National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA) Table 2.6 · Personal outlays, current dollars
How much do people in the US spend?
The personal outlays was $23,377.9 billion in the month ended , up 6.2% from a year earlier.
Personal outlays, seasonally adjusted, each month
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Personal outlays, change from a year earlier, each month (ours)
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Each point is one month of the series as the source publishes it, or a change worked out from those values (ours). The US recessions are shaded. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
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Inspect and compare dates
The newest month beside the one before it and the nearest ones a year, five and ten years earlier. The last ten years are in the table under "The numbers behind the chart".
| Measure | Latest | The month before | A year earlier | Five years earlier | Ten years earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | |||||
| Personal outlays | $23,377.9 billion | $23,264.9 billion | $22,022.9 billion | $17,001.6 billion | $13,303.0 billion |
| Change over a year | +6.2% | +6.1% | +5.2% | +12.2% | +3.6% |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Observed .
Right now
The personal outlays was $23,377.9 billion in September 2026, the highest since our record begins in January 1959.
Over a year it is up 6.2% (ours).
ChangeOurs
| Period | Then | Change |
|---|---|---|
| One month | $23,264.9 billion in | +0.5% |
| Three months | $23,020.1 billion in | +1.6% |
| Twelve months | $22,022.9 billion in | +6.2% |
| Five years | $17,001.6 billion in | +37.5% |
| Ten years | $13,303.0 billion in | +75.7% |
In historyOurs
The personal outlays of $23,377.9 billion in was higher than in 812 of the 812 other months since , the same in 0 and lower in 0.
Highest since : $23,377.9 billion in . Lowest since : $311.9 billion in .
AverageOurs
Average since : $6,450.23 billion (ours, a plain mean of the 813 months).
ComparedOurs
Over a year the personal outlays is up 6.2%, which ranks 2 of the 12 rows of the table, where 1 is the largest change.
The table sets the personal outlays beside the lines of personal income and its disposition, by the change over a year in each one's newest month.
Understanding the personal outlays
Where it stands today
The personal outlays was $23,377.9 billion in September 2026.
What does the personal outlays measure?
Personal outlays are the sum of personal consumption expenditures (PCE), personal interest payments and personal current transfer payments. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) publishes them each month with personal income and outlays. The personal sector in BEA's accounts is households and the nonprofit institutions that serve them.
Read more
Spending on goods and services is the largest part. Outlays are in current dollars, so a rise includes the rise in prices. Personal saving is disposable personal income less personal outlays.
What 500metrics adds: the change over one month, three months, a year and five years in percent, the highest and lowest value since the series begins, and its rank among the lines of the personal income and outlays page.
The numbers behind the chart
What was the personal outlays in each month?The last ten years, 120 months, newest first; the chart and the file have every month since Jan 1959
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| $23,377.9 billion | +6.2% | |
| $23,264.9 billion | +6.1% | |
| $23,071.5 billion | +5.8% | |
| $23,020.1 billion | +6.3% | |
| $22,943.2 billion | +6.6% | |
| $22,764.2 billion | +5.8% | |
| $22,593.2 billion | +5.3% | |
| $22,397.6 billion | +5.2% | |
| $22,274.2 billion | +4.9% | |
| $22,222.1 billion | +4.3% | |
| $22,163.3 billion | +5.0% | |
| $22,088.4 billion | +5.2% | |
| $22,022.9 billion | +5.2% | |
| $21,917.1 billion | +5.5% | |
| $21,802.7 billion | +5.2% | |
| $21,664.7 billion | +5.1% | |
| $21,532.6 billion | +4.9% | |
| $21,521.4 billion | +5.4% | |
| $21,460.4 billion | +5.5% | |
| $21,300.2 billion | +5.5% | |
| $21,233.1 billion | +5.9% | |
| $21,315.2 billion | +6.5% | |
| $21,110.7 billion | +5.8% | |
| $21,006.1 billion | +5.6% |
Show 96 more rows
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| $20,927.2 billion | +5.6% | |
| $20,765.7 billion | +5.6% | |
| $20,715.6 billion | +5.8% | |
| $20,621.6 billion | +6.0% | |
| $20,528.3 billion | +6.1% | |
| $20,413.9 billion | +5.8% | |
| $20,335.6 billion | +6.0% | |
| $20,186.1 billion | +5.5% | |
| $20,045.7 billion | +4.9% | |
| $20,012.0 billion | +6.6% | |
| $19,952.2 billion | +6.4% | |
| $19,889.1 billion | +6.1% | |
| $19,820.8 billion | +6.6% | |
| $19,658.6 billion | +6.4% | |
| $19,571.5 billion | +6.8% | |
| $19,460.7 billion | +6.4% | |
| $19,352.1 billion | +6.8% | |
| $19,296.1 billion | +7.1% | |
| $19,180.2 billion | +7.4% | |
| $19,134.2 billion | +8.6% | |
| $19,102.0 billion | +9.1% | |
| $18,768.9 billion | +7.9% | |
| $18,743.4 billion | +8.0% | |
| $18,738.7 billion | +8.8% | |
| $18,590.4 billion | +9.3% | |
| $18,482.3 billion | +9.3% | |
| $18,332.6 billion | +9.5% | |
| $18,291.9 billion | +9.6% | |
| $18,116.3 billion | +10.0% | |
| $18,020.5 billion | +9.8% | |
| $17,861.0 billion | +10.3% | |
| $17,613.4 billion | +14.0% | |
| $17,512.9 billion | +12.7% | |
| $17,391.5 billion | +13.9% | |
| $17,357.9 billion | +14.5% | |
| $17,221.8 billion | +13.3% | |
| $17,001.6 billion | +12.2% | |
| $16,916.2 billion | +13.3% | |
| $16,748.7 billion | +13.4% | |
| $16,694.4 billion | +15.0% | |
| $16,474.8 billion | +19.7% | |
| $16,413.8 billion | +28.8% | |
| $16,197.6 billion | +13.0% | |
| $15,454.1 billion | +0.5% | |
| $15,541.2 billion | +0.8% | |
| $15,275.7 billion | −0.4% | |
| $15,165.1 billion | −0.7% | |
| $15,200.9 billion | +0.1% | |
| $15,150.5 billion | 0.0% | |
| $14,930.6 billion | −1.2% | |
| $14,774.0 billion | −1.8% | |
| $14,513.4 billion | −3.0% | |
| $13,763.3 billion | −7.6% | |
| $12,748.1 billion | −14.0% | |
| $14,340.2 billion | −3.0% | |
| $15,378.2 billion | +5.0% | |
| $15,419.9 billion | +5.5% | |
| $15,338.0 billion | +5.2% | |
| $15,272.6 billion | +3.9% | |
| $15,178.6 billion | +3.8% | |
| $15,147.1 billion | +4.1% | |
| $15,115.9 billion | +3.9% | |
| $15,051.6 billion | +3.8% | |
| $14,961.5 billion | +3.5% | |
| $14,898.8 billion | +3.3% | |
| $14,830.3 billion | +3.3% | |
| $14,779.9 billion | +3.3% | |
| $14,647.5 billion | +2.8% | |
| $14,614.6 billion | +2.8% | |
| $14,586.0 billion | +2.9% | |
| $14,696.4 billion | +4.7% | |
| $14,616.5 billion | +4.9% | |
| $14,551.8 billion | +4.7% | |
| $14,547.3 billion | +5.6% | |
| $14,504.6 billion | +5.5% | |
| $14,453.1 billion | +5.4% | |
| $14,422.4 billion | +5.7% | |
| $14,351.8 billion | +5.2% | |
| $14,301.8 billion | +5.1% | |
| $14,246.8 billion | +5.1% | |
| $14,209.9 billion | +5.0% | |
| $14,170.8 billion | +5.2% | |
| $14,038.3 billion | +5.1% | |
| $13,938.6 billion | +4.6% | |
| $13,899.6 billion | +4.5% | |
| $13,779.2 billion | +4.0% | |
| $13,748.5 billion | +4.0% | |
| $13,709.7 billion | +4.0% | |
| $13,648.9 billion | +4.2% | |
| $13,641.5 billion | +4.5% | |
| $13,604.8 billion | +4.8% | |
| $13,555.8 billion | +4.2% | |
| $13,531.6 billion | +4.6% | |
| $13,473.6 billion | +4.4% | |
| $13,357.1 billion | +3.7% | |
| $13,328.6 billion | +3.8% |
How does it compare with the lines of personal income and its disposition?Ranked by the change over a year
| Series | Month | Value | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer spending | $22,452.8 billion | +6.3% | 1 | |
| Personal outlays (this page) | $23,377.9 billion | +6.2% | 2 | |
| Proprietors' income | $2,147.6 billion | +5.4% | 3 | |
| Rental income | $1,206.5 billion | +5.4% | 3 | |
| Interest income | $2,531.6 billion | +4.7% | 5 | |
| Disposable income | $24,289.0 billion | +4.6% | 6 | |
| Compensation of employees | $16,534.7 billion | +4.5% | 7 | |
| Personal income | $27,707.8 billion | +4.1% | 8 | |
| Transfer receipts | $5,205.3 billion | +3.9% | 9 | |
| Dividend income | $2,190.1 billion | +1.6% | 10 | |
| Personal taxes | $3,418.8 billion | +0.8% | 11 | |
| Personal saving | $911.1 billion | −23.4% | 12 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
What do these figures leave out, and how are they cited?Limits, dates and how to cite
What this number cannot tell you
- BEA revises each month in the releases that follow and revises past years in its annual updates. This page shows the newest estimate of every month, so an earlier month can differ from the figure first published.
- Monthly values in dollars are seasonally adjusted at annual rates: BEA states each month's flow as the total a year would hold if that month's pace continued for the whole year.
- The changes and the ranks are ours, worked out from the values BEA publishes; a change is in percent.
- This product uses the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Data API but is not endorsed or certified by BEA.
Observed . Checked .
How to cite this
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Income and Product Accounts, Personal outlays, current dollars, through September 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "How much do people in the US spend?", https://500metrics.com/personal-income/outlays.
Can the data be downloaded?personal-income-outlays.csv
Download the full history as CSV: 813 rows, to , 17,255 bytes.
Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0.
Recession dates from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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