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News Release Information

21-2059-BOS
Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Contacts Technical information: Media contact:
  • (617) 565-4141

Consumer Expenditures in the Boston Metropolitan Area – 2019-20

Households in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, metropolitan area spent an average of $91,578 per year in 2019–20, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner William J. Sibley noted that this figure was significantly higher than the $62,188 average expenditure level for households in the United States. Boston-area households allocated their dollars similarly to the nation in 6 of the 8 largest major components. Two of the largest components in the local area differed significantly from their respective U.S. averages. For example, the share of expenditures for transportation, which accounted for 12.2 percent of the average household’s budget in the Boston area, was lower than the national average of 16.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

Highlights of the Boston area’s 2019–20 spending patterns:

  • Housing: This was the largest expenditure component for Boston-area households and averaged $30,997. Housing accounted for 33.8 percent of the area’s household budget, not significantly different from the 33.8-percent U.S. average. Housing expenditure shares among the 22  metropolitan areas nationwide for which data were available ranged from 39.1 percent in New York to 31.8 percent in St. Louis. (See table 2.)
  • Transportation: Boston-area households spent 12.2 percent of their budget on transportation, significantly lower than the national average of 16.5 percent. Of the $11,176 in annual transportation expenditures in Boston, 91.8 percent was spent buying and maintaining private vehicles; this compared to the national average of 94.9 percent.
  • Food: The portion of a Boston household’s budget spent on food, 11.9 percent, was not significantly different from the 12.5-percent U.S. average. Boston-area households spent $6,938, or 63.9 percent, of their food dollars on food at home and $3,923 (36.1 percent) on food away from home. In comparison, the average U.S. household spent 61.9 percent of its food budget on food at home and 38.1 percent on food away from home.

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, 2019 and 2020.

A household in the CE survey is defined as a consumer unit which includes 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. 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 component, 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 https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cex/home.htm. Data for the nation, the four geographic regions of the United States, and 22 metropolitan areas nationwide are available at www.bls.gov/cex/tables.htm. Metropolitan definitions used in the survey are available at www.bls.gov/cex/ce_msa_201516.htm. The metropolitan area discussed in this release is Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, which is comprised of Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk Counties in Massachusetts, and Rockingham and Strafford Counties in New Hampshire. Metropolitan area news releases for the Consumer Expenditure Survey are available at https://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.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on 2019-2020 Consumer Expenditure Surveys Data for Metropolitan Statistical Areas

Data presented in this release reflect data collected both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, data collection by personal visit for the CE program was suspended March 19, 2020. Instead, data were collected either online or by phone. Data collected in 2019 and prior to March 19, 2020, were conducted by personal visit. More information about the impact of the pandemic on CE data is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-and-response-on-the-consumer-expenditure-surveys.htm.

Table 1. Average annual expenditures, characteristics, and percent distributions, United States and Boston metropolitan area, 2019–20
CategoryUnited
States
Boston

Consumer unit characteristics:

Income before taxes

$83,599$113,592

Age of reference person

51.952.7

Average number in consumer unit:

People

2.52.3

Children under 18

0.60.5

Adults 65 and over

0.40.4

Earners

1.31.3

Vehicles

1.91.6

Percent homeowner

6559

Average annual expenditures

$62,188$91,578*

Percent distribution

Total

100.0100.0

Food

12.511.9

Alcoholic beverages

0.90.9

Housing

33.833.8

Apparel and services

2.72.4

Transportation

16.512.2*

Healthcare

8.37.6

Entertainment

4.94.4

Personal care products and services

1.20.9*

Reading

0.20.2

Education

2.25.3*

Tobacco products and smoking supplies

0.50.2*

Miscellaneous

1.51.4

Cash contributions

3.47.7

Personal insurance and pensions

11.611.0

Note: An asterisk (*) represents a 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 22 metropolitan areas, 2019–20
AreaHousingTransportationFood

United States

33.816.512.5

Anchorage

33.514.4*14.1*

Atlanta

35.713.9*15.0*

Baltimore

34.016.210.6*

Boston

33.812.2*11.9

Chicago

37.6*14.013.8*

Dallas-Fort Worth

37.4*15.610.0*

Denver

34.316.810.3*

Detroit

32.0*17.212.2

Honolulu

38.7*13.5*16.3*

Houston

33.116.110.5*

Los Angeles

37.8*15.713.1

Miami

38.4*18.311.6

Minneapolis-St. Paul

32.214.511.2*

New York

39.1*12.4*12.9

Philadelphia

35.613.5*11.7

Phoenix

33.820.510.8*

San Diego

37.2*13.6*13.3

San Francisco

37.6*12.1*12.5

Seattle

36.7*13.2*12.1

St. Louis

31.8*14.511.5

Tampa

34.018.414.1*

Washington, DC

37.7*12.3*11.4*

Note: An asterisk (*) represents a statistically significant difference from the U.S. average at the 95-percent confidence level.

 

Last Modified Date: Wednesday, November 24, 2021