Consumers’ Spending Trends, by Category

Source: Gallup

Notes: Consumers are spending more on necessities such as groceries (55% spending more), utilities (45%) and healthcare (43%), with these being the three categories in which the largest percentage of survey respondents have increased their spending compared to a year ago, according to Gallup. Meanwhile, the bottom categories in terms of increased spending are retirement investments (17%), consumer electronics (18%) and travel (19%), suggesting, per Gallup, that “Americans continue to spend more on things they need, but not on things they want.” (more…)