Household spending rankings · BLS CE 2024 · Annual Avg
Top Spending for High-Income Households ($200K+)
Housing leads at $44,033 , ahead of Personal insurance and pensions ($27,279) and Transportation ($25,378). 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 $4,492. Explore per-category breakdowns by income, age, and region via the table below.
- Categories ranked
- 14
- #1: Housing
- $44,033
- Survey year
- 2024
High-income spending shape
$200K+ households put Housing first at $44,033, ahead of Personal insurance and pensions.
- Housing (#1)
- $44,033
- Education top-8 cutoff
- #8
- median across all categories
- $4,492
- categories on this complete list
- 14
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Surveys. Ranking is a comparison of BLS CE averages, not advice.
Top Spending for High-Income Households ($200K+) - 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 $4,492.
| # | Category | Annual Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Housing | $44,033 |
| 2 | Personal insurance and pensions | $27,279 |
| 3 | Transportation | $25,378 |
| 4 | Food | $16,989 |
| 5 | Healthcare | $9,771 |
| 6 | Entertainment | $7,660 |
| 7 | Cash contributions | $5,031 |
| 8 | Education | $4,492 |
| 9 | Apparel and services | $3,872 |
| 10 | Miscellaneous | $2,072 |
| 11 | Personal care products and services | $1,802 |
| 12 | Alcoholic beverages | $1,395 |
| 13 | Reading | $300 |
| 14 | Tobacco products and smoking supplies | $267 |
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 |
| Personal insurance and pensions | $9,797 | $711 | $27,279 |
| Transportation | $13,318 | $5,105 | $25,378 |
| Food | $10,169 | $5,498 | $16,989 |
| Healthcare | $6,197 | $3,445 | $9,771 |
| Entertainment | $3,609 | $1,316 | $7,660 |
| Cash contributions | $2,292 | $778 | $5,031 |
| Education | $1,569 | $828 | $4,492 |
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
How much do high-income households spend?
Households earning $200,000+ spend approximately $150,000-$170,000 annually, about 2.5x the national average. Their biggest categories are housing ($40K+), transportation ($20K+), and personal insurance/pensions ($25K+). They spend proportionally more on savings and discretionary categories.
Other BLS ranking lenses: Highest Spending · Budget Share · Budget calculator
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.