Expenditure patterns by age and income among mature adults: does age matter?

Using data from the 1984-85 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES), we examined how expenditure patterns of elderly persons (aged 65-74 and 75 and over) at different income-to-needs levels differ from those of younger mature adults (aged 45-54 and 55-64) at similar income-to-needs levels. Patterns of spending are examined in a variety of areas within three domains--giving, recreation, and essentials. Several important differences exist in the ways that households headed by persons of different ages allocate their expenditures in the domains of essentials and recreation, but few differences exist in the domain of giving. Consistent income group differences exist in expenditure patterns across virtually every area within the three domains. Both age and income differences remain significant when multivariate analyses are performed; thus, the story told is one in which both age and income play important roles.