“The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) program consists of two surveys, the Quarterly Interview Survey and the Diary Survey, that provide information on the buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics. The survey data are collected for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau. The CE is important because it is the only Federal survey to provide information on the complete range of consumers’ expenditures and incomes, as well as the characteristics of those consumers. It is used by economic policymakers examining the impact of policy changes on economic groups, by businesses and academic researchers studying consumers’ spending habits and trends, by other Federal agencies, and, perhaps most importantly, to regularly revise the Consumer Price Index market basket of goods and services and their relative importance. The most recent data tables are for July 2012 through June 2013, and were made available on May 23, 2014. See Featured CE Tables and Economic News Releases sections on the CE home page for current data tables and news release. The 2012 public-use microdata is the most recent and was released on September 10, 2013.”

“Most major components of household spending increased over the 12 months ending June 2013. The 6.6-percent rise in cash contributions (including payments for support of college students, alimony and child support, and giving to charities and religious organizations) was the largest percentage increase among all major components. This was followed by a 5.8-percent increase in transportation spending. Average incomes were essentially unchanged, showing a slight drop of 0.2 percent…Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) data measure how consumers allocate their spending among the various components of total expenditures. For example, table B compares the share allocated to selected expenditures by income quintiles. The lowest income quintile allocated larger shares to food and housing than the other quintiles. The highest income group allocated a larger share to personal insurance and pensions (including payments for life insurance, other nonhealth insurance, pensions, and Social Security) than any other group. No clear pattern existed for the shares allocated to transportation and health care among the income quintile groups.”