PUMSdata

BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey · 2023

How Americans spend their money

The average U.S. household spent about $73,798 in 2023. Here's where it went, across 14 categories — from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey.

Housing$23,89132%
Transportation$13,06018%
Personal insurance & pensions$9,60613%
Food$9,27413%
Healthcare$5,7628%
Entertainment$3,4125%
Cash contributions$2,3593%
Apparel & services$2,0033%
Education$1,7052%
Miscellaneous$8941%
Personal care$8601%
Alcoholic beverages$5381%
Tobacco & smoking$3561%
Reading$790%
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Average annual spending with breakdowns by income, age, region, family size and more.

Housing$23,891Transportation$13,060Personal insurance & pensions$9,606Food$9,274Healthcare$5,762Entertainment$3,412Cash contributions$2,359Apparel & services$2,003Education$1,705Miscellaneous$894Personal care$860Alcoholic beverages$538Tobacco & smoking$356Reading$79Food at home$5,957Food away from home$3,318Shelter$15,312Utilities & fuels$4,603Household furnishings & equip.$2,002Gasoline & motor fuel$2,676

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Spending — FAQ

How much does the average American household spend per year?+

In 2023, the average U.S. consumer unit spent about $73,798 per year, per the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey. The largest categories are housing ($23,891), transportation ($13,060), and food ($9,274).

What share of the budget goes to housing?+

Housing is the largest expense — about 32% of the average household budget in 2023.

Where does this data come from?+

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey (Interview + Diary, integrated), 2019–2023. These are independent estimates computed from the CE PUMD microdata (re-derived from UCC-level expenditure detail); major categories track BLS's published tables within a few percent, while some smaller lines run lower due to PUMD coverage. PUMSdata is not affiliated with BLS.