Consumer Expenditures for the Los Angeles Area — 2023-24

Households in the Los Angeles, CA, metropolitan area spent an average of $90,594 per year in 2023-24, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that food, housing, and transportation expenditures together accounted for 65.7 percent of the area's household budget. (See chart 1 and table 1.) Nationally, these three components accounted for 63.2 percent of household spending.

Average expenditures among the 22 published metropolitan areas nationwide ranged from $117,578 in San Francisco to $64,027 in Miami. Nationally, the average annual household expenditure was $77,907.

• Housing: This was the largest expenditure component for Los Angeles-area households and averaged $33,126. Housing accounted for 36.6 percent of the area's household budget, compared to the 33.2-percent U.S. average. Among the 22 metropolitan areas, housing expenditure shares ranged from 40.0 percent in Miami to 29.1 percent in St. Louis. (See table 2.)

• Transportation: Los Angeles-area households spent 16.0 percent of their budget on transportation. The national average was 17.0 percent. Of the $14,497 in annual transportation expenditures in Los Angeles, 90.4 percent was spent buying and maintaining private vehicles; this compared to the national average of 91.6 percent.

• Food: The portion of a Los Angeles household's budget spent on food was 13.1 percent, compared to the 12.9-percent U.S. average. Los Angeles-area households spent $6,546, or 55.2 percent, of their food dollars on food at home and $5,312 (44.8 percent) on food away from home. In comparison, the average U.S. household spent 60.9 percent of its food budget on food at home and 39.1 percent on food away from home.

Data in this release are from the Consumer Expenditure Surveys (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. Data for the nation, the four geographic regions of the United States, and 22 metropolitan areas nationwide are available via published tables. The CE provides a glossary of terms for reader convenience. Technical and related information are available in the Consumer Expenditures and Income Handbook of Methods.

The Los Angeles, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area comprises Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties in California. MSA definitions and details for areas referenced in this release are available online.

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.

Other metropolitan area news releases for the Consumer Expenditure Survey are available online.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.