Consumer Expenditure Survey · BLS CE 2024
Food away from home spending
U.S. households spent $3,945/yr on food away from home in 2024 - 5.0% of the average budget . Up 0.3% vs 2023 ; the top income quintile outspends the bottom by 4.6×. Figures from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey.
- 2024 avg
- $3,945
- Budget share
- 5.0%
- vs 2023
- +0.3%
CES spend plate
Line FOOD-AWAY-FROM-HOM · Food away from home $3,945 · 5.0%
SHARE-SOLID · QUINT-WIDE · YOY-FLAT · REAL-BURDEN · REGION-WEST · BOOK-UPPER
- SHARE-SOLID 5.0% of budget
- QUINT-WIDE 4.6× Q5/Q1
- YOY-FLAT +0.3% YoY
- REAL-BURDEN Above CPI
- REGION-WEST West leads
- BOOK-UPPER #15/99 dollars
Nearest dollar peer: Food at home (+$2,279)
Instrument codes from this line’s budget share, income-quintile gap, YoY move, real change vs ~21% CPI-U (2020-2024), regional lead, and corpus book size, not a budgeting recommendation.
Spend neighbourhood around Food away from home
Lowest and highest poles plus nearest dollar peers among sibling lines, not a full-board reprint. Figures from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey.
Dollar neighbourhood · Food away from home
Average annual spending · 2024 · poles + near peers
this line
Spending Trend (2020–2024)
Food away from home spending per household, 2020–2024
National average annual spending
| Year | Annual Amount |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,945 |
| 2023 | $3,933 |
| 2022 | $3,639 |
| 2021 | $3,030 |
| 2020 | $2,375 |
Income stretch on a large food away from home line
A large CES line: top-quintile households spend $7,652/yr here vs $1,655 at the bottom (4.6×).
| Income Group | Annual Amount |
|---|---|
| Lowest 20% | $1,655 |
| Second 20% | $2,448 |
| Middle 20% | $3,277 |
| Fourth 20% | $4,682 |
| Highest 20% | $7,652 |
West leads food away from home geographically
West leads at $4,634/yr among the bigger CES categories.
Lifecycle peak · 45–54
45–54 heads spend the most on this line at $5,069/yr - a lifecycle peak on a large budget share.
Frequently Asked Questions (show 6)
How much does the average household spend on food away from home? ▼
Is food away from home spending increasing? ▼
How does income affect food away from home spending? ▼
Which region spends the most on food away from home? ▼
Which age group spends the most on food away from home? ▼
Does household size affect food away from home spending? ▼
Other large CES lines near food away from home
Dollar-amount and budget-share neighbours from BLS CE 2024 (this category excluded).
Similar dollar amount
Nearest other categories by 2024 average annual spending ($3,945 here).
| Category | 2024 avg |
|---|---|
| Health insurance | $4,055 |
| Other vehicle expenses | $4,206 |
| Mortgage interest and charges | $3,646 |
| Entertainment | $3,609 |
| Utilities, fuels, and public services | $4,736 |
| Maintenance, repairs, insurance, and other expenses | $2,926 |
| Cars and trucks, used | $2,818 |
| Property taxes | $2,738 |
Similar budget share
Nearest other categories by share of the household budget (5.0% here).
| Category | Budget share |
|---|---|
| Health insurance | 5.2% |
| Entertainment | 4.6% |
| Mortgage interest and charges | 4.6% |
| Other vehicle expenses | 5.4% |
| Utilities, fuels, and public services | 6.0% |
| Maintenance, repairs, insurance, and other expenses | 3.7% |
| Cars and trucks, used | 3.6% |
| Property taxes | 3.5% |
Average household budget · Methodology · BLS CEX source
Informational only - not advice. See disclaimer.