Household Spending Guide
The Average American Household Budget: 2024 Data
The average American household spent $78,535 in 2024. That's the Bureau of Labor Statistics figure, and it breaks down in ways that might surprise you.
What Is the Average American Budget?
Each year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) surveys roughly 24,000 American households through the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX). The 2024 results show the average consumer unit spent $78,535 - up from previous years as inflation raised prices across all categories.
A "consumer unit" (CU) is the CEX term for a household. It includes all people living together who share major expenses. The average CU had 2.5 people and 1.3 income earners.
The Big Four: Where Most Money Goes
Four categories together account for over 75% of the average budget:
- Housing: $26,266 (33.4% of total)
- Transportation: $13,318 (17.0%)
- Food: $10,169 (12.9%)
- Personal Insurance & Pensions: $9,797 (12.5%)
Full Category Breakdown
Average household spending by category (2024)
Top categories by annual dollars
Here's how the average $78,535 breaks down across all major categories:
| Category | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Food | $10,169 | $847 |
| Alcoholic beverages | $643 | $54 |
| Housing | $26,266 | $2,189 |
| Apparel and services | $2,001 | $167 |
| Transportation | $13,318 | $1,110 |
| Healthcare | $6,197 | $516 |
| Entertainment | $3,609 | $301 |
| Personal care products and services | $978 | $82 |
| Reading | $125 | $10 |
| Education | $1,569 | $131 |
| Tobacco products and smoking supplies | $352 | $29 |
| Miscellaneous | $1,218 | $102 |
| Cash contributions | $2,292 | $191 |
| Personal insurance and pensions | $9,797 | $816 |
| Total | $78,535 | $6,545 |
How we calculate this: Share is each category's published annual spend divided by the total household spend for the year. Monthly is the annual figure divided by 12. Both are computed from the raw BLS figures, not re-estimated.
How Does This Compare to Your Budget?
The BLS figure represents an average, not a typical or median household. Because the average is pulled up by high-income households, a middle-income household will likely spend less overall, but more as a percentage of income.
How Does Spending Vary?
The average masks wide variation:
- By income: The top 20% of earners spend over $150K/year. The bottom 20% spend about $28K.
- By age: Peak spending occurs in the 45-54 age group. Spending declines significantly after 65.
- By region: The Northeast and West are the most expensive regions; the South is cheapest.
Explore the breakdowns: By Income Level · By Age Group · By Region
Data Notes
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2024 Annual Tables.
Compiled by the " research team.
The survey collects data via diary and interview methods. "Consumer unit" is broadly equivalent to a household. Figures are averages, not medians.Limitations and Caveats
Several constraints warrant emphasis when drawing inferences from these figures. Sampling error, nonresponse bias, and imputation procedures each introduce quantifiable uncertainty that propagates through derived statistics. Confidence intervals, where published by the collecting agency, should be consulted before attributing significance to small differences between observations.
The taxonomy used to classify entities, expenditures, or incidents evolves periodically. A category redefinition between consecutive releases can produce apparent discontinuities that reflect classification changes rather than genuine behavioral shifts. longitudinal analyses must verify category stability across the studied interval.
Suppression rules applied to protect confidentiality may eliminate observations from sparsely populated strata. This differential suppression disproportionately affects rural counties, small institutions, and minority subgroups, systematically biasing the observable distribution toward larger, more urbanized populations. Researchers should note that absence of a data point may signify suppression rather than a true zero.
Where to go next
See how your own household compares to these BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey figures.
- Find your spending percentile against the national income quintiles. Budget calculator
- Explore the full breakdown by category, income, age, and region. All categories
- Save the categories you want to track to your private watchlist. Save categories
All figures are national-average BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey data; individual households vary.
