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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for April 21, 2017
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
April 21, 2017: In 2016, for the first time ever, Americans spent more money in restaurants and bars than in grocery stores. Census Bureau data shows that a total of $656.4 billion was spent eating away from home, while $629.5 billion was spent on food eaten at home.
This is the culmination of a very long-term trend, as shown below. In the 19th century, more than 90 percent of food was consumed at home. Even in the 1960s, that figure was at 70 percent.
Many people assume that this trend results from the growing number of women in the paid workforce. That’s certainly part of the story, but there’s much more. Mark Perry of the American Enterprise Institute has been studying the changing patterns of food consumption and suggests that many factors play a role.
One factor is the declining size of American households. In the 19th century, the average household was nearly five people, and it was just under four in 1940. Today, there are just 2.6 people in the average household. With smaller households, it’s simply more affordable to eat out more often. Besides, with fewer people around, it doesn’t make as much sense to put all the time into preparing a meal at home.
| Food spending in the U.S., percent at home vs. outside the home | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1869 | 1904 | 1940 | 1965 | 1982 | 2016 | |
| Consumed at home | 95% | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 49.80% |
| Consumed at restaurant or bar | 5% | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50.20% |
| Source: Mark Perry, U.S. Department of Agriculture | ||||||
On top of that, the number of restaurant options has grown dramatically. The choices are plentiful whether you’re looking for fast food, a casual dining experience, something a little nicer, or just happy hour appetizers. Perry has noted that eating out has been made more affordable by “the intense, cut-throat competition in the restaurant industry."[1]
In my forthcoming book, Politics Has Failed: America Will Not, I show how the culture leads while politics lags behind. This shift toward eating out is a cultural trend with dramatic potential impact.
Data from the Census Bureau highlights the same trend over the past quarter century.[2]
- April 20, 2017 2,226 solid Republican counties won by McCain, Romney, and Trump
- April 19, 2017 449 solid Democratic counties won by Obama twice and by Clinton; Clinton earned bigger margins but smaller share of vote
- April 18, 2017 70 billion dollars: Annual spending on federal regulatory agencies
- April 17, 2017 29.6 billion dollars spent annually on tax preparation fees and software
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
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See also
- Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day
- Federal policy on agriculture and food, 2017-2020
- Food and agriculture on the ballot
Footnotes
- ↑ Scott Rasmussen, "Email communication with Mark Perry," April 17, 2017
- ↑ Data made available by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
