US states by consumer spending on communication services

California had the highest consumer spending on communication services of 51 states in 2021, at $40.9 billion. Vermont had the lowest, at $320.5 million. The median was $2.78 billion and the figure for the United States was $286.24 billion. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Highest40,902.3California

Lowest320.5Vermont

Median2,77551 states

United States286,239.9History

Map of states, 2021

Under 800
800 to 1,500
1,500 to 2,800
2,800 to 5,000
5,000 to 9,100
9,100 and over

USD million, 2021. Source: BEA, SAPCE3: personal consumption expenditures by state by type of product, communication (line 96), millions of current dollars, United States and states. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2021

USD million. Source: BEA, SAPCE3: personal consumption expenditures by state by type of product, communication (line 96), millions of current dollars, United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	States	2021 USD million	Change on 2020
1	California	40,902.3	+10.2%
2	Texas	33,350.6	+6.3%
3	New York	21,065.4	+5.3%
4	Florida	17,103.4	+10.3%
5	Pennsylvania	13,153.6	+2.2%
6	Washington	12,110.4	+7%
7	Illinois	10,177.5	+1.2%
8	New Jersey	9,128	+5.9%
9	Virginia	9,084.2	+7.3%
10	North Carolina	9,028	+5.2%
11	Georgia	8,632.2	+10%
12	Ohio	7,612.6	+6.1%
13	Massachusetts	7,118.2	+4.8%
14	Colorado	5,665.2	+7.4%
15	Missouri	5,565.5	+3.8%
16	Michigan	5,482.6	+4.2%
17	Maryland	5,130.9	+3.7%
18	Arizona	4,996.8	+1.7%
19	Kansas	4,456.2	+5.2%
20	Tennessee	4,094.2	+7.1%
21	Minnesota	3,985	+2.2%
22	Indiana	3,489	+6.1%
23	Connecticut	3,472.6	+4.3%
24	South Carolina	3,440	+10.3%
25	Wisconsin	3,164	+4%
26	Oklahoma	2,775	+4.3%
27	Louisiana	2,662.9	+6.2%
28	Alabama	2,627.8	+5.3%
29	Kentucky	2,501.3	+6.8%
30	Utah	2,423.4	+8.1%
31	Oregon	1,847.7	+4.6%
32	Arkansas	1,706	+6.6%
33	Iowa	1,654.9	+4%
34	Nevada	1,573.3	+9.6%
35	Mississippi	1,484.6	+5.2%
36	New Hampshire	1,375.9	+3.1%
37	New Mexico	1,314.5	+5.1%
38	Hawaii	1,259.4	+7.2%
39	District of Columbia	1,137.1	+7.1%
40	Nebraska	1,118.8	+4.7%
41	West Virginia	946	+6.5%
42	Idaho	812.4	+7.4%
43	Alaska	745.7	+6.8%
44	South Dakota	738.7	+5.1%
45	Rhode Island	731.4	+4.3%
46	Maine	717.6	+7.7%
47	Montana	687.4	+1.8%
48	Delaware	624.5	+3.7%
49	North Dakota	582.4	+6.8%
50	Wyoming	462.1	+6.5%
51	Vermont	320.5	+1.8%

Other periods

About this ranking

Personal consumption expenditures on telecommunication services, internet access, and postal and delivery services, by the households and nonprofit institutions serving households resident in the place, in millions of current US dollars. Bureau of Economic Analysis, PCE by state by type of product (table SAPCE3, line 96, Communication); the national figure equals the national accounts (NIPA table 2.4.5).

Millions of current US dollars: not adjusted for inflation or for price differences between states (see regional_price_parity). Spending is assigned to the state where the buyer lives, wherever the purchase is made. It includes purchases paid on behalf of households by employers, insurers and government programs, and the spending of nonprofit institutions serving households. Not the same as retail sales, which count store sales where the store is, and not the PCE price index. BEA revises the latest years every September.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. SAPCE3: personal consumption expenditures by state by type of product, communication (line 96), millions of current dollars, United States and states. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAPCE.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. (2026). SAPCE3: personal consumption expenditures by state by type of product, communication (line 96), millions of current dollars, United States and states (US states by consumer spending on communication services, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAPCE.zip

MLA 9

SAPCE3: personal consumption expenditures by state by type of product, communication (line 96), millions of current dollars, United States and states, US states by consumer spending on communication services, 2021. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, 30 Sept. 2026, https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAPCE.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/consumer-spending-communication/us-states?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. 2026. SAPCE3: personal consumption expenditures by state by type of product, communication (line 96), millions of current dollars, United States and states. US states by consumer spending on communication services, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAPCE.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/consumer-spending-communication/us-states?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2026) SAPCE3: personal consumption expenditures by state by type of product, communication (line 96), millions of current dollars, United States and states, US states by consumer spending on communication services, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAPCE.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/consumer-spending-communication/us-states?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{bureau_us_states_by_consumer_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis}},
  title = {{SAPCE3: personal consumption expenditures by state by type of product, communication (line 96), millions of current dollars, United States and states: US states by consumer spending on communication services, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAPCE.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/consumer-spending-communication/us-states?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. SAPCE3: personal consumption expenditures by state by type of product, communication (line 96), millions of current dollars, United States and states. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAPCE.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

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AU  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
TI  - SAPCE3: personal consumption expenditures by state by type of product, communication (line 96), millions of current dollars, United States and states: US states by consumer spending on communication services, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/30
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAPCE.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/consumer-spending-communication/us-states?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/consumer-spending-communication/us-states?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. SAPCE3: personal consumption expenditures by state by type of product, communication (line 96), millions of current dollars, United States and states. https://apps.bea.gov/regional/zip/SAPCE.zip. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Questions

Which state has the highest consumer spending on communication services?

California, with $40.9 billion in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Which state has the lowest consumer spending on communication services?

Vermont, with $320.5 million in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, SAPCE3: personal consumption expenditures by state by type of product, communication (line 96), millions of current dollars, United States and states. Retrieved 2026-10-12.