Spending higher in NY area

Spending in the greater New York area from 2008 and 2009 was 20 percent higher than for a typical U.S. household, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday.

Households in New York, northern New Jersey and Long Island spent an average of $60,273 a year, compared with $49,778 nationwide.

Spending here was 6.3 percent higher than 2006-07. By comparison, spending increased by only 1 percent from the first two-year period to the second nationwide.

The largest expense was housing — accounting for 39.2 percent of a New York household’s budget — followed by transportation and food.

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