CHICAGO, July 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Since 2001, energy costs for the average
U.S. household have more than doubled, and sharply escalating gasoline prices
are straining the budgets of lower- and middle-class minority families. Those
are the findings of a new study released today by the American Coalition for
Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) during a press conference in Chicago.
The study explains the cost for consumer energy sources has doubled since
2001 for families making less than $50,000. During this time, their energy
bills have increased nearly $3,000, from $2,428 in 2001 to $5,332 in 2008. At
the same time, these families' average income rose by just $261.
In 2008, the average American family with an after-tax income of $52,586
will spend more than $6,200 on energy, or 12 percent of the total family
budget.
The 60 million households earning less than $50,000, representing 51
percent of all U.S. households, will devote 24 percent of their after-tax
income to energy. For the 27 million families with incomes between $10,000 and
$30,000, energy expenditures will consume 26 percent of average after-tax
incomes.
In 2008, African-American and Hispanic households with annual pre-tax
incomes below $50,000 will spend roughly one-quarter of their after-tax income
on energy, the study shows.
After paying federal and state taxes, the average African-American family
had an estimated income of $35,949 compared to $38,252 for all Hispanic
families and $54,125 for white households.
The household energy costs survey measures prices for both transportation
and residential energy commodities used by the typical American family. While
energy costs increased some across the board, most of the increased cost
burden on minority families can be traced to higher gasoline prices and
increased costs for natural gas and other home heating fuels. Among consumer
energy types, only electricity has maintained a stable price trend over the
past decade, mainly because low-cost coal generates more than 50 percent of
electricity in the U.S.
'Rising energy costs are disproportionately impacting minority families,'
says Joe Lucas, vice president of communications, ACCCE.
