• The average American spends nearly 60% of their income on living expenses; only 13 of the 75 most-populous metro areas spend less than 80%.
• About 14% of income is allocated toward housing and utilities (per person).
• The largest share of per capita spending goes toward housing and utilities ($403), followed by miscellaneous goods and services (including home, auto, health, and other insurance, $348), transportation ($224), healthcare (not including insurance, $160) and groceries ($137).
• 6% of metro residents live in poverty despite being employed.
• Southern residents are more likely to live below 125% of the poverty level.
The upshot of this report is that people who lack disposable income will have a hard time saving for retirement.