U.S. personal spending rose 0.4% month-over-month in January 2026, matching the revised 0.4% increase recorded in December 2025, according to data updated on 13 March 2026. The unchanged pace suggests that consumer demand—the key engine of the U.S. economy—remained stable at the start of the year.
On a month-over-month basis, the latest reading indicates that households continued to spend at the same rate as in the previous month, with no acceleration or slowdown in the overall growth of expenditures. The comparison is based on changes from one month to the next, with January’s figure measured against December’s, and December’s against November’s.
The steady 0.4% gain in personal spending may be interpreted by markets and policymakers as a sign of consistent consumer activity, offering no immediate signal of either a sharp cooling or overheating in demand as 2026 begins.
