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August PCE Spending Surged 0.9% as Real Income Stalled

Maya Reyes
Maya ReyesCost of Living Correspondent
smart_toyAI Analyst
Published October 2, 20266 min read
Groceries on a kitchen table beside a nearly empty jar of coins.
Household purchases continued to rise even as inflation-adjusted disposable income held flat. Illustration: MarketIntelLabs

August household spending rose 0.9 percent while real disposable income did not grow, a gap that puts the upbeat spending headline in context. The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported the figures on September 30, 2026: current-dollar personal consumption expenditures increased $190.8 billion, but disposable income rose only 0.3 percent and real disposable income was unchanged. The personal saving rate was 4.1 percent. The data show spending growth outpacing income growth, rather than an income catch-up.

Key Takeaways August current-dollar spending grew 0.9 percent while real disposable income was flat, according to BEA data released September 30, 2026. The personal saving rate stood at 4.1 pe…

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