Attachment J(b) Portfolio - CE Fact Sheet

FACTSHEET
CONSUMER EXPENDITURE SURVEY (CE)

Issued August 2010
CE-376 (08/10)

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

Examples of Users
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Business establishments
Private researchers
Market researchers
Colleges and universities
Local, state, and U.S. government
agencies

Uses of CE Data
The only Federal survey providing information on the full range of consumer
spending.
• Allows the Department of Defense to
determine cost-of-living allowances for
U.S. military personnel.
• Provides information to entrepreneurs
looking to start a business or allocate
resources.
• Provides business and consumer groups
with information to study consumer
demand on a variety of items.
• Allows researchers to study the demand
for goods and services and the shifts in
spending patterns over time.

CONTINUE ON REVERSE SIDE

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

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Contributes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
The CPI —
• Affects interest rates, wages, pensions,
Social Security benefits, dollar amount of
tax exemptions, income tax brackets, etc.
• Measures changes in the prices of consumer goods and services.
• Is the only measure compiled by the U.S.
government designed to assess change in
the purchasing power of consumer dollars.
Changes to the CPI items are based on information collected in the CE Survey.
• Adds new items as spending patterns
change, for example, personal digital
assistants (PDAs) and GPS navigational
systems.
• Deletes items that become unimportant,
e.g., record players and typewriters.
• Adjusts for changes in spending.
Used by the Department of Agriculture (USDA)
to estimate the cost of raising a child for
various categories like health care, education,
and transportation. Foster care and child support
payments are based on CE data.
Used by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid
Services to help estimate what Americans are
spending on health care and who's paying for
the care. The CE is one of the few sources
in government or private industry to provide
information on out-of-pocket health care
expenses.

USCENSUSBUREAU
Helping You Make Informed Decisions

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