TABLE 12 - TOTAL ANNUAL EXPENDITURES ALLOCATED TO HOUSING COSTS IN HOUSEHOLDS
HEADED BY PEOPLE AGE 65 AND OVER, BY INCOME LEVEL, SELECTED YEARS 1987-2002 |
Proportion of total expenditures spent on housing (percent) |
Average
expenditures on housing (in dollars) |
Average total expenditures (in dollars) |
Note:
For the purposes of this report, housing is defined as “basic housing”
(i.e., shelter and utilities). Shelter includes payments for
mortgage interest and charges; property taxes; maintenance, repairs, insurance, and
other expenses; rent;
rent as pay (reduced or free rent for a unit as a form of pay); and
maintenance, insurance, and other expenses for renters.
“Basic housing” is defined to include utilities because some
renters have these costs included in their rent; furthermore, they are a
cost that most consumer units incur to provide a tolerable living
environment, whether it
be for heating and cooling, cooking, or lighting. Levels/income fifths are
used to define five levels of income. In this analysis, the term
"household" is used in place of the term "consumer
unit." A consumer unit is used to describe members of a household
related by blood, marriage, adoption, or other legal arrangement; single
people who are living alone or sharing a household with others but who are
financially independent; or two or more people living together who share
responsibility for at least two of three major types of expenses (food,
housing, and other expenses). The income distribution was determined for
the subset of all consumer units in which the reference person was
age 65 or over. |
Reference population: These data refer to the civilian non-institutionalized
population. |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey. |