Household durable-goods spending can be measured in several ways: as an average for a consumer unit, as national household consumption in pounds, or as monthly expenditure per person. These measures answer different questions, so their dollar, pound and rupee figures cannot be compared directly. The available statistics nevertheless show how spending varies by income in the United States, how U.K. national totals changed across recent years, and how durable goods fit into rural and urban consumption in India.
Contents
- U.S. household furnishings and equipment expenditure by income
- U.S. consumer-unit spending on furniture and appliances
- U.K. household consumption expenditure on appliances
- U.K. furniture and furnishings expenditure
- India durable-goods spending per person
- How India’s durable-goods share changed
- Sources
U.S. household furnishings and equipment expenditure by income
In 2023, average annual expenditure on household furnishings and equipment was $2,508 per U.S. consumer unit. The category’s mean differed substantially across pretax-income groups: consumer units in the lowest 20 percent spent an average of $981, compared with $1,550 in the second quintile, $3,005 in the fourth quintile and $4,957 in the highest quintile.
The highest-quintile average was about five times the lowest-quintile figure. This is a comparison of group averages for the broad furnishings-and-equipment category; it does not show what every household spent, how spending was distributed within each group, or which items drove the difference. The third-quintile figure is not included here, so the listed values should not be read as a complete income-by-income series.
| Pretax-income group, 2023 | Average annual household furnishings and equipment expenditure |
|---|---|
| Lowest 20 percent | $981 |
| Second 20 percent | $1,550 |
| Fourth 20 percent | $3,005 |
| Highest 20 percent | $4,957 |
| All consumer units | $2,508 |
These are annual means per consumer unit, not per person. “Household furnishings and equipment” is a broad category, so it should not be treated as a figure for major appliances alone. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2023 Consumer Expenditure report reports the income-quintile amounts in Table 2.
U.S. consumer-unit spending on furniture and appliances
A more detailed U.S. breakdown is available for 2024. Average annual expenditure on household furnishings and equipment was $2,414 per consumer unit. Within that total category, the reported means included $648 for furniture, $385 for major appliances, $155 for small appliances and miscellaneous housewares, $107 for household textiles, $30 for floor coverings, and $1,089 for miscellaneous household equipment.
The listed subcategories help show the breadth of the overall category: furniture and major appliances are only part of it. The miscellaneous-equipment line was the largest of the individual figures shown here, though the table’s category label is broad and does not identify particular products. The subcategory figures are annual average expenditures, not purchase counts or prices per item.
| U.S. consumer-unit category, 2024 | Average annual expenditure |
|---|---|
| Household furnishings and equipment | $2,414 |
| Furniture | $648 |
| Major appliances | $385 |
| Small appliances and miscellaneous housewares | $155 |
| Household textiles | $107 |
| Floor coverings | $30 |
| Miscellaneous household equipment | $1,089 |
The 2024 figures come from the Consumer Expenditure Surveys table on annual expenditure means by military status within the consumer unit; the values cited are for all consumer units. That table’s broad total was $94 lower than the 2023 figure above. This is a simple comparison of published nominal annual means from two years, and the available figures alone do not explain the change. BLS 2024 annual expenditure means.
U.K. household consumption expenditure on appliances
U.K. national household consumption accounts report totals in current-price millions of pounds. Major household appliance expenditure was £10,086 million in 2021, rose to £11,248 million in 2022 and £11,647 million in 2023, then eased to £11,378 million in 2024 and £11,165 million in 2025. The series therefore peaked among these annual observations in 2023 and was lower in each of the next two years.
Small electric household appliances followed a different path. Household consumption was £1,869 million in 2020, £2,111 million in 2021, and £2,503 million in 2022. It then dipped to £2,312 million in 2023, climbed to £2,711 million in 2024, and fell to £2,430 million in 2025. In both series, the latest annual value shown is below the preceding year’s value.
| Year | Major household appliances (£m) | Small electric household appliances (£m) |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | — | 1,869 |
| 2021 | 10,086 | 2,111 |
| 2022 | 11,248 | 2,503 |
| 2023 | 11,647 | 2,312 |
| 2024 | 11,378 | 2,711 |
| 2025 | 11,165 | 2,430 |
These are national household consumption totals at current prices, not average household budgets. Because they are not adjusted for price changes, differences over time combine changes in the value of spending and any changes in the volume of goods consumed. The Office for National Statistics labels both series non-seasonally adjusted. Its major-appliance series is 05.3.1; the small-electric-appliance series is 05.3.2.
U.K. furniture and furnishings expenditure
Furniture and furnishings form a larger household consumption category than either appliance series shown above. The U.K. total was £24,169 million in 2021, increased to £25,482 million in 2022, and then declined to £23,582 million in 2023 and £22,722 million in 2024. In 2025 it was £22,762 million, nearly level with 2024 and still below the 2021–22 values.
The sequence illustrates why a single year can give an incomplete impression: the 2022 figure was the highest in this set, followed by two years of decreases and a small increase in 2025. These current-price totals do not establish whether households acquired more or fewer furnishings, nor do they describe spending by income or household size. ONS furniture and furnishings series 05.1.1 reports the figures in millions of pounds, non-seasonally adjusted.
India durable-goods spending per person
India’s Household Consumption Expenditure Survey reports durable-goods spending as a component of monthly per-capita consumption expenditure (MPCE). In 2023–24, average monthly durable-goods expenditure was ₹267 per person in rural India and ₹481 in urban India. Durable goods accounted for 6.48% of rural MPCE and 6.87% of urban MPCE.
The urban mean was ₹214 higher per person per month in this survey measure. The figures describe all-India rural and urban populations, respectively; they are not household totals and do not imply that every person spent those amounts. The shares put durable goods in context as part of total per-capita monthly consumption, rather than measuring their share of income.
| India, 2023–24 | Rural | Urban |
|---|---|---|
| Average monthly durable-goods expenditure per person | ₹267 | ₹481 |
| Durable goods as a share of total MPCE | 6.48% | 6.87% |
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023–24 factsheet gives these amounts in Statement 4.
How India’s durable-goods share changed
The same factsheet provides historical comparisons of durable goods as a share of MPCE. In rural India, the share was 4.85% in 2011–12 and 6.79% in 2022–23. In urban India it was 5.60% in 2011–12 and 7.13% in 2022–23. The 2023–24 shares—6.48% rural and 6.87% urban—are lower than the respective 2022–23 values in the reported series.
| Area | 2011–12 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rural India | 4.85% | 6.79% | 6.48% |
| Urban India | 5.60% | 7.13% | 6.87% |
These percentages show the durable-goods category’s share of MPCE across the listed survey periods. They do not, by themselves, tell whether the absolute amount rose or fell between every period, and share changes can reflect movement in durable spending as well as in total MPCE. The historical figures are in Statements 5 and 6 of the 2023–24 survey factsheet.
Taken together, the evidence offers three distinct views of household durable-goods expenditure: U.S. annual consumer-unit averages, U.K. national current-price consumption totals, and India’s monthly per-person survey measures. Each is useful within its own scope, but the units, category definitions and statistical populations differ. The clearest comparisons are therefore within each country’s series and measurement framework.
Sources
- Consumer expenditures in 2023
- Military status within consumer unit: Annual expenditure means and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure Surveys, 2024
- 05.3.1 Major household appliances whether electric or not CP NSA £m
- 05.3.2 Small electric household appliances CP NSA £m
- 05.1.1 Furniture and furnishings CP NSA £m
- Factsheet of Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023-24