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September 28, 2012

REAL CONSUMER SPENDING SLOWS IN AUGUST

Personal income increased 0.1 percent in August, the same
increase as in July. Wages and salaries, the largest
component of personal income, increased 0.1 percent in
August after increasing 0.1 percent in July. Government
social benefits to persons turned down in August.

June

July

Personal
Income

0.3%

0.1%

0.1%

Current-dollar disposable personal income (DPI),
after-tax income, increased 0.1 percent in August, the same
increase as in July.

Currentdollar DPI

0.3%

0.1%

0.1%

Real DPI, income adjusted for taxes and inflation,
decreased 0.3 percent in August after increasing 0.1 percent
in July.

Real DPI

0.2%

0.1%

–0.3%

Real PCE

–0.1%

0.4%

0.1%

PCE
Prices

0.1%

0.0%

0.4%

Real consumer spending, spending adjusted for price
changes, increased 0.1 percent in August after increasing
0.4 percent in July. Spending on nondurable goods rose
0.3 percent after increasing 0.6 percent, while spending on
services decreased 0.1 after increasing 0.3.
PCE prices increased 0.4 percent in August after
remaining flat in July. Excluding food and energy, the
PCE price index increased 0.1 percent, the same as in July.
Personal saving rate
Personal saving as a percent of DPI was 3.7 percent in
August, compared with 4.1 percent in July.

Personal
Saving
Rate

4.4%

4.1%

Aug.

3.7%

Percent change (monthly rate)

Real Disposable Personal Income and
Real Consumer Spending
1.0
0.5

Real Disposable Personal
Income

0.0
-0.5

Real Consumer Spending

-1.0
May

Jun

Jul

Aug

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 October 29, 2012, the September estimates of personal income and outlays will be released.
Contact: Ralph Stewart or Jeannine Aversa 202–606–2649

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