The two pie charts illustrate how average middle-income families distributed their household budgets across four categories in 2012 and 2015. Overall, while the share of expenditure on housing increased significantly, spending on food, clothing, and vacations declined during the given period.
In 2012, the largest portion of the budget was devoted to housing, accounting for 35%. Food and clothes represented a quarter of household expenses, while vacations and leisure made up 25%. Miscellaneous spending was the smallest category at 15%.
By 2015, housing costs rose markedly to 50%, becoming the dominant area of expenditure. In contrast, both food/clothes and vacations/leisure fell considerably to 25% and 10% respectively. Miscellaneous spending also dropped slightly, from 15% to 10%.
In summary, middle-income families allocated an increasing proportion of their budgets to housing over the three-year period, while they cut back notably on leisure activities and, to a lesser extent, on food, clothing, and other miscellaneous items. This shift suggests that housing became a greater financial burden, forcing families to reduce spending in other areas.