Consumer Expenditures in 2006

Internet address:    http://www.bls.gov/cex      USDL-07-1644
Technical information:         202-691-6900      FOR RELEASE:  10:00 A.M. EDT
Media information:             202-691-5902      Friday, October 26, 2007

                             CONSUMER EXPENDITURES IN 2006

       Average annual expenditures per consumer unit, which is similar to a household, 
rose 4.3 percent in 2006, following an increase of 6.9 percent in 2005, according to 
results from the Consumer Expenditure Survey released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics 
of the U.S. Department of Labor. The increase in expenditures from 2005 to 2006 was 
larger than the 3.2 percent rise in the annual average Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) over 
this period.

       Increases in spending on housing (7.9 percent), the largest component of spending, 
and on food (3.0 percent), contributed to the overall increase in 2006. Among the other 
major components, spending increased for healthcare (3.8 percent), transportation 
(2.0 percent), and personal insurance and pensions (1.3 percent), while spending 
decreased for apparel and services (-0.6 percent) and entertainment (-0.5 percent). 

Average annual expenditures and characteristics of all consumer units and 
percent changes, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2004-2006
_____________________________________________________________________________
                                                          Percent change
Item                         2004     2005     2006    2004-2005  2005-2006   
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of consumer
 units (000’s)            116,282  117,356  118,843

Income before taxes       $54,453  $58,712  $60,533

Average age of 
 reference person            48.5     48.6     48.7

Average number in 
 consumer unit:
  Persons                     2.5      2.5      2.5
  Earners                     1.3      1.3      1.3
  Vehicles                    1.9      2.0      1.9
Percent homeowner              68       67       67

Average annual 
 expenditures             $43,395  $46,409  $48,398       6.9        4.3
  Food                      5,781    5,931    6,111       2.6        3.0
    At home                 3,347    3,297    3,417      -1.5        3.6
    Away from home          2,434    2,634    2,694       8.2        2.3
  Housing                  13,918   15,167   16,366       9.0        7.9
  Apparel and services      1,816    1,886    1,874       3.9       -0.6
  Transportation            7,801    8,344    8,508       7.0        2.0
  Healthcare                2,574    2,664    2,766       3.5        3.8
  Entertainment             2,218    2,388    2,376       7.7       -0.5
  Personal insurance 
   and pensions             4,823    5,204    5,270       7.9        1.3
  Other expenditures        4,461    4,823    5,129       8.1        6.3
_____________________________________________________________________________
NOTE: A consumer unit is defined as members of a household related by blood, 
marriage, adoption, or some 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 
two out of the three major types of expenses: food, housing, and other expenses.


       Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) data include the expenditures and income of 
consumers, as well as the demographic characteristics of those consumers. Tables with 
more expenditure detail than is shown in this news release will be available October 26, 
2007 by accessing the BLS website (http://www.bls.gov/cex). Tables show 2006 CE data 
by standard classifications that include income quintile, income class, age of reference 
person, size of consumer unit, number of earners, composition of consumer unit, region 
of residence, housing tenure, type of area (urban-rural), race, Hispanic origin, occupation, 
and education. Other tables available on the website include expenditures by age, region, 
size, or gender cross-tabulated by income before taxes and other demographic variables. 
Historical tables back to 1984 and tabulations for selected metropolitan areas are also 
available.


Other available data

       A forthcoming annual report will include a brief discussion of expenditure 
changes in 2006 and tables with data classified by the standard characteristics listed 
above. Detailed reports that include CE data are published at two-year intervals and 
include the standard tabulations and cross tabulations at the same level of expenditure 
detail as shown on the website. Metropolitan area tables are also included. All data 
published in the reports and posted to the website are integrated from the two CE 
components--the quarterly Interview Survey and weekly Diary Survey.

       Other survey information available on the Internet includes answers to frequently 
asked questions, a glossary, order forms for survey products, and analytical articles that 
use CE data. Beginning with the 2000 data, standard error tables for integrated data are 
available on the BLS site.

       The 2006 Diary and Interview microdata will soon be available on CD-ROM. The 
Interview files contain expenditure data in two different formats: MTAB files that present 
monthly values in an item-coding framework based on the CPI pricing scheme, and EXPN files 
that organize expenditures by the section of the Interview questionnaire in which they are 
collected. Expenditure values on EXPN files cover different time periods depending on the 
specific questions asked, and the files also contain relevant non-expenditure information not 
found on the MTAB files. The CE microdata files are available on CD-ROM back to 1990 
and for selected earlier years. Beginning with the 1996 microdata on CD-ROM, files are 
available in either ASCII format or PC-SAS format. Beginning with the release of the 2005 
microdata, both formats are available on one CD-ROM.  
(See www.bls.gov/cex/csxmicro.htm for details.)

      For further information, contact the Division of Consumer Expenditure Surveys, Office 
of Prices and Living Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E., 
Washington, DC  20212-0001 or call 202-691-6900. Information in this release will be made 
available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; 
TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.