Household Spending Guide
The Average American Household Budget: 2024 Data
The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks what American households actually spend each year, and the breakdown behind the headline figure surprises most readers.
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 figure above is the 2024 result, 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
The summary above counts four categories: housing, transportation, food and personal insurance and pensions. They lead the table below for structural reasons, not habit.
Housing and transportation are the commitments a household cannot pause: rent or a mortgage, utilities and upkeep on one side, vehicle costs and fuel on the other, all paid before anything discretionary. Food is bought every week, so it is the category people notice most. Personal insurance and pensions is the least visible of the four because it is mostly pension and Social Security contributions rather than a purchase.
Full Category Breakdown
Average household spending by category (2024)
Top categories by annual dollars
The table below breaks the same spending down across every major category, with a monthly view.
| 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. The survey collects data through both diary and interview methods.
Compiled by the PlainHousehold research team.
Limitations and Caveats
The Consumer Expenditure Survey records what households report spending, and reported spending is not the same as need or income. A household that saves heavily and one that spends beyond its income can produce the same average, so read the total as a picture of typical spending, not a budget to aim for.
Every category is averaged across all consumer units, including households that spent nothing in it. Categories only some households buy, such as education or childcare, therefore look smaller than what a buying household actually pays. Category labels also follow BLS conventions, so the same word can cover something different from what a bank or budgeting app shows.
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.