DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Consumers in Austin, Texas, are the U.S.'s biggest spenders,
while those in Detroit spend the least, according to money Web site
Bundle.
Bundle--which is backed by investments from Citigroup Inc. (C),
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Morningstar Inc. (MORN)--said its first
consumer spending report found the average U.S. household spent
$37,782 in 2009, excluding mortgage and rent expenses. The top
category for spending was shopping, which comprised 23% of the
average, followed by health and family, which constituted 21%.
Austin households spent 78% more than the average, at $67,076.
Residents of Detroit, where unemployment is at one of the highest
levels in the U.S., only spent about $16,466 last year, excluding
housing expenses.
Neither Los Angeles nor New York, often regarded as consumption
meccas, ranked in the 25 highest-spending cities because of the
sprawling geography and socioeconomic diversity in both. However,
if the borough of Manhattan were considered its own city, it would
be third on the list of top spenders.
By state, Connecticut leads the nation in spending while West
Virginians spend the least.
-By Joan E. Solsman, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2291;
joan.solsman@dowjones.com