The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor is the principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy.
For Release: Friday, October 15, 2021
21-1882-PHI
MID-ATLANTIC INFORMATION OFFICE: Philadelphia, Pa.
Technical information:
(215) 597-3282 BLSInfoPhiladelphia@bls.gov
www.bls.gov/regions/mid-atlantic
Media contact:
(215) 861-5600 BLSMediaPhiladelphia@bls.gov
Consumer Expenditures for the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area: 2019-20
Households in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, metropolitan area spent an average of
$72,726 per year in 2019–20, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner
Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that this figure was significantly higher than the $62,188 average expenditure
level for households in the United States. Philadelphia-area households allocated their dollars similarly to the
nation in 6 of the 8 largest major components. Two of the largest components in the local area differed
significantly from their respective U.S. averages. For example, the share of expenditures for transportation,
which accounted for 13.5 percent of the average household’s budget in the Philadelphia area, was lower than
the national average of 16.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)
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Highlights of the Philadelphia area’s 2019-20 spending patterns:
Housing: This was the largest expenditure component for Philadelphia-area households and averaged
$25,884. Housing accounted for 35.6 percent of the area’s household budget, not significantly different
from the 33.8-percent U.S. average. Housing expenditure shares among the 22 published metropolitan
areas nationwide for which data were available ranged from 39.1 percent in New York to 31.8 percent in
St. Louis. (See table 2.)
Transportation: Philadelphia-area households spent 13.5 percent of their budget on transportation,
significantly lower than the national average of 16.5 percent. Of the $9,823 in annual transportation
expenditures in Philadelphia, 92.7 percent was spent buying and maintaining private vehicles; this
compared to the national average of 94.9 percent.
Personal insurance and pensions: Philad