Consumer Expenditure Survey


 * The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) program consists of two surveys, the quarterly Interview Survey and the Diary Survey, that provide information on the buying habits of American consumers, including data on their expenditures, income, and consumer unit (families and single consumers) characteristics. The survey data are collected for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau.


 * The most recent data tables are for 2008, and were made available on October 6, 2009.


 * The most recent public use microdata sets are for 2008, and were made available for sale on October 15, 2009. These data include information on the 2008 tax stimulus.

From: http://www.bls.gov/cex/

Application to Forensic Economics

The CEX data is used to calculate the amount of income an individual would have spent on items that only they consumed. The CEX data allows for analysis based on income level, family size, and gender.