A Comparison of Consumer Expenditures by Housing Tenure

Although studies of housing tenure choice are numerous, none found discuss how tenure is related to consumer expenditures. Using data from the U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey, this study investigates whether differences observed in selected expenditures across tenure are due to dissimilar demographics alone, or to underlying differences in consumers which are reflected in their choice of tenure. Expenditures by homeowners and renters are examined and compared.