About PlainHousehold

Our Mission

PlainHousehold exists because everyone — from families creating their first budget to researchers studying consumer behavior — deserves free access to comprehensive household spending data without needing to parse complex government spreadsheets.

We believe that understanding how Americans actually spend their money is fundamental to making informed financial decisions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics collects this data through rigorous annual surveys — it belongs to the public in a form they can use. PlainHousehold transforms the Consumer Expenditure Survey into a searchable, browseable resource that makes detailed spending patterns accessible to anyone.

We present BLS data without editorial scoring, sponsored recommendations, or paywalled features. Our goal is to give you reliable benchmarks so you can understand how your household's spending compares — and make your own judgments about what to change.

Our Data Sources

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

All data on PlainHousehold comes from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX) — the most comprehensive federal source for U.S. household spending data. The CEX has tracked American household spending annually since 1980 and is the foundation for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) market basket.

The CEX surveys approximately 24,000 consumer units per year using two complementary methods: a quarterly Interview Survey for larger, recurring expenditures (rent, vehicle purchases, insurance) and a weekly Diary Survey for smaller, frequent purchases (groceries, dining out, personal care). This dual approach captures both big-ticket items and everyday spending that households might forget in a quarterly recall.

The CEX is the only federal survey that provides detailed expenditure data broken down simultaneously by income, age, region, household size, and housing tenure. This makes it uniquely suited for household budget benchmarking. BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey.

How We Process the Data

We download the BLS CEX published data tables (released annually as Excel files organized by demographic characteristic) and process them through the following steps:

  • Table parsing and normalization: CEX data is published in nested Excel tables with varying formats across years and demographic breakdowns. We parse these into a consistent structured format, normalizing category names and handling merged cells and footnoted values.
  • Demographic dimension mapping: We organize spending data across six dimensions: income quintile (5 levels), age group (7 cohorts from under 25 to 75+), Census region (4 regions), household size (5 groups from 1 person to 5+), housing tenure (3 types: owner with mortgage, owner without, renter), and year trend (2020-2024).
  • Category hierarchy: CEX expenditure categories are organized into a hierarchical structure — major categories (Housing, Transportation, Food) broken into subcategories (Shelter, Utilities, Household Operations under Housing). We preserve this hierarchy to enable both summary and detailed spending views.
  • Derived calculations: We compute budget share percentages (category spending as a share of total expenditures), per-capita figures (dividing by average household size), and year-over-year changes for trend analysis. All derived figures are clearly labeled.
  • Search indexing: Records are indexed by category, demographic dimension, and year, enabling browsing across all combinations — for example, "healthcare spending by age group in the West region."

Data Currency

PlainHousehold currently displays data from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2024 release (published by BLS in 2025). This reflects household spending for the calendar year 2024, with data collected throughout that year via the Interview and Diary surveys.

The BLS publishes new CEX data annually, typically in September of the following year (e.g., 2024 data released in September 2025). We update PlainHousehold within 30 days of each new release. Historical data from 2020 through 2024 is available for trend analysis.

Editorial Independence

Content on PlainHousehold is compiled by our editorial team. Raw data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey is transformed into readable spending profiles by our continuous editorial pipeline, validated against the source before publication. The PlainHousehold editorial team, operating under Kiznis Studio, is responsible for editorial standards, methodology, and corrections.

We do not accept payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from financial advisors, budgeting apps, lenders, or any covered entity. Our only revenue source is contextual display advertising served by Google AdSense — advertisers do not influence which spending categories we cover or how we present data, and they do not receive preferential placement.

Limitations & Disclaimers

PlainHousehold is an informational resource. Household spending data should inform budgeting decisions, but individual circumstances vary widely and aggregate averages cannot substitute for personal financial planning.

  • National and regional data only: The CEX does not provide reliable data at the state, metro, or local level for most categories. Regional breakdowns (Northeast, Midwest, South, West) are the finest geographic level available.
  • Averages mask distribution: CEX reports average spending within each demographic group. A quintile average of $20,000 on housing could mean most households spend $18,000-$22,000 or that the range is $10,000-$30,000. The CEX does not publish distribution data within cells.
  • Lowest quintile paradox: The lowest income quintile often shows spending exceeding income. This reflects the quintile's composition (retirees, students, temporarily unemployed), not irresponsible spending. See our income quintiles guide for details.
  • Survey-based data: The CEX relies on self-reported spending, which is subject to recall error. Spending on certain categories (alcohol, tobacco, charitable contributions) is consistently underreported relative to other data sources.

PlainHousehold is not affiliated with the Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. This site does not provide financial, tax, or investment advice. Consult a qualified financial professional for personalized budgeting guidance.

Contact

Questions, corrections, or feedback? Email us at hello@plainhousehold.com.

We welcome:

  • Questions about data sources or methodology
  • Reports of apparent data errors or anomalies
  • Suggestions for additional spending categories or breakdowns
  • Media and research inquiries

PlainHousehold is published by ", a data intelligence company that builds free, public-interest data portals. We transform complex government datasets into accessible, searchable resources for researchers, journalists, policymakers, and the public.