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.
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.
Methods and Revisions
FES was comprehensively updated in 2018, as described in Measuring the Value of the U.S. Food System: Revisions to the Food Expenditure Series. The current series begins in 1997, with estimates revised annually to reflect the latest available data. The September 2025 revision reflects updated source data from the Census Bureau’s 2022 Annual Retail Trade Survey and the 2022 Economic Census, resulting in updated estimates since 1997 (additional details are provided in the Documentation).
The State-level methodology is documented in Estimating the State-Level Food Expenditure Series and the Addendum to Estimating the State-Level Food Expenditure Series, which details revisions due to changes in source data availability. The September 2025 revision updates estimates since 1997 reflecting two changes: (1) FAFH estimates now include food served at educational institutions, and (2) sales estimates reflect updated source data from the Census Bureau’s 2022 Annual Retail Trade Survey and the 2022 Economic Census (additional details are provided in the Documentation).
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.