2002 Consumer Expenditures Surveys — 2003-11-21

Average annual expenditures per consumer unit rose 2.9 percent in 2002, following increases of 3.9 percent in 2001 and 2.8 percent in 2000, 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 2001 to 2002 was more than the 1.6 percent annual average rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over this period. The changes in expenditures from 2001 to 2002 varied among the major components of spending. Expenditures on health care showed the largest increase, 7.7 percent. Spending on entertainment and on personal insurance and pensions also rose more than the overall average, rising 6.5 and 4.3 percent, respectively. Spending on food, housing, transportation, and apparel and services all rose less than the overall average.