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errata

Table 2 contained two errors. The asterisk (*) used to indicate whether or not a metropolitan area expenditure share is significantly different from the U.S. average was incorrect for the Boston and Cleveland housing shares. The Boston housing share is not significantly different, but the Cleveland housing share is significantly different; changes have been made in the release.

News Release Information

15-1892-DAL
Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (972) 850-4800

Consumer Expenditures for the Dallas-Fort Worth Area: 2013–14

Households in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, metropolitan area spent an average of $61,698 per year in 2013–14, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that this figure was significantly higher than the $52,284 average expenditure level for households in the United States. While Dallas-Fort Worth households allocated their dollars similarly among the eight major spending categories, three of the smaller expenditure categories differed significantly from the U.S. average. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Highlights of the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s 2013–14 spending patterns:

  • Housing: This was the largest expenditure category for area households and averaged $20,405. Housing accounted for 33.1 percent of the household budget in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, not significantly different from the 33.4-percent U.S. average. (See table 1.) Dallas was among the eight metropolitan areas nationwide where housing expenditure shares were not significantly different from the national average. Eight other areas nationwide had shares that were significantly above the U.S. average. Two areas, Cleveland and Detroit, had housing expenditure shares that were significantly below the nationwide average. Housing shares among the 18 metropolitan areas nationwide for which data were available ranged from 39.6 percent in New York to 30.2 percent in Detroit. (See table 2.)
  • Transportation: Transportation-related spending accounted for 18.3 percent of the household budget in Dallas-Fort Worth, compared to the national average of 17.3 percent. Of the $11,290 in annual transportation expenditures in the local area, 94.5 percent was spent buying and maintaining private vehicles; this compared to the national average of 93.8 percent.
  • Food: The portion of an area household budget spent on food, 12.7 percent, was not significantly different from the 12.8-percent U.S. average. While there was not a significant difference for total food expenditures, there were differences in the two main sub-components of food, costs for food at home and food away from home. Area households spent 6.6 percent of their budget on costs for food prepared at home, significantly below the national average of 7.6 percent. In contrast, local households expended a significantly larger share of their budget on costs for food prepared away from home, 6.1 percent, compared to the U.S. average of 5.2 percent.
  • Education: Area households registered lower expenditure shares than the national average in several smaller categories, including education. Locally, households dedicated 1.6 percent of total expenditures towards educational costs, significantly less than the 2.3-percent national share.

Additional Information
Data in this release are from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE), which the U.S. Census Bureau conducts for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data in this release were averaged over a 2-year period, 2013 and 2014.

A household in the CE survey is defined as a consumer unit which consists of members related by blood, marriage, adoption, or other legal arrangement; a single person living alone or sharing a household with others but who is financially independent; or two or more persons living together who share responsibility for at least 2 out of 3 major types of expenses–food, housing, and other expenses. The terms household or consumer unit are used interchangeably for convenience.

Differences in spending among metropolitan areas may reflect differences in the cost of living, but they also may reflect other causes. Spending differences may result from different consumer preferences or variations in demographic characteristics, such as household size, age, or income levels. However, expenditure shares, or the percentage of a household’s budget spent on a particular category, can be used to compare spending patterns across areas. Sample sizes for the metropolitan areas are much smaller than for the nation, so the U.S. estimates and year-to-year changes are more reliable than those for the metropolitan areas. Users should also keep in mind that prices for many goods and services have changed since the survey was conducted.

A value that is statistically different from another does not necessarily mean that the difference has economic or practical significance. Statistical significance is concerned with our ability to make confident statements about a universe based on a sample. A large difference between two values may not be statistically significant, while a small difference could be significant; both the sample size and the variation among the values in the sample affect the relative error of the estimates.

For additional technical and related information, see www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch16.pdf. Data for the nation, the four geographic regions of the U.S., and 18 metropolitan areas nationwide are available at www.bls.gov/cex/tables.htm. Metropolitan definitions used in the survey are available at www.bls.gov/regions/ce_areadef.pdf. The metropolitan area discussed in this release is Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, which consists of Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Henderson, Hood, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, and Wise Counties. Metropolitan area news releases for the Consumer Expenditure Survey are available at www.bls.gov/regions/subjects/consumer-spending.htm.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.


Table 1. Average annual expenditures, characteristics, and percent distributions, United States and Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, 2013–14
Category United States Dallas-Fort Worth

 

 

Consumer unit characteristics:

 

Income before taxes

$65,339 $74,119

Age of reference person

50.2 47.4

Average number in consumer unit:

 

People

2.5 2.6

Children under 18

0.6 0.7

Adults 65 and over

0.4 0.3

Earners

1.3 1.4

Vehicles

1.9 1.9

Percent homeowner

63.0 59

 

 

Average annual expenditures

$52,284 $61,698*

 

 

Percent distribution:

100.0 100.0

Food

12.8 12.7

Alcoholic beverages

0.9 1.2

Housing

33.4 33.1

Apparel and services

3.2 3.7

Transportation

17.3 18.3

Healthcare

7.5 7.0

Entertainment

5.0 5.0

Personal care products and services

1.2 1.3

Reading

0.2 0.2*

Education

2.3 1.6*

Tobacco products and smoking supplies

0.6 0.5*

Miscellaneous

1.3 1.4

Cash contributions

3.5 2.9

Personal insurance and pensions

10.8 11.2

Note: * Statistically significant difference from the U.S. average at the 95-percent confidence level.


Table 2. Percent share of average annual expenditures for housing, transportation, and food, United States and 18 metropolitan areas, 2013–14
Area Housing Transportation Food

United States

33.4 17.3 12.8

 

 

Atlanta

33.2 16.4 12.8

Baltimore

33.9 15.0 11.5

Boston

33.3 15.1* 11.7*

Chicago

35.1* 15.2* 12.7

Cleveland

31.0* 18.0 13.7

Dallas

33.1 18.3 12.7

Detroit

30.2* 19.2* 12.4

Houston

33.4 17.9 12.1

Los Angeles

38.7* 15.0* 13.1

Miami

39.4* 16.8 13.0

Minneapolis

32.4 17.9 11.3*

New York

39.6* 13.4* 11.6*

Philadelphia

35.4* 16.4 12.5

Phoenix

34.2 19.4 13.9

San Diego

37.6* 16.3 11.0*

San Francisco

37.3* 13.7* 11.9

Seattle

35.0 15.4* 12.3

Washington

35.8* 18.0 10.0*

Note: * Statistically significant difference from the U.S. average at the 95-percent confidence level.

 

Last Modified Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2015