How veterans’ benefits relate to their spending in the Consumer Expenditure Surveys

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) began collecting data on veteran status in the Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CE) in 2019. In this article, the expenditure patterns between veterans and nonveterans are considered to understand how veterans’ benefits relate to spending. This article shows that veterans are more likely than nonveterans to own their homes at younger ages and to have lower mortgage costs. Also, veterans spend less than nonveterans on total healthcare and on almost every major healthcare component. Veterans have made invaluable contributions to the nation’s security and safety through their military service. Thus, there are many benefits offered to veterans once they have returned to their civilian lives. One way to gain insight into how these benefits relate to the spending of veterans is by comparing expenditure patterns between veterans and nonveterans.