Six categories the US Consumer spent less on in July 2023

There are around 300 unique categories of spend that are tracked and reported monthly by the US Department of Commerce here. Although total spend increased $144B from June to July 2023, we were interested in where consumers were cutting spending. We downloaded that data in a .csv at 11am ET on August 31, 2023.

We found six categories, and compiled the underlying data.

Energy prices dropped in July.

Transportation expenses fell broadly in July.

Cars, trucks and vehicle purchases and leases fell.

Miscellaneous services like funerals, cable and satellite TV, hidden securities trading commissions, and medical lab work fell.

Sins and Charity spend (discretionary) fell.

Home decor spent on carpets and flooring fell.

Energy:
Gasoline and other energy goods: -$6B (fuels, lubricants and fluids)
Natural gas: -$2.8B

Transportation:
Foreign travel by U.S. residents: -$3.4B
Parking fees and tolls: -$349M
Other road transportation service: -$278M
​Postal and delivery services -$166M
Taxicabs and ride sharing services -$145M
Moving, storage and freight: -$107M