Consumer Expenditure Survey Summary Tables (ICPSR 36170)
Version Date: Apr 21, 2020 View help for published
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United States. Bureau of Labor Statistics
https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36170.v7
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Additional information may be available in Collection Notes.
The full data collection is not available from NADAC. Users should consult the Consumer Expenditure Survey website for details on obtaining the data and other resources.
Unpublished Consumer Expenditure Data Tables from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
In addition to providing links to CE microdata, NADAC includes unpublished integrated CE data tables produced by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (click on "Excel" in the Dataset(s) section). Currently, these tables provide data for the year 2018. The tables show average and percentile expenditures for detailed items, as well as the standard error and coefficient of variation (CV) for each spending estimate.
The unpublished tables show, for example, that United States consumers spent an average of $766 on fees and admissions for entertainment in 2018. However, that spending ranged from a low of $228 in the lowest spending percentile (the lowest 20 percent) to a high of $2,050 in the highest spending percentile (the highest 20 percent).
The BLS unpublished integrated CE data tables are provided by NADAC as an easy-to-use tool for obtaining arts-related spending estimates. However, users are cautioned to read the BLS explanatory letter accompanying the tables. The letter explains that estimates of average expenditures on detailed spending items (such as the arts-related spending items listed above) may be unreliable due to so few reports of expenditures for those items.
BLS CE Contact Information
For more information about the BLS unpublished CE tables, please contact BLS CE staff at CEXInfo@bls.gov.
Users will be provided all Excel tables from 2010-2018 when downloading the data.
Summary View help for Summary
The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) program consists of two surveys: the quarterly Interview survey and the annual Diary survey. Combined, these two surveys provide information on the buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics. The survey data are collected for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by the U.S. Census Bureau. The CE collects all on all spending components including food, housing, apparel and services, transportation, entertainment, and out-of-pocket health care costs.
The CE features several arts-related spending categories, including the following items:
Spending on Admissions
- Plays, theater, opera, and concerts
- Movies, parks, and museums
Spending on Reading
- Newspapers and magazines
- Books
- Digital book readers
Spending on Other Arts-Related Items
- Musical instruments
- Photographic equipment
- Audio-visual equipment
- Toys, games, arts and crafts
The CE is important because it is the only Federal survey to provide information on the complete range of consumers' expenditures and incomes, as well as the characteristics of those consumers. It is used by economic policymakers examining the impact of policy changes on economic groups, by the Census Bureau as the source of thresholds for the Supplemental Poverty Measure, by businesses and academic researchers studying consumers' spending habits and trends, by other Federal agencies, and, perhaps most importantly, to regularly revise the Consumer Price Index market basket of goods and services and their relative importance.
The most recent data tables are for 2018, and were made available on September 10, 2019. The unpublished integrated CE data tables produced by the BLS are available to download through NADAC (click on "Excel" in the Dataset(s) section). Also, see Featured CE Tables and Economic News Releases sections on the CE home page for current data tables and news release. The 2018 public-use microdata is the most recent and was released on September 10, 2019.
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Data Collection Notes View help for Data Collection Notes
The full data collection is not available from NADAC. Users should consult the Consumer Expenditure Survey website for details on obtaining the data and other resources.
Unpublished Consumer Expenditure Data Tables from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
In addition to providing links to CE microdata, NADAC includes unpublished integrated CE data tables produced by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (click on "Excel" in the Dataset(s) section). Currently, these tables provide data for the year 2018. The tables show average and percentile expenditures for detailed items, as well as the standard error and coefficient of variation (CV) for each spending estimate.
The unpublished tables show, for example, that United States consumers spent an average of $766 on fees and admissions for entertainment in 2018. However, that spending ranged from a low of $228 in the lowest spending percentile (the lowest 20 percent) to a high of $2,050 in the highest spending percentile (the highest 20 percent).
The BLS unpublished integrated CE data tables are provided by NADAC as an easy-to-use tool for obtaining arts-related spending estimates. However, users are cautioned to read the BLS explanatory letter accompanying the tables. The letter explains that estimates of average expenditures on detailed spending items (such as the arts-related spending items listed above) may be unreliable due to so few reports of expenditures for those items.
BLS CE Contact Information
For more information about the BLS unpublished CE tables, please contact BLS CE staff at CEXInfo@bls.gov.
Users will be provided all Excel tables from 2010-2018 when downloading the data.
Original Release Date View help for Original Release Date
2015-05-29
Version History View help for Version History
2020-04-21 The collection has been updated with the data tables from the most recent time period (2018).
2019-04-29 The collection has been updated with the data tables from the most recent time period (2017). Also, one infographic has been added to this collection.
2018-02-15 The citation of this study may have changed due to the new version control system that has been implemented. The previous citation was:- United States. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer Expenditure Survey Summary Tables. ICPSR36170-v7. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2020-04-21. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36170.v7
2017-10-25 The collection has been updated with the infographic and data tables from the most recent time period (2016).
2017-02-20 The collection has been updated with the infographic and data tables from the most recent time period (2015).
2016-09-30 The title has been updated to indicate that a collection of data tables are provided with this project. Also, at least one infographic has been added to this collection.
2016-02-05 The data tables have been updated with data from the most recent time period, which is 2014.