US household transportation spending by type: $5,023 (largest: vehicle purchases, per household a year). The largest item is vehicle purchases at $5,023 a household a year (37.2% of this group), followed by other vehicle expenses ($4,765).
Data last updated · Period: 2025
Understanding the chart
The bar chart above shows US household transportation 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: Vehicle purchases at $5,023; Other vehicle expenses at $4,765; Gasoline and other fuels at $2,503; Public and other transportation at $1,199. 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
- Vehicle purchases accounts for 37.2% of the total shown ($5,023).
- Other vehicle expenses accounts for 35.3% of the total shown ($4,765).
- Gasoline and other fuels accounts for 18.6% of the total shown ($2,503).
- Public and other transportation accounts for 8.9% of the total shown ($1,199).
- The largest item is 4.2 times the smallest (Public and other transportation).
Analysis
Vehicle purchases ($5,023) is 5% higher than Other vehicle expenses ($4,765), a difference of $258. Vehicle purchases ($5,023) is 2.0 times Gasoline and other fuels ($2,503), a difference of $2,520. Vehicle purchases ($5,023) is 4.2 times Public and other transportation ($1,199), a difference of $3,824. Across the 4 bars, the highest is Vehicle purchases and the lowest is Public and other transportation.
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
- Average annual spending of US households, 2021–2025: $81,905 (per household a year, 2025). US households spent an average of $81,905 a year on goods and services in 2025, up 4.3% from $78,527 in 2024.
- US household spending and income by income level, 2025: $159,512 (spending a year, highest-income fifth). The highest-income fifth of US households spent $159,512 in 2025, 4.2 times the lowest fifth ($37,935).
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 transportation spending by type?
$5,023 (largest: vehicle purchases, per household a year). The largest item is vehicle purchases at $5,023 a household a year (37.2% of this group), followed by other vehicle expenses ($4,765).
How does United States compare?
Vehicle purchases accounts for 37.2% of the total shown ($5,023). Other vehicle expenses accounts for 35.3% of the total shown ($4,765).
Where does this data come from?
From U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditures—2025 (news release USDL-26-1619, 29 October 2026), tables 1 to 3; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer expenditures in 2024 (BLS Report 1119, August 2026), tables 1 and 2, covering 2025. BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2025 averages for all households. Because of the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations, the Census Bureau could not collect the survey in October and November 2025; BLS adjusted the survey weights to account for the missing months.
How this page was made
Generated by Advanton from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditures—2025 (2025), data updated 10 November 2026: chart, ranks, comparisons and text are computed from the published figures; no figures are changed. Our methodology.
Data
| Category | Average spending per household ($ a year) |
|---|---|
| Vehicle purchases | $5,023 |
| Other vehicle expenses | $4,765 |
| Gasoline and other fuels | $2,503 |
| Public and other transportation | $1,199 |
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.
BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2025 averages for all households. 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
- Average annual spending of US households, 2021–2025
- US household spending and income by income level, 2025
- US household spending on food at home (groceries), 2021–2025
- US household spending on food away from home (restaurants and takeout), 2021–2025
- US household spending on tobacco products and smoking supplies, 2021–2025
- Where US household money goes: spending by category, 2025
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