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Updated on Mar 18, 2025
Updates monthly

U.S. Consumer Spending Tracker

Tracking the U.S. consumers' expenditures
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Note: Figures reflect average spending for February 2025. Data presented here is adjusted for inflation and seasonality. Averages for each category include those who did not purchase that category.
This month's poll was conducted between March 3-March 6, 2025 among a sample of 2,198 Adults. The interviews were conducted online and the data weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, gender, race, educational attainment, region, gender by age, and race by educational attainment. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Sample sizes are as follows; $100k+ HHI respondents: 330 $50k-99.9k HHI respondents: 685, Less than $50k HHI respondents: 1,183

Tracker Overview:

Morning Consult’s U.S. Consumer Spending tracker provides a detailed assessment of U.S. households’ self-reported expenditures as well as spending allocation. The data complements the topline view presented by government agencies by providing a direct consumer perspective and demographic detail on a monthly basis. Businesses and investors rely on this tracker to understand emerging trends in consumer demand, purchasing power and shopping patterns across demographics.

Morning Consult’s consumer spending data is one of many sources for tracking consumer purchasing behaviors, thus fulfilling a similar role as government data sources such as Monthly Advance Retail Sales (MARTs) or Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) and Consumer Expenditures (CE).

To evaluate how Morning Consult's data compares to these datasets and the methods used to compile the data, please consult the latest benchmarking article.

Additional Notes:

It is important to note that the averages for each category take into account those who selected "did not spend/purchase" for that category as we seek to estimate an average representative spending level per household, per month. Additionally, we remove outliers by utilizing the trimmed means method to reduce volatility and preserve representativeness of the average consumer’s spending.

Data Access:

While we mainly display spending for categories by household income in this tracker page, subscribers to MC Pro+ are encouraged to download interactive Excel dashboards to analyze changes over time and compare changes for different categories and demographic groups.

Two sets of dashboard files allow users to compare: Two categories (for example housing and groceries) overtime by a selected demographic or for the selected category (for example personal care services), comparison among four demographic groups overtime

Key Takeaways

  • Consumer spending (adjusted for inflation and seasonality) rose 2% year over year and 6% month over month in February 2025. All income groups increased their spending relative to January 2025. Compared to a year ago, average spending by households making $50k and less remained flat, while expenditures increased for those making more than 100k and those making between $50k and $100k annually.

  • Last year, there was a similar bump in spending in the first quarter (especially January). However, spending moderated for most of the remainder of the year before picking up slightly around the holidays in Q4.

  • In 2023, January and February spending data also came in strong but expenditures moderated in April and May before spiking for the summer months. A similar spike did not materialize in 2024 and a summer bump to spending - similar to 2023 - is looking less likely by the day with consumer sentiment dropping, economic uncertainty rising and labor market conditions deteriorating.

Data Downloads

Pro+ subscribers are able to download the datasets that underpin Morning Consult Pro's reports and analysis. Contact us to get access.

Interactive Trended Data File (by category)
Pro+
Excel Dashboard Interactive charts in xlsx format, including all historical waves, among Morning Consult’s standard demographics.
xlsx
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2Mb
Interactive Trended Data File (by demo)
Pro+
Excel Dashboard Interactive charts in xlsx format, including all historical waves, among Morning Consult’s standard demographics.
xlsx
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2Mb
About Pro+
A brief outline of what datasets are included in Morning Consult Pro+
pdf
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1 Bytes

Spending over time

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Share of wallet for different demographics

This chart shows the spending allocation for the average U.S. consumer's typical expenditure categories in the latest month. Pro+ and MCEI clients can download the data files to analyze how this allocation has shifted over time and compare this data across different demographics.

Note: Data is adjusted for inflation and seasonality

Methodology

The survey is conducted monthly among a representative sample of 2,200 U.S. adults. The first run took place in September 2020, with additional questions added in subsequent versions. Data is collected during the first week of each month, with all questions pertaining to the previous month.

Morning Consult calculates consumer spending estimates by taking the trimmed mean of open-ended numerical response data. This approach allows reported nominal spending levels to more freely drift over time, eliminating the downward bias that arises from using static spending ranges for goods and services during periods of sustained inflation.   Consult our methodology page  and a benchmarking article for more information.

  • Began fielding: September 2020
  • Frequency: Monthly
  • Fielding period: Beginning the first or second day of each month and running 2-5 days
  • Sample Size: 2,200 adults
Morning Consult Economic Intelligence team

Email [email protected] to speak with a member of the Morning Consult team.