May 28, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Elderly spend greatest share on housing

Households headed by someone 75 or older spent a higher share of their expenditures on housing than any other age group in 1999.

Housing expenditure shares, by age, 1999
[Chart data—TXT]

The 75-and-older group spent 35.9 percent of expenditures on housing, compared with 32.6 percent for all households. The 25-to-34 age group allocated the second largest share of expenditures to housing—34.6 percent. 

Those under age 25 allocated the smallest share for housing, at 30.3 percent of annual expenditures. Households headed by a person aged 55 to 64 spent 30.7 percent of their budget on housing.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey is the source of these data. Find out more in Housing Expenditures (PDF 132K), Issues in Labor Statistics, BLS Summary 02-02.

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