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Friday, October 30, 2020
Contact: Jeannine Aversa, (301) 278-9003

Personal Income and Outlays, September 2020
Personal income increased 0.9 percent while consumer spending increased 1.4 percent in September,
according to estimates released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Personal income
The increase in personal income in
September primarily reflected increases in
proprietors’ income and compensation.
Rental income of persons also contributed
to the increase.
Partially offsetting these increases was a
decrease in government social benefits.
Within government social benefits,
unemployment insurance benefits
decreased while “other” social benefits
increased. Within unemployment, the
leading contributor was a decrease in
Pandemic Unemployment Compensation
payments. Within “other” social benefits, there was an increase in Lost Wages Supplemental Payments, a
Federal Emergency Management Administration program that provides wage assistance to individuals
impacted by the pandemic. Additional information on factors affecting monthly personal income can be
found in “Effects of Selected Federal Pandemic Response Programs on Personal Income”.
Consumer spending
Current dollar consumer spending increased in September, reflecting increases in both goods and services.
• Within goods, the leading contributor
to the increase was spending for motor
vehicles and parts, led by new motor
vehicles. Spending for new motor
vehicles was based on Ward’s
Automotive Sales Report data.
• Within services, the leading contributor
to the increase was spending for health
care, led by outpatient services.
Spending for outpatient services was
based on volume data for outpatient
visits and revenue data.

BEA data—including GDP, personal income, the balance of payments, foreign direct investment, the input-output accounts, and
regional economic data—are available at www.bea.gov. E-mail alerts are also available. Estimates of October 2020 Personal
Income and Outlays will be released on November 25, 2020.