U.S. Consumers' Spending Flat in March, at $100

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans' daily self-reports of spending averaged $100 in March, about the same as the $101 average in February. This is the highest spending estimate for any March in Gallup's tracking since 2008, topping the $89 from March 2013 and 2016.

March has not generally been one of the higher spending months over the past decade; it had the lowest monthly spending averages in 2008 and 2009.

The latest figure is the eighth daily spending average of $100 or more that Gallup has recorded for any given month during nine years of tracking the metric. Half of these three-digit monthly spending averages have occurred in the past year, while the other four took place in 2008 before the global financial crisis in the fall.

The March average is based on more than 15,000 interviews conducted as part of Gallup Daily tracking throughout the month. Gallup asks Americans each night to report how much they spent the previous day, excluding spending on normal household bills and major purchases such as a home or car. The measure gives an indication of discretionary spending.

In recent years, March has more often than not yielded a spending average that is at least a few dollars higher than February's average. But it's not unprecedented for spending to remain flat in March, as it did in 2014, along with this year; or to decrease, as it did in 2008 and 2009.

	February	March	Change
	$	$	$
2017	101	100	-1
2016	84	89	+5
2015	82	86	+4
2014	87	87	0
2013	83	89	+6
2012	63	74	+11
2011	61	64	+3
2010	59	63	+4
2009	64	59	-5
2008	106	81	-25
Gallup Daily

Spending Steady Among Income Groups

Those in households with annual incomes of $90,000 or more typically spend more than twice as much as those making less than $90,000, and that was the pattern in March as well (average daily spending of $163 vs. $75, respectively).

Bottom Line

Despite a rocky month for the stock market, Americans' confidence in the U.S. economy has remained positive overall, and their spending has reflected that. Last month, Americans' spending strongly outpaced their spending in March of prior years -- a positive sign that could build on better-than-expected growth in the fourth-quarter gross domestic product. Although consumer spending trends often show seasonal patterns, changes in Gallup's trend from March to April have been inconsistent, offering little guidance on what to expect for the April 2017 spending estimate.

These data are available in Gallup Analytics.

Gallup.com reports results from these indexes in daily, weekly and monthly averages and in Gallup.com stories. Complete trend data are always available to view in the following charts:

Daily: Employment, Economic Confidence, Consumer Spending

Weekly: Employment, Economic Confidence, Job Creation, Consumer Spending

Read more about Gallup's economic measures.

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