Consumer Expenditure Survey · BLS CE 2024
Health insurance spending
U.S. households spent $4,055/yr on health insurance in 2024 - 5.2% of the average budget . Up 0.1% vs 2023 ; the top income quintile outspends the bottom by 2.9×. Figures from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey.
- 2024 avg
- $4,055
- Budget share
- 5.2%
- vs 2023
- +0.1%
CES spend plate
Line HEALTH-INSURANCE · Health insurance $4,055 · 5.2%
SHARE-SOLID · QUINT-MOD · YOY-FLAT · REAL-EASE · REGION-WEST · BOOK-UPPER
- SHARE-SOLID 5.2% of budget
- QUINT-MOD 2.9× Q5/Q1
- YOY-FLAT +0.1% YoY
- REAL-EASE Below CPI
- REGION-WEST West leads
- BOOK-UPPER #14/99 dollars
Nearest dollar peer: Medical services ($-2,803)
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 Health insurance
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 · Health insurance
Average annual spending · 2024 · poles + near peers
this line
Spending Trend (2020–2024)
Health insurance spending per household, 2020–2024
National average annual spending
| Year | Annual Amount |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $4,055 |
| 2023 | $4,049 |
| 2022 | $3,843 |
| 2021 | $3,704 |
| 2020 | $3,667 |
Income stretch on a large health insurance line
A large CES line: top-quintile households spend $6,160/yr here vs $2,153 at the bottom (2.9×).
| Income Group | Annual Amount |
|---|---|
| Lowest 20% | $2,153 |
| Second 20% | $3,194 |
| Middle 20% | $3,842 |
| Fourth 20% | $4,913 |
| Highest 20% | $6,160 |
West leads health insurance geographically
West leads at $4,199/yr among the bigger CES categories.
Lifecycle peak · 65–74
65–74 heads spend the most on this line at $5,114/yr - a lifecycle peak on a large budget share.
Frequently Asked Questions (show 6)
How much does the average household spend on health insurance? ▼
Is health insurance spending increasing? ▼
How does income affect health insurance spending? ▼
Which region spends the most on health insurance? ▼
Which age group spends the most on health insurance? ▼
Does household size affect health insurance spending? ▼
Other large CES lines near health insurance
Dollar-amount and budget-share neighbours from BLS CE 2024 (this category excluded).
Similar dollar amount
Nearest other categories by 2024 average annual spending ($4,055 here).
| Category | 2024 avg |
|---|---|
| Food away from home | $3,945 |
| 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 |
| Vehicle purchases (net outlay) | $5,337 |
Similar budget share
Nearest other categories by share of the household budget (5.2% here).
| Category | Budget share |
|---|---|
| Food away from home | 5.0% |
| Other vehicle expenses | 5.4% |
| Entertainment | 4.6% |
| Mortgage interest and charges | 4.6% |
| Utilities, fuels, and public services | 6.0% |
| Maintenance, repairs, insurance, and other expenses | 3.7% |
| Vehicle purchases (net outlay) | 6.8% |
| Cars and trucks, used | 3.6% |
Average household budget · Methodology · BLS CEX source
Informational only - not advice. See disclaimer.