Information on how much Americans spend on items such as groceries, clothing, health care and housing will be collected in January by the Census Bureau from a sample of randomly selected households across the country for the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES).
In the survey, about 7,500 households nationwide will be interviewed once every three months over the next year. Another 7,500 households will record expenditures over a two-week period.
Government economists use the results to update a “market basket” of goods and services for the Consumer Price Index, the single most widely-used measure of inflation in the country.
By law, survey answers are confidential.