2012 – Midyear Update Consumer Expenditures Surveys — 2013-03-27

Average expenditures per consumer unit(1) for July 2011 through June 2012 were 1.9 percent higher than the 2011 annual average, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This gradual rise in spending continued the increase reported for all of 2011. All major components of household spending except apparel increased over the 12 months ending in June 2012 compared to the 2011 annual average, as shown in table A. The 6.3-percent rise in cash contributions (including payments for support of college students, alimony and child support, and giving to charities and religious organizations) was the largest percentage increase among all major components. This was followed by a 4.6-percent increase in health care spending. Other spending highlights include 2.6-percent increases in both transportation and personal insurance and pensions, modest increases in food (+1.1 percent) and housing (+0.8 percent), no change in entertainment (0.0 percent), and a small drop in apparel and services spending (-0.6 percent).