spending like – A new quiz uses U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer expenditure categories to compare how Americans spend across generations—highlighting everything from shelter costs to credit card and mortgage debt patterns.
Rent feels different the first time you pay it yourself. Groceries start carrying a new weight when you add a second kid. Retirement, too, arrives with a shopping list of its own.
The quiz rolling out now is built around those everyday moments—asking users to pick rough spending amounts in categories like housing. pets. entertainment. utilities. fuels and public services. and more. Then it maps their choices to generation averages using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer expenditure data, including how much Americans spend across categories ranging from housing to cellphones.
The idea is simple: if someone born in 1990 is paying. in their own estimates. in a way that resembles “Classic Millennial” spending—or if they lean more toward “Boomer Tendencies.” If someone born in 1975 spends more like Gen Z than Gen X. the quiz is designed to surface that mismatch too. Users are told the results will show how they “stack up to averages for each generation,” with methodology published separately.
The quiz leans on a key read of the underlying BLS numbers. In 2024, it says Gen Xers had the highest average pre-tax income and average expenditures, followed by millennials. It links that to life stage realities: Gen X is described as being in “peak earning years. ” while many Gen Zers are getting careers off the ground. and many boomers are “kicking off their retirement years amid the ‘silver tsunami.’”.
Empower, a financial services company, put the same point in plain terms, writing that “Unlike Millennials who are still building wealth, or Baby Boomers who may be scaling back in retirement, Gen Xers are in their peak earning years.”
Shelter remains the anchor category across generations. The quiz says shelter—covering rent. mortgage payments. maintenance. and other costs—accounts for a large share of spending relative to other categories regardless of generation. Gen X spends the most at $19,048 a year. By contrast. the quiz says Gen Z spends an average of $2. 697 on utilities. fuels. and public services—about half of what Gen X spends. at $5. 641.
Debt is another pressure point the quiz places near the center of the story. It says BLS data suggests Gen Zers are saving less of their income than most older peers, and then brings in credit and mortgage patterns from outside BLS to frame what that may look like in real life.
Experian data from June 2025 is cited showing that 72.2% of Gen Zers had credit card balances. That figure is set against 82.9% for both boomers and the Silent generation. Mortgage debt is described as far less common among Gen Z: just 7.6% of Gen Zers had mortgage debt. compared with 53.6% of Gen Xers and 57% of boomers.
The quiz also addresses homeownership in a way that challenges the “millennials are shut out” storyline without erasing the constraint. It says that while much has been written about millennials being shut out of homeownership—stating that only 37% of millennial consumers currently paying down a mortgage is a smaller share than older generations—those mortgage payments are often higher than what more seasoned homeowners are paying.
Experian is quoted on that point. saying: “Much has been written about millennials being shut out of homeownership. with only 37% of millennial consumers currently paying down a mortgage—a smaller share than older generations. But those payments are often higher than what more seasoned homeowners are paying.”.
It adds an industry marker from the National Association of REALTORS, stating that the median age of first-time buyers has inched up to 40 years old.
When these pieces are laid side by side. the picture the quiz is trying to make you feel is not just about taste—it’s about stage and tradeoffs. Shelter spending is heavy across generations. but the quiz’s numbers pull attention to how much room people may have elsewhere: where Gen X spends more. where Gen Z spends less on utilities. and where debt patterns diverge—credit card balances frequent among Gen Z. mortgage debt much less common.
The quiz invites users to answer quickly. using their own estimates for how they spend on housing. pets. entertainment. and more. Then it delivers a result tied directly to generation averages drawn from BLS spending categories—an attempt to turn personal budgeting into a mirror. and to show whether your wallet resembles your peer group or not.
spending quiz Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer expenditure data Gen Z spending millennial spending Gen X spending baby boomer spending credit card balances mortgage debt Experian National Association of REALTORS
So it’s basically telling you you’re broke based on vibes? Cool cool.
I tried one of these quizzes and it said my rent was like “too high” which like… rent IS high lol. Also how are they doing “pet” costs like that’s a real category every time.
Wait, it says Gen X has the highest average pre-tax income and expenditures in 2024, but then it’s like Gen Z is getting careers off the ground. Doesn’t that mean Gen Z should spend less? Idk I guess people don’t have enough money. Or maybe it’s messed up because they include mortgage debt and credit card debt? Seems backwards.
This is Empower right? I don’t trust financial companies with quizzes, they always wanna get you to “opt in” or something. Also the whole “Boomer Tendencies” thing is wild, like my grandparents didn’t have cellphones and now you’re telling me I should guess what I spend on them. Feels like they’re just grouping people and calling it science. I mean shelter costs are different now anyway, so how can they compare generations like that and act like it’s fair?