Consumer Spending

Today, the U.S Bureau of Economic Analysis released official statistics of real state personal consumption expenditures for the first time. Real PCE decreased 3.8 percent in 2020 for the nation. Across states, the percent change ranged from 2.2 percent in Utah to –7.0 percent in Hawaii, Maryland, and New York; the percent change was –8.9 percent in the District of Columbia. Real state PCE is a state's current-dollar PCE adjusted by the state's regional price parity and the national PCE price index.

Personal income increased $93.4 billion, or 0.5 percent at a monthly rate, while consumer spending increased$214.3 billion, or 1.3 percent, in October. The increase in personal income primarily reflected an increase in compensation of employees. The personal saving rate (that is, personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income) was 7.3 percent in October, compared with 8.2 percent in September.

In 2020, personal income increased in 3,040 counties, decreased in 69, and was unchanged in 3. Personal income increased 6.4 percent in the metropolitan portion of the United States and increased 7.6 percent in the nonmetropolitan portion. Personal income estimates were impacted by the response to the spread of COVID-19, as governments issued and lifted “stay-at-home” orders. The full economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be quantified in the local area personal income estimates, because the impacts are generally embedded in source data and cannot be separately identified.

Personal income decreased$216.2 billion, or 1.0 percent at a monthly rate, while consumer spending increased$93.4 billion, or 0.6 percent, in September. The decrease in personal income primarily reflected the winding down of pandemic-related assistance programs. The personal saving rate (that is, personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income) was 7.5 percent in September, compared with 9.2 percent in August.

State personal consumption expenditures (PCE) decreased 2.6 percent in 2020 after increasing 3.7 percent in 2019. The percent change in PCE across all 50 states and the District of Columbia ranged from 1.2 percent in Idaho and Utah to –5.8 percent in the District of Columbia. The PCE by state estimates were impacted by the response to the spread of COVID-19, as governments issued and lifted "stay-at-home" orders. This led to rapid changes in demand and consumers canceled, restricted, or redirected their spending.

Personal income increased $35.5 billion, or 0.2 percent at a monthly rate, while consumer spending increased $130.5 billion, or 0.8 percent, in August. The increase in personal income primarily reflected increases in compensation as well as government social benefits, which reflect advance Child Tax Credit payments authorized by the American Rescue Plan. In addition to presenting estimates for August 2021, these highlights provide comparisons to February 2020, the last month before the onset of the COVID19 pandemic in the United States. For more information, see Federal Recovery Programs and BEA Statistics.

Personal income decreased $414.3 billion, or 2.0 percent at a monthly rate, while consumer spending increased $2.9 billion, or less than 0.1 percent, in May. The decrease in personal income reflected declines in pandemic-related assistance programs. In addition to presenting estimates for May 2021, these highlights provide comparisons to February 2020, the last month before the onset of the COVID19 pandemic in the United States. For more information, see Federal Recovery Programs and BEA Statistics.

Personal income decreased $3.21 trillion, or 13.1 percent at a monthly rate, while consumer spending increased $80.3 billion, or 0.5 percent, in April. Economic impact payments established by the American Rescue Plan Act, declined sharply in April. In addition to presenting estimates for April 2021, these highlights provide comparisons to February 2020, the last month before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. For more information, see Federal Recovery Programs and BEA Statistics.

Personal income decreased $1,516.6 billion, or 7.1 percent at a monthly rate, while consumer spending decreased $149.0 billion, or 1.0 percent, in February. Economic impact payments associated with the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act of 2021 (which was enacted on December 27, 2020) declined sharply in February and unemployment benefits continued, but at a lower level. In addition to presenting estimates for February 2021, these highlights provide comparisons to February 2020, the last month before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Personal income increased 10.0 percent (monthly rate) while consumer spending increased 2.4 percent in January as provisions of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act enacted on December 27, 2020, began to take effect.