1996 Consumer Expenditures Surveys — 1998-10-09

Average annual expenditures per consumer unit rose 4.8 percent in 1996, the largest increase since 1989, according to results from the Consumer Expenditure Survey released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Expenditures rose 1.7 percent in 1995 and 3.4 percent in 1994. The increase in expenditures from 1995 to 1996 was larger than the 3.0 percent annual average rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over this period. The percent changes in expenditures from 1995 to 1996 varied among the major components of spending. Expenditures on entertainment increased the most, 13.8 percent, followed by transportation, 6.1 percent, and food, 4.3 percent. Housing, apparel and services, and personal insurance and pensions each rose about 3 percent, while health care spending rose just 2.2 percent. While total spending for food rose 4.3 percent, spending on food away from home rose more than food at home, 7.1 percent versus 2.6 percent.