Consumer Expenditures for the Philadelphia …

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Area percent Metropolitan Area average household www bls gov Philadelphia expenditure
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: Philadelphia-area households spent 13.0 percent ($9,477) of their 
annual budget on personal insurance and pensions, the third-largest expenditure component for the 
area’s households. The portion a local-area household’s budget spent on personal insurance and pensions 
was significantly above the national average of 11.6 percent.
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• Food: The portion of a Philadelphia household’s budget spent on food, 11.7 percent, was not 
significantly different from the 12.5-percent U.S. average. Philadelphia-area households spent $5,191, 
or 61.1 percent, of their food dollars on food at home and $3,297 (38.8 percent) on food away from 
home. In comparison, the average U.S. household spent 61.9 percent of its food budget on food at home 
and 38.1 percent on food away from home.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on 2019-2020 Consumer Expenditure Surveys 
Data for Metropolitan Statistical Areas
Data presented in this release reflect data collected both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due 
to the pandemic, data collection by personal visit for the CE program was suspended March 19, 2020. 
Instead, data were collected either online or by phone. Data collected in 2019 and prior to March 19, 
2020, were conducted by personal visit. More information about the impact of the pandemic on CE data 
is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-and-response-on-the-consumer- 
expenditure-surveys.htm.
Technical Note
Data in this release are from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE), which the U.S. Census Bureau conducts 
for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data in this release were averaged over a 2-year period, 2019 and 
2020.
A household in the CE survey is defined as a consumer unit which includes families, single persons living 
alone or sharing a household with others but who are financially independent, or two or more persons living 
together who share expenses. The terms household or consumer unit are used interchangeably for 
convenience.
Differences in spending among metropolitan areas may reflect differences in the cost of living, but they also 
may reflect other causes. Spending differences may result from different consumer preferences or variations in 
demographic characteristics, such as household size, age, or income levels. However, expenditure shares, or 
the percentage of a household’s budget spent on a particular component, can be used to compare spending 
patterns across areas. Sample sizes for the metropolitan areas are much smaller than for the nation, so the U.S. 
estimates and year-to-year changes are more reliable than those for the metropolitan areas. Users should also 
keep in mind that prices for many goods and services have changed since the survey was conducted.
A value that is statistically different from another does not necessarily mean that the difference has economic 
or practical significance. Statistical significance is concerned with our ability to make confident statements 
about a universe based on a sample. A large difference between two values may not be statistically significant, 
while a small difference could be significant; both the sample size and the variation among the values in the 
sample affect the relative error of the estimates.
For additional technical and related information, see https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cex/home.htm. Data for 
the nation, the four geographic regions of the United States, and 22 metropolitan areas nationwide are 
available at www.bls.gov/cex/tables.htm. Metropolitan definitions used in the survey are available at 
www.bls.gov/cex/ce_msa_201516.htm. The metropolitan area discussed in this release is the Philadelphia- 
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Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metropolitan Statistical Area which includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, 
Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties in Pennsylvania; Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Salem 
Counties in New Jersey; New Castle County in Delaware; and Cecil County in Maryland. Metropolitan area 
news releases for the Consumer Expenditure Survey are available at https://www.bls.gov/regions/subjects/ 
consumer-spending.htm.
Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice 
phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.
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Note: An asterisk (*) represents a statistically significant difference from the U.S. average at the 95-percent confidence level.
Table 1. Average annual expenditures, characteristics, and percent distributions, United States and 
Philadelphia metropolitan area, 2019–20
Category
United  
States
Philadelphia
Consumer unit characteristics:
Income before taxes..................................................................................
 $83,599
 $106,767
Age of reference person............................................................................
 51.9
 53.3
Average number in consumer unit:
People ...................................................................................................
 2.5
 2.5
Children under 18..................................................................................
 0.6
 0.6
Adults 65 and over ................................................................................
 0.4
 0.4
Earners..................................................................................................
 1.3
 1.4
Vehicles .................................................................................................
 1.9
 1.6
Percent homeowner ..................................................................................
 65
 69
Average annual expenditures.......................................................................
 $62,188
 $72,726*
Percent distribution
Total ...........................................................................................................
 100.0
 100.0
Food ......................................................................................................
 12.5
 11.7
Alcoholic beverages ..............................................................................
 0.9
 1.1
Housing .................................................................................................
 33.8
 35.6
Apparel and services.............................................................................
 2.7
 3.3
Transportation .......................................................................................
 16.5
 13.5*
Healthcare .............................................................................................
 8.3
 7.7
Entertainment ........................................................................................
 4.9
 4.2
Personal care products and services ....................................................
 1.2
 1.4
Reading .................................................................................................
 0.2
 0.2
Education ..............................................................................................
 2.2
 3.3
Tobacco products and smoking supplies...............................................
 0.5
 0.4
Miscellaneous........................................................................................
 1.5
 1.9
Cash contributions.................................................................................
 3.4
 2.6
Personal insurance and pensions .........................................................
 11.6
 13.0*
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Note: An asterisk (*) represents a statistically significant difference from the U.S. average at the 95-percent confidence level.
Table 2. Percent share of average annual expenditures for housing, transportation, and food, United States and 
22 metropolitan areas, 2019–20 
Area
Housing
Transportation
Food
United States.............................................................................................................................................
 33.8
 16.5
 12.5
Anchorage .............................................................................................................................................
 33.5
 14.4*
 14.1*
Atlanta ...................................................................................................................................................
 35.7
 13.9*
 15.0*
Baltimore ...............................................................................................................................................
 34.0
 16.2
 10.6*
Boston ...................................................................................................................................................
 33.8
 12.2*
 11.9
Chicago .................................................................................................................................................
 37.6*
 14.0
 13.8*
Dallas-Fort Worth ..................................................................................................................................
 37.4*
 15.6
 10.0*
Denver...................................................................................................................................................
 34.3
 16.8
 10.3*
Detroit ....................................................................................................................................................
 32.0*
 17.2
 12.2
Honolulu ................................................................................................................................................
 38.7*
 13.5*
 16.3*
Houston .................................................................................................................................................
 33.1
 16.1
 10.5*
Los Angeles...........................................................................................................................................
 37.8*
 15.7
 13.1
Miami.....................................................................................................................................................
 38.4*
 18.3
 11.6
Minneapolis-St. Paul .............................................................................................................................
 32.2
 14.5
 11.2*
New York ...............................................................................................................................................
 39.1*
 12.4*
 12.9
Philadelphia...........................................................................................................................................
 35.6
 13.5*
 11.7
Phoenix .................................................................................................................................................
 33.8
 20.5
 10.8*
San Diego..............................................................................................................................................
 37.2*
 13.6*
 13.3
San Francisco .......................................................................................................................................
 37.6*
 12.1*
 12.5
Seattle ...................................................................................................................................................
 36.7*
 13.2*
 12.1
St. Louis ................................................................................................................................................
 31.8*
 14.5
 11.5
Tampa....................................................................................................................................................
 34.0
 18.4
 14.1*
Washington, DC ....................................................................................................................................
 37.7*
 12.3*
 11.4*