing and utilities, health care, transportation services, recreation services, food services and accommodations, financial services and insurance, and other services. NPISH is the gross output of nonprofit institutions less receipts from sales of goods and services by nonprofit institutions.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) program provides a continuous and comprehensive flow of data on the buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics. These data are used widely in economic research and analysis, and in support of revisions of the Consumer Price Index. The CE program is comprised of two separate components (each with its own survey questionnaire and independent sample), the Diary Survey and the quarterly Interview Survey (ICPSR 36237). This data collection contains the Diary Survey component, which was designed to obtain data on frequently purchased smaller items, including food, housing, apparel and services, transportation, entertainment, and out-of-pocket health care costs. Each consumer unit (CU) recorded its expenditures in a diary for two consecutive 1-week periods. Although the diary was designed to collect information on expenditures that could not be easily recalled over time, respondents were asked to report all expenses (except overnight travel) that the CU incurred during the survey week. The 2013 Diary Survey release contains five sets of data files (FMLD, MEMD, EXPD, DTBD, DTID), and one processing file (DSTUB). The FMLD, MEMD, EXPD, DTBD, and DTID files are organized by the quarter of the calendar year in which the data were collected. There are four quarterly datasets for each of these files. The FMLD files contain CU characteristics, income, and summary level expenditures; the MEMD files contain member characteristics and income data; the EXPD files contain detailed weekly expenditures at the Universal Classification Code (UCC) level; the DTBD files contain the CU's reported annual income values or the mean of the five imputed income values in the multiple imputation method; and the DTID files contain the five imputed income values. Please note that the summary level expenditure and income information on the FMLD files permit the data user to link consumer spending, by general expenditure category, and household characteristics and demographics on one set of files. The DSTUB file provides the aggregation scheme used in the published consumer expenditure tables. The DSTUB file is further explained in Section III.F.6. "Processing Files" of the Diary Survey Users' Guide. A second documentation guide, the "Users' Guide to Income Imputation," includes information on how to appropriately use the imputed income data. Demographic and family characteristics data include age, sex, race, marital status, and CU relationships for each CU member. Income information was also collected, such as wage, salary, unemployment compensation, child support, and alimony, as well as information on the employment of each CU member age 14 and over. The unpublished integrated CE data tables produced by the BLS are available to download through NADAC (click on "Other" in the Dataset(s) section). The tables show average and percentile expenditures for detailed items, as well as the standard error and coefficient of variation (CV) for each spending estimate. The BLS unpublished integrated CE data tables are provided as an easy-to-use tool for obtaining spending estimates. However, users are cautioned to read the BLS explanatory letter accompanying the tables. The letter explains that estimates of average expenditures on detailed spending items (such as leisure and art-related categories) may be unreliable due to so few reports of expenditures for those items.

The Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CE) program provides data on expenditures, income, and demographic characteristics of consumers in the United States. The CE program provides these data in tables, LABSTAT database, news releases, reports, and public use microdata files. CE data are collected by the Census Bureau for BLS in two surveys, the Interview Survey for major and/or recurring items and the Diary Survey for more minor or frequently purchased items. CE data are primarily used to revise the relative importance of goods and services in the market basket of the Consumer Price Index. The CE is the only Federal household survey to provide information on the complete range of consumers' expenditures and incomes. For more information and data, visit: https://www.bls.gov/cex/

Historical dataset showing U.S. consumer spending by year from 1970 to 2023.

This data collection includes detailed information on the purchasing habits of Americans in 1960-1961, with over 200 types of expenditures coded. For the first time since 1941, the Consumer Expenditure Survey sampled both urban, non-farm and rural, farm households in an attempt to provide a complete picture of consumer expenditures in the United States. Personal interviews were conducted in 1960 and 1961 (and a small number in 1959) with 9,476 urban families, 2,285 rural non-farm families, and 1,967 rural farm families, for a total of 13,728 consumer units interviewed. A complete account of family income and outlays was compiled for a calendar year, as well as household characteristics. The expenditures covered by the survey were those which respondents could recall fairly accurately for three months or longer. In general, these expenditures included relatively large purchases, such as those for property, automobiles, and major appliances, or expenditures that occurred on a fairly regular basis, such as rent, utilities, or insurance premiums. Expenditures incurred while on trips were also covered by the survey. Information to determine net changes in the family's assets and liabilities during the year was also gathered. The estimated value of goods and services received, as gifts or otherwise, without direct expenditures by the family, was requested also. In addition, farm families provided farm receipts, disbursements, changes in farm assets, and value of home-produced food. To supplement the annual data, non-farm families who prepared meals at home provided a detailed seven-day record, during the week prior to the interview, of expenditures for food and related items purchased frequently (e.g., tobacco, personal care, and household supplies). For selected items of clothing, house furnishings, and food, the record of expenditures was supplemented by information on quantities purchased and prices paid. Characteristics of the housing occupied by homeowners and renters and an inventory of the major items of house furnishing they owned also were recorded. Demographic information includes sex, age, years of school completed, occupation, race, and marital status of each family member. (Source: downloaded from ICPSR 7/13/10)

Please Note: This dataset is part of the historical CISER Data Archive Collection and is also available at ICPSR at https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09035.v1. We highly recommend using the ICPSR version as they may make this dataset available in multiple data formats in the future.

Abstract (en): The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) program provides a continuous and comprehensive flow of data on the buying habits of American consumers including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics. These data are used widely in economic research and analysis, and in support of revisions of the Consumer Price Index.The CE program consists of two surveys, the quarterly Interview Survey and the Diary Survey (ICPSR 29883). The quarterly Interview survey is designed to collect data on major items of expense which respondents can be expected to recall for 3 months or longer. These include relatively large expenditures, such as those for property, automobiles, and major durable goods, and those that occur on a regular basis, such as rent or utilities. The Interview survey does not collect data on expenses for housekeeping supplies, personal care products, and nonprescription drugs, which contribute about 5 to 15 percent of total expenditures.The microdata in this collection are available as SAS, STATA, SPSS data sets or ASCII text and comma-delimited files. The 2009 Interview release contains seven groups of Interview data files (FMLY, MEMB, MTAB, ITAB, ITAB_IMPUTE, FPAR, and MCHI), 50 EXPN files, and processing files.The FMLY, MEMB, MTAB, ITAB, and ITAB_IMPUTE files are organized by the calendar quarter of the year in which the data were collected. There are five quarterly data sets for each of these files, running from the first quarter of 2009 through the first quarter of 2010. The FMLY file contains consumer unit (CU) characteristics, income, and summary level expenditures; the MEMB file contains member characteristics and income data; the MTAB file contains expenditures organized on a monthly basis at the Universal Classification Code (UCC) level; the ITAB file contains income data converted to a monthly time frame and assigned to UCCs; and the ITAB_IMPUTE file contains the five imputation variants of the income data converted to a monthly time frame and assigned to UCCs.The FPAR and MCHI datasets are grouped as 2-year datasets (2008 and 2009), plus the first quarter of the 2010. The FPAR file contains CU level data about the Interview survey, including paradata collected about the interview within the interview collection instrument (CAPI). This data includes information on the amount of time required to collect each interview and interview section, as well as other interviewer entered information about the resulting survey. The MCHI file contains data about each interview contact attempt, including reasons for refusal and times of contact. Both FPAR and MCHI files contain five quarters of data.Each of the 50 EXPN files contains five quarters of data. The EXPN files contain data directly derived from their respective questionnaire sections.The processing files enhance computer processing and tabulation of data, and provide descriptive information on item codes. The processing files are: (1) aggregation scheme files used in the published consumer expenditure survey interview tables and integrated tables (ISTUB and INTSTUB), (2) a UCC file that contains UCCs and their abbreviated titles, identifying the expenditure, income, or demographic item represented by each UCC, (3) a vehicle make file (CAPIVEHI), and (4) files containing sample programs. The processing files are further explained in the Interview User Guide, Section III.F.6. PROCESSING FILES. There is also a second user guide, "User's Guide to Income Imputation in the CE", which includes information on how to appropriately use the imputed income data. Demographic and family characteristics data include age, sex, race, marital status, and CU relationships each CU member. Income information, such as wage, salary, unemployment compensation, child support, and alimony, as well as information on the employment of each CU member age 14 and over was also collected. Refer to the Interview User Guide documentation for a detailed explanation of the weight variables used. Eligible population includes all civilian noninstitutional persons. National probability sample of households designed to represent the total United States noninstitutionalized civilian population. 2011-01-03 A folder containing addendum data files (CES09_interview_addendum_files) has been added to the zipped package. The addendum files correct for a processing error that affected several records in the 2009Q3 Interview MEMB file. compu...

Historical dataset showing Central America consumer spending by year from N/A to N/A.

Abstract (en): The ongoing Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) provides a continuous flow of information on the buying habits of American consumers and also furnishes data to support periodic revisions of the Consumer Price Index. The survey consists of two separate components: (1) a quarterly Interview Survey in which each consumer unit in the sample is interviewed every three months over a fifteen-month period, and (2) a Diary Survey completed by the sample consumer units for two consecutive one-week periods. The Diary Survey contains consumer information on small, frequently purchased items such as food, beverages, food consumed away from home, gasoline, housekeeping supplies, nonprescription drugs and medical supplies, and personal care products and services. Participants are asked to maintain expense records, or diaries, of all purchases made each day for two consecutive one-week periods. The Consumer Unit Characteristics and Income (FMLY) files supply information on consumer unit characteristics, consumer unit income, and characteristics and earnings of the reference person and his or her spouse. A consumer unit consists of all members of a particular housing unit who are related by blood, marriage, adoption, or some other legal arrangement. Consumer unit determination for unrelated persons is based on financial independence. Member Characteristics (MEMB) files contain selected characteristics and earnings for each consumer unit member, including information on relationship to reference person. The Detailed Expenditures (EXPN) files present weekly data on expenditures at the Universal Classification Code (UCC) level, while Income (DTAB) files contain data on CU characteristics and income at the UCC level. Part 20, Documentation File, includes a sample program and a list of the FMLY, MEMB, EXPN, and DTAB variables by start position. Part 17, Aggregation File, and Part 18, Label File, contain processing files used by the program in Part 20. Parts 25 and 26 are SAS programs that generate means, variances, standard errors, and coefficients of variation. Noninstitutional civilian population of the United States. National probability sample of households designed to represent the total noninstitutional civilian population. 2006-01-12 All files were removed from dataset 24 and flagged as study-level files, so that they will accompany all downloads.2006-01-12 All files were removed from dataset 23 and flagged as study-level files, so that they will accompany all downloads.2006-01-12 All files were removed from dataset 22 and flagged as study-level files, so that they will accompany all downloads.2006-01-12 All files were removed from dataset 21 and flagged as study-level files, so that they will accompany all downloads.2006-01-12 All files were removed from dataset 20 and flagged as study-level files, so that they will accompany all downloads. The codebook is provided as an MSWord 7 file and as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file, and the data collection instruments are provided as PDF files. The PDF file format was developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated and can be accessed using PDF reader software, such as the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Information on how to obtain a copy of the Acrobat Reader is provided through the ICPSR Website on the Internet.

Historical dataset showing North America consumer spending by year from 1970 to 2023.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) program provides a continuous and comprehensive flow of data on the buying habits of American consumers including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics. These data are used widely in economic research and analysis, and in support of revisions of the Consumer Price Index. The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) program is comprised of two separate components (each with its own survey questionnaire and independent sample), the Diary Survey and the quarterly Interview Survey (ICPSR 4416). This data collection contains the Diary Survey data, which was designed to obtain data on frequently purchased smaller items, including food and beverages (both at home and in food establishments), gasoline, housekeeping supplies, tobacco, nonprescription drugs, and personal care products and services. Each consumer unit (CU) recorded its expenditures in a diary for two consecutive 1-week periods. Although the diary was designed to collect information on expenditures that could not be easily recalled over time, respondents were asked to report all expenses (except overnight travel) that the CU incurred during the survey week. The microdata in this collection are available as SAS, SPSS, and STATA datasets or ASCII comma-delimited files. The 2004 Diary release contains five sets of data files (FMLY, MEMB, EXPN, DTAB, DTAB_IMPUTE) and three processing files. The FMLY, MEMB, EXPN, DTAB, and DTAB_IMPUTE files are organized by the quarter of the calendar year in which the data were collected. There are four quarterly datasets for each of these files. The FMLY files contain CU characteristics, income, and summary level expenditures; the MEMB files contain member characteristics and income data; the EXPN files contain detailed weekly expenditures at the Universal Classification Code (UCC) level; the DTAB files contain the CU's reported income values or the mean of the five imputed income values in the multiple imputation method; and the DTAB_IMPUTE files contain the five imputed income values. Please note that the summary level expenditure and income information on the FMLY files permits the data user to link consumer spending, by general expenditure category, and household characteristics and demographics on one set of files. The three processing files enhance computer processing and tabulation of data, and provide descriptive information on item codes. The three processing files are: (1) an aggregation scheme file used in the published consumer expenditure tables (DSTUB), (2) a UCC file that contains UCCs and their abbreviated titles, identifying the expenditure, income, or demographic item represented by each UCC, and (3) a sample program file that contains the computer program used in Section VII "MICRODATA VERIFICATION AND ESTIMATION METHODOLOGY" of the Diary User Guide. The processing files are further explained in Section III.E.5. "PROCESSING FILES" of the same User Guide documentation. There is also a second user guide, User's Guide to Income Imputation in the CE, which includes information on how to appropriately use the imputed income data. Demographic and family characteristics data include age, sex, race, marital status, and CU relationships for each CU member. Income information, such as wage, salary, unemployment compensation, child support, and alimony, as well as information on the employment of each CU member age 14 and over was also collected.

View data of PCE, an index that measures monthly changes in the price of consumer goods and services as a means of analyzing inflation.

Historical dataset showing Virgin Islands (U.S.) consumer spending by year from 2002 to 2022.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) program provides a continuous and comprehensive flow of data on the buying habits of American consumers including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics. These data are used widely in economic research and analysis, and in support of revisions of the Consumer Price Index.The CE program consists of two surveys, the quarterly Interview Survey and the Diary Survey (ICPSR 29883). The quarterly Interview survey is designed to collect data on major items of expense which respondents can be expected to recall for 3 months or longer. These include relatively large expenditures, such as those for property, automobiles, and major durable goods, and those that occur on a regular basis, such as rent or utilities. The Interview survey does not collect data on expenses for housekeeping supplies, personal care products, and nonprescription drugs, which contribute about 5 to 15 percent of total expenditures.The microdata in this collection are available as SAS, STATA, SPSS data sets or ASCII text and comma-delimited files. The 2009 Interview release contains seven groups of Interview data files (FMLY, MEMB, MTAB, ITAB, ITAB_IMPUTE, FPAR, and MCHI), 50 EXPN files, and processing files.The FMLY, MEMB, MTAB, ITAB, and ITAB_IMPUTE files are organized by the calendar quarter of the year in which the data were collected. There are five quarterly data sets for each of these files, running from the first quarter of 2009 through the first quarter of 2010. The FMLY file contains consumer unit (CU) characteristics, income, and summary level expenditures; the MEMB file contains member characteristics and income data; the MTAB file contains expenditures organized on a monthly basis at the Universal Classification Code (UCC) level; the ITAB file contains income data converted to a monthly time frame and assigned to UCCs; and the ITAB_IMPUTE file contains the five imputation variants of the income data converted to a monthly time frame and assigned to UCCs.The FPAR and MCHI datasets are grouped as 2-year datasets (2008 and 2009), plus the first quarter of the 2010. The FPAR file contains CU level data about the Interview survey, including paradata collected about the interview within the interview collection instrument (CAPI). This data includes information on the amount of time required to collect each interview and interview section, as well as other interviewer entered information about the resulting survey. The MCHI file contains data about each interview contact attempt, including reasons for refusal and times of contact. Both FPAR and MCHI files contain five quarters of data.Each of the 50 EXPN files contains five quarters of data. The EXPN files contain data directly derived from their respective questionnaire sections.The processing files enhance computer processing and tabulation of data, and provide descriptive information on item codes. The processing files are: (1) aggregation scheme files used in the published consumer expenditure survey interview tables and integrated tables (ISTUB and INTSTUB), (2) a UCC file that contains UCCs and their abbreviated titles, identifying the expenditure, income, or demographic item represented by each UCC, (3) a vehicle make file (CAPIVEHI), and (4) files containing sample programs. The processing files are further explained in the Interview User Guide, Section III.F.6. PROCESSING FILES. There is also a second user guide, "User's Guide to Income Imputation in the CE", which includes information on how to appropriately use the imputed income data. Demographic and family characteristics data include age, sex, race, marital status, and CU relationships each CU member. Income information, such as wage, salary, unemployment compensation, child support, and alimony, as well as information on the employment of each CU member age 14 and over was also collected.

Context:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as “a statistical measure of change, over time, of the prices of goods and services in major expenditure groups--such as food, housing, apparel, transportation, and medical care--typically purchased by urban consumers. Essentially, it compares the cost of a sample of goods and services in a specific month relative to the cost of the same "market basket" in an earlier reference period.

Make sure to read the cu.txt for more descriptive summaries on each data file and how to use the unique identifiers.

Content:

This dataset was collected June 27th, 2017 and may not be up-to-date.

The revised CPI introduced by the BLS in 1998 includes indexes for two populations; urban wage earners and clerical workers (CW), and all urban consumers (CU). This dataset covers all urban consumers (CU).

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a statistical measure of change, over time, of the prices of goods and services in major expenditure groups--such as food, housing, apparel, transportation, and medical care--typically purchased by urban consumers. Essentially, it compares the cost of a sample "market basket" of goods and services in a specific month relative to the cost of the same "market basket" in an earlier reference period. This reference period is designated as the base period.

As a result of the 1998 revision, both the CW and the CU utilize updated expenditure weights based upon data tabulated from three years (1982, 1983, and 1984) of the Consumer Expenditure Survey and incorporate a number of technical improvements, including an updated and revised item structure.

To construct the two indexes, prices for about 100,000 items and data on about 8,300 housing units are collected in a sample of 91 urban places. Comparison of indexes for individual CMSA's or cities show only the relative change over time in prices between locations. These indexes cannot be used to measure interarea differences in price levels or living costs.

Summary Data Available: U.S. average indexes for both populations are available for about 305 consumer items and groups of items. In addition, over 100 of the indexes have been adjusted for seasonality. The indexes are monthly with some beginning in 1913. Semi-annual indexes have been calculated for about 100 items for comparison with semi-annual areas mentioned below. Semi-annual indexes are available from 1984 forward.

Area indexes for both populations are available for 26 urban places. For each area, indexes are published for about 42 items and groups. The indexes are published monthly for three areas, bimonthly for eleven areas, and semi-annually for 12 urban areas.

Regional indexes for both populations are available for four regions with about 55 items and groups per region. Beginning with January 1987, indexes are monthly, with some beginning as early as 1966. Semi-annual indexes have been calculated for about 42 items for comparison with semi-annual areas mentioned above. Semi-annual indexes have been calculated for about 42 items in the 27 urban places for comparison with semi-annual areas.

City-size indexes for both populations are available for three size classes with about 55 items and groups per class. Beginning with January 1987, indexes are monthly and most begin in 1977. Semi-annual indexes have been calculated for about 42 items for comparison with semi-annual areas mentioned below.

Region/city-size indexes for both populations are available cross classified by region and city-size class. For each of 13 cross calculations, about 42 items and groups are available. Beginning with January 1987, indexes are monthly and most begin in 1977. Semi-annual indexes have been calculated for about 42 items in the 26 urban places for comparison with semi-annual areas.

Frequency of Observations: U.S. city average indexes, some area indexes, and regional indexes, city-size indexes, and region/city-size indexes for both populations are monthly. Other area indexes for both populations are bimonthly or semi-annual.

Annual Averages: Annual averages are available for all unadjusted series in the CW and CU.

Base Periods: Most indexes have a base period of 1982-1984 = 100. Other indexes, mainly those which have been added to the CPI program with the 1998 revision, are based more recently. The base period value is 100.0, except for the "Purchasing Power" values (AAOR and SAOR) where the base period value is 1.000.

Data Characteristics: Indexes are stored to one decimal place, except for the "Purchasing Power" values which are stored to three decimal places.

References: BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 17, "Consumer Price Index", BLS Bulletin 2285, April 1988.

Acknowledgements:

This dataset was taken directly from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics web...

The ERS Food Expenditure Series annually measures total U.S. food expenditures, including purchases by consumers, governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. The ERS Food Expenditure Series contributes to the analysis of U.S. food production and consumption by constructing a comprehensive measure of the total value of all food expenditures by final purchasers. This series annually measures total U.S. food expenditures, including purchases by consumers, governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. Because the term expenditure is often associated with household decisionmaking, it is important to recognize that ERS's series also includes nonhousehold purchases. For example, the series includes the dollar value of domestic food purchases by military personnel and their dependents at military commissary stores and exchanges, the value of commodities and food dollars donated by the Federal government to schools, and the value of food purchased by airlines for serving during flights.