FortuneJoshua Hong
Americans now spend nearly half of their budgets on food and housing alone, the biggest share in 15 years
The affordability crisis has Americans feeling every penny that leaves their wallets. And according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly half of their spending is going towards necessities like housing and food—leaving little for quality of life.
New data from the BLS’s annual Consumer Expenditures Reportfoundthat housing and food accounted for 46.9% of average expenditures in 2025.
And that’s because the pressure point of rising costs of essentials grew—housing expenditures climbed 5.8% and food spending increased 4.6% compared to the previous year.
The increase in spending on housing and food was particularly pronounced in housing. The average household spent $27,790 on housing in 2025, up from $26,266 in 2024.
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