October 23, 2009 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
Pay off debt, spend, or save? The 2008 Economic Stimulus Payments
Percentage distribution of use of 2008 Economic Stimulus Payments (tax rebates), by composition of consumer unit, June 2008–March 2009
Rebate was used mostly for |
Consumer unit |
All consumer units |
Husband and wife, at least one qualifying child |
Single parent, at least one qualifying child |
Husband and wife only |
Single person, 18 years or older |
All other consumer units |
Spending |
30.2 |
28.7 |
26.9 |
31.9 |
31.9 |
29.0 |
Saving |
17.6 |
15.0 |
6.1 |
23.3 |
21.4 |
13.0 |
Paying off debt |
49.1 |
53.8 |
65.2 |
41.7 |
43.6 |
54.4 |
No information reported |
3.0 |
2.5 |
1.8 |
3.1 |
3.2 |
3.6 |
These data featured in the TED article, Pay off debt, spend, or save? The 2008 Economic Stimulus Payments.
OF INTEREST
Recent editions of Spotlight on Statistics
- Union Membership, Activity, and Compensation in 2022
Examines trends in union membership, work stoppages, and pay and benefits among union members.
- A Look at a Neat Industry: Distilleries
Examines trends in employment, establishments, wages, and consumer prices for distilleries.
- A Look at Projected Employment in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, 2021‒31
Examines projected employment growth for the 2021–31 decade for the sector and its detailed industries and top-employing occupations.
- Business Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Looks at differences in private industry businesses' responses to COVID-19 across firm sizes.
- Inflation Experiences for Lower and Higher Income Households Presents consumer price indexes for the lowest and highest household incomes to examine how different spending patterns change measures of inflation.