Frequently Asked Questions

The CEX is the Bureau of Labor Statistics' annual survey measuring how American households spend their money. It has tracked consumer spending since 1980, covering about 24,000 consumer units per year. The CEX is the primary federal source used to update the weights in the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

A consumer unit is the BLS term for a household — either related family members living together who pool their income and expenditures, or a financially independent person living alone or with others. It is the unit of analysis in the CEX, not the physical dwelling or the individual person.

PlainHousehold covers all major spending categories from the CEX: housing (mortgage/rent, utilities, household operations, furnishings), food (at home and away from home), transportation (vehicle purchases, gas, public transit), healthcare (insurance, medical services, drugs), entertainment, apparel, education, personal care, and cash contributions.

The BLS divides the full sample of consumer units into five equal groups (quintiles) by pre-tax income, from lowest 20% to top 20%. Each quintile contains roughly 20% of all consumer units. Income quintile cutpoints change each year as the income distribution shifts.

Spending on discretionary categories (entertainment, vacations, personal services) rises sharply with income. Housing costs also rise with income, partly because higher-income households are more likely to own homes and live in higher-cost areas. Food spending is less elastic — even the highest-income quintile spends only about 2x more on food than the lowest quintile.

PlainHousehold shows CEX data through 2024, published by the BLS in 2025. We update annually when BLS releases new CEX results, typically in September of the following year.

No. PlainHousehold is an independent data portal presenting publicly available BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey data in a more accessible format. We are not affiliated with the BLS or any government agency.