Visual for How the Average Consumer Spends the Paycheck

[Green Tea]

http://www.visualeconomics.com/how-the-average-us-consumer-spends-their-paycheck/

 

[ajk912]

34% in housing. Wow. I am jealous. No way could we be in a decent school district for that.

 

[HLDisney]

Actually, my housing costs are less than 25% of take-home pay and we live in a decent school district in NYC. But then it's just my DD and I in a one bedroom co-op apt (but we're not cramped or anything)

I find it interesting that not a single dollar goes to savings.....

Helen

 

[Juliet25]

Where's child care?

That's easily 15-20% of our income and I doubt my family's unique.

 

[Green Tea]

I would say housing is much less than that % but I've honestly forgotten how to calculate the percentage since I've been out of school "a few" years.

The savings is probably the difference between the spending and the gross. and included in the SS/pensions area. And childcare-interesting! I don't see anything but Education and that is so low it surely can't include that.

 

[hopemax]

The housing category accounts for more than just the mortgage/rent. That is probably more equal to the "shelter" portion of the housing which is 20.2% The other parts of housing are utilities, furnishings, supplies, etc. Which brings it up to 34% total.

Savings I think is represented by "Cash Contributions" 3.7%. Also, I wonder if 401K, retirement savings are included in the "pension/Social Security" breakdown.

I question the amount spent on Health care. Although, if I consider how many people don't have health care and thus spend no money on it, plus the people that are lucky enough to be fully covered, it could bring the average down. $200 a month premiums are not uncommon for a lot of people, so that would get you up to the number listed pretty quickly, not even counting co-pays, prescriptions, OOP costs because you've hit your max in dental benefits, etc.

 

[allyphoe]

34% in housing. Wow.

And that number includes utilities, maintenance, supplies, etc. Just the "roof over your head" piece is 20.2%. Which averages together people who rent / own with a mortgage / own outright, so for people renting or paying a mortgage, that's way low, and for people who have no mortgage, it's way high.

 

[Disneefun]

Does anyone else find it disconcerting that they refer to a family as a "consumer unit?" I guess that's all we truly are these days. Not people, but consumer units. And we wonder why the economy is so out of whack.

 

[Green Tea]

I have more in my consumer unit than the graphic.

Healthcare- I spend a lot more. Their yearly expenses for education wouldn't cover a month. But, a year ago I suppose education expenses would have been zero so I guess it all averages out. Housing I calculated to be between 2% and 3%, but that is just for the dwelling. Less on tobacco, and more, I feel sure on miscellaneous. I have a lot of miscellaneous. In fact, I love miscellaneouses. I buy them all the time

 

[MrsJD]

This chart doesn't even slightly resemble my families expenses. But then again, I've always known we were not the American Norm when it comes to this department. But I did find it interesting.

 

[jt'smom]

i find the amount for healthcare expenditures ridiculously low. my husband's group coverage with bc/bs through his company costs us $416.50 per pay period (twice a month) for a total of $9996 a year!!! and that's just the premiums, never mind the $40 copays for dr visits or $35 copays for prescrips (generic) when we have to get them. it's ppo coverage and we have a $1500 yearly family deductible. basically we pay $10,000 bucks a year for health insurance we really can't afford to use! i can't believe that we are that different. wow sorry for the rant, obviously you can tell it's a sore subject for me

 

[locolala]

I find some of them to be kind of funny, like 118 bucks on reading. DH and I can spend that much in one trip to the bookstore! Our healthcare is completely free (military) so that's off for us. The housing costs are about what we pay though, our mortgage is 1k a month, and utilities aren't that bad here.

 

[Handbag Lady]

And that number includes utilities, maintenance, supplies, etc. Just the "roof over your head" piece is 20.2%. Which averages together people who rent / own with a mortgage / own outright, so for people renting or paying a mortgage, that's way low, and for people who have no mortgage, it's way high.

My rent, which is standard for our area, is a WHOLE lot more than the average American mortgage payment.

Our budget looks nothing like this chart.

 

[Handbag Lady]

i find the amount for healthcare expenditures ridiculously low. my husband's group coverage with bc/bs through his company costs us $416.50 per pay period (twice a month) for a total of $9996 a year!!! and that's just the premiums, never mind the $40 copays for dr visits or $35 copays for prescrips (generic) when we have to get them. it's ppo coverage and we have a $1500 yearly family deductible. basically we pay $10,000 bucks a year for health insurance we really can't afford to use! i can't believe that we are that different. wow sorry for the rant, obviously you can tell it's a sore subject for me

Do you HAVE to go PPO? We found PPO worlds more expensive than our HMO and our favorite doctor is an HMO doctor, so we feel like we're not compromising our choices.

 

[jt'smom]

Do you HAVE to go PPO? We found PPO worlds more expensive than our HMO and our favorite doctor is an HMO doctor, so we feel like we're not compromising our choices.

i wish hmo was an option for us! dh works for a smaller company and our only choices are the ppo and a very-high deductible/catastrophic plan. it's really crazy actually because i have an inoperable brainstem tumor and dh has diabetes, yet we are hardly ever sick, so we generally don't need to see a primary care physician, but after meeting the deductible and paying the 20% copay up front for tests, i just stopped having my quarterly mri's because we just can't afford it! i find it ironic to be one of those "fortunate" americans with that "rich healthcare plan" that everyone wants to tax, and here i am with brain cancer and can't afford to use it! go figure

 

[MrsPete]

I notice that they left out our biggest expenditure of all: taxes. Between federal tax, state tax, SSI tax, sales tax, gas tax, and property tax, my family spends WAY MORE on that category than on any one other item, even big items like housing and cars. Savings also wasn't included in the division.

 

[dvcgirl]

I notice that they left out our biggest expenditure of all: taxes. Between federal tax, state tax, SSI tax, sales tax, gas tax, and property tax, my family spends WAY MORE on that category than on any one other item, even big items like housing and cars. Savings also wasn't included in the division.

Savings wasn't included because for most families.....well, sadly, it's not part of the equation.

 

[buzz5985]

I notice that they left out our biggest expenditure of all: taxes. Between federal tax, state tax, SSI tax, sales tax, gas tax, and property tax, my family spends WAY MORE on that category than on any one other item, even big items like housing and cars. Savings also wasn't included in the division.

This is what I was wondering also. I use Microsoft Money and every time you open the program - you get a pie chart of your expeditures for the month. All the taxes are 30% of our income.

 

[LauraR]

i wish hmo was an option for us! dh works for a smaller company and our only choices are the ppo and a very-high deductible/catastrophic plan. it's really crazy actually because i have an inoperable brainstem tumor and dh has diabetes, yet we are hardly ever sick, so we generally don't need to see a primary care physician, but after meeting the deductible and paying the 20% copay up front for tests, i just stopped having my quarterly mri's because we just can't afford it! i find it ironic to be one of those "fortunate" americans with that "rich healthcare plan" that everyone wants to tax, and here i am with brain cancer and can't afford to use it! go figure

Wow, I'm so sorry you have brain cancer! What a great health care system we have when, even WITH coverage, you can't afford diagnostics....

 

[tink2dw]

In ALL our married lives my Dh and I have never made over $38,000.00 so I find $63,000.00 totally unrealistic!!!

Reading material comes from .25cent books at garage sales or I borrow from friends!!

I have to shift bills around to see who gets paid each month to keep the bills paid.

But Rent all ways gets paid on time as does electric to keep a roof and lights and heat on. The other stuff can be moved to different pay days to get paid.