According to the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Personal Consumption Expenditures in 1996 totaled just over $5.2 trillion. But of that, $1.2 trillion is the imputed value of goods and services received in-kind. The following tables show the mix of payment vehicles used to purchase the remaining $4 trillion in goods and services. Note: Since including them would amount to double counting, we do not include repayments of purchases made originally on a credit card or prepayments of future expenses such as purchase of a prepaid telephone card. Refer to The Nilson Report for additional analysis and detailed future projections, (805)983-0792.

Composition of 1996 Consumer Payments: Total = $4,058 billion

in billions

Source: The Nilson Report, 11/97 (#656, 632, 599) *Compounded annual growth (CAGR) Index: 1990 = 100

Total Dollar Volume

in billions

Source: The Nilson Report, 11/97 (#656, 632, 599) *Compounded annual growth (CAGR) Index: 1990 = 100

Number of Transactions

in billions

Source: The Nilson Report, 11/97 (#656, 632, 599) *Compounded annual growth (CAGR) Index: 1990 = 100

Annual Payment Volume per Household

average values per U.S. household

Source: The Nilson Report, 11/97 (#656, 632, 599) CAGR = Compounded annual growth Index: 1990 = 100