2005 Consumer Expenditures Surveys — 2006-11-08

Average annual expenditures per consumer unit rose 6.9 percent in 2005, following an increase of 6.3 percent in 2004, 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 2004 to 2005 was more than the 3.4 percent rise in the annual average Consumer Price Index (CPI) over this period. Statistically significant increases in spending on housing (9.0 percent) and transportation (7.0 percent), the largest components of spending, contributed to the overall increase in 2005. Increases for food (2.6 percent) and personal insurance and pensions (7.9 percent) also were statistically significant. Spending on apparel and services (3.9 percent), health care (3.5 percent), and entertainment (7.7 percent) also rose in 2005, but these increases were not statistically significant.