Household spending rankings · BLS CE 2024 · Annual Avg
Highest Household Spending Categories
Housing leads at $26,266 , ahead of Transportation ($13,318) and Food ($10,169). This list ranks 14 categories from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey. The top 8 of 14 categories account for 94% of all household spending; the smallest on this list is $2,001. Explore per-category breakdowns by income, age, and region via the table below.
- Categories ranked
- 14
- #1: Housing
- $26,266
- Survey year
- 2024
Spending concentrated in the top of the list
Housing is #1 at $26,266; the top 8 claim 94% of total spending on this list.
- Housing (#1)
- $26,266
- top-8 of ranked spend
- 94%
- median across all categories
- $2,001
- categories on this complete list
- 14
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Surveys. Ranking is a comparison of BLS CE averages, not advice.
Highest Household Spending Categories - top 8
Top 8 of 14 categories
The top 8 of 14 categories account for 94% of all household spending; the smallest on this list is $2,001.
| # | Category | Annual Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Housing | $26,266 |
| 2 | Transportation | $13,318 |
| 3 | Food | $10,169 |
| 4 | Personal insurance and pensions | $9,797 |
| 5 | Healthcare | $6,197 |
| 6 | Entertainment | $3,609 |
| 7 | Cash contributions | $2,292 |
| 8 | Apparel and services | $2,001 |
| 9 | Education | $1,569 |
| 10 | Miscellaneous | $1,218 |
| 11 | Personal care products and services | $978 |
| 12 | Alcoholic beverages | $643 |
| 13 | Tobacco products and smoking supplies | $352 |
| 14 | Reading | $125 |
Income spread on the top of this list
Lowest vs highest income quintile spending (BLS CE 2024) for the leading categories: how much the same line item stretches across household income.
| Category | National avg | Lowest quintile | Highest quintile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $26,266 | $14,563 | $44,033 |
| Transportation | $13,318 | $5,105 | $25,378 |
| Food | $10,169 | $5,498 | $16,989 |
| Personal insurance and pensions | $9,797 | $711 | $27,279 |
| Healthcare | $6,197 | $3,445 | $9,771 |
| Entertainment | $3,609 | $1,316 | $7,660 |
| Cash contributions | $2,292 | $778 | $5,031 |
| Apparel and services | $2,001 | $1,124 | $3,872 |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Surveys - Verify with BLS →. See methodology. Figures are national averages from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, not advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do Americans spend the most money on?
Housing is the largest expense at roughly $26,000/year (33% of budget), followed by transportation (~$13,000, 17%) and food (~$10,000, 13%). Together these three categories consume about 63% of the average household budget, according to BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey data.
How does spending differ by income level?
Higher-income households spend more in absolute terms on every category, but the proportion shifts dramatically. Low-income households spend 40%+ on housing, while high-income households spend under 30%. Wealthier households spend a larger share on personal insurance, pensions, and entertainment.
Other BLS ranking lenses: Budget Share · Fastest Growing · Budget calculator
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.