Attachment M(b) - Spending on Pets

Spending on Pets

“Tails” from the Consumer Expenditure Survey
Average Annual Expenditures
Per Household
$867
$637
$444

$413
$181

Toys, hobbies, Fresh
and playground fruits
equipment

Footwear

Alcoholic
beverages

Pets

In 2023, pet owners aged 55–64 had the
highest average pet expenditures of any
age group.

Average Annual Pet Expenditures
by Age
$958

$949

$1,041

American pet owners spare no expense
when it comes to their pets—they spent
an average of $867 on their pets in 2023.
This was more than the average amount
spent on toys, fresh fruit, footwear, and
alcohol.

The more educated pet owners are,
the more they spent on their pets.

Average Annual Pet Expenditures
by Education
$1057

$956

$751

25–34
years

$677

$735

35–44
years

45–54
years

Form No. CE-200(c)(2026)

55–64
years

65–74
years

$512

$523

75 years
and over

High school
diploma

High school
graduate with
some college

Associate's
degree

Bachelor's
degree

Source: 2023 Consumer Expenditure Survey

Bureau of Labor Statistics
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

bls.gov/cex

What is the survey about?
•

The Consumer Expenditure (CE) Survey
is a national survey conducted by the
U.S. Census Bureau and sponsored
by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS).

How is the survey data used?
• The data that you provide will be
used by policymakers, researchers,
and federal and state governments to
ensure policies and programs consider
the experiences of people like you.

• The CE Survey collects information on
annual spending for housing, groceries,
health care, transportation, and many
other expenses.

• The CE Survey data are used to aid in
calculating the Consumer Price Index
(CPI).

CE Survey data are used to
determine poverty thresholds for
the U.S. government’s Supplemental
Poverty Measure.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid
Services uses CE Survey data to estimate
spending on health care and
out-of-pocket expenses for hospital care.

What is the CPI and why is it
important?
The CPI is the nation’s measure of
inflation of the prices paid by consumers
for a representative basket of goods and
services.
The CPI and its components are also
used to calculate the change in prices
or value in other sets of historic
economic data to estimate what certain
things may cost across different time
periods. For example, how much would
a $0.60 movie ticket in the 1950's cost
today?
• The CPI is also used as a measure of
purchasing power—or the value of
today's dollar compared to what it
could purchase in previous years.
• The President, Congress, and the
Federal Reserve Board use trends in
the CPI to aid in addressing inflation
through policy.

The CPI affects nearly all Americans
because of the many ways it is used:
- Social Security benefits and
pensions.
- Wages and income tax brackets.
- Insurance and veteran assistance
benefits.
Some of the people most affected by
CPI changes are:
- Over 67 million Social Security
beneficiaries.
- Over 41 million Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program
(SNAP) recipients.
- Over 65 million Medicare recipients.
- About 84 million Medicaid
recipients.
- More than 8 million union workers
are affected by cost-of-living
clauses.