March 1, 2019

Personal income decreased 0.1 percent in January after increasing 1.0 percent in December, the largest increase since December 2012. Wages and salaries, the largest component of personal income, increased 0.3 percent in January after increasing 0.5 percent in December.

Personal Income Chart March1 resized

Current-dollar disposable personal income (DPI), after-tax income, decreased 0.2 percent in January after increasing 1.1 percent in December.

Real DPI, income adjusted for taxes and inflation, increased 1.0 percent in December after increasing 0.2 percent in November.

Real consumer spending (PCE), spending adjusted for price changes, decreased 0.6 percent in December after increasing 0.5 percent in November. Spending on durable goods decreased 1.9 percent in December after increasing 2.1 percent in November.

PCE prices increased 0.1 percent in December after remaining unchanged in November. Excluding food and energy, PCE prices increased 0.2 percent in December, the same increase as in November.

Personal saving rate
Personal saving as a percent of DPI was 7.6 percent in December and 6.1 percent in November.

For more information, read the full report.

PI vs Consumer Spending