Consumer Expenditures in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area — 2023–24

Households in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, metropolitan area spent an average of $92,234 per year in 2023-24, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that food, housing, and food transportation together accounted for 61.7 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.

Highlights of the Philadelphia area's 2023-24 spending patterns:

• Housing: This was the largest expenditure component for Philadelphia-area households and averaged $31,836. Housing accounted for 34.5 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: Philadelphia-area households spent 14.1 percent of their budget on transportation. The national average was 17.0 percent. Of the $13,017 in annual transportation expenditures in Philadelphia, 86.1 percent was spent buying and maintaining private vehicles; this compared to the national average of 91.6 percent.

• Food: The portion of a Philadelphia household's budget spent on food was 13.1 percent, compared to the 12.9-percent U.S. average. Philadelphia-area households spent $7,044, or 58.3 percent, of their food dollars on food at home and $5,032 (41.7 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.

• Personal insurance and pensions: Philadelphia households spent on average $13,233, or 14.3 percent, of their budget on personal insurance and pensions. The U.S. average was $9,677, or 12.4 percent. Among the 22 metropolitan areas, personal insurance and pensions expenditure shares ranged from 15.4 percent in San Francisco to 10.4 percent in Phoenix.

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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metropolitan Statistical Area comprises 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. 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.