Fasten your seatbelts: The monthly cost of transportation in America may shift your budget's gears!

Answer: $13,174

That's 17% of total spending!

Questions:

• Does the amount surprise you? Explain.
• What costs are likely considered transportation spending?
• If your transportation costs increase, how might that affect the rest of your budget?

Here are the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (BLS):

"Average annual expenditures for all consumer units in 2023 were $77,280, a 5.9-percent increase from 2022...Overall, housing accounted for the largest share of total expenditures (32.9 percent), followed by transportation (17.0 percent), food (12.9 percent), personal insurance and pensions (12.4 percent), healthcare (8.0 percent), and entertainment (4.7 percent)."

About the Author

Kathryn Dawson

Kathryn (she/her) is excited to join the NGPF team after 9 years of experience in education as a mentor, tutor, and special education teacher. She is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in policy analysis and management and has a master's degree in education from Brooklyn College. Kathryn is looking forward to bringing her passion for accessibility and educational justice into curriculum design at NGPF. During her free time, Kathryn loves embarking on cooking projects, walking around her Seattle neighborhood with her dog, or lounging in a hammock with a book.