1992 Consumer Expenditures Surveys — 1993-11-08

Average annual expenditures per consumer unit edged upward in 1992, increasing less than 1 percent from 1991, according to results from the Consumer Expenditure Survey released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Expenditures rose 4 percent in 1991 and 2 percent in 1990. General price levels, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), rose 3 percent from 1991 to 1992. The percent changes in expenditures from 1991 to 1992 varied among the major components of spending. Food expenditures showed no change; housing, transportation, and entertainment rose about 2 percent; health care rose 5 percent; and apparel and services and personal insurance and pensions each fell by 1 percent. Consumer Expenditure Survey data for 1990, 1991, and 1992 are shown in table 1.