Household spending rankings · BLS CE 2024 · Annual Avg
Top Spending for Young Adults (Under 25)
Housing leads at $16,853 , ahead of Transportation ($9,243) and Food ($7,215). This list ranks 14 categories from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey. The top 8 of 14 categories account for 96% of all household spending; the smallest on this list is $1,485. Explore per-category breakdowns by income, age, and region via the table below.
- Categories ranked
- 14
- #1: Housing
- $16,853
- Survey year
- 2024
Under-25 spending shape
Under-25 households put Housing first at $16,853, ahead of Transportation.
- Housing (#1)
- $16,853
- Healthcare top-8 cutoff
- #8
- median across all categories
- $1,485
- 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 Young Adults (Under 25) - top 8
Top 8 of 14 categories
The top 8 of 14 categories account for 96% of all household spending; the smallest on this list is $1,485.
| # | Category | Annual Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Housing | $16,853 |
| 2 | Transportation | $9,243 |
| 3 | Food | $7,215 |
| 4 | Personal insurance and pensions | $4,428 |
| 5 | Education | $2,652 |
| 6 | Entertainment | $1,835 |
| 7 | Apparel and services | $1,541 |
| 8 | Healthcare | $1,485 |
| 9 | Personal care products and services | $647 |
| 10 | Alcoholic beverages | $382 |
| 11 | Miscellaneous | $376 |
| 12 | Cash contributions | $345 |
| 13 | Tobacco products and smoking supplies | $189 |
| 14 | Reading | $92 |
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 |
| Education | $1,569 | $828 | $4,492 |
| Entertainment | $3,609 | $1,316 | $7,660 |
| Apparel and services | $2,001 | $1,124 | $3,872 |
| Healthcare | $6,197 | $3,445 | $9,771 |
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 young adults spend per year?
Households headed by someone under 25 spend approximately $35,000-$40,000 annually, about 55% of the national average. Their biggest expenses are housing, transportation, and food, which together consume over 70% of their budget.
Other BLS ranking lenses: Highest Spending · Budget Share · Budget calculator
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.