November 04, 2003 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Travel expenditures by age

Trip takers aged 65 and older had the highest average annual travel expenditures of any of the age groups in 2000 ($1,025).

Average annual travel expenditures by age, consumers reporting one or more trips, 2000
[Chart data—TXT]

The 65-and-older group of travelers, consisting mainly of retirees, spent an average of 4 percent of its total average annual expenditures on trips and vacations, about twice the share spent by travelers in most of the other age groups.

However, those aged 65 and older were the least likely to report taking a trip in 2000, even though those that did had the highest average expenditures. Twenty-seven percent of households in that group took a trip, compared with 34 percent of all households. The highest percentage of trip takers was posted by the group aged 45 to 55, with 38 percent reporting a trip.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey is the source of these data. Find out more in Consumer Expenditure Survey Anthology, 2003 (PDF 2.7 MB). Age refers to the age of the reference person, the first person mentioned by the survey respondent when asked to "Start with the name of the person or one of the persons who owns or rents the home." Note that business-related travel expenditures for which an individual receives reimbursement are not included.

 

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