The 2010 Bundle Report: Annual spending by age
Oh, peak earning years, please hurry! With kids grown or almost, and hopefully higher salaries to burn, 50- to 65-year-olds spent $42,578 in 2009 — more money than any other age group, and 13 percent more than the national average ($37,782). And life looks good: In travel and leisure, a Bundle category that includes travel and entertainment, they spent $3,281-8 percent of their total spending (not including mortgage and rent), and more than any other age group.
Let's hope they're saving some of that money for health care. They'll need it. People over 65 saw their spending drop 23 percent, while spending on health and family, a category that includes health care, insurance, and charity, ballooned to 30 percent of their annual budget.
Other facts about spending by age:
People age 18-25 devote 21 percent of their everyday spending to eating and drinking, more than any other age group.
Seniors spend the least on shopping, as a percentage of daily spending (not including mortgage and rent). All other age groups spend between 23 and 25 percent on shopping (a category that includes clothes and shoes, electronics, hobbies, and other shopping); seniors spend 16 percent.
Is it all the carpooling? People age 36-49 spent $6,240 on gas and auto maintenance, more than any other group.
Bundle methodology: How we compile our data
Are you spending more or less than other people your age? For a more detailed breakdown, visit Everybody's Money.
About the artist: Raised in Denver, Colo., Stefanie Posavec now lives in London, where she designs book covers by day and creates data visualizations by night. In future projects, she plans to explore the future of the book and its shift from print to screen. Find her work at itsbeenreal.co.uk.
Related Links:
The 25 Top-Spending Cities in the U.S.: Who's No. 1?
All 50 States: Get rankings of the biggest spenders around the country
Married vs. Single vs. Parents: Which household spent the most?
5 Places That Will Still Be Open On Thanksgiving and Christmas
The 7 Most Murderous Animal Species in America
How To Move To Canada If Your Candidate Doesn't Win The Election
