Consumer units in the Atlanta metropolitan area spent an average of $49,692 per year in 2010-2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that this figure was similar to the $48,926 average expenditure level for a typical household in the United States. Although households in the Atlanta area spent a comparable amount to the U.S. average, they allocated their dollars differently among the major categories, differing significantly in five of the eight. For example, expenditures for housing, which comprised 37.1 percent of a typical Atlanta household budget, were significantly larger than the national average of 34.1 percent. (See chart 1.)

Housing in the Atlanta metropolitan area averaged $18,448 annually and was the largest expenditure category, accounting for 37.1 percent of an Atlanta area household’s total budget, significantly higher than the national average of 34.1 percent. (See tables 1 and 2.) Overall, 9 of the 18 published metropolitan areas had expenditure shares for housing significantly above the U.S. average. Four areas had shares for housing that were measurably below the U.S. average. (See chart 2.) Housing expenditure shares among the 18 areas ranged from 32.0 percent in Cleveland to 41.5 percent in Miami. (See table 3.)

The majority of housing expenditures in Atlanta went toward shelter, 57.9 percent, which includes mortgage interest, property taxes, repairs, and rent, among other items; nationwide, 58.8 percent of the housing budget was allocated to shelter. (See table A.) Utilities, fuels, and public services expenses accounted for 23.6 percent of the housing budget locally; nationally, it made up 22.1 percent. The rate of home ownership in Atlanta, at 69 percent, was above the U.S. average of 65 percent.

Table A. Percent distribution of housing expenditures, United States and Atlanta, 2010-2011

Category	United States	Atlanta
Total housing	100.0	100.0
Shelter	58.8	57.9
Utilities, fuels, and public services	22.1	23.6
Household operations	6.4	6.3
Housekeeping supplies	3.7	3.9
Household furnishings and equipment	8.9	8.3
Note: Columns may not add to 100 due to rounding.

At 16.1 percent of the total budget, transportation was the second largest expenditure category in the Atlanta area, not significantly different than the national average of 16.3 percent. Among the 18 metropolitan areas nationwide, 6 had transportation expenditure shares below the national average. (See chart 3.)

Of the $7,998 in annual expenditures for transportation in Atlanta, 93.3 percent was spent buying and maintaining private vehicles; this compared to the national average of 93.7 percent. The remaining 6.7 percent of an Atlanta household’s transportation budget was spent on public transit, which includes fares for taxis, buses, trains, and planes; this allocation was on par with the 6.3-percent average for the nation. (See table B.) The average number of vehicles per household in Atlanta (1.7) was lower than the national average (1.9).

Table B. Percent distribution of transportation expenditures, United States and Atlanta, 2010-2011

Category	United States	Atlanta
Transportation	100.0	100.0
Vehicle purchases (net outlay)	32.9	34.5
Gasoline and motor oil	30.0	33.1
Other vehicle expenses	30.8	25.8
Public transportation	6.3	6.7
Note: Columns may not add to 100 due to rounding.

The portion of an Atlanta consumer unit’s budget spent on food, 11.7 percent, was significantly less than the U.S. average (12.9 percent). Among the 18 metropolitan areas, 12 had food expenditure shares that were not measurably different from the nationwide average. (See table 3.)

Households in Atlanta spent a greater percentage of their food dollars on food at home (56.8 percent) than they did for food away from home (43.2 percent). Food away from home includes restaurant meals, carry-out, board at school, and catered affairs. In comparison, the typical U.S. household spent 59.3 percent of its food budget on food at home and 40.7 percent on food away from home.

As noted, Atlanta is 1 of 18 metropolitan areas nationwide for which CE data are available. We encourage users interested in learning more about the CE to contact the Southeast Information Office at (404) 893-4222.

Metropolitan area CE data and that for the four geographic regions of the United States are available on our Web site at https://www.bls.gov/cex/tables.htm. Metropolitan area CE news releases are available at https://www.bls.gov/regions/consumer-spending.htm.

Additional Information

Data contained in this report are from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, which is collected on an ongoing basis by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), collecting expenditure and socioeconomic data on an ongoing basis. The CE data were averaged over a two-year period, 2010 and 2011 and are available for the nation, the 4 geographic regions of the country, and 18 metropolitan areas. The metropolitan area discussed in this release is Atlanta, Ga., which is comprised of Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Haralson, Henry, Newton, Paulding, Pickens, Pike, Rockdale, Spalding, and Walton Counties in Georgia; and Cleburne County in Alabama.

The survey consists of two components, a diary or recordkeeping survey, and an interview survey. The integrated data from the BLS Diary and Interview Surveys provide a complete accounting of consumer expenditures and income, which neither survey component alone is designed to do. Due to changes in the survey sample frame, metropolitan area data in this release are not directly comparable to those prior to 1996.

A consumer unit is defined as members of a household 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.

CE metropolitan area estimates are not comparative cost of living surveys, as neither the quantity nor the quality of goods and services has been held constant among areas. Differences may result from variations in demographic characteristics such as consumer unit size, age, preferences, income levels, etc. However, expenditure shares, or the percentage of a consumer unit’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.

Expenditure shares for housing and transportation that are higher or lower than the national average, after testing for significance at the 95-percent confidence interval, are also identified in charts 2 and 3 for the 18 metropolitan areas surveyed.

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. It is entirely possible that a large difference between two values is not significantly different statistically, while a small difference is, since both the size and heterogeneity of the sample affect the relative error of the data being tested.

For additional technical documentation and related information, see https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cex/home.htm.

Table 1. Percent distribution of average annual expenditures, United States and Atlanta, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2010-2011

Category	United States	Atlanta
Average annual expenditures	$48,926	$49,692
Percent distribution:	100.0	100.0
Food	12.9	11.7*
Alcoholic beverages	0.9	0.9
Housing	34.1	37.1*
Apparel and services	3.5	3.3
Transportation	16.3	16.1
Healthcare	6.6	5.5*
Entertainment	5.2	4.6*
Personal care products and services	1.2	1.3
Reading	0.2	0.2*
Education	2.2	2.1
Tobacco products and smoking supplies	0.7	0.3*
Miscellaneous	1.7	1.5
Cash contributions	3.4	3.3
Personal insurance and pensions	11.0	12.2*
*Statistically significant difference from the U.S. average at the 95-percent confidence level
Note: Columns may not add to 100 due to rounding

Table 2. Consumer unit characteristics and average annual expenditures, United States and Atlanta, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2010-2011

Category	United States	Atlanta
Consumer unit characteristics:
Income before taxes	$63,086	$69,914
Age of reference person	49.6	46.7
Average number in consumer unit:
Persons	2.5	2.6
Children under 18	0.6	0.7
Persons 65 and over	0.3	0.2
Earners	1.3	1.3
Vehicles	1.9	1.7
Percent homeowners	65	69
Average annual expenditures:
Average annual expenditures	$48,926	$49,692
Food	6,294	5,798
Food at home	3,731	3,291
Cereals and bakery products	516	440
Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs	808	791
Dairy products	394	327
Fruits and vegetables	697	591
Other food at home	1,316	1,143
Food away from home	2,562	2,507
Alcoholic beverages	434	431
Housing	16,687	18,448
Shelter	9,819	10,681
Owned dwellings	6,212	7,301
Rented dwellings	2,965	2,879
Other lodging	642	502
Utilities, fuels, and public services	3,693	4,348
Household operations	1,074	1,166
Housekeeping supplies	613	724
Household furnishings and equipment	1,487	1,528
Apparel and services	1,720	1,644
Transportation	7,987	7,998
Vehicle purchases (net outlay)	2,629	2,761
Gasoline and motor oil	2,395	2,645
Other vehicle expenses	2,459	2,060
Public transportation	504	533
Healthcare	3,235	2,724
Entertainment	2,547	2,281
Personal care products and services	608	647
Reading	108	76
Education	1,063	1,064
Tobacco products and smoking supplies	356	167
Miscellaneous	812	724
Cash contributions	1,677	1,624
Personal insurance and pensions	5,398	6,067
Life and other personal insurance	318	235
Pensions and Social Security	5,081	5,833

Table 3. Percent share of average annual expenditures for housing, transportation, and food, United States and 18 metropolitan areas, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2010-2011

Area	Housing	Transportation	Food
United States	34.1	16.3	12.9
Atlanta	37.1*	16.1	11.7*
Baltimore	37.4*	11.9*	12.5
Boston	32.5*	14.1*	12.5
Chicago	35.6*	14.5*	12.4
Cleveland	32.0*	17.1	12.4
Dallas	33.4	17.1	12.8
Detroit	32.2*	17.4	12.5
Houston	33.5	16.7	12.5
Los Angeles	37.6*	16.2	13.2
Miami	41.5*	15.7	12.9
Minneapolis	32.3*	16.2	12.4
New York	39.8*	13.5*	12.7
Philadelphia	38.9*	14.4*	11.8*
Phoenix	33.5	16.9	13.0
San Diego	40.8*	14.9	11.1*
San Francisco	37.7*	13.1*	11.5*
Seattle	34.9	15.4	11.3*
Washington	35.3	15.0	11.5*
*Statistically significant difference from the U.S. average at the 95-percent confidence level