Average yearly expenditures on food in U.S. urban households increased between 2003
and 2004. Over the period, annual per capita spending on food rose from $2,035 to
$2,207. The 2004 average comprises $1,347 spent on food consumed at home and $860
spent on food consumed away from home. These amounts reflect a year-to-year increase
of 7.9 percent in food-at-home expenditures and 9.3 percent in food-away-from-home
expenditures. Wealthier urban households tended to spend more than other urban households
for both food at home and food away from home, and they spent a larger share of
their food budget than other households on food consumed away from home. The share
of the food budget spent on food consumed away from home varied from 30 percent for
the poorest group to 44 percent for the wealthiest.