The Economic Research Service (ERS) Food Expenditure Series (FES) is a comprehensive data product that measures the value of food acquired in the United States by type of product, outlet, and purchaser, capturing both commercial food sales and nonmarket sources of food. Specifically, FES includes:
- The value of food and beverages sales, including sales taxes and tips
- The value of food produced at home, donated, and furnished to employees and institutionalized populations
FES is produced by ERS and draws on data from the Census Bureau and other Federal agencies. FES provides a consistent, long-term measure of food spending in the United States that allows government agencies, researchers, policymakers, and industries to examine how consumer food purchasing behaviors and the food supply evolve over time and across regions.
National Estimates
National-level food expenditures are available annually, starting with 1997 data, and are allocated across:
- Four product types: food at home (FAH), food away from home (FAFH), alcohol at home (AAH), and alcohol away from home (AAFH)
- Various outlet types: such as grocery stores, restaurants, and direct sellers
- Purchasers and users: including households, governments, and businesses
Estimates are reported with and without sales taxes and tips, and valued in nominal and constant dollars. In addition to the annual estimates, monthly estimates of FAH and FAFH by major outlet types are produced and benchmarked to the annual data. The monthly estimates capture sales only and exclude food furnished, donated, home produced, and served at educational institutions (additional details are provided in the Documentation).
State-level Estimates
The State-level Food Expenditure Series, first published in 2023, provides annual estimates of FAH and FAFH spending from 1997 forward. These estimates are benchmarked to the national series and reported in both total and per capita terms, with and without sales taxes and tips, and in nominal and constant dollars. These estimates only capture sales and exclude food furnished, donated, and home produced.
Release Schedule
- Annual national and State data: released each June. To keep the series current, ERS may also update the data product during other months when new or revised source data are released.
- Monthly national data: released June through February, typically between the 17th and the 21st of each month.
Recent Updates and Revisions
FES is revised regularly as new source data become available, source agencies revise historical estimates, and classification systems are updated. The June 2026 revision incorporates the 2023 Annual Integrated Economic Survey, which replaced several annual Census Bureau surveys that were previously used in FES. For some NAICS industries, the transition to the new survey affected comparability between the 2021–22 and 2023 FES. FES adjusts affected estimates to smooth the transition between the prior annual surveys and the new integrated survey. The revision also updates the estimated share of sales allocated to food for warehouse clubs, supercenters, and other general merchandise retailers using 2022 North American Product Classification System product lines. Beginning with the June 2026 revision, constant-dollar estimates are rebased to 2025 dollars instead of 1988 dollars. Finally, the June 2026 revision benchmarks the State-level estimates to the Census Bureau’s Economic Census and updates the sales-to-employee ratios (additional details are provided in the Update and Revision History).
Archived Data
Food expenditure estimates produced using previous methodologies remain available under the Archived Food Expenditure Tables, which provide national estimates from 1889 to 2014 and State-level estimates from 1997 to 2020. These archived tables are organized in a format consistent with the current series for ease of comparison with the current series.