US household healthcare spending by type: $4,310 (health insurance, per household a year). Health insurance takes $4,310 of the $6,470 an average US household spends on healthcare a year (66.6%), ahead of medical services ($1,260) and drugs ($672).
Data last updated · Period: 2025
Understanding the chart
The bar chart above shows US household healthcare spending by type, with one bar for each of the 4 figures. Each bar is labelled with its exact value, and values are average spending per household, in $ a year. The longest bar is the highest. The bars are, in order: Health insurance at $4,310; Medical services at $1,260; Drugs at $672; Medical supplies at $228. The data table below the chart lists every value, and you can download the data, embed the chart or share it from the buttons above. The figures cover 2025 and come from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditures—2025 (news release USDL-26-1619, 29 October 2026), tables 1 to 3; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer expenditures in 2024 (BLS Report 1119, August 2026), tables 1 and 2.
Key insights
- Health insurance accounts for 66.6% of the total shown ($4,310).
- Medical services accounts for 19.5% of the total shown ($1,260).
- Drugs accounts for 10.4% of the total shown ($672).
- Medical supplies accounts for 3.5% of the total shown ($228).
- The largest item is 18.9 times the smallest (Medical supplies).
Analysis
Health insurance ($4,310) is 3.4 times Medical services ($1,260), a difference of $3,050. Health insurance ($4,310) is 6.4 times Drugs ($672), a difference of $3,638. Health insurance ($4,310) is 18.9 times Medical supplies ($228), a difference of $4,082. Across the 4 bars, the highest is Health insurance and the lowest is Medical supplies.
What it means
For businesses, average household spending sets the size of the prize: multiplied by the number of households in a town or region, it gives a first estimate of the local market. Spending that is growing faster than prices points to rising demand, while spending that lags inflation means customers are buying less in real terms and competing businesses fight harder for each dollar. Higher-income households spend far more in absolute terms, so who your customers are matters as much as the national average.
Related figures
- US household spending on healthcare, 2021–2025: $6,470 (per household a year, 2025). US households spent an average of $6,470 a year on healthcare in 2025, up 4.4% from $6,197 in 2024, 7.9% of all household spending.
- Where US household money goes: spending by category, 2025: $27,790 (largest: housing, per household a year). The largest item is housing at $27,790 a household a year (33.9% of this group), followed by transportation ($13,492).
About this statistic
These figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE), the main official source on what American households buy. It combines two surveys run by the Census Bureau for BLS: a quarterly interview survey of large and regular purchases and a two-week diary of small, frequent purchases. Results are averages per consumer unit, which is close to a household: about 138 million in 2025, with 2.4 people on average.
Spending is out of pocket, so it excludes things paid for by employers or government, such as employer health premiums. Because of the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations, the survey could not be collected in October and November 2025, and BLS adjusted the survey weights to cover the gap. Year-to-year changes in small categories can reflect sampling, which is why BLS tests them for statistical significance.
Questions and answers
What is the uS household healthcare spending by type?
$4,310 (health insurance, per household a year). Health insurance takes $4,310 of the $6,470 an average US household spends on healthcare a year (66.6%), ahead of medical services ($1,260) and drugs ($672).
How does United States compare?
Health insurance accounts for 66.6% of the total shown ($4,310). Medical services accounts for 19.5% of the total shown ($1,260).
Where does this data come from?
From U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditures—2025 (news release USDL-26-1619, 29 October 2026), tables 1 to 3; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer expenditures in 2024 (BLS Report 1119, August 2026), tables 1 and 2, covering 2025. Out-of-pocket spending by households, including premiums they pay; employer-paid premiums are not included. Because of the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations, the Census Bureau could not collect the survey in October and November 2025; BLS adjusted the survey weights to account for the missing months.
How this page was made
Generated by Advanton from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditures—2025 (2025), data updated 10 November 2026: chart, ranks, comparisons and text are computed from the published figures; no figures are changed. Our methodology.
Data
| Type | Average spending per household ($ a year) |
|---|---|
| Health insurance | $4,310 |
| Medical services | $1,260 |
| Drugs | $672 |
| Medical supplies | $228 |
Source and notes
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditures—2025 (news release USDL-26-1619, 29 October 2026), tables 1 to 3; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer expenditures in 2024 (BLS Report 1119, August 2026), tables 1 and 2. Period: 2025. Coverage: United States.
Out-of-pocket spending by households, including premiums they pay; employer-paid premiums are not included. Because of the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations, the Census Bureau could not collect the survey in October and November 2025; BLS adjusted the survey weights to account for the missing months.
Cite this statistic
Formats, embedding and reuse: how to cite Advanton.
Please also credit the original source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditures—2025 (news release USDL-26-1619, 29 October 2026), tables 1 to 3; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer expenditures in 2024 (BLS Report 1119, August 2026), tables 1 and 2.Related statistics
- US household spending on healthcare, 2021–2025
- Where US household money goes: spending by category, 2025
- US household spending on housekeeping supplies, 2021–2025
- US household spending on tobacco products and smoking supplies, 2021–2025
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