Consumers spent a lot of money to have fun in 2021

This is a 22.7% increase from 2020 and slightly above 2019 levels. 15%. The amount of money U.S. consumers spend on items such as campers, boats, concert tickets, sporting events, pets, toys, and TVs is at a record high, making it the most profitable of any spending category.

Consumer spending on housing is also at an all-time high, up more than 9% from 2019. The share of total spending spent on housing was 33.8% last year, down from 34.9% in 2020, but a 1% increase in nesting. Home prices rose 18.8% last year, the biggest rise in 34 years, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller US National Home Price Index.

A BLS study of consumer spending shows how much spending patterns have changed during this historic period. Overall spending for the year outpaced income growth, with spending levels 9.1% above his 2020s and 6% higher than in 2019.

Average pre-tax income increased by nearly 3.7% from 2020 and increased by 5.5% from 2019. After-tax income increased by 5% and 10% respectively.