The Average Adult in the USA Spends

Submission 6,970

Part of a series on "Millennials Are Killing...". [View Related Entries]

About

The Average Adult in the USA Spends refers to a much-mocked and discussed tweet by the news organization USA Today that criticizes the finances of American adults.

Origin

On May 7th, 2019, USA Today tweeted,^[1] "The average adult in the USA spends $1,497 a month on nonessential items. All told, that's roughly $18,000 a year on things we can all do without." In addition, the news outlet posted a graphic chart about these "nonessential" expenditures, which includes "buying lunch," "personal grooming" and clothing. The tweet became the subject of a Raito, receiving more than1,400 retweets, 3,800 likes and 8,300 comments in two days (shown below).

Spread

Shortly after the tweet was published, many criticized the post and the study's assessment of American spending. Twitter^[2] user @3vanSutton tweeted, "Jeff Bezos' personal wealth grew by an average of $87,000 per minute in 2018. Maybe we should discuss that instead of shaming people for eating lunch or getting a haircut. Just spitballing here." The tweet received more than 9,500 retweets and 31,000 likes in two days (shown below, left).

Others noted that the study in the full article was paid for by Ladder insurance company. LA Times report Laura J. Nelson tweeted,^[3] "This study was commissioned by a life insurance company, and you'd never guess what they think you should be spending the money on instead." The post received more than 1,100 retweets and 3,800 likes in two days (shown below, center).

Some just found the study offensive, as the things discussed were, in their opinion, far from "extravaganza." Film critic Priscilla Page tweeted,^[4] "how incredibly extravagant & self-indulgent of ppl to…uh, try to enjoy their life, leave their home, eat, & stay clean." The tweet received more than 780 retweets and 4,400 likes in 24 hours (shown below, right).

Several media outlets covered the tweet, including The Daily Dot, ^[5] Pajiba,^[6] The Mary Sue,^[7] BroBible^[8] and more.