The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) program consists of two surveys, the Quarterly Interview Survey and the Diary Survey, that provide information on the buying habits of America's consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics. The survey data are collected for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The CE is important because it is the only Federal survey to provide information on the complete range of consumers' expenditures and incomes, as well as the characteristics of those consumers. It is used by economic policymakers examining the impact of policy changes on economic groups, by the Census Bureau as the source of thresholds for the Supplemental Poverty Measure, by businesses and academic researchers studying consumers' spending habits and trends, by other Federal agencies, and, perhaps most importantly, to regularly revise the Consumer Price Index market basket of goods and services and their relative importance.
The most recent data tables are for 2015, and were made available on August 30, 2016. See Featured CE Tables and Economic News Releases sections on the CE home page for current data tables and news release.
The 2015 public-use microdata is the most recent and was released on August 30, 2016.
Announcements
- NEW Household Health Care Spending: Comparing the Consumer Expenditure Survey and the National Health Expenditure Accounts (PDF) (years compared: 2011-2014)
- NEW What the Consumer Expenditure Survey tells us about mortgage instruments before and after the housing collapse (HTML) (PDF)
- NEW CE-CPS Comparison Tables covering comparable income from 2002 through 2014 are now available. (HTML)
- NEW CE-PCE Comparison Table covering comparable expenditures from 2008 through 2015 is now available. (XLSX)
CE is Coming to Your Town!
As part of ongoing outreach efforts, CE staff attend conferences outside the Washington, DC area when circumstances permit. You may be interested in attending their presentations, or in arranging for a CE staff member to visit your organization. To see a list of upcoming or past events, click on the links below.
Methods of Contact
Consumer Expenditure Survey program staff are available Monday through Friday to respond to inquiries.
Please use any of the methods below to contact the CE program. Inquiries should include your name, and phone
number, fax number, mailing address, or email address, along with a brief message.
Telephone
(202) 691-6900
Incoming calls are connected to the office's voice mail and answered promptly.
FAX
(202) 691-7006
Mail
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Consumer Expenditure Surveys — Branch of Information and Analysis
Postal Square Building, Room 3985
2 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E.
Washington, DC 20212-0001
E Mail
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