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FRIDAY May 26, 2006

PERSONAL INCOME, CONSUMER SPENDING
ROSE IN APRIL
Personal income grew 0.5 percent in April, the same growth rate as in March, according to estimates released
today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Over the past twelve months, personal income has risen 5.4
percent.

Real Disposable Personal Income and
Real Consumer Spending
5
4

Percent change(monthly)

* Reflects impact of Hurricane Katrina
3

*
2
1
0
-1
-2

*

-3
-4
-5

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Real Disposable Personal Income

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

Real Consumer Spending

Personal Income

Wages and salaries, the largest component of personal income, increased 0.9 percent in April after increasing
0.5 percent in March.
Interest and dividend income increased 0.7 percent in April after increasing 0.2 percent in March.
Real disposable personal income, the amount of personal income available for spending or saving, decreased 0.1
percent in April after being flat in March. Over the past twelve months, real disposable personal income has
risen 1.7 percent.

Consumer Spending

Real consumer spending increased 0.1 percent in April, the same increase as in March. The increase in April
reflected increases in spending on durable goods, nondurable goods, and services.

BEA data—including GDP, personal income, the balance of payments, foreign direct investment, the input-output accounts, and
economic data for states, local areas, and industries—are available on the BEA Web site: www.bea.gov. E-mail alerts are also available.
NOTE: On June 30, 2006, the May estimate of personal income will be released.
Contact: Ralph Stewart 202–606–2649

Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce