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For release: 10:00 a.m. (EDT), Friday, May 23, 2014 USDL-14-0874 Technical Information: (202) 691-6900 • CEXInfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/cex Media Contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov CONSUMER EXPENDITURES MIDYEAR UPDATE -- JULY 2012 THROUGH JUNE 2013 AVERAGE Average expenditures per consumer unit (1) for July 2012 through June 2013 were 1.5 percent higher than the July 2011 through June 2012 midyear average, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Most major components of household spending increased over the 12 months ending June 2013. The 6.6-percent rise in cash contributions (including payments for support of college students, alimony and child support, and giving to charities and religious organizations) was the largest percentage increase among all major components. This was followed by a 5.8-percent increase in transportation spending. Average incomes were essentially unchanged, showing a slight drop of 0.2 percent. Table A. Average expenditures and characteristics of all consumer units and percent changes, Consumer Expenditure Survey __________________________________________________________________________ Percent change July 2011- July 2012- July 2011- June 2012 Item June 2012 June 2013- to Average Average July 2012- June 2013 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Income before taxes $65,132 $65,029 -0.2 Average annual 50,631 51,408 1.5 expenditures Food 6,532 6,598 1.0 Food at home 3,905 3,899 -0.2 Food away from home 2,628 2,698 2.7 Housing 16,940 17,041 0.6 Apparel and services 1,730 1,706 -1.4 Transportation 8,505 8,999 5.8 Health care 3,466 3,520 1.6 Entertainment 2,573 2,586 0.5 Cash contributions 1,829 1,949 6.6 Personal insurance and 5,565 5,573 0.1 pensions All other expenditures 3,489 3,437 -1.5 __________________________________________________________________________ Spending by selected demographics Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) data measure how consumers allocate their spending among the various components of total expenditures. For example, table B compares the share allocated to selected expenditures by income quintiles. The lowest income quintile allocated larger shares to food and housing than the other quintiles. The highest income group allocated a larger share to personal insurance and pensions (including payments for life insurance, other nonhealth insurance, pensions, and Social Security) than any other group. No clear pattern existed for the shares allocated to transportation and health care among the income quintile groups. Table B. Shares of average expenditures on selected major components by income quintiles, July 2012 through June 2013 __________________________________________________________________________ Income Quintiles Lowest Second Third Fourth Highest Item 20th 20th 20th 20th 20th percentile percentile percentile percentile percentile -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Food 16.0 14.2 13.7 12.7 11.4 Housing 39.6 36.7 34.3 32.2 30.6 Transportation 16.1 17.2 18.8 18.7 16.7 Health care 7.5 8.7 7.7 7.0 5.6 Personal insurance 2.1 5.0 8.5 11.4 15.4 & pensions __________________________________________________________________________ Spending patterns, July 2012 – June 2013 compared to July 2011 – June 2012 Table C shows amounts spent for selected expenditure components from the middle of 2011 through June 2013. Spending results included: • Cash contributions, which include payments for support of college students, alimony and child support, and giving to charities and religious organizations, continued to increase. • The 5.8 percent increase in transportation expenditures was driven by vehicle purchases. Spending on used cars and trucks increased 19.7 percent and new cars and trucks increased 6.4 percent. • Expenditures on gasoline and motor oil were unchanged during the same period. • Health care spending rose to $3,520 for July 2012 through June 2013. This was caused by a 4.0 percent increase in health insurance expenditures. The level of spending for health care has increased every year beginning in 1996. • Mortgage interest and charges for owned homes, a subcomponent of housing, fell to $3,075 for July 2012 through June 2013. Table C. Average consumer expenditures for selected components __________________________________________________________________________ Percent change July 2011- July 2012- July 2011- June 2012 Item June 2012 June 2013- to Average Average July 2012- June 2013 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cash contributions $1,829 $1,949 6.6 Transportation 8,505 8,999 5.8 New cars and trucks 1,448 1,540 6.4 Used cars and trucks 1,327 1,588 19.7 Gasoline and motor oil 2,706 2,706 0.0 Health care 3,466 3,520 1.6 Mortgage interest 3,153 3,075 -2.5 __________________________________________________________________________ Table D shows expenditures and income before taxes by quintile from the middle of 2011 through June 2013. All quintiles showed small increases in spending across the 12 months ending June 2013. There was no obvious trend in income changes by quintile. Table D. Percent change in average annual expenditures and income before taxes by income quintile ___________________________________________________________________________ Average annual expenditures Income before taxes July 2011- July 2012- Percent July 2011- July 2012- Percent Income quintile June 2012 June 2013 change June 2012 June 2013 change --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lowest 20th 22,067 22,336 1.2 9,455 10,174 7.6 percentile Second 20th 32,299 33,075 2.4 27,518 27,094 -1.5 percentile Third 20th 42,666 42,728 0.1 46,823 47,017 0.4 percentile Fourth 20th 58,688 59,155 0.8 74,781 75,990 1.6 percentile Highest 20th 97,382 99,651 2.3 167,012 164,647 -1.4 ___________________________________________________________________________ Consumer Expenditure Survey data include the expenditures and income of consumers, as well as the demographic characteristics of those consumers. Tables with more expenditure detail than provided in this release are available at www.bls.gov/cex. Newly published tables provide July 2012 through June 2013 average CE data by standard classifications that include income quintile, income class, age of reference person, size of consumer unit, number of earners, composition of consumer unit, region of residence, housing tenure, type of area (urban-rural), race, Hispanic origin, occupation, and highest education level of any member. The midyear tables add spending information from January through June 2013 while dropping the January through June 2012 expenditures. Other available data Data tables with more detailed subcategories of expenditures are available by sending a request to cexinfo@bls.gov. The 2012 Annual Report includes a brief discussion of expenditure changes in 2012 and tables with data classified by the standard characteristics that are included on the website (see www.bls.gov/cex/csxann12.pdf). Future articles in the BLS Beyond the Numbers web report series will highlight recent trends in prices and spending in the U.S. economy, and will feature CE data. Recent CE-specific articles provide analyses of topical economic issues and long term spending trends, as well as comparisons of CE data to other data series (see www.bls.gov/cex/csxwebarticles.htm and www.bls.gov/cex/cecomparison.htm). Additional methodological and analytical articles using CE data will be published in 2014. All data published in the Annual Report and posted to the website are integrated from the two CE components—the quarterly Interview Survey and weekly Diary Survey. Other survey information available on the Internet includes answers to frequently asked questions, a glossary, order forms for survey products, and analytical articles that use CE data. Also available are the Diary Survey questionnaire form and a modified version of the computer assisted personal interview (CAPI) instrument used to collect the Interview Survey data. The 2004 through 2012 CE public-use microdata, including Interview Survey data, Diary Survey data, and paradata (information about the survey process), are available on the CE website for free electronic download. The Interview files contain expenditure data in two different formats: MTBI files that present monthly values in an item-coding framework based on the CPI pricing scheme, and EXPN files that organize expenditures by the section of the Interview questionnaire in which they are collected. Expenditure values on EXPN files cover different time periods depending on the specific questions asked, and the files also contain relevant non-expenditure information not found on the MTBI files. Prior releases will be posted incrementally online in reverse chronological order through the 1996 release. For releases prior to 1996 and those not yet available online for download, users can continue to purchase USB flash drives using the public-use microdata order form (see www.bls.gov/cex/pumdhome.htm). All future releases of public-use microdata will solely be available online for free electronic download. Annual public-use microdata covering an entire calendar year will continue to be released in September, and will not be released on a rolling half-year basis. The annual CE Microdata Users' Workshop and Survey Methods Symposium will be held July 15-18, 2014 at the Bureau of Labor Statistics national office. Registration is free. More information and the registration form are available at www.bls.gov/cex/csxannualworkshop.htm. For further information, contact the Division of Consumer Expenditure Survey, Office of Prices and Living Conditions at (202) 691-6900 or by email at cexinfo@bls.gov. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 1 (800) 877-8339. 1 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.