smudge9284 --
The kind of information you are seeking is collected for metropolitan
areas around the country by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of
the U.S. Department of Labor. The most recent published information
with regard to the San Francisco "Consolidated Metropolitan
Statistical Area" (CMSA) is for 1999-2000.
A summary of that information can be found at the following link (it
is a PDF file that requires Acrobat Reader to access):
Consumer Spending Patterns in San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose,
1999-2000
Bureau of Labor Statistics News Release, February 28, 2002
http://www.bls.gov/ro9/cexsanf.pdf
The BLS data indicate that for a category of expenses it calls
"utilities, fuels and services" the average monthly outlay of a San
Francisco area household is $185.50.
This number can be computed simply using the following BLS
information:
"Consumer units in the San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, California
metropolitan area spent $55,040 per year in 1999-2000." (BLS News
Release, page 1)
"Housing expenses accounted for 35.8 percent of total household
expenditures in the San Francisco Area… ." (BLS News Release, page 2)
"Only 11.3 percent of housing expenses went toward utilities, fuels,
and services." (BLS News Release, page 2)
Multiplying $55,040 (total household expenses) by 35.8 percent
(percentage of household expenses for housing costs) yields $19,704.
Multiplying that result by 11.3 percent (percentage of housing
expenses for "utilities, fuels and services") yields $2,226 per year.
According to Table 1 in the BLS News Release, this amount is slightly
less than the U.S. average of $2,433.
Thus, a San Francisco area household spent an average of $185.50 per
month for "utilities, fuels and services" in 1999-2000. The definition
of "utilities, fuels and services" can be found in the quarterly
questionnaire used by the BLS for consumer expenditure surveys, which
is a PDF document accessible (with Acrobat Reader ) at the following
link:
Questionnaire: Quarterly Interview Survey
U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census
http://www.bls.gov/ro9/cexsanf.pdf
On page 33 of this questionnaire, the category "utilities, fuels and
services" is defined to include electricity, natural gas, fuel oil,
water, trash collection, sewer maintenance and cable/satellite
services (plus a few small miscellaneous items).
It is possible to adjust the monthly expenses in the BLS category of
"utilities, fuels and services) by backing out a rough estimate of
cable/satellite service expenses, which you did not include in your
question.
In 2001, about 75% of U.S. households subscribed to cable or
direct-to-home satellite services (
http://www.alexassoc.com/video/PRMar12002.shtml ). The average
monthly cost of cable service in 1999-2000 was about $40
( http://www.startribune.com/stories/1651/1106347.html ). Costs for
satellite service would presumably be comparable.
If 75% of the population paid an average of $40/month for
cable/satellite services, the average monthly cost for these services
spread over 100% of the population would be roughly $30. Deducting
$30 from the $185.50/month average using the BLS category leaves
$155.50 per month as a rough estimate of the average monthly cost in
1999-2000 in the San Francisco area for the services to which your
question specifically refers.
Additional Links:
The Bureau of Labor Statistics home page for consumer expenditure
surveys:
http://www.bls.gov/cex/home.htm
Cost of Living Index, Second Quarter 2002
http://www.cabq.gov/planning/statistics/accraindex.pdf
This link provides an indexed summary of various cost-of-living
components, including utilities, showing differences among various
U.S. cities in 2002. It was prepared by the American Chamber of
Commerce Researchers Association. This is not directly comparable to
the BLS information, but it may be of interest to you insofar as it
shows the relative (but not the absolute) cost of utilities in various
U.S. cities.
Search Terms Used:
"San Francisco" average "per month" "for utilities"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22San+Francisco%22+average+%22per+month%22++%22for+utilities%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&start=80&sa=N
"Bureau of Labor Statistics" consumer expenditures
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=%22Bureau+of+Labor+Statistics+consumer+expenditures
monthly cable bill 2000 average
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=monthly+cable+bill+U%2ES%2E+2000+average
cable television penetration US 2000
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=cable+television+penetration++U%2ES%2E+2000
I hope this is what you are looking for. If any of the above
information needs clarification or if you have difficulty with any of
the links, I would be happy to help.
markj-ga |
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