March 28, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
Consumer expenditures rise modestly in 1998
Consumer units
spent $35,535 on average in 1998, an increase of 2.1 percent over the
previous year.
[Chart data—TXT]
The 1998 increase was more moderate than either the 3.0-percent
increase in 1997 or the 4.8-percent increase in 1998. The change in
expenditures was slightly larger than the 1.6 percent annual average rise
in general price levels over this period as measured by the Consumer Price
Index.
Changes in the major components of spending varied in 1998.
Expenditures on personal insurance and pensions rose 4.9 percent, while
housing expenditures increased 3.9 percent and health care expenditures
were up 3.4 percent. Transportation expenditures moved up 2.5 percent and
food expenditures rose by just 0.2 percent. Spending on entertainment and
apparel decreased in 1998, by 3.7 percent and 3.2 percent,
respectively.
These data come from the Consumer Expenditure
Survey. Find out more in "Consumer Expenditures in 1998,"
BLS Report 940.
Of interest
Spotlight on Statistics: National Hispanic Heritage Month
In this Spotlight, we take a look at the Hispanic labor force—including labor force participation, employment and unemployment, educational attainment, geographic location, country of birth, earnings, consumer expenditures, time use, workplace injuries, and employment projections.
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Read more »
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