An official website of the United States government
21-2056-SAN
Wednesday, December 01, 2021
Households in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA, metropolitan area spent an average of $91,728 per year in 2019–20, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Chris Rosenlund noted that this figure was significantly higher than the $62,188 average expenditure level for households in the United States. San Francisco-area households allocated their dollars similarly to the nation in 4 of the 8 largest major components. Four of the largest components in the local area differed significantly from their respective U.S. averages. For example, the share of expenditures for healthcare, which accounted for 6.2 percent of the average household’s budget in the San Francisco area, was significantly lower than the national average of 8.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)
Highlights of the San Francisco area’s 2019-20 spending patterns:Housing: This was the largest expenditure component for San Francisco-area households and averaged $34,460. Housing accounted for 37.6 percent of the area’s household budget, significantly higher than the 33.8-percent U.S. average. (See table 1.) Among the 22 metropolitan areas nationwide for which data were available, San Francisco was 1 of 10 areas to have a housing expenditure share significantly higher than the national average. Housing expenditures shares among the 22 published metropolitan areas nationwide ranged from 39.1 percent in New York to 31.8 percent in St. Louis. (See table 2.)
Transportation: San Francisco-area households spent 12.1 percent of their budget on transportation, significantly lower than the national average of 16.5 percent. Of the $11,139 in annual transportation expenditures in San Francisco, 86.2 percent was spent buying and maintaining private vehicles; this compared to the national average of 94.9 percent.
Food: The portion of a San Francisco household’s budget spent on food, 12.5 percent, was not significantly different from the 12.5-percent U.S. average. San Francisco-area households spent $6,702, or 58.6 percent, of their food dollars on food at home and $4,736 (41.4 percent) on food away from home. In comparison, the average U.S. household spent 61.9 percent of its food budget on food at home and 38.1 percent on food away from home.
Additional informationData in this release are from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE), which the U.S. Census Bureau conducts for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data in this release were averaged over a 2-year period, 2019 and 2020.
A household in the CE survey is defined as a consumer unit which includes families, single persons living alone or sharing a household with others but who are financially independent, or two or more persons living together who share expenses. The terms household or consumer unit are used interchangeably for convenience.
Differences in spending among metropolitan areas may reflect differences in the cost of living, but they also may reflect other causes. Spending differences may result from different consumer preferences or variations in demographic characteristics, such as household size, age, or income levels. However, expenditure shares, or the percentage of a household’s budget spent on a particular component, can be used to compare spending patterns across areas. Sample sizes for the metropolitan areas are much smaller than for the nation, so the U.S. estimates and year-to-year changes are more reliable than those for the metropolitan areas. Users should also keep in mind that prices for many goods and services have changed since the survey was conducted.
A value that is statistically different from another does not necessarily mean that the difference has economic or practical significance. Statistical significance is concerned with our ability to make confident statements about a universe based on a sample. A large difference between two values may not be statistically significant, while a small difference could be significant; both the sample size and the variation among the values in the sample affect the relative error of the estimates.
For additional technical and related information, see www.bls.gov/opub/hom/cex/home.htm. Data for the nation, the four geographic regions of the U.S., and 22 metropolitan areas nationwide are available at www.bls.gov/cex/tables.htm. Metropolitan definitions used in the survey are available at www.bls.gov/cex/ce_msa_201516.htm. The metropolitan area discussed in this release is the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area which comprises Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties in California. Metropolitan area news releases for the Consumer Expenditure Survey are available at www.bls.gov/regions/subjects/consumer-spending.htm.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 800-877-8339.
Data presented in this release reflect data collected both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, data collection by personal visit for the CE program was suspended March 19, 2020. Instead, data were collected either online or by phone. Data collected in 2019 and prior to March 19, 2020, were conducted by personal visit. More information about the impact of the pandemic on CE data is available at www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-pandemic-and-response-on-the-consumer-expenditure-surveys.htm.
Category | United States | San Francisco |
---|---|---|
Consumer unit characteristics: | ||
Income before taxes | $83,599 | $156,851 |
Age of reference person | 51.9 | 53.3 |
Average number in consumer unit: | ||
People | 2.5 | 2.4 |
Children under 18 | 0.6 | 0.4 |
Adults 65 and over | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Earners | 1.3 | 1.4 |
Vehicles | 1.9 | 1.7 |
Percent homeowner | 65 | 61 |
Average annual expenditures | $62,188 | $91,728* |
Percent distribution | ||
Total | 100.0 | 100.0 |
Food | 12.5 | 12.5 |
Alcoholic beverages | 0.9 | 1.1 |
Housing | 33.8 | 37.6* |
Apparel and services | 2.7 | 2.3 |
Transportation | 16.5 | 12.1* |
Healthcare | 8.3 | 6.2* |
Entertainment | 4.9 | 4.4 |
Personal care products and services | 1.2 | 1.1 |
Reading | 0.2 | 0.1 |
Education | 2.2 | 2.3 |
Tobacco products and smoking supplies | 0.5 | 0.1* |
Miscellaneous | 1.5 | 1.3 |
Cash contributions | 3.4 | 5.7 |
Personal insurance and pensions | 11.6 | 13.2* |
Note: An asterisk (*) represents a statistically significant difference from the U.S. average at the 95-percent confidence level. |
Area | Housing | Transportation | Food |
---|---|---|---|
United States | 33.8 | 16.5 | 12.5 |
Anchorage | 33.5 | 14.4* | 14.1* |
Atlanta | 35.7 | 13.9* | 15.0* |
Baltimore | 34.0 | 16.2 | 10.6* |
Boston | 33.8 | 12.2* | 11.9 |
Chicago | 37.6* | 14.0 | 13.8* |
Dallas-Fort Worth | 37.4* | 15.6 | 10.0* |
Denver | 34.3 | 16.8 | 10.3* |
Detroit | 32.0* | 17.2 | 12.2 |
Honolulu | 38.7* | 13.5* | 16.3* |
Houston | 33.1 | 16.1 | 10.5* |
Los Angeles | 37.8* | 15.7 | 13.1 |
Miami | 38.4* | 18.3 | 11.6 |
Minneapolis-St. Paul | 32.2 | 14.5 | 11.2* |
New York | 39.1* | 12.4* | 12.9 |
Philadelphia | 35.6 | 13.5* | 11.7 |
Phoenix | 33.8 | 20.5 | 10.8* |
San Diego | 37.2* | 13.6* | 13.3 |
San Francisco | 37.6* | 12.1* | 12.5 |
Seattle | 36.7* | 13.2* | 12.1 |
St. Louis | 31.8* | 14.5 | 11.5 |
Tampa | 34.0 | 18.4 | 14.1* |
Washington, DC | 37.7* | 12.3* | 11.4* |
Note: An asterisk (*) represents a statistically significant difference from the U.S. average at the 95-percent confidence level. |
Last Modified Date: Wednesday, December 01, 2021