Personal Income and Outlays Increase

Personal income increased $90.4 billion (0.4 percent) in November according to estimates released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (tables 3 and 5). Disposable personal income (DPI) increased $70.4 billion (0.4 percent) and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $104.7 billion (0.6 percent).

Real DPI decreased 0.2 percent in November and Real PCE increased less than 0.1 percent; spending on services increased 0.5 percent and spending on goods decreased 0.8 percent (tables 5 and 7). The PCE price index increased 0.6 percent. Excluding food and energy, the PCE price index increased 0.5 percent.

 The estimate for November personal income and outlays reflected the continued economic recovery and government response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Government social benefits increased in November, reflecting an increase in the Provider Relief Fund (extended by the American Rescue Plan) that was partly offset by declines in many other pandemic-assistance programs. The full economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be quantified in the personal income and outlays estimate because the impacts are generally embedded in source data and cannot be separately identified. 

The increase in personal income in November primarily reflected increases in compensation of employees and government social benefits (table 3). Within compensation, the increase reflected increases in both private and government wages and salaries. Within government social benefits, an increase in "other" benefits (notably, an increase in the Provider Relief Fund to health care nonprofits) was partly offset by a decrease in unemployment insurance.

The $104.7 billion increase in current-dollar PCE in November reflected an increase of $97.4 billion in spending for services and a $7.4 billion increase in spending for goods (table 3). The increase in services was widespread, led by housing and utilities. Within goods, an increase in nondurable goods (mainly gasoline and other energy goods) was partly offset by a decrease in durable goods (led by recreational goods and vehicles as well as motor vehicles and parts).

Personal outlays increased $106.3 billion in November (table 3). Personal saving was $1.25 trillion in November and the personal saving rate-personal saving as a percentage of disposable personal income-was 6.9 percent.

The PCE price index for November increased 5.7 percent from one year ago, reflecting increases in both goods and services (table 11). Energy prices increased 34.0 percent while food prices increased 5.6 percent. Excluding food and energy, the PCE price index for November increased 4.7 percent from one year ago.