US households spent an average of $81,905 in 2025, which is 4.3% more than the previous year, and housing once again accounted for the largest budget burden, with nearly $28,000 per year.
The data appears in the 2025 Consumer Expenditure Survey, published this Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The report analyzes the expenses of the country's consumption units and allows for the identification of how much money they allocated, on average, to housing, food, transportation, and other necessities.
Total spending rose from the $78,527 recorded for 2024 to $81,905 in 2025, a difference of $3,378 per year.
In monthly terms, the average expenditure for 2025 is approximately 6,825 dollars.
However, this amount does not represent what a family necessarily needs to live in the United States, but rather the statistical average of the expenses observed among the surveyed households.
The housing accounted for most of the budget, with 27,790 dollars annually, equivalent to 33.9% of the total expenditure. This figure represents an increase of 5.8% compared to 2024, when the average was 26,266 dollars.
The category of housing is broader than just rent or a mortgage. It includes accommodation expenses, utilities such as electricity and water, home maintenance, household supplies, furniture, and equipment.
Within that section, housing expenses amounted to $17,626 annually, an 8% increase compared to 2024. Meanwhile, utilities, fuel, and other housing-related services totaled $4,931.
The transportation ranked second among the main spending categories, with $13,492 annually, accounting for 16.5% of the budget.
This concept includes the purchase of vehicles, fuels, expenses related to their use and maintenance, and public transportation, among other services.
The average allocated for vehicle purchase was $5,023, while gasoline and other fuels accounted for $2,503. Other vehicle expenses totaled $4,765, and public transport and other modes reached $1,199.
The food expenses accounted for another 10,633 dollars per year, 13% of the total expenditure, with a 4.6% increase compared to the 10,169 dollars recorded in 2024.
Of that amount, $6,491 was spent on food purchased for home consumption, while $4,142 was allocated to meals outside the home, including restaurants and other establishments.
Among food products, the BLS highlighted an 11.7% increase in the average spending on meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, one of the changes that contributed to the general growth in the food budget.
The combination of housing, transportation, and food totaled 51,915 dollars annually, accounting for approximately 63.4% of all average expenses reported by the survey.
In addition to those three categories, households allocated an average of $10,175 to personal insurance and pensions, $6,470 to healthcare, and $4,084 to entertainment.
The expenses for education amounted to $1,583, while clothing and related services accounted for another $2,010 during the year.
As an independent reference, the BLS indicated that the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose by 2.6% between the annual averages of 2024 and 2025.
The report also shows that the average annual income before taxes increased by 6.4%, reaching $110,847 in 2025, compared to $104,207 in 2024.
The economic differences between households are also substantial. According to the study, the consumption units in the lowest 20% of income spent an average of $37,935 a year, while those in the highest 20% reported expenses of $159,512.
This distance illustrates why the national average should be used as a general reference and not as an estimate of how much a specific family necessarily spends.
For Cuban residents in the United States, the figures can serve as a point of comparison when reviewing their budgets for rent, food, transportation, and other everyday expenses.
The survey uses the concept of consumption unit, which can refer to a person living alone, a family, or several people who share important decisions and expenses; therefore, its results should not be interpreted as the budget of a family of a fixed size.
The BLS also warned of a methodological limitation related to the federal government shutdown of 2025. Due to the interruption of funds, the Census Bureau was unable to collect data from this survey during October and November of that year.
The collection resumed on December 5, 2025, and the BLS made adjustments to the statistical weights to compensate for the absence of data from those two months.
The results are part of a national study on consumption patterns and do not constitute an update on household expenditures for October 2026.
The new report complements other indicators regarding the financial situation of American families.
On October 10th, a study by the Federal Reserve revealed that the proportion of families in the United States allocating more than 40% of their income to debt payments has increased.
According to that research, the proportion increased from 6.5% in 2022 to 8.6% in 2025.
Related videos:
Filed under: