August Survey: Year-Over-Year Growth in Monthly Spending Decreases Again; Median Expected Change in Monthly Spending Ticks Down for Some Categories

• The median reported year-over-year increase in monthly nominal household spending decreased slightly to 4.7 percent in August 2026 from 4.8 percent in April 2026 and 4.9 percent in December 2025.
• The shares reporting making a large purchase over the past four months on furniture, home repairs, homes, and vacations increased in August, while the shares reporting spending on home appliances, electronics, and vehicles decreased.
• Median expected monthly overall household spending growth over the next twelve months increased to 3.6 percent in August from 3.4 percent in April.
• Median year-ahead expected spending growth decreased by 0.2 percentage point (ppt) for housing, utilities, food, and recreation to 2.9 percent, 4.6 percent, 5.4 percent, and 2.6 percent, respectively, while it also decreased by 0.3 ppt for clothing to 2.6 percent, by 0.7 ppt for transportation to 4.7 percent, and by 0.4 ppt for medical care to 4.5 percent.