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errata

On December 4, 2014, the percentage of total expenditures on gifts of goods and services for housing was incorrectly published as 18.6 percent within the data table associated with the chart. The correct value of 18.7 percent was published on December 8, 2014.  

Average annual expenditures on gifts of goods and services in 2013

December 04, 2014

In 2013, gifts of goods and services accounted for 2 percent of total consumer spending. Among these gifts, consumers spent the largest share on education (25 percent). Most education gifts were for college tuition.

Average annual expenditures of gifts on goods and services as a percentage of total, 2013
Item Percentage of total expenditures on gifts of goods and services

Food

7.3%

Alcoholic beverages

1.1

Housing

18.7

Other housing

10.4

Miscellaneous household equipment

3.8

Housekeeping supplies

2.4

Small appliances and miscellaneous housewares

1.3

Major appliances

0.5

Household textiles

0.4

Apparel and services

18.4

Females, 2 and over

7.1

Males, 2 and over

4.7

Children under 2

2.7

All other apparel products and services

2.6

Jewelry and watches

1.3

Transportation

9.2

Healthcare

3.2

Entertainment

8.3

Other entertainment

5.7

Toys, games, arts and crafts, and tricycles

2.5

Personal care products and services

1.3

Reading

0.4

Education

25.4

College tuition

20.5

All other education products and services

1.9

Elementary and high school tuition

1.9

School books, supplies, equipment for college

1.0

All other gifts

6.7

Nineteen percent of gift spending was for housing-related items in 2013. Among housing-related items, the largest share was for housing while attending school.

Eighteen percent of gift spending went toward apparel and services. Consumers spent 7 percent on apparel and services for women and girls age 2 and older, compared with 5 percent for men and boys age 2 and older.

These data come from the Consumer Expenditure Survey. To learn more, see "Consumer Expenditures — 2013" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-14-1671. 

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Average annual expenditures on gifts of goods and services in 2013 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2014/ted_20141204.htm (visited October 13, 2024).

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