Information for Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) Respondents

This website is your source of information about the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE). You'll find Frequently Asked Questions about the survey, results from the most recently published data, and a lot more.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey is collected for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau.  If your address has been selected, it means that we have asked someone in your household to be a respondent for this survey. Your participation is essential in order for the survey to provide a complete, accurate picture of how Americans spend their money.

Knowing what goods and services consumers are buying and how much they are spending is critical information in determining the strength of our Nation's economy and the direction in which it is moving.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics conducts the Consumer Expenditure Survey to gather data needed for the calculation of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a key measure of inflation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has been conducting this survey since 1980.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey is conducted in two parts, a quarterly interview survey and a diary survey. The interview survey asks about large expenditures and regular purchases. For the diary survey, respondents are asked to keep two 1-week diaries for recording all purchases. The purpose of the diary survey is to capture small everyday purchases like food, meals, personal care products and gasoline.

To find out more information about each survey, please click on the corresponding survey link below. For regional office contact information, see the advance letter, also linked below, and navigate to the corresponding page number identified in the map.

• CE Quarterly Interview Survey
  • Advance Letter
• CE Diary Survey
  • Advance Letter
  • Survey Form
  • Online Diary User Guide

We look forward to your participation in the Consumer Expenditure Surveys!

Last Modified Date: August 15, 2024