Personal Income and Outlays, June 2021 and Annual Update

Historical release narrative reproduced from the official public-domain U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis source. Statistical tables, charts, standard technical appendices and administrative material are omitted; formatting is adapted for reading. Figures retain the release's original vintage and may have been revised. Consult the linked source for the complete release and current data.

Personal income increased $26.1 billion (0.1 percent) in June according to estimates released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (tables 3 and 5). Disposable personal income (DPI) decreased $2.6 billion (less than 0.1 percent) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $155.4 billion (1.0 percent).

Real DPI decreased 0.5 percent in June and Real PCE increased 0.5 percent; goods decreased 0.2 percent and services increased 0.8 percent (tables 5 and 7). The PCE price index increased 0.5 percent. Excluding food and energy, the PCE price index increased 0.4 percent (table 9).

The increase in personal income in June primarily reflected an increase in compensation of employees. Government social benefits decreased in June (table 3). Within compensation, the increase was primarily in private wages and salaries, reflecting Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Employment Statistics. Within government social benefits, "other" social benefits decreased as economic impact payments declined. Unemployment insurance also decreased, led by decreases in payments from the Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program.

The $155.4 billion increase in current dollar PCE in June reflected an increase of $29.3 billion in spending for goods and a $126.1 billion increase in spending for services (table 3). Within goods, an increase in nondurable goods was partly offset by a decrease in durable goods. Within nondurable goods, the increase was primarily accounted for by increases in “other” nondurable goods (mainly pharmaceuticals) as well as gasoline and other energy goods. Within durable goods, the decrease was primarily in motor vehicles and parts. Within services, increases were widespread across all spending categories, led by food services and accommodations. Detailed information on monthly PCE spending can be found on Table 2.3.5U.

Personal outlays increased $158.7 billion in June (table 3). Personal saving was $1.70 trillion in June and the personal saving rate—personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income—was 9.4 percent (table 1).

The PCE price index for June increased 4.0 percent from one year ago, reflecting increases in both goods and services (table 11). Energy prices increased 24.2 percent while food prices increased 0.9 percent. Excluding food and energy, the PCE price index for June increased 3.5 percent from one year ago.

Annual Update of the National Economic Accounts

Today’s release also reflects the Annual Update of the National Income and Product Accounts. The timespan of the update is the first quarter of 1999 through the first quarter of 2021 and resulted in revisions to GDP, GDI, and their major components. The reference year remains 2012.

With today's release, most NIPA tables are available through BEA’s Interactive Data application on the BEA website (www.bea.gov). See Information on Updates to the National Economic Accounts for the complete table release schedule and a summary of results through 2020, which includes a discussion of methodology changes. A table showing the major current dollar revisions and their sources for each component of GDP, national income, and personal income is also provided. The August 2021 Survey of Current Business will contain an article describing the update in more detail.

Previously published estimates, which are superseded by today's release, are found in BEA’s archives.

Updates to Personal Income and Outlays

Revisions to annual estimates of personal income and outlays, for the most recent five years, are shown in table 12. Revised and previously published changes in monthly personal income, DPI, PCE, personal saving as a percentage of DPI, real DPI, and real PCE are shown in table 13. Revised and previously published changes in annual and quarterly estimates are shown in table 14.

Personal income was revised down $63.8 billion, or 0.4 percent in 2016; revised down $98.4 billion, or 0.6 percent in 2017; revised down $145.8 billion, or 0.8 percent in 2018; revised down $127.1 billion, or 0.7 percent in 2019; and revised down $100.3 billion, or 0.5 percent in 2020.

The revisions primarily reflect the incorporation of an improved methodology for measuring PCE for housing services. The new methodology impacts the estimates for rental income of persons, as these estimates are derived from PCE for housing services. For more information, see Improved Measures of Housing Services for the U.S. Economic Accounts in the May 2021 Survey of Current Business.

For 2016, the downward revision to personal income primarily reflected downward revisions of $56.0 billion to rental income of persons and $9.1 billion to personal interest income.

For 2017, the downward revision to personal income primarily reflected downward revisions of $69.2 billion to rental income of persons, $24.2 billion to personal interest income, and $6.3 billion to personal dividend income.

For 2018, the downward revision to personal income primarily reflected downward revisions of $77.4 billion to rental income of persons, $51.8 billion to personal dividend income, and $26.6 billion to personal interest income.

For 2019, the downward revision to personal income primarily reflected downward revisions of $95.0 billion to rental income of persons, $58.8 billion to proprietors' income, and $25.4 billion to personal interest income that were partly offset by upward revisions of $25.5 billion to personal dividend income and $15.3 billion to compensation (mainly private wages and salaries).

For 2020, the downward revision to personal income primarily reflected downward revisions of $90.2 billion to rental income of persons, $45.1 billion to proprietors' income, $40.3 billion to government social benefits to persons, and $25.8 billion to personal interest income. These downward revisions were partly offset by upward revisions of $81.5 billion to compensation (mainly government employee compensation) and $25.2 billion to personal dividend income.

DPI was revised down $64.2 billion, or 0.5 percent in 2016; revised down $100.7 billion, or 0.7 percent in 2017; revised down $136.8 billion, or 0.9 percent in 2018; revised down $129.4 billion, or 0.8 percent in 2019; and revised down $93.2 billion, or 0.5 percent in 2020.

Personal outlays was revised down $77.0 billion, or 0.6 percent in 2016; revised down $106.1 billion, or 0.8 percent in 2017; revised down $90.5 billion, or 0.6 percent in 2018; revised down $135.9 billion, or 0.9 percent in 2019; and revised down $103.7 billion, or 0.7 percent in 2020.

The personal saving rate was revised up 0.1 percentage point to 7.0 percent in 2016; revised up 0.1 percentage point to 7.3 percent in 2017; revised down 0.2 percentage point to 7.6 percent in 2018; revised up 0.1 percentage point to 7.6 percent in 2019; and revised up 0.2 percentage point to 16.6 percent in 2020.

Monthly estimates. For January through March of 2021, estimates for compensation, personal taxes, and contributions for government social insurance reflect the incorporation of the most recently available first-quarter wage and salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program. Revised and previously published changes from the preceding month for current-dollar personal income, and for current-dollar and chained (2012) dollar DPI and PCE, are shown below for April and May.