Spending on food: 1901 versus 2002-03
May 26, 2006
The continued and significant decline over the past century in the share of expenditures allocated for food reflects improved living standards.
[Chart data—TXT]
In 1901, U.S. households allotted 42.5 percent of their expenditures for food; by 2002-03, food’s share of spending had dropped to just 13.1 percent.
For New York City households, the expenditure share had declined from 43.7 percent to 13.9 percent; for Boston households, the decline was from 41.7 percent to 13.5 percent.
These data come from the Consumer Expenditure Survey. Find out more in "100 Years of U.S. Consumer Spending: Data for the Nation, New York City, and Boston," BLS Report 991.
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