The Consumer Expenditure Surveys (CE) program provides data on expenditures, income, and demographic characteristics of consumers in the United States. The CE program provides these data in tables, databases, news releases, reports, and public-use microdata files.
CE data are collected by the Census Bureau for BLS in two surveys, the Interview Survey for major and/or recurring items and the Diary Survey for more minor or frequently purchased items. CE data are primarily used to revise the relative importance of goods and services in the market basket of the Consumer Price Index. Researchers and government agencies also use CE data to study consumers' spending habits and trends. Here is an overview of the CE program and its methods.
To be notified when new datasets become available, sign up for CE updates. The menu will prompt you to select Consumer Expenditures. If you have comments or questions about this page and its contents, contact us .
Announcements
- NEW Registration for the annual Consumer Expenditure Survey sponsored Survey Methods Symposium and Consumer Expenditure Survey Microdata Users' Workshop is now open. https://www.bls.gov/cex/csxannualworkshop.htm.
- NEW From March 2-4, 2017, a senior economist with the CE program will present information about, and research from, the Interview and Diary Surveys at two events in Stillwater, OK: A campus visit to the Oklahoma State University (OSU); and an invited session for the conference of the Central Federation of the Council on Hospitality, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (CF CHRIE). For more information, see https://www.bls.gov/cex/ceconferences.htm#south.
- NEW What the Consumer Expenditure Survey tells us about mortgage instruments before and after the housing collapse (HTML) (PDF)
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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