Tobacco Expenditures by Education , Occupation , and Age

Mark Vendemia is an economist in the Branch of Information and Analysis, Division of Consumer Expenditure Surveys, Bureau of Labor Statistics. MARK VENDEMIA Despite the heightened awareness of health problems associated with using tobacco products, Americans continue to spend large amounts of money on these items. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS or the Bureau) Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) show that, in 2002, the average annual expenditure per consumer unit (CU)1 for tobacco products and smoking supplies was $320. This is more than a 25 percent increase over 1996, when the average annual expenditure per CU on the same items was $255. (While the increase in expenditures was more than 25 percent, it did not match the 106-percent rise in the price of tobacco products and smoking supplies, as measured by the Bureau’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) during the same time period.)