No frivolous spending here

Idahoans spent $14,889 per capita on food, housing, fuel and health care in 2012, more than 43 percent of the state's per capita income, according to new expenditure estimates released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

While Idaho's outlay ranked 38th among the states, the percentage of per capita income ranked eighth due to Idaho's per capita income of $34,481 in 2012. Per capita income is the state's total personal income - the combination of wages, business profits, investment earnings and transfer payments like Social Security and pensions - allocated evenly to every man, woman and child.

Idaho's per capita expenditures on essentials were driven by gasoline and other energy costs, which ranked 11th among the states at $1,855 per capita. Countering that was the cost of health care at $4,695 per capita, which ranked 49th.

Nationally, per capita spending on essentials was $16,380, or 37.5 percent of per capita income in 2012.

In addition, Idahoans spent another $15,301 on vehicles and other transportation, clothing, furnishings, recreational goods and services, financial services, food and accommodations outside the home and other goods and services such as education.

Idaho's per capita personal consumption of $30,190 ranked 45th among the states, but accounted for 87.6 percent of per capita personal income, placing Idaho ninth among the states.

Per capita personal consumption rose steadily as a percentage of per capita income from 83 percent in 1997 to 89 percent in 2007 before slipping back range between 87.5 percent and 88.4 percent in the subsequent years.

Total per capita consumption nationally was $35,498 or 81.2 percent of per capita income in 2012.