Las Vegas may be infamously known as “Sin City,” but when it comes to dropping cash on things like booze and smoking, as well as the luxury of a restaurant meal, other U.S. cities are giving the Nevada hotspot a run for its money.
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A Consumer Expenditure Survey released by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics in September found that the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area leads the nation in percent of household expenditure on eating out and buying alcohol. Residents there shell out 6.10 percent of their total spending in dining establishments — who can resist tasty Tex-Mex, after all? — and 1.21 percent on retail booze.
The survey, which sheds light on consumer spending and demographics in 18 major U.S. cities based on data gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau, shows that Americans in 2014 spent an average of 5.16 percent and 0.94 percent of their total spending, respectively, on eating out and buying alcohol. They also shelled out an average of 0.44 percent on tobacco products.
The BLS also reported that average expenditures in 2014 per household, which can be a family, individual or couple, in 2014 were $53,495, a 4.7-percent increase from 2013 levels. The survey took into account spending habits of approximately 7,000 sample households.
Dallas leads the nation in percent of household expenditure on eating out and buying alcohol. Bostonians spend the most on smokes.
In the Northeast, meanwhile, Bostonians like to light up, spending a nation-leading 0.65 percent of their expenditures on tobacco and tobacco products.
New York and Washington, D.C., came in below average in the three metrics, while cities like Cleveland and Dallas-Fort Worth ranked above average in all three. Larger incomes in some metropolitan areas may contribute to the trend, as well as expenditures on other items such as pricey housing.
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Whatever the factors, restaurant industry experts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area said the survey results helps illustrate the area’s growing food scene, especially as its household spending on eating out topped world-class culinary cultures like San Francisco and New York.
“Dallas is a great place for not just the restaurants, but for a lot of other growing industries that also affect the restaurant industry, because people always go out and eat,” Heather Stevens, executive director of the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association, told LifeZette. “It’s an exciting time to be in Dallas. There are so many things happening and developing across all kinds of industries, and the restaurant industry is a big part of that.”
Dallas Fort-Worth’s nation-leading spending on retail alcohol, which totals $744 per year, can possibly be linked to an on-premise excise tax on alcohol of 6.7 percent on gross receipts. That cost is passed along to consumers, which translates to pricier drinks at bars, and can motivate consumers to purchase their libations at stores.
The Dallas-Fort Worth area wasn’t the only Texas city to rank high in terms of restaurant-centric spending.
Houston, a city that foodies herald as an up-and-coming culinary hotspot, came in fourth. Houstonians dropped 5.5 percent of their annual spending on eating out, for an average of $3,625.
San Francisco and Los Angeles took the second and third spots, respectively, on that list.
San Francisco also was on the bottom end of the spectrum when it came to smoking. Consumers there spent just 0.27 percent on cigarettes and the like. Spending on tobacco has dropped slowly but steadily over the years that spending has been tracked.
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Other factors that may come into play in determining where consumers spend their dollars include taxes and other types of regulation at the city, county and state levels.
The BLS survey is based on two components — a diary that households use to track their spending and quarterly interviews with surveyors. These are both self-reported, so figures could be slightly underreported.
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