Hi Everyone –

I know that some of you are interested in the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX), especially as it includes information on vehicle ownership, maintenance costs.  The geographic level  is large, as the sample is small. 

In the CEX microdata, the (residence) geography includes:  region, state, CMSA,  urban/rural status, and population size of the area.

Vehicle data include:  make, model year, purchase date and price

Costs includes:  fuel, purchase costs, lease costs, auto rentals, insurance, state registrations, prop taxes on vehicles, and other costs (e.g cost of repairs, tolls, veh inspection cots).

The unit of measurement in the CEX is a “consumer unit” which is interchangeably called a “household.”  It is an individual or group of individuals who live together and make joint expenditure decisions. 

Elaine Murakami

FHWA Office of Planning

206-220-4460 (in Seattle)

From: Ryan, Jay - BLS [mailto:Ryan.Jay@bls.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 7:05 AM
Subject: 2012 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) data tables and microdata release

I am pleased to announce that the 2012 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) data tables and microdata will be released today—our earliest release date ever.  The news release is posted here.  The tables and public-use microdata will be posted later today.  The 2012 CE public-use microdata are available on the web at no charge.  The 2007 - 2011 public-use microdata files are also on the web and we plan to post earlier years back to 1996 (all the years available as SAS datasets) over the coming year as program resources are available.  Earlier years can still be purchased on CD.

We have discontinued the public-use microdata e-mail distribution list.  In order to continue to receive updates on data releases, errata (affecting  past and future data), and special announcements, you need to sign up for the new email notification here.

Spending in 2012 was up 3.5%, which is more than twice as much as the 1.7-percent increase in prices for goods and services during the same period as measured by the CPI-U.

Item	2010	2011	2012	Percent Change 2010-2011	Percent Change 2011-2012
Average annual expenditures	$48,109	$49,705	$51,442	3.3	3.5
Income before taxes	$62,481	$63,685	$65,596	1.9	3.0

As always, we look forward to hearing your thoughts on the CE or the Gemini survey redesign.  If you would like to be dropped from this biannual email let me know.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns:

Phone – (202) 691- 6900

Email – cexinfo@bls.gov

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Jay Ryan, Chief
Division of Consumer Expenditure Survey
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Washington, DC 20212

http://www.bls.gov/cex
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