Households in the Anchorage, AK, metropolitan area spent an average of $88,446 per year in 2022–23, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that food, housing, and transportation expenditures together accounted for 65.2 percent of the area’s household budget. (See chart 1 and table 1.) Nationally, these three components accounted for 62.9 percent of household spending.

Average expenditures among the 22 published metropolitan areas nationwide ranged from $110,886 in San Francisco to $71,378 in Miami. Nationally, the average annual household expenditure was $75,172.

  

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Private-sector gross job gains and losses in Washington, March 2019–March 2024, seasonally adjusted

Period	Gross job gains	Gross job losses
Mar. 2019	181,109	171,155
Jun. 2019	191,470	165,836
Sep. 2019	174,495	174,562
Dec. 2019	189,056	168,094
Mar. 2020	183,038	192,400
Jun. 2020	133,181	475,893
Sep. 2020	235,490	165,356
Dec. 2020	191,815	164,179
Mar. 2021	218,057	156,219
Jun. 2021	185,960	164,589
Sep. 2021	203,163	163,736
Dec. 2021	221,791	150,899
Mar. 2022	212,281	156,102
Jun. 2022	206,730	211,869
Sep. 2022	212,623	184,637
Dec. 2022	177,967	159,317
Mar. 2023	195,738	189,054
Jun. 2023	182,877	170,039
Sep. 2023	171,735	180,958
Dec. 2023	178,596	162,462
Mar. 2024	172,535	160,252

Highlights of the Anchorage area’s 2022–23 spending patterns:

• Housing: This was the largest expenditure component for Anchorage-area households and averaged $29,484. Housing accounted for 33.3 percent of the area’s household budget, compared to the 33.1-percent U.S. average. Among the 22 metropolitan areas, housing expenditure shares ranged from 38.0 percent in San Francisco to 30.5 percent in St. Louis. (See table 2.)
• Transportation: Anchorage-area households spent 18.2 percent of their budget on transportation. The national average was 16.9 percent. Of the $16,123 in annual transportation expenditures in Anchorage, 85.3 percent was spent buying and maintaining private vehicles; this compared to the national average of 92.3 percent.
• Food: The portion of an Anchorage household’s budget spent on food was 13.7 percent, compared to the 12.9-percent U.S. average. Anchorage-area households spent $8,482, or 70.2 percent, of their food dollars on food at home and $3,606 (29.8 percent) on food away from home. In comparison, the average U.S. household spent 60.8 percent of its food budget on food at home and 39.2 percent on food away from home.
• Healthcare: This expenditure component averaged $7,182, or 8.1 percent of an Anchorage-area household’s budget, compared to the 8.0-percent U.S. average. Among the 22 metropolitan areas, healthcare expenditure shares ranged from 9.0 percent in Chicago to 5.9 percent in Miami.

Additional Information

Data in this release are from the Consumer Expenditure Surveys (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. Data for the nation, the four geographic regions of the United States, and 22 metropolitan areas nationwide are available via published tables. The CE provides a glossary of terms for reader convenience. Technical and related information are available in the Consumer Expenditures and Income Handbook of Methods.

The Anchorage, AK Metropolitan Statistical Area comprises Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna Counties in Alaska. MSA definitions and details for areas referenced in this release are available online.

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.

Other metropolitan area news releases for the Consumer Expenditure Survey are available online.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.