In May 2020, the American Association for Public Opinion Research recognized the CE program with its 2020 Policy Impact Award, for joint work by the BLS -- including CE and the Division of Price and Index Number Research -- and the Census Bureau on the Supplemental Poverty thresholds and measure, and the essential contributions these data products have made to the understanding, discussion, and advancement of public policy related to the alleviation of poverty in the United States.
To be considered financially independent, the respondent must provide at least two of the three major expenditure categories, either entirely or in part.
The Consumer Expenditure Survey is designed to be representative of the entire U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population, and includes both urban and rural areas.
The primary sampling frame is the Census Bureau’s Master Address File (MAF).
[4] According to a BLS news release on September 9, 2020, average annual expenditures for all consumer units in 2019 were $63,036, a 3.0-percent increase from 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
One important use of the survey is for the periodic revision of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Working with the U.S. Census Bureau, Consumer Expenditure Survey data are used to calculate thresholds for the Supplemental Poverty Measure.
The US Department of Agriculture uses Consumer Expenditure information in estimating the cost of raising children.
Researchers use the data in a variety of studies, including those that focus on the spending behavior of different family types, trends in expenditures on various expenditure components including new types of goods and services, gift-giving behavior, consumption studies, and historical spending trends.
Both the Diary and Interview Surveys utilize a representative sample to measure the buying habits of American consumers.
The Consumer Expenditure Surveys Division also hosts a free research symposium and summer microdata users' workshop at BLS headquarters in Washington, DC.