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MONDAY May 3, 2010

CONSUMER SPENDING RISES IN MARCH

Personal income increased 0.3 percent in March after
increasing 0.1 percent in February. Wages and salaries, the
largest component of personal income, increased 0.2 percent
after increasing 0.1 percent.
Real disposable personal income (DPI), income adjusted
for inflation and taxes, increased 0.2 percent in March
compared to no change in February.
Real consumer spending, spending adjusted for price
changes, increased 0.5 percent in March, the same increase
as in February.
PCE prices increased 0.1 percent in March, compared to
virtually no change in February. Excluding food and energy,
prices were also up 0.1 percent in March after virtually no
change in February.

Personal saving rate
Personal saving as a percent of disposable personal income
was 2.7 percent in March.

Average,
last 12
months

February

Personal
Income

0.2 %

0.1 %

0.3 %

Real DPI

0.1 %

0.0 %

0.2 %

Real
PCE

0.2 %

0.5 %

0.5 %

PCE
Prices

0.2 %

0.0 %

0.1 %

12-month
average February
Personal
Saving
Rate

4.0 %

3.0 %

March

March
2.7 %

Real Disposable Personal Income and
Real Consumer Spending

Percent change (monthly)

1.0

0.5

Real Disposable Personal
Income
0.0

-0.5

Real Consumer Spending

-1.0

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

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 May 28, 2010, the April estimates of personal income and outlays will be released.
Contact: Ralph Stewart 202–606–2649

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