In the annual Consumer Expenditure Survey, household incomes are grouped into five equal parts called quintiles (each quintile is 20%). Households in the second and third quintiles consistently have a higher share of spending on gasoline each year than households in the other quintiles.

Household Gasoline Expenditures by Income Quintile
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Supporting Information

Shares of Average Annual Expenditures for Gasoline, 1989, 1997, and 2007
Income Quintile198919972007
Share of Expenditures
Lowest 20%3.8%3.3%5.1%
Second 20%4.0%3.5%5.7%
Third 20%4.1%3.4%5.7%
Fourth 20%3.6%3.3%5.2%
Highest 20%2.9%2.6%3.8%
All3.5%3.1%4.8%

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Expenditure Survey

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