The .gov means it's official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information,
make sure you're on a federal government site.
The site is secure. The
https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any
information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
Average expenditures per consumer unit for 2017 were $60,060, a 4.8-percent increase from 2016 levels. During the same period, the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) rose 2.1 percent, and average pretax incomes decreased by 1.5 percent.
Average annual expenditures of all consumer units, selected categories, 2015–2017
Expense
2015
2016
2017
Percent change, 2015–2016
Percent change, 2016–2017
Food at home
$4,015
$4,049
$4,363
0.8%
7.8%
Food away from home
3,008
3,154
3,365
4.9
6.7
Owned housing
6,210
6,295
6,947
1.4
10.4
Rented housing
3,802
4,035
4,167
6.1
3.3
Apparel and services
1,846
1,803
1,833
-2.3
1.7
Vehicle purchases
3,997
3,634
4,054
-9.1
11.6
Gasoline, other fuels, and motor oil
2,090
1,909
1,968
-8.7
3.1
Health insurance
2,977
3,160
3,414
6.1
8.0
Entertainment
2,842
2,913
3,203
2.5
10.0
Personal care products and services
683
707
762
3.5
7.8
Education
1,315
1,329
1,491
1.1
12.2
Cash contributions
1,819
2,081
1,873
14.4
-10.0
Pensions and Social Security
6,016
6,509
6,353
8.2
-2.4
All other expenditures
1,847
1,897
2,010
2.7
6.0
Eight of the 10 largest components of household spending increased during 2017. The 12.2-percent rise in education spending was the largest percentage increase among all major components, followed by a 10.0-percent rise in entertainment.
Consumers spent an annual average of $4,363 on food at home in 2017, up 7.8 percent from 2016. Consumers spent an average of $3,414 on health insurance in 2017, an increase of 8.0 percent.
These data come from the Consumer Expenditure Surveys. To learn more, see “Consumer Expenditures — 2017.” Consumer units include families, single persons living alone or sharing a household with others but who are financially independent, or two or more persons living together who share expenses.
United States Department of Labor
