1997 Consumer Expenditures Surveys — 1998-12-08

Average annual expenditures per consumer unit rose at a moderate rate of 3.0 percent in 1997, following a 4.8 percent increase in 1996, 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 1996 to 1997 was slightly larger than the 2.3 percent annual average rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over this period. The percent changes in expenditures from 1996 to 1997 varied among the major components of spending. Expenditures on personal insurance and pensions and on housing each rose about 5 percent, while spending on health care rose about 4 percent. Food expenditures rose 2.2 percent, mainly for food away from home. Transportation spending rose 1.2 percent. Spending on entertainment decreased about 1 percent in 1997, following a large 14 percent increase a year earlier.