Personal Income and Outlays, May 2022

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 $113.4 billion (0.5 percent) in May, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (tables 3 and 5). Disposable personal income (DPI) increased $96.5 billion (0.5 percent) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $32.7 billion (0.2 percent).

Real DPI decreased 0.1 percent in May and Real PCE decreased 0.4 percent; goods decreased 1.6 percent and services increased 0.3 percent (tables 5 and 7). The PCE price index increased 0.6 percent. Excluding food and energy, the PCE price index increased 0.3 percent (table 9).

The increase in personal income in May primarily reflected increases in compensation and proprietors' income that were partly offset by a decrease in government social benefits (table 3). Within compensation, the increase reflected increases in both private and government wages and salaries. The increase in proprietors' income was led by nonfarm income. The decrease in government social benefits primarily reflected a decrease in “other” benefits that was partly offset by increases in Medicaid and Medicare. Within “other” benefits, the decrease primarily reflected a decline in transfers to nonprofit health care providers through the Provider Relief Fund.

The $32.7 billion increase in current-dollar PCE in May reflected an increase of $76.2 billion in spending for services that was partly offset by a decrease of $43.5 billion in spending for goods (table 3). Within services, increases in housing and utilities (led by housing), "other" services (led by international travel), and health care (led by hospitals) were the largest contributors. Within goods, a decrease in spending on motor vehicles and parts (led by new motor vehicles) was partly offset by an increase in gasoline and other energy goods (led by motor vehicle fuels). Detailed information on monthly PCE spending can be found on Table 2.3.5U.

Personal outlays increased $38.3 billion in May (table 3). Personal saving was $1.01 trillion in May and the personal saving rate—personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income—was 5.4 percent (table 1).

The PCE price index for May increased 6.3 percent from one year ago, reflecting increases in both goods and services (table 11). Energy prices increased 35.8 percent while food prices increased 11.0 percent. Excluding food and energy, the PCE price index for May increased 4.7 percent from one year ago.

BEA will release results from the 2022 annual update of the National Economic Accounts, which includes the National Income and Product Accounts as well as the Industry Economic Accounts, on September 29, 2022. This update will present revised statistics for GDP, GDP by Industry, and gross domestic income that cover the first quarter of 2017 through the first quarter of 2022. Updated monthly personal income and outlays will be released on September 30, along with the August 2022 estimate. For details, refer to Information on Updates to the National Economic Accounts.

Updates to Personal Income and Outlays

Estimates have been updated for January through April. 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 provided below for March and April.