Attachment J - Information Portfolio

Understanding How Americans
Spend Their Money

Housing Apparel Transportation Healthcare Entertainment Food
Transportation Healthcare Entertainment Food Housing Apparel Healthcare

Housing Transportation Healthcare Entertainment Food Apparel
Entertainment Food Housing Apparel Transportation Healthcare Entertainmen

U.S. Department of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov

CE

About
the U.S.
Census
Bureau

Consumer
Expenditure
Surveys

Our data provide information on—
Population
Transportation

Internet Sites:
Census Bureau
www.census.gov
Bureau of Labor Statistics, CE Survey
www.bls.gov/cex
www.bls.gov/respondents/cex

Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

Industry
Income

Housing
Health

Construction
Agriculture

Field Representative Name

Phone Number

U.S. Department of Commerce

Our nation is constantly changing, and Americans change with it. We grow in number,
we move, and we develop new patterns of living and working. The Census Bureau
measures these changes. Policy makers use this information to make decisions that
affect our future.

About
this
Survey

We are conducting this survey to get a picture of how Americans spend their money
and how the percentages devoted to different spending categories change over time.
With Consumer Expenditure (CE) data, users can:
· Understand changes in housing costs as a percentage of the average American
household’s income.
· Compare transportation costs for young, middle-aged, and older households.
· Understand changes in health insurance costs for the average American household.

CE-100 01/2013

The CE data are also used to update the “market basket” of goods and services for the
Consumer Price Index (CPI).