Household spending increased for most categories in 2014

The average U.S. household spent $53,495 in 2014, a 4.7-percent increase from 2013. Most major spending categories increased from 2013 to 2014. Spending for apparel and services increased the most, 11.3 percent, following a decrease of 7.6 percent in 2013.

From 2013 to 2014, spending on housing increased by $650, or 3.8 percent. Within the shelter portion of housing, spending on rented dwellings rose 9.2 percent to $3,631. Spending on owned dwellings increased 0.7 percent.

Food spending rose 2.4 percent from 2013 to 2014. The increase was led by a 6.2-percent rise in spending on food away from home. Spending for food at home did not change in 2014.

Transportation spending rose 0.8 percent from 2013 to 2014. Within transportation, spending on gasoline and motor oil decreased by 5.5 percent to $2,468. The decrease mirrored a drop in gasoline prices, which fell 3.9 percent. Spending on vehicle insurance rose 9.8 percent from 2013 to 2014.

Cash contributions declined 2.5 percent in 2014, after falling 4.1 percent in 2013. Cash contributions include alimony and child support payments; care of students away from home; and contributions to religious, educational, charitable, or political organizations.

These data come from the Consumer Expenditure Survey. To learn more, see "Consumer Expenditures — 2014" (HTML) (PDF). Health care expenditures are not shown in the chart because a change in the survey questionnaire makes the estimates from 2014 not comparable to prior years.