UPDATED: as of June 11 9:00 am



Retail sales tumbled 1.2% in May, as a new poll indicates that the spending is primarily coming from wealthier and older consumers.

The government released its report on retail sales for May on Friday, and the Commerce Department said sales dropped from the previous month bucking expectations for a small increase. Declines were pretty broad based among autos, gas stations and general merchandise stores. Grocery and health-care stores posted increases, and there was some strength in companies that sell furniture and appliances, possibly boosted by government tax credits.

A new poll from Gallup may indicate that the mix of spending may have a hard time keeping retail sales buoyant. The poll indicates that consumers who make more than $90,000 account for the bulk of that spending increase. Upper-income Americans’ self-reported spending rose 33% to an average of $145 per day in May — up from $109 per day in April. Meanwhile, middle- and lower-income Americans’ self-reported spending averaged $59 per day in May, unchanged from the previous month.

Higher-income “consumers seemed to be holding back on spending prior to May in response to the length and depth of the recession, the financial crisis, and a general feeling of economic uncertainty,” wrote Dennis Jacobe, Gallup chief economist. “In May, this seemed to change. It could be that many upper-income consumers are experiencing ‘frugality fatigue.'”

Getty Images Luxury retailers are benefiting from ramped up spending by wealthier consumers.

The result is consistent with the picture in the U.S. labor market. In May, the headline U.S. unemployment rate declined to 9.7% from 9.9%, but all of the gains came from workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher, which tend to include the highest paid workers. The jobless rate among college graduates dropped to 4.7% from 4.9% as the number of unemployed declined, compared to an increase among all other education levels. The unemployment rate jumped to 15% for those with less than a high school diploma and climbed to 10.9% for high school graduates.

The increased spending by higher-income consumers also was reflected in monthly reports from companies. Luxury retailers posted some of the best numbers last week in same-store sales.

Meanwhile, when you break Gallup’s spending data down by age, all groups increased their spending from last year, a positive sign for economic recovery. But the biggest jump — 45% — came from consumers over 65 years of age. Though down over the last month, the U.S. stock market rallied through most of the last 12 months, possibly boosting sentiment among retirees and those nearing retirement.