BLS WORKING PAPERS 

 

U.S. Department of Labor 

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Kansas City Office of Economic Analysis and Information 

Household Spending Patterns: A Comparison of Four Census Regions 

Cassandra Yocum, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Working Paper 412

November 2007

All views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the 

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 
1

Household Spending Patterns: A Comparison of Four Census Regions 

Cassandra Yocum 

Kansas City Office of Economic Analysis and Information 

Bureau of Labor Statistics 

yocum.cassandra@bls.gov 

JEL Classification Codes: D12; J11; R11 

Keywords: relative importance, CPI, expenditures, regional comparisons. 

Acknowledgements: The author thanks Jeff Wilson, Joshua Klick, Rob Cage, Abby Duly, Dr. Peter 

Orazem, Dr. William Edwards, Dr. Wallace Huffman, and Dr. Mack Shelley. The author extends 

special thanks to Christopher Cope for his help in understanding and implementing the Mason and 

Butler methodology and for access to and explanation of his previous research on the subject. All 

errors, misinterpretations and omissions are ours. All the analysis, views, and conclusions expressed 

in this paper are those of the authors; they do not reflect the views or policies of the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics or the views of other BLS staff members.
2

INTRODUCTION

Household purchasing patterns may change over time. The Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) 

collects information on how households allocate money across a selection of goods and services. 

Since the January 2002 release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), expenditure weight data from the 

CE have been updated in the index every two years in an effort to make the CPI more accurate and 

current compared to the roughly 10-year update intervals previously used. The combination of these 

two datasets permits some examination of spending patterns between corresponding biennial 

timeframes, along with enough information to look at some components which influence aggregate 

expenditures. This paper attempts to discover, relative to the two time periods covered, which goods 

and services consumers buy, where are these consumers located, whether prices and consumption have 

changed, and where the largest changes were. 

Expenditure data provided by the Consumer Expenditure Survey permit examination of spending 

patterns by households, both at fixed points in time and over time. Comparisons between time periods 

within the same region give knowledge on trends in consumer purchases. Additionally, insight on how 

geographic location affects purchasing patterns can be gained by comparing data across regions. With 

the hypothesis that expenditure decisions are different in part as result of where consumers live, 

examination of expenditures at the region level, as opposed to the national level, can perhaps give 

more detailed evidence of such differences between regions. 

One of the arguments for increasing the frequency of expenditure weight updates in the CPI is to 

address the accuracy of the index. Prices which change significantly for items that account for a large 

portion of household budgets have more impact on the index than price changes for items not 

purchased in large amounts by households. If the weights given to the collected prices remain fixed 

over time, but households change the importance of an item in their market basket, the index 

misrepresents the level of inflation experienced by the average consumer. So the question is: do 

consumer expenditure patterns change every two years? And are regional experiences different from 

each other? 

The primary basis of this work comes from the article published in the January 1987 Monthly Labor 

Review by Charles Mason and Clifford Butler.1

 This article meticulously summarized the definition 

and construction of the Consumer Price Index. The research compared two expenditure periods 

coinciding with revisions to the CPI. The authors examined consumption changes between the 1972-

73 biennial period and the 1982-84 period. Mason and Butler formulated a relationship between 

several variables which may be used to categorize changes in the observed market baskets of goods 

and services purchased by consumers. This formula incorporated elements of price, population 

change, geographic location of consumers, definitional changes of items priced and collected in the 

CPI, and quantity of an item purchased. The causes of market basket change are not part of the 

calculation of where change occurred, which are merely observations that something did change with 

respect to one of the elements covered. Rather, issues of supply and demand, which play a major role 

in establishing household consumption patterns, are occasionally investigated in order to put the 

equations’ results into perspective. Results are generally presented in terms of aggregate changes in 

consumption, which don’t necessarily reflect the individual consumer’s experience. Supply side 

 

1

 “New basket of goods and services being priced in revised CPI” Mason, Charles and Butler, Clifford. Monthly Labor 

Review, January 1987 vol. 110 No. 1. pp. 3-22 
3

factors which may have influenced the consumption decision, such as weather and labor costs are 

occasionally included to give background to the information on consumption changes, as are demand 

side concerns like substitute goods and consumer income. 

A research summary written by Mary Lynn Schmidt2 supports the concept that aggregate expenditure 

behavior is fluid and not fixed over time. She examines the effect on the consumer price index value 

and 12-month percent changes when more recent expenditure weights are used in the calculations. 

Since the expenditures are used in terms of an item’s relative share of total expenditures, and not the 

level of expenditures as a whole, differences in results are attributable to allocation decisions made by 

households. Her research shows that changing the expenditure survey base period by even one year 

can affect the 12 month percent change in the index by a tenth of a percent or more. 

SCOPE

Definition of Research Population: 

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by 

urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services. The CPI publishes indexes 

using two different population definitions: all urban consumers and urban wage earners and clerical 

workers. 

The all urban consumers group of the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) represents about 87 percent of 

the total U.S. population. It is based on the expenditures of almost all residents of urban or 

metropolitan areas, including professionals, the self-employed, the poor, the unemployed and retired 

persons as well as urban wage earners and clerical workers. 

This paper is concerned exclusively with the CPI-U population. All data, calculations, and inferences 

are done using this assumption of population composition. 

Geography of Research Population: 

The Census Bureau has divided the United States into four regional areas, referred to as the Northeast, 

Midwest, South, and West.3

 The CPI then divides the regions into primary sampling units (PSUs). 

The CPI collects data from 87 PSUs and calculates indexes for 38 areas: 31 major metropolitan areas 

of which 27 are published, four regional aggregations of large cities (more than 1,500,000 residents), 

four regional aggregations of mid-size cities (between 50,000 and 1,500,000 residents), and three 

regional aggregations (two published) for the smallest urban areas (less than 50,000 residents). 

Within each PSU, the population is classified in terms of consumer units. A consumer unit is defined 

as one or more people related by blood or marriage, or two or more people sharing major living 

 

2

 “Effects of updating the CPI market basket” Schmidt, Mary Lynn. Monthly Labor Review December 1993 vol. 116 no. 

12. pp. 59-62. 

3

 The Census regions divide the states into the following regions: Northeast (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, 

New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont); Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, 

North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin); South (Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, 

Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia); and West 

(Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming). 
4

expenses. For the purposes of this paper, consumer units and households may be used 

interchangeably. 

Data: 

The Consumer Expenditure Survey program (CE) collects household expenditure data through 

computer-assisted personal interviews with a representative sample of the population. These data are 

used by the CPI program in updating the expenditure weights used in the calculation of the index by 

establishing the importance of particular item groups in the overall consumer market basket of items 

purchased by the population at a particular time. 

Household consumption is governed by forces of supply and demand. Logistical details like the cost 

of getting items to the consumer, or how much a company must pay for labor, materials, and 

technology to produce goods and services determine supply decisions. Consumer choices, in turn, are 

affected by factors such as household composition, preferences and income, region of residence, 

culture, age, and the propensity to choose substitutes. Below are illustrations of how supply and 

demand interact to affect the market basket decisions made by households. 

 

Total expenditures are affected by the combination of price and quantity where supply and demand 

meet. Expenditure movements are dominated by demand side or supply side shifts depending on 

whether price and quantity are moving in the same direction or in opposite directions, respectively; 

however, insufficient information is available to determine whether both supply and demand shifts are 

present or just one. It is also possible for the same expenditure level to be reached with various 

magnitudes and directions of supply and demand shifts. 

By using more recent expenditure reports from consumers, the CPI can do a better job of accounting 

for shifts in supply and demand, and the resulting changes in consumption choices. This reduces the 

amount of substitution bias introduced into its fixed market basket structure. To this end, since 

January 2002, the CPI has been updating these weights every two years instead of the roughly 10 year 

cycle used previously, using two years of expenditure data to provide reliable estimates of expenditure 

weights. 

Demand 

P1 

P0 

Q0 Q1 

Demand’ 

Supply 

Dominant Demand Shifts 

Demand 

P0 

P1 

Q0 Q1 

Supply’ 

Supply 

Dominant Supply Shifts 
5

The consumer expenditures provide a mechanism for evaluating household spending patterns, 

including spending level changes over time4

. The CPI allows the examination of price changes over 

time, a component of total expenditures discussed briefly above. The data collected for this research 

were limited to the two most recently available biennial expenditure weight periods used to update the 

CPI, 2001-2002 and 2003-2004. 

OVERVIEW

Population: 

Population estimates for each metropolitan area used in analyzing regional expenditure changes 

originated from the Consumer Expenditure Survey program. These data include population estimates 

based on the Census, including the average number of consumer units and average consumer unit size 

per geographic area. Biennial population data allow the computation of average population change in 

each area for the periods studied. 

Relative Importance: 

Relative importances are budget shares that indicate how important a particular item purchase is to a 

household’s overall purchasing behavior. The relative importance of an item is its expenditure or 

value weight expressed as a percentage of total expenditures on all items within an area. When the 

value weights are collected—most recently during the 2003-2004 Consumer Expenditure Survey—

they represent average annual expenditures, and their relative importance ratios show approximately 

how the index population distributes expenditures among the CPI market basket of goods and services. 

Relative importance ratios represent an estimate of how consumers would distribute their expenditures 

as prices change over time. 

BLS publishes the expenditure weight, or "relative importance," of each item in the CPI once a year, 

using December data. In fact, relative importances change every month, reflecting the change in 

relative prices. This is done by taking the price change (in ratio format) over the month for a given 

item, as represented by the CPI, and applying the ratio to the earlier relative importance. Once the 

index change for all items is calculated, that item relative importance can then be rebased to the new all 

items level. Since this study is concerned with expenditures and prices in concurrent time periods, 

unlike the CPI calculations, there is no need to update the relative importances for the purposes of this 

paper. 

Price: 

Price change in this paper is captured by utilizing price indexes for each available area and item. 

Monthly indexes are averaged across the 24 months of a biennial period to define an average price 

level. This is then compared to the likewise calculated average of the subsequent biennial period to 

approximate the change in prices for goods and services between 2001-2002 and 2003-2004. 

 

4

 The paper was unable to perform analysis on standard errors with the expenditure data results due to the difficulty of 

getting usable error data at the regional level. 
6

Quantity: 

An expenditure is defined as the product of the cost of an item and of the number of items purchased. 

Therefore, if the expenditure and price are both known, quantity is a variable which can be defined in 

absolute numbers. By taking into account price changes over a specified time period one may be able 

to make a simplistic generalization on aggregate consumption of a specified item given corresponding 

expenditure change information. Following the example put forth by Mason and Butler, this property 

can be used, in conjunction with consideration for other contributing factors, to derive implicit quantity 

change over time. The remainder of this paper will be concerned with a more rigorous examination of 

the detailed factors that go into explaining the expenditure changes. 

RELATIVE IMPORTANCE

The relative importances discussed in this paper are strict budget shares for the relevant time period. 

The share of each item is calculated by dividing the total expenditures on that specific item in the 

target area by the total expenditures for all items in the target area. This represents what share of their 

budgets households are spending on any given item or service. These data can be suggestive of an 

item’s importance to the household by comparing the share spent in the first time period to the share 

spent in the second time period for fluctuations in “importance” to the budget. This importance is 

represented by the following equation: 

 

 ∑=

i

iAt

iAt

iAt E

E RI

where RIiAt represents the relative importance of item i in the CPI market basket for aggregate area A in 

time period t. EiAt refers to the aggregate expenditures for item i in area A in time t.

The portion of household budgets spent on food and beverages increased between 2001-2002 and 

2003-2004 for the Northeast, Midwest, and West regions. (See Table 1.) In the Northeast, this 

increase was due primarily to increased expenditures on food away from home and alcoholic 

beverages. The Midwest increased relative budget shares pretty much across the major food 

categories, including alcoholic beverages. The increased proportion of the budget in the West was 

fueled mainly by spending in meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, and alcoholic beverages. Conversely, the 

South dedicated less of their budgets to food and beverages overall, decreasing budget shares on all 

major food categories except alcoholic beverages. 

Housing expenditures increased in all four regions, but housing expenditures as a share of total 

spending increased in the Midwest and South only. This increase in budget share reflected increased 

spending on shelter, a subcomponent of housing. Shelter consists of rent of primary residence, 

owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence, lodging away from home and tenants’ and household 

insurance. The bulk of expenditures in this category go to owners’ equivalent rent, with rent of 

primary residence and lodging away from home distant second and third players. Both the Midwest 

and the South showed the largest increases in expenditures on owners’ equivalent rent. The Northeast 

showed nearly unchanged total expenditures on shelter, reducing the relative importance of that 
7

category compared to increased expenditures overall. Shelter in the West was pulled down in 

budgetary importance by a decrease in the dollars spent on rent of primary residence, combined with a 

small enough increase in expenditures on owners’ equivalent rent that the proportion of the budget 

spent on this fell between the two time periods. 

In the West, expenditures on apparel increased 7.4 percent, enough to increase the budget share 

allocated to apparel by nearly one percent from 2001-2002 to 2003-2004. This was due in large part to 

increases in expenditures on women’s apparel. The relative importance of apparel for the other regions 

declined as a direct result of decreased dollars spent for the Midwest and South, and sluggish growth in 

expenditures in the Northeast. 

In the Midwest, expenditures on transportation fell with purchases for used cars and trucks being the 

largest single contributor to the decline. While the South did not reduce total expenditures in 

transportation, the increase experienced was not enough to prevent a slight reduction in the budget 

share going to transportation expenses. The Northeast and the West both increased the share of their 

budgets spent on transportation, primarily through increases in motor fuel expenditures and motor 

vehicle insurance. 

Medical care expenses increased in all four regions, but in the Northeast, the 2.9 percent increase was 

less than the rate of increase in overall spending, reducing its importance in the household budget. 

While expenditures on medical care services increased in the four regions--primarily due to hospital 

services increases--spending on medical care commodities increased in the Midwest, South, and West 

only, and declined in the Northeast. 

The budgetary importance of recreation for households in the South increased, having the largest 

increase in video and audio expenditures among the four regions. Large declines in spending on 

recreation services, recreational reading materials, photography, and toys and games pulled down the 

importance of recreation in the other regions. Decreased spending on sporting goods additionally 

affected the Northeast and West. 

In all four regions, education and communication expenses rose as a percent of all expenses for the 

average household. This increase was due in large part to increases in the share of household 

expenditures on education, especially tuition, other school fees, and childcare. While dollars spent on 

delivery services and cellular telephone services increased tremendously over this period, both 

categories are such small components of the budget (especially delivery services) that these changes 

had less effect on the importance of the education and communication major group in household 

budgets than tuition did. 

The remaining categories of purchases are grouped in the other goods and services major group. This 

group includes items such as tobacco products, personal care products and services, and miscellaneous 

personal goods and services such as legal services. The percent of the household budget devoted to 

this major group fell for all four regions. The single item with the largest relative importance in this 

category, cigarettes, exhibited double digit percent change declines for three out of four regions. 

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
8

Research by Mason and Butler produced the following equation to represent various components of 

expenditure weight changes in the CPI: 

 EiAt EiA CA GiA PiA DiA RiA = × × × × ×

0

EiA0 refers to the aggregate expenditures for item i in aggregate area A in time 0 (the initial period in 

this study); CA refers to the portion of the time t expenditures attributable to the population growth in 

area A; GiA is the expenditure relative for item i attributable to population movements between smaller 

areas a within aggregate area A; PiA shows the expenditure relative as a result of price changes for 

item i in area A; DiA represents the change in expenditures allocated to item i due to a change in the 

CPI definition of the item between the two time periods; and RiA depicts the effect of quantity change 

on expenditures for item i. This last approximation of quantity change is the residual change in 

expenditures after other factors are accounted for. Caution must be used in interpreting this value, as 

some things are not easily quantifiable in absolute and homogeneous units, and other items may have 

embedded quality changes estimated by the CPI that are not accounted for in this calculation.5

This model is used as the foundation of analysis in this paper. However, because the CPI market 

basket was basically unchanged with respect to item definitions between the time periods being 

examined here, the factor for definitional change, DiA, has been set to 1 and the functional equation has 

become: 

 EiAt EiA CA GiA PiA RiA = × × × ×

0

TOTAL POPULATION

Methodology: 

The change in total population for the aggregate area represents a portion of the explanation behind 

changes in aggregate expenditures. The change in the population was calculated by dividing the 

average population in the later biennial period by the average population in the earlier biennial period. 

This is a constant for all item categories. For this analysis, each Census region was designated as an 

aggregate area comprised of the collection of CPI areas originating in the specified region. Nat

represents the population in a given area a, defined as a component of aggregate area A, at time t and 

Na0 is the population in area a at time 0. 

 

 ∑

∑

∈

∈ =

a A a

a A at

A

N

N

C

0

The dollar effect on expenditures from the population change is calculated by multiplying the earlier 

period expenditures by the population change. 

 

5

 Mason and Butler 1987 
9

 ( ) 1 0

$

C = E × C − iAt iA A

Highlights: 

The average population growth from 2001-2002 to 2003-2004 was highest in the South, at 3.7 percent. 

The West followed with a 2.1 percent increase. The Midwest and Northeast experienced little change, 

at 1.2 and 1.1 percent, respectively. The population growth can be broken down into change in 

household size and change in the number of households in the region. Of 101 areas where data were 

collected in the Consumer Expenditure Survey, 41 showed an increase in reported household size, 

while 60 showed a decrease. Household size increased the most frequently in the South, with forty-six 

percent of areas in the South reporting an increase. (See Table 2.) The South was third among the four 

regions in the percent of local areas which experienced growth in the number of households. However, 

since the size of the local area greatly determines the level of impact the area has on the region, 

qualitative comparisons of population change show trends in the prevalence of larger household sizes 

or growing cities, but don’t necessarily convey information on the region’s experience as a whole. 

More interestingly, the size of the urban area appears to be more closely related to the number of areas 

reporting increased family size or an increased number of households, rather than regional location. 

(See Table 3.) Large cities have the smallest number of areas reporting larger family sizes, while 

among the smallest urban areas, half the local areas reported increased family size. Between the four 

regions, the South had the largest number of medium and small urban areas, benefiting the most from 

increased family size. 

GEOGRAPHIC CONCENTRATIONS OF PEOPLE

Methodology: 

The movement of people from one area of the country to another can have an effect on total 

expenditures. This is due in part to regional differences in price levels, consumption patterns, and rates 

of price change. Assuming a household will purchase the same market basket of goods and services in 

the same location over time, this model takes the actual first period household level expenditures and 

updates them for prices and population changes in the second period, to account for population 

geographically moving itself around and changing in size, both locally and regionally. This is 

compared to expenditures updated for prices alone, which assumes everyone stays in the same spot 

over time. The result points to the effect the geographic location itself has on consumption, allowing 

for geographic variation in pricing, supply and demand, and preferences. This is represented by the 

equation: 
10

 

N N p

p e

N N p

p e

G

A a A a

ia

iat

ia

At a A at

ia

iat

ia

iA

0 0

0

0

0

0

÷

⎥

⎥

⎦

⎤

⎢

⎢

⎣

⎡

×

⎟

⎟

⎠

⎞

⎜

⎜

⎝

⎛

×

÷

⎥

⎥

⎦

⎤

⎢

⎢

⎣

⎡

×

⎟

⎟

⎠

⎞

⎜

⎜

⎝

⎛

×

=

∑

∑

∈

∈

The average expenditure per person for item i in area a is represented by eia; the price for an item in an 

area is shown by pia. The numerator is calculated by taking the product of the average annual 

expenditure per person for item i in area a in time 0, the ratio of current price to previous price 

(updating time 0 expenditures to time t), and the total population in time t within the designated area. 

This is calculated for each area in the aggregate area A and summed. This value for total expenditure is 

then divided by the aggregate population in area A in time t. The denominator is calculated by taking 

the product of the average annual expenditure per person for item i in area a in time 0, the ratio of 

current price to previous price, and the total population in time 0 within the designated area. This is 

calculated for each area in the aggregate area A and summed. This value for total expenditure is then 

divided by the aggregate population in area A in time 0. 

The dollar effect on expenditures from the population movement is calculated by multiplying the initial 

period expenditures plus the additional expenditures due to population growth by the movement factor. 

 ( ) ( ) 1 $

0

$

G = E +C × G − iAt iA iAt iA

Highlights: 

Overall expenditures were little affected by changing concentrations of the population within regions. 

The Midwest showed no effect at all, while the South population redistribution shows a slight 0.4 

percent increase on expenditure outlays. In the Northeast and the West, declines in expenditures of 0.2 

percent and 0.3 percent, respectively, were attributable to population redistribution. 

At the major group expenditure level, the Midwest did not have any change greater than 0.1 percent, 

indicating that any geographic shifts in the population had no significant effect on the regional 

aggregate experience. (See Table 4.) 

Housing expenditures in the South increased 0.7 percent as a result of regional population 

redistribution, followed by 0.6 percent increases in spending on apparel and recreation. Medical care 

and transportation expenditures declined 0.2 percent, while the remaining major groups each showed a 

0.4 percent increase in expenditures. 

In the Northeast, food and beverages and transportation major groups were unaffected. Housing 

showed the largest impact with a decrease of 0.4 percent, followed by a 0.3 percent decline in apparel, 

indicating household moves to less expensive housing and apparel markets. The remaining major 

groups declined by smaller amounts or were virtually unchanged, with the exception of medical care, 

which showed a small increase in the second period. 
11

In the West, medical care was the only major group to show an increase in expenditures as a result of 

population distribution, at 0.2 percent, while transportation was unaffected. Recreation, housing and 

apparel each showed a 0.3 percent decline in expenditures, and food and beverages, a 0.4 percent 

decrease. Education and communication experienced the largest decline in expenditures attributable 

to geographic factors at 0.6 percent. 

As previously described, geographic distribution of the population generally had little impact on 

expenditure levels for the major groups in aggregate. (See Table 5.) However, some minor effects can 

be seen in the more detailed item categories. The largest declines in household expenditures 

attributable to changes in regional population distribution were in elementary and high school tuition 

and fees, with a 2.2 percent reduction in spending in the West. This was followed closely by a 2.1 

percent decrease in intracity transportation in the West and 2.0 percent losses in both audio equipment 

in the Northeast and legal services in the West. The largest increases in spending were found in the 

South, with fuel oil and intracity transportation spending growing 6.6 and 4.7 percent, respectively. 

Expenditures for motor fuels other than gasoline went up 2.3 percent in the Northeast and 2.1 percent 

in the Midwest. Potential influences on this change include possible existing differences in the 

concentration of diesel or alternative-fuel vehicle ownership between local areas which experienced an 

influx of residents between 2001-2002 and 2003-2004 or a change in the concentration of these 

vehicles, and that prices for these alternative fuels increased disproportionately in particular local areas 

and not others within the two regions. 

PRICE

Methodology: 

The CPI is an economic indicator of price changes over time for a given market basket of goods and 

services. These data are collected and calculated for 38 metropolitan areas, the four Census regions 

urban areas, including the metropolitan areas, and the U.S. city average. A total of 87 urban areas are 

used to make these approximations. This allows for the computation of the price change effect in a 

given period of time, with minimal confounding of substitution effects on price. 

The factor of price change in this study is computed by averaging the price indexes in each of the two 

biennial periods, and dividing the later price index average by the older price index average for each 

area and item using the following formula: 

 

∑

∑

∈

∈

=

0 0

1

1

m iAm

m t

iAm

t

iA

IX T

IX T P

The CPI index values for item i in area A in month m are represented by IXiAm; Tt refers to the total 

number of time periods m within the reference period t; and T0 is the total number of periods m within 

reference period 0. The numerator for the price ratio is calculated by summing the price indexes IXiAm

for a given area and item for each month in time t and dividing by Tt (the total number of months in 
12

time t). The denominator is calculated by summing the price indexes for a given area and item for 

each month in time 0 and dividing by T0 (the total number of months in time 0). 

The dollar effect of the price change on aggregate expenditures is represented by multiplying the sum 

of the original expenditure and the previously calculated dollar factors by the price change. 

 ( ) ( 1) $ $

0

$

P = E +C +G × P − iAt iA iAt iAt iA

Highlights: 

Overall prices increased by a high of 5.7 percent in the Northeast to a low of 3.8 percent in the 

Midwest. Increases in food and beverages prices ranged from 3.9 percent in the Midwest to a high of 

5.4 percent in the West. Housing prices in the Northeast jumped 7.1 percent, 2.5 percent more than the 

next highest increase. Apparel prices declined by around 3 to 4 percent in all four regions. Regional 

price increases for transportation, medical care, and recreation were all within 1 percentage point of 

each other. Education and communication prices increased 2.5 percent in the South compared to 5.0 

percent in the West. Price changes for other goods and services varied between the regions with prices 

in the South and the Midwest increasing 3.0 and 3.8 percent respectively, while prices increased 5.1 

percent in the West and 8.1 percent in the Northeast. (See Table 6.) 

At the detailed item level, the largest changes were seen in personal computers and peripheral 

equipment prices, which were down in all four regions, dropping an average of 37 percent from 2001-

2002 to 2003-2004. (See Table 7.) Televisions prices declined between 25.8 and 22.3 percent, while 

prices for other video equipment, not including televisions and cable television, also fell by 28 percent 

to 22.3 percent in all four regions. Information and information processing other than telephone 

services prices fell by roughly 20 percent in every region. 

Fuel oil prices jumped more than 25 percent over this period in the Northeast, South and West, with 

prices in the Midwest increasing 20.2 percent. Gasoline prices increased in all four regions, from 20.9 

percent in the Midwest to 25.0 percent in the West. Prices for motor fuels other than gasoline also 

rose, from 10.5 percent in the South to 19.9 percent in the Northeast. 

The West experienced a 19 percent increase in prices for college tuition and fees, and in state and local 

registration, license, and motor vehicle property tax. College tuition increases in the other regions 

were slightly behind the West, running between 15 and 18 percent. The Midwest increase for state and 

local registration, license, and motor vehicle property tax nearly matched the West’s at 18.7 percent, 

while the Northeast and South were much further behind with increases of 10.6 and 6.7 percent, 

respectively. 

IMPLICIT QUANTITY

Methodology: 

The residual effects capture, in part, some measure of quantity change. Since we have expenditures 

from both periods and have calculated the other factors of the expenditure change, we can solve for the 
13

remaining component. This is done by rearranging the equation which relates the factors to 

expenditures: 

 EiAt EiA CA PiA GiA RiA = × × × ×

0

Solving for R gives the following equation: 

 

E C P G

E R

iA A iA iA

iAt

iA × × × =

0

This value RiA represents what’s left over to explain a change in expenditure, after accounting for 

population and price changes. While this value is a measure of implicit quantity, the nature of the data 

must be considered. The CPI merges goods and services into discreet groups. For theoretical and 

logistical reasons, individual items priced do not stand alone in the index structure, but rather a 

category of several goods or services is the primary unit of measure, and a specific item within that 

category is chosen for recurrent pricing. While this item is usually picked with a method using 

probability proportional to sales volume to best reflect actual consumer behavior, it is then generally 

priced for four years until a new sample is rotated in. In practice, this means that while the index 

category may be girls’ apparel, for example, there are many clothing choices for a consumer to 

purchase within that category and changes in this choice may not be fully reflected in the index. 

Rather, the change in total expenditure not explained by price may be a reflection of substitution 

within the item category. This substitution can be a replacement of one product for another that may 

cost more or less than the previously priced item, or reflect a change in the quality of an item. 

Television purchases are one example of this. A 32 inch tube TV commonly purchased may see its 

price unchanged over a period of time. A 27 inch plasma TV may then arrive in stores at a 

significantly higher price than the old tube TVs. Total expenditures increase, but it’s the 32 inch tube 

TV being priced. This implies a quantity increase, since the price was unchanged (and let’s assume 

population is likewise unchanged). However, it could be that the new expenditures are reflecting not 

an increase in the number of TVs purchased, but rather the type or quality of the TV has changed as 

households move toward plasma TVs rather than tube TVs. In this case, it may be that fewer overall 

TVs are purchased, but they’re better or more expensive ones than before. While new purchasing 

behaviors are collected in surveys for the CPI to update the market basket, processing time means that 

this movement is captured over time but may not coincide with the initial expenditure reports. There is 

no definitive way to tell with publicly available data whether pure quantity increase or this substitution 

example is the correct explanation. Item categories that are fairly homogenous are better for drawing 

conclusions based on simple quantity change, such as bananas or electricity. In all cases, this measure 

indicates the change in the level of investment households are willing to finance for item categories. 

The dollar effect of the residual on aggregate expenditures is represented by multiplying the sum of the 

original expenditure and the previously calculated dollar factors by the residual factor. 

 ( ) ( 1) $ $ $

0

$

R = E +C +G + P × R − iAt iA iAt iAt iAt iA
14

The components’ dollar effects can be combined to calculate an estimate of total expenditure in the 

second period by using the following equation: 

 E EiA CiAt GiAt PiAt RiAt

estimated

iAt

$ $ $ $

0 = + + + +

Charts 1-4 show the dollar amounts each described component contributed to the change in total 

average annual expenditures in the four Census regions. 

Highlights: 

Generally, households in the regions consumed more in 2003-2004 than they did in 2001-2002. (See 

Table 8.) The West had the largest increase, at 3.2 percent, in overall consumption. The South 

showed the least overall change, inching up a slight 0.7 percent. The Northeast, Midwest, and West 

increased purchases of food and beverages by more than 4 percent, while the South decreased 

purchases by 4.6 percent. The Northeast was the only region to experience a decline in housing 

consumption, led primarily by drastic decreases in lodging away from home. The Midwest 

experienced the largest increase in housing-related consumption, with home purchases, household 

fuels, and home furnishings contributing most of the increase. 

The Midwest was the only region to experience a decline in apparel purchases, and the South was 

nearly unchanged. The Northeast and the West posted large increases of 8.4 and 12.6 percent, 

respectively. Women’s dresses and women’s underwear, nightwear, sportswear, and accessories had a 

large positive influence on the apparel indicator for both regions, as did men’s pants and shorts. 

Transportation is another major group where the South was only slightly changed and the Midwest was 

the only region to have a decline in purchases, led by a large decrease in purchases of used cars and 

trucks. The Northeast and the South showed decreases in the consumption of medical care, while the 

Midwest and West showed increases in excess of 6 percent. Education and communication 

expenditures increased with regard to quantity for all regions, while consumption of other goods and 

services decreased. 

At a more detailed level, purchases for services for care of invalids and elderly at home fell 76.5 

percent in the Midwest and 60.3 percent in the South, the largest declines in quantity measure along 

with nursing homes and adult daycare in the Northeast, at 64.7 percent. (See Table 9.) Sports vehicles 

including bicycles purchases declined 60 percent in the Northeast, while overall sporting goods 

purchases decreased 32.4 percent from 2001-2002 to 2003-2004. Quantities of frozen noncarbonated 

juices and drinks purchased fell 42.1 percent in the South, 38.5 percent in the Midwest, and 38.1 

percent in the Northeast. Investments in funeral expenses declined in both the South and the 

Northeast, at 38.9 and 41.8 percent respectively. Expenditure levels, accounting for price changes, 

declined 37.7 percent for music instruments and accessories in the West and 33.7 percent in the South, 

implying a reduction in the number of musical instruments purchased, or a substitutionary movement 

towards less expensive instruments. Similarly, purchase levels of audio equipment in the West fell 

34.1 percent. 

In contrast, purchases on care of invalids and elderly at home skyrocketed 287 percent in the 

Northeast, while nursing homes and adult daycare increased 158.6 percent in the West and 69.4 

percent in the Midwest. Delivery services purchases increased 142.9 percent in the South, 108.9 
15

percent in the West, and 79.6 percent in the Northeast. Musical instruments and accessories purchases 

in the Midwest and sporting goods purchases in the South both increased 61.9 percent. 

Televisions purchases went up 70 percent in the West and 64.4 percent in the Northeast, while personal 

computers and peripheral equipment purchases were up 70.5 percent in the West and 60.5 percent in 

the Northeast. 

Summary results of selected categories compared across regions 

FOOD AND BEVERAGES

In the Northeast, the data show prices for beef and veal products increased between 2001-2002 and 

2003-2004, on average by 15 percent, while consumption decreased around 7 percent on average. 

Geographic shifts played little role in expenditure growth, and prices had the largest role in increased 

average expenditures. The West experience was similar, with the 18 percent increase in prices 

offsetting the 5 percent decline in purchases. Average household expenditures were nearly unchanged, 

and the relative importance declined, in the Midwest, indicating the 13.6 percent increase in prices was 

offset by the nearly 9.4 percent decline in consumption. Not only did the relative importance of beef 

and veal decline in the South, average household expenditures fell nearly 2 percent before adjusting for 

inflation. Prices in the South increased 14.5 percent, and consumption fell 13.2 percent, the largest 

decline in the four regions. 

Expenditures on fresh fish and seafood were affected by geographic shifts in the South, increasing 1.4 

percent directly as a result of household location. Prices were virtually unchanged in the South, and 

purchases rose 6.2 percent. In contrast, expenditures in the West fell one percent as a result of 

geographic shifts, but rose 28.1 percent as households purchased more fresh fish and seafood with 

prices increasing 2.1 percent. Northeast aggregate expenditures fell a slight 0.7 percent due to 

geographic shifts, but prices rose 5 percent and consumption increased 4.7 percent, with the relative 

importance virtually unchanged. In the Midwest, prices fell 6.1 percent, and consumption increased 

19.6 percent. 

Consumption of processed fish and seafood rose 23.8 percent in the Midwest, with prices falling a 

slight 1.1 percent and nearly no change in expenditures attributable to geographic movements. Prices 

rose only slightly less in the South, 0.9 percent, but consumption increased 6.2 percent and 

expenditures rose 0.9 percent as a result of geographic shifts. Prices rose in both the West and the 

Northeast, 2.6 and 3.9 percent respectively, with little change in expenditures as a result of geographic 

location. However, consumption of processed fish and seafood rose in the West 9.6 percent while it 

fell 13 percent in the Northeast. 

Alcoholic beverages were increasingly popular, in spite of price increases. Purchases of alcoholic 

beverages at home increased an average of 29 percent in the Northeast as prices rose an average 3.4 

percent. Consumption rose 20.3 percent in the West, with geographic movements contributing a 0.8 

percent decline in expenditures more than offset by a 3.6 percent increase in prices. Prices rose 4.0 

percent in the South and 3.0 percent in the Midwest, and consumption rose 15.7 percent and 12.3 

percent, respectively. 
16

Even though prices for alcoholic beverages away from home increased an average 8.5 percent in the 

Northeast and 5.5 percent in the Midwest, consumption continued to increase at a rate of 15.3 percent 

and 7.8 percent, respectively, between 2001-2002 and 2003-2004. Geographic population shifts 

contributed to a 0.9 percent increase in expenditures on alcoholic beverages away from home in the 

South, adding to the 3.9 percent increase in prices and a 20.6 percent increase in consumption. In the 

West, expenditures actually fell 1.3 percent as a result of geographic shifts. Prices increased 7.7 

percent and consumption rose the least out of the four regions at 3.1 percent. 

HOUSING

Expenditures on rent of primary residence in the Midwest were unaffected by movements between 

local areas, and purchases were virtually unchanged as rental prices rose 4.8 percent. Expenditures fell 

0.9 percent in both the Northeast and the West as a result of geographic movements, and rental prices 

rose 8.7 percent and 6.3 percent, respectively. The two regions were very different in consumption, 

however, which rose 1 percent in the Northeast but fell 6.5 percent in the West. Prices in the South 

rose 5.3 percent and expenditures increased 0.7 percent due to movements between local areas, even 

though consumption fell 2.4 percent. 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence, which attempts to capture what owned housing is worth 

on a flow basis, increased in all four regions, from 4.2 percent in the Midwest to 8.4 percent in the 

Northeast. Expenditures on owners’ equivalent rent fell 0.5 percent in the Northeast as a result of 

changing household location, but increased 0.8 percent in the South. Consumption of owned homes 

increased 1.6 percent in the West, 2.4 percent in the Northeast, 5.6 percent in the South, and 7.3 

percent in the Midwest. 

 

Price increases for electricity were at 4.6 percent for the South, 2.6 percent in the Northeast, and 2.0 

percent in the Midwest. Prices declined a slight 0.3 percent in the West, but expenditures rose 0.3 

percent due to geographic movements. Consumption increased 5 percent in the Midwest, 8.6 percent 

in the West, and 10.6 percent in the Northeast, but fell slightly in the South by 0.6 percent. 

Perhaps playing into this general move toward greater electricity consumption were increases in prices 

for utility natural gas service. In the Midwest, prices rose 24.7 percent and consumption fell 4.7 

percent. Prices rose 18.0 percent in the South, expenditures increased 0.5 percent for geographic 

shifts, and consumption still fell 11.2 percent. The Northeast experience was similar, with prices up 

17.8 percent, expenditures due to geographic shifts up 0.4 percent, and consumption down 0.7 percent. 

Prices for utility natural gas service rose the least in the West, 8.2 percent, and consumption still fell 

5.3 percent. 

APPAREL

Geographic shifts increased the total expenditures on men’s suits, sport coats, and outerwear in the 

South by 0.9 percent, while geographic shifts contributed to a 0.9 percent decline in expenditures in the 

West. Prices had no effect on expenditures in the South and Northeast, while prices declined 6.2 

percent in the West and 3.4 percent in the Midwest. The Midwest was the only region to show an 

increase in expenditures as a result of greater consumption, at 3.4 percent. Consumption plummeted 

33.8 percent in the South, and fell 19.2 and 10.7 percent in the Northeast and West, respectively. 
17

Expenditures on women’s outerwear fell 0.9 percent in the West due to geographic shifts, but rose 0.6 

percent in the Midwest. Prices fell in all four regions by three to eight percent. Purchases fell a slight 

1.1 percent in the Midwest, but rose in the other regions. Consumption in the West jumped the most, 

at 31.1 percent, followed by a 26.8 percent increase in the South, and a 4.6 percent rise in the 

Northeast. 

The South and the West both saw a 0.7 percent change in expenditures on women’s dresses as a result 

of geographic shifts, up in the South and down in the West. Prices fell slightly in the South, but rose 

1.8 percent in the West, 2.2 percent in the Northeast, and 4.8 percent in the Midwest. Even though the 

South and the Midwest had price changes in opposite directions, both experienced a fall in 

consumption of more than 32 percent. Purchases jumped 25 percent in the West and 53.6 percent in 

the Northeast. 

Men’s footwear saw a 1.2 percent decline in expenditures as a result of population movements in local 

areas in the Northeast, but was the only region to show an increase in consumption, with a 25.9 percent 

jump in expenditures. Prices fell in the Northeast by 9.7 percent, 5.6 percent in the South, and 2.8 

percent in the West. Prices were nearly unchanged in the Midwest, but purchases fell 15.1 percent. 

The South exhibited little change in purchases even with the price decrease, and the West saw declines 

in men’s footwear purchases, falling 7.7 percent. 

TRANSPORTATION

Expenditures on new vehicles were up in the West by 0.5 percent and down 0.5 percent in the South as 

the population concentrations changed in the local areas. Prices were down in all regions, with a low 

2.0 percent decline in the South to a 3.2 percent decline in the West. Purchases increased in all 

regions, from a smaller 7.3 percent increase in the Northeast, to the larger increases of 15.9 percent in 

the West, 18.7 percent in the South, and 20.8 percent in the Midwest. 

Expenditures on used cars and trucks fell 0.7 percent in the West and rose 0.8 percent in the South this 

time due to geographic shifts, and again prices fell in all four regions by roughly 11 percent. However, 

purchases fell 12.2 percent in the South and 38.5 percent in the Midwest, rose a modest 1.4 percent in 

the West, and jumped 61.6 percent in the Northeast. 

It is interesting to note that while gasoline is generally considered a good with fairly inelastic demand, 

as prices increased by a range of 20.9 (Midwest) to 25.0 (West) percent in the four regions, gallons of 

gas purchased fell at least 2 percent (Northeast) and as much as 5.5 percent (Midwest), indicating 

consumers did actually modify their behavior and either switched to a cheaper grade gasoline or 

bought fewer gallons and therefore traveled fewer miles. 

Airline fares were moderately influenced by geographic movements, increasing expenditures 1.4 

percent in the South and decreasing expenditures in the West by 1.3 percent. Prices were virtually 

unchanged in the South, and declined 1.2 percent in the Midwest, 3.7 percent in the Northeast, and 5.0 

percent in the West. Consumption was stagnant in the South, and grew 2.5 percent in the Northeast 

and 6.7 percent in the Midwest. Purchases of airline fares jumped 30.7 percent in the West. In all 
18

cases, consumption of other intercity transportation also increased at least 12 percent as prices 

declined. 

MEDICAL CARE

Again indicating some variability in expenditures between local areas within the region, the South 

showed a 0.8 percent decrease in expenditures on prescription drugs and medical supplies. Prices 

increased fairly uniformly across the regions, from 7.0 to 8.6 percent. But while consumption was 

nearly unchanged in the Midwest and the West, it fell 15.4 percent in the Northeast and 5 percent in 

the South. This may indicate households are filling fewer prescriptions or a move toward less 

expensive generic substitutes not captured in the pricing component. Certainly, in contrast, purchases 

of nonprescription drugs increased during that period. 

Purchases of nonprescription drugs increased 7.4 percent in the Northeast, even though prices were 

unchanged. Purchases increased 16.0 percent in the South, with prices increasing 1.7 percent, and 15.5 

percent in the West while prices edged up 1.0 percent. In contrast, purchases in the Midwest fell 1.4 

percent as prices rose 1.9 percent. 

For hospital services, geographic shifts increased expenditures 0.6 percent in the Northeast and 0.5 

percent in the West. Prices rose in all regions, with 13.1 percent in the Midwest, 14.7 percent in the 

South, and 15.3 percent in the West. The highest price increase was 19.7 percent in the Northeast. 

Even so, consumption of hospital services was practically unchanged in the Northeast, while it fell 4.1 

percent in the South. The West’s purchases rose 3.4 percent while purchases in the Midwest increased 

15.4 percent. 

Prices for nursing homes and adult daycare increased from 9.5 percent in the Northeast to 11.8 percent 

in the Midwest. Unique among the four regions, purchases in the Northeast plummeted some 65 

percent. Relatively speaking, consumption in the South rose a modest 29 percent, in light of the 69.4 

percent increase in the Midwest and the 158.6 percent jump in the West. 

The Midwest and the West both showed health insurance purchases unfazed by 15 to 16 percent 

increases in prices, with consumption of the service increasing 7.4 and 4.6 percent, respectively. In 

direct contrast to these experiences, consumption fell 8.1 percent in the South and 3 percent in the 

Northeast with prices rising 15.4 and 16.2 percent, respectively. 

RECREATION

Expenditures increased 1.1 percent in the West for sports vehicles including bicycles as a result of 

geographic population shifts and declined 0.7 percent in the Midwest. It is interesting to see the 

different regional combinations of price and quantity, as prices fell 2.7 percent in the Northeast and 3.9 

percent in the Midwest, but consumption in the Northeast dropped 60 percent and rose 5.8 percent in 

the Midwest. Prices were practically stagnant in the West, and consumption increased 11.8 percent. In 

perhaps the largest shift in preferences among the four regions, purchases of sports vehicles including 

bicycles in the South skyrocketed 142.6 percent in just an average 2 years, even with prices increasing 

5.3 percent. 
19

There was apparently a trade-off, however, as consumption of sports equipment in the South fell 10.4 

percent even though prices fell an average 3.3 percent. With prices up a slight 1.0 percent in the West 

and expenditures down 1.0 percent for geographic shifts, consumption also fell 13.9 percent. Prices 

fell 4.2 percent in the Northeast and 5.6 percent in the Midwest. Purchases of sports equipment rose 

6.4 and 31.4 percent, respectively. 

Geographic shifts played a role in increasing expenditures on newspapers and magazines by 0.6 

percent in the South, and decreasing expenditures 0.8 percent in the West. Prices increased 4.0 percent 

in the Northeast, Midwest, and South, and 5.9 percent in the West. All four regions decreased 

purchases roughly 13 percent on average. 

Expenditures on recreational books were up 1.1 percent in the South but down 0.9 percent in the West 

as a result of changing population distribution within local areas. Prices fell less than one percent in 

the Midwest and the West, inched up 1.2 percent in the South, and rose 3.2 percent in the Northeast. 

Even as consumption was constant in the Midwest, it fell 5.5 percent in the West, 6.4 percent in the 

South and 9.6 percent in the Northeast in an inverse pattern reflecting the magnitude of price change. 

EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION

College tuition and fees prices increased at least 14.9 percent in all regions, with the highest increase in 

the West at 19.3 percent, where expenditures fell 1.2 percent as a result of geographic shifts. 

Consumption of college services edged up just 1.0 percent in the Midwest, as the West increased 3.7 

percent and the South, 4.5 percent. The Northeast, with the lowest price increase, had the largest 

increase in consumption, at 13.9 percent. 

Local area residency played a role in the Northeast and West, decreasing expenditures on elementary 

and high school tuition and fees by 1.5 and 2.2 percent, respectively. Prices increased between 13.1 

and 14.8 percent in all four regions. Consumption of services provided by elementary and high school 

tuition and fee payments also fell in both the Northeast, 4.4 percent, and the West, 4.2 percent. 

Consumption increased 11 percent in the South and 33.1 percent in the Midwest. 

Expenditures on local telephone services rose in all regions as a result of price increases, with the West 

seeing the smallest increase of 4.6 percent and the other regions’ prices rising between 7.2 and 8.8 

percent. The West also had the largest decline in consumption of local telephone services, falling 16.9 

percent, followed by a 16 percent decrease in the Midwest, and roughly 13 percent in both the 

Northeast and South. 

This is contrasted by increases in cellular telephone service purchases, as prices were unchanged or 

decreasing up to 5.2 percent. The largest increase in consumption was in the Northeast, surging 57.5 

percent on average, followed by the West with 42.1 percent. The South and Midwest followed with 

increases of 38.9 and 35.3 percent, respectively. 

 

OTHER GOODS AND SERVICES

Prices for cigarettes rose 20.1 percent in the Northeast, and 4.8 percent in the West and 4.3 percent in 

the Midwest. Unique among the regions, prices for cigarettes in the South did not rise in the second 
20

biennial period, and consumption still fell 10.2 percent. The Midwest and the West also showed 

declines around 9 percent. Cigarette purchases fell by the largest amount in the region with the largest 

price increase, down 16.4 percent in the Northeast. 

Expenditures on funeral expenses attributable to geographic shifts were down 1.1 percent in the 

Northeast. Prices were up 8 to 9 percent in all four regions, and consumption fell in three of the four. 

Investments in funeral expenditures were down just 6.8 percent in the West, compared to the 38.9 

percent decline in the South and a 41.8 percent drop in the Northeast. Purchases actually increased 

25.5 percent in the Midwest. 

Changing concentrations of the population in the local areas had some impact in the South, West, and 

Northeast on expenditures for financial services, increasing 0.8 percent in the South and declining 1.3 

percent in the West and 0.7 percent in the Northeast. Prices rose the least in the South, 4.5 percent, 

and consumption correspondingly fell the least at 17.1 percent. Prices rose the most in the Northeast, 

8.5 percent, but consumption fell the next smallest amount at 17.4 percent. Prices rose 7.4 percent in 

the Midwest and 6.6 percent in the West, and purchases fell 19.4 and 25.1 percent, respectively. 

Expenditures on care of invalids and elderly at home fell 1.8 percent in the Northeast, 1.1 percent in 

the West, and 0.8 percent in the South as a result of geographic population shifts. Prices were up 3.9 

percent in the Northeast and 5.6 and 5.7 percent in the West and Midwest, respectively. Prices 

increased the most in the South, rising 10.4 percent. Even though the West and Midwest experienced 

similar price changes, purchases of services for care of invalids and elderly at home increased 59.4 

percent in the West and plummeted 76.5 percent in the Midwest. The South, with the highest price 

increase, had the second greatest decline in consumption at 60.3 percent. The Northeast, with the 

smallest price increase, had the largest increase in consumption, leaping 287 percent. 

Summary 

Not only can the relative importance of items give insight into how households allocate their funds, but 

we can also examine a few underlying factors behind the changes in expenditures that result in changes 

in relative importance over time. Closer examination shows that, among the four factors, price change 

had the largest impact and accounted for 42.8 percent to 65.9 percent of the changes in regional 

expenditures from the 2001-2002 period to the 2003-2004 period. The level of consumption was the 

second leading cause of expenditure change in three of the four regions studied. Population growth in 

the regions pushed up expenditures by 12.8 percent to 39.6 percent. Although impact of geographical 

shifts is more evident at the detailed item level, the largest effect of this factor at the aggregate level 

was seen in the South region where 4.5 percent of the change in expenditures during the period was 

due to the geographic movement of people. 

Overall, expenditures in the regions increased by 8.1 percent in the Midwest, 8.7 percent in the 

Northeast, 9.3 percent in the South, and 10.2 percent in the West. In every region, price was the 

leading cause of expenditure change, while geographic movement had the smallest effect. The effect 

of price change was followed by changes in the level of consumption and then population change in all 

of the regions except for the South, where the order of these last two factors was reversed. 
21

In the Northeast, price changes accounted for 65.9 percent of the change in total expenditures with 

level of consumption and population change a distant second and third, accounting for 19.2 and 12.8 

percent. The effect of geographic shift was minimal at 2.2 percent. 

In the Midwest and West, price remained the factor with the largest impact (47.4 percent and 42.8 

percent, respectively), but consumption level had a much larger impact than in the Northeast. 

Consumption accounted for 37.8 percent of the change in expenditures in the Midwest and 33.7 

percent in the West. Population change was the third largest factor for both regions, although at 20.9 

percent it ran a closer third in the West than in the Midwest (14.2 percent). Geographic shift had little 

effect on expenditure changes in the West, 2.7 percent, and virtually no impact on Midwest 

expenditure changes at 0.6 percent. 

While the level of each factor’s impact varied among these three regions, the order of impact was the 

same. However, the South region did not follow this pattern. As in the other regions, changing prices 

accounted for the largest portion (47.5 percent) of expenditure change in the South, but the impact of 

price change was followed rather closely by the impact of population change which accounted for 39.6 

percent of the overall change in expenditures. Change in the level of consumption accounted for only 

8.5 percent of total expenditure change, the lowest of any region; while the largest effects of 

geographic shift were seen in the South region where this factor accounted for 4.5 percent of total 

expenditure change. 

Price changes clearly play a major role in increased aggregate expenditures, contributing nearly twothirds of the rise in expenditures in the Northeast. The level of consumption, as households decide 

how much of a good or service to purchase, also contributes to the total expenditures. This effect was 

most prominent in the Midwest and the West. Population growth pushed aggregate expenditures up 

the most in the South and the least in the Northeast. In some cases, where households are located 

within a region plays some small role in how much is spent on goods and services, as with the fourand-a-half percent increase in expenditures in the South attributed to this geographic shifting. In any 

case, purchasing patterns clearly varied according to region of residence. 
22

Appendix 

Table 1. Relative Importances of selected items by region, 2001-2002 and 2003-2004 

 Northeast Midwest South West 

 

2001-

02 

2003-

04 

2001-

02 

2003-

04 

2001-

02 

2003-

04 

2001-

02 

2003-

04 

ALL ITEMS 100.000 100.000 100.000 100.000 100.000 100.000 100.000 100.000 

MAJOR GROUP: FOOD AND 

BEVERAGES 15.199 15.618 14.829 15.016 15.783 15.045 14.328 14.689 

 FOOD AT HOME 8.165 8.127 7.791 7.882 8.475 8.166 7.708 7.902 

 Food away from home 5.969 6.196 5.960 5.974 6.421 5.847 5.644 5.704 

 Alcoholic beverages at home 0.645 0.806 0.671 0.727 0.616 0.707 0.645 0.743 

 Alcoholic beverages away from home 0.421 0.488 0.407 0.433 0.270 0.324 0.332 0.339 

MAJOR GROUP: HOUSING 44.151 43.671 39.773 41.464 40.164 41.203 43.445 42.661 

 Rent of primary residence 6.299 6.398 4.637 4.550 5.483 5.378 7.440 6.831 

 Lodging away from home 4.565 2.881 3.095 3.048 2.527 2.295 2.998 2.961 

 Owners' equivalent rent of primary 

residence 23.971 24.705 22.038 23.064 21.550 22.881 23.994 23.776 

 Fuel oil and other fuels 0.620 0.671 0.111 0.136 0.103 0.134 0.077 0.069 

 Gas (piped) and electricity 3.274 3.514 3.836 4.016 4.255 4.196 2.736 2.721 

 HOUSEHOLD FURNISHINGS AND 

OPERATIONS 3.763 3.893 4.333 4.824 4.070 4.092 4.129 4.134 

MAJOR GROUP: APPAREL 4.605 4.496 4.490 3.951 4.308 3.958 3.931 3.965 

 Men's apparel 0.936 0.853 0.929 0.793 0.842 0.696 0.800 0.754 

 Boy's apparel 0.250 0.217 0.251 0.228 0.243 0.236 0.199 0.215 

 Women's apparel 1.644 1.683 1.722 1.377 1.553 1.389 1.353 1.473 

 Girls' apparel 0.341 0.292 0.300 0.302 0.311 0.262 0.253 0.246 

 Footwear 0.911 0.935 0.763 0.667 0.858 0.818 0.766 0.721 

 Infants' and toddlers' apparel 0.220 0.173 0.245 0.229 0.213 0.200 0.194 0.206 

MAJOR GROUP: TRANSPORTATION 15.291 15.658 18.377 16.743 17.986 17.953 17.346 17.582 

 New and used motor vehicles 7.201 7.305 9.604 7.974 9.273 9.011 8.486 8.293 

 Motor fuel 2.567 2.906 3.332 3.561 3.435 3.789 3.179 3.552 

 Motor vehicle maintenance and repair 1.138 1.030 1.316 1.079 1.281 1.056 1.496 1.304 

 Motor vehicle insurance 2.155 2.243 2.208 2.231 2.376 2.542 2.144 2.207 

 Motor vehicle fees 0.446 0.468 0.515 0.538 0.361 0.377 0.479 0.513 

 Public transportation 1.502 1.443 1.033 1.005 0.867 0.804 1.129 1.270 

MAJOR GROUP: MEDICAL CARE 5.223 5.207 5.993 6.629 6.532 6.631 5.184 5.603 

 Prescription drugs and medical supplies 0.895 0.763 1.129 1.137 1.310 1.259 0.810 0.807 

 Nonprescription drugs and medical 

supplies 0.370 0.368 0.448 0.457 0.423 0.487 0.414 0.469 

 Professional services 2.525 2.539 2.733 2.954 2.858 2.858 2.552 2.705 

 Hospital and related services 1.142 1.231 1.370 1.716 1.593 1.678 1.143 1.324 

 Health insurance 0.291 0.307 0.312 0.364 0.347 0.349 0.265 0.298 

MAJOR GROUP: RECREATION 5.903 5.517 6.459 6.184 5.467 5.712 6.248 6.069 

 Video and audio 1.768 1.894 1.855 1.905 1.829 2.035 1.702 1.718 

 Pets, pet products and services 0.510 0.584 0.577 0.667 0.615 0.592 0.607 0.701 

 Sporting goods 0.589 0.360 0.725 0.749 0.543 0.845 0.857 0.785 

 Recreation services 1.900 1.753 1.949 1.672 1.496 1.368 1.900 1.844 

 Recreational reading materials 0.404 0.344 0.435 0.382 0.306 0.270 0.390 0.337 
23

Table 1. Relative Importances of selected items by region, 2001-2002 and 2003-2004 - Continued 

 Northeast Midwest South West 

2001-

02 

2003-

04 

2001-

02 

2003-

04 

2001-

02 

2003-

04 

2001-

02 

2003-

04 

 

MAJOR GROUP: EDUCATION AND 

COMMUNICATION 6.138 6.382 6.173 6.340 5.786 6.025 6.007 6.099 

 Educational books and supplies 0.165 0.149 0.204 0.197 0.189 0.173 0.248 0.240 

 Tuition, other school fees, and childcare 2.783 2.985 2.501 2.792 1.860 2.111 2.470 2.549 

 Postage and delivery services 0.182 0.185 0.173 0.212 0.170 0.181 0.170 0.196 

 Telephone services 2.273 2.278 2.457 2.362 2.787 2.801 2.234 2.163 

 Information and information processing 

other than telephone services 0.734 0.785 0.839 0.777 0.780 0.760 0.885 0.951 

MAJOR GROUP: OTHER GOODS 

AND SERVICES 3.490 3.451 3.905 3.672 3.975 3.474 3.510 3.332 

 Tobacco and smoking products 0.750 0.704 0.969 0.856 0.854 0.717 0.577 0.504 

 Personal care products 0.607 0.696 0.738 0.721 0.753 0.757 0.707 0.770 

 Personal care services 0.625 0.689 0.645 0.677 0.672 0.694 0.618 0.628 

 Miscellaneous personal services 1.327 1.179 1.318 1.176 1.492 1.116 1.390 1.187 

Table 2. Percent change in household characteristics by region 

 Northeast Midwest South West 

Percent of urban areas in 

which the average household 

size increased 33.33% 37.50% 46.15% 40.00% 

Percent of urban areas in 

which the average number of 

households increased 72.22% 66.67% 64.10% 55.00% 

Table 3. Percent change in household characteristics by city size 

Large 

Cities 

Mid-Size 

Cities 

Small Urban 

Areas 

Percent of urban areas in which the 

average household size increased 32.26% 41.30% 50.00% 

Percent of urban areas in which the 

average number of households increased 64.52% 73.91% 45.83% 
24

Table 4. Major group indexes of geographic shift by region 

 Northeast Midwest South West 

All Items 99.8 100.0 100.4 99.7

Food And Beverages 100.0 100.1 100.4 99.6

Housing 99.6 100.1 100.7 99.7

Apparel 99.7 100.1 100.6 99.7

Transportation 100.0 100.1 99.8 100.0

Medical Care 100.2 99.9 99.8 100.2

Recreation 99.9 100.0 100.6 99.7

Education And Communication 99.8 100.0 100.4 99.4

Other Goods And Services 99.8 100.0 100.4 99.5
25

Table 5. Detailed indexes of largest changes in geographic shift by region 

Relative 

Importance Region Detailed Category 

Geo 

Shift 

Index 2001-

02 

2003-

04 

 Audio equipment 98.0 0.133 0.081 

 Care of invalids and elderly at home 98.2 0.047 0.173 

 Elementary and high school tuition and fees 98.5 0.438 0.435 

 Domestic services 98.7 0.237 0.235 

 Intracity transportation 98.8 0.569 0.567 

 Music instruments and accessories 101.2 0.038 0.050 

 State and local registration, license, and motor vehicle property tax 101.2 0.181 0.203 

 Tobacco products other than cigarettes 101.3 0.043 0.042 

 Other motor fuels 102.3 0.007 0.008 

Northeast 

 Delivery services 102.8 0.005 0.009 

 Other household fuels 99.2 0.083 0.097 

 Sports vehicles including bicycles 99.3 0.422 0.399 

 Men's pants and shorts 99.6 0.233 0.190 

 Other appliances 99.6 0.188 0.212 

 Baby food 99.6 0.068 0.077 

 Women's outerwear 100.6 0.128 0.110 

 Gardening and lawncare services 100.7 0.149 0.200 

 Other pork including roasts and picnics 100.7 0.102 0.095 

 Elementary and high school tuition and fees 100.8 0.273 0.388 

Midwest 

 Other motor fuels 102.1 0.005 0.006 

 Nursing homes and adult daycare 98.9 0.065 0.086 

 Music instruments and accessories 99.1 0.055 0.034 

 Floor coverings 99.1 0.044 0.044 

 Used cars and trucks 99.2 2.721 2.006 

 Prescription drugs and medical supplies 99.2 1.304 1.248 

 Other lodging away from home including hotels and motels 102.2 2.395 2.178 

 Clocks, lamps, and decorator items 102.2 0.398 0.373 

 Parking and other fees 102.6 0.109 0.107 

 Intracity transportation 104.7 0.140 0.107 

South 

 Fuel oil 106.6 0.037 0.048 

 Elementary and high school tuition and fees 97.8 0.278 0.277 

 Intracity transportation 97.9 0.196 0.183 

 Legal services 98.0 0.428 0.333 

 Wine at home 98.6 0.241 0.286 

 Dishes and flatware 98.6 0.110 0.105 

 Other household fuels 101.0 0.056 0.052 

 Sports vehicles including bicycles 101.1 0.375 0.393 

 State and local registration, license, and motor vehicle property tax 101.1 0.319 0.363 

 Bedroom furniture 101.1 0.320 0.363 

West 

 Delivery services 101.6 0.008 0.018 
26

Table 6. Major group indexes of price change by region 

 Northeast Midwest South West 

All Items 105.7 103.8 104.2 104.3

Food And Beverages 104.9 103.9 104.9 105.4

Housing 107.1 104.2 104.6 104.1

Apparel 96.8 95.3 95.6 96.5

Transportation 104.8 103.9 104.6 104.5

Medical Care 108.7 109.2 108.4 108.8

Recreation 102.5 102.0 102.9 102.1

Education And Communication 104.3 103.8 102.5 105.0

Other Goods And Services 108.1 103.8 103.0 105.1
27

Table 7. Detailed indexes of largest changes in prices by region 

Relative 

Importance Region Detailed Category Price 

Index 2001-

02 

2003-

04 

 Personal computers and peripheral equipment 61.7 0.347 0.323 

 Televisions 75.7 0.200 0.231 

 Other video equipment 77.7 0.053 0.054 

 Other information processing equipment 81.1 0.079 0.082 

 Computer software and accessories 84.1 0.039 0.038 

 Other motor fuels 119.9 0.007 0.008 

 Cigarettes 120.1 0.702 0.660 

 Eggs 120.5 0.090 0.101 

 Gasoline (all-types) 123.3 2.560 2.899 

Northeast 

 Fuel oil 125.1 0.529 0.577 

 Personal computers and peripheral equipment 64.5 0.408 0.329 

 Other video equipment 72.0 0.079 0.072 

 Televisions 74.2 0.232 0.201 

 Computer software and accessories 78.9 0.055 0.050 

 Other information processing equipment 79.5 0.100 0.055 

 Fuel oil 120.2 0.028 0.039 

 Other household fuels 120.4 0.083 0.097 

 Gasoline (all-types) 120.9 3.327 3.555 

 Eggs 122.7 0.072 0.082 

Midwest 

 Utility natural gas service 124.7 1.522 1.696 

 Personal computers and peripheral equipment 65.3 0.342 0.298 

 Other video equipment 76.2 0.061 0.060 

 Televisions 77.2 0.213 0.243 

 Other information processing equipment 78.8 0.120 0.061 

 Telephone services, long distance charges 83.3 1.018 0.920 

 Eggs 117.6 0.095 0.100 

 Utility natural gas service 118.0 0.761 0.760 

 Other household fuels 120.9 0.066 0.086 

 Gasoline (all-types) 122.2 3.406 3.757 

South 

 Fuel oil 125.6 0.037 0.048 

 Personal computers and peripheral equipment 61.9 0.449 0.442 

 Other video equipment 74.6 0.083 0.067 

 Televisions 77.7 0.199 0.246 

 Other information processing equipment 81.7 0.088 0.089 

 Clocks, lamps, and decorator items 82.3 0.459 0.366 

 State and local registration, license, and motor vehicle property tax 119.0 0.319 0.363 

 College tuition and fees 119.3 1.223 1.393 

 Uncooked beef steaks 120.1 0.221 0.261 

 Gasoline (all-types) 125.0 3.111 3.480 

West 

 Fuel oil 131.3 0.021 0.017 
28

Table 8. Major group indexes of quantity change by region 

 Northeast Midwest South West 

All Items 101.6 102.9 100.7 103.2

Food And Beverages 104.9 104.1 95.4 104.9

Housing 99.3 106.9 102.6 101.6

Apparel 108.4 98.6 100.7 112.6

Transportation 104.6 93.7 100.8 104.1

Medical Care 98.0 108.3 98.9 106.4

Recreation 97.7 100.4 106.4 102.4

Education And Communication 106.9 105.8 106.7 104.4

Other Goods And Services 98.2 96.8 89.1 97.4
29

Table 9. Detailed indexes of largest changes in quantities by region 

Relative 

Importance Region Detailed Category Quantity 

Index 2001-

02 

2003-

04 

 Nursing homes and adult daycare 35.3 0.066 0.024 

 Sports vehicles including bicycles 40.0 0.345 0.126 

 Funeral expenses 58.2 0.313 0.183 

 Frozen noncarbonated juices and drinks 61.9 0.020 0.012 

 Other lodging away from home including hotels and motels 66.3 4.379 2.723 

 Used cars and trucks 161.6 1.295 1.740 

 Televisions 164.4 0.200 0.231 

 Other linens 176.1 0.222 0.334 

 Delivery services 179.6 0.005 0.009 

Northeast 

 Care of invalids and elderly at home 387.0 0.047 0.173 

 Care of invalids and elderly at home 23.5 0.084 0.020 

 Housing at school, excluding board 56.8 0.239 0.143 

 Frozen noncarbonated juices and drinks 61.5 0.031 0.018 

 Used cars and trucks 61.5 3.297 1.687 

 Women's dresses 67.8 0.202 0.135 

 Sewing machines, fabric and supplies 161.4 0.069 0.103 

 Music instruments and accessories 161.9 0.052 0.078 

 Floor coverings 165.5 0.038 0.059 

 Nursing homes and adult daycare 169.4 0.079 0.141 

Midwest 

 Tools, hardware and supplies 178.4 0.176 0.290 

 Care of invalids and elderly at home 39.7 0.266 0.109 

 Frozen noncarbonated juices and drinks 57.9 0.024 0.014 

 Funeral expenses 61.1 0.264 0.165 

 Men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear 66.2 0.206 0.131 

 Music instruments and accessories 66.3 0.055 0.034 

 Televisions 154.6 0.213 0.243 

 Repair of household items 164.0 0.064 0.111 

 Dishes and flatware 169.0 0.070 0.102 

 Sports vehicles including bicycles 242.6 0.244 0.593 

South 

 Delivery services 242.9 0.007 0.019 

 Technical and business school tuition and fees 54.4 0.107 0.061 

 Music instruments and accessories 62.3 0.103 0.059 

 Audio equipment 65.9 0.163 0.093 

 Fuel oil 68.5 0.021 0.017 

 Housing at school, excluding board 71.5 0.206 0.157 

 Televisions 170.0 0.199 0.246 

 Personal computers and peripheral equipment 170.5 0.449 0.442 

 Delivery services 208.9 0.008 0.018 

 Repair of household items 228.3 0.072 0.175 

West 

 Nursing homes and adult daycare 258.6 0.032 0.085 
30

Charts 1-4. Dollar distributions of total expenditures between the discussed components of 

change 

Chart 1. Northeast Chart 2. Midwest 

$9 .0 5 - $1. 5 6 $ 8 18 . 2 9

$4 6 .71 $13 .5 8 $8 8 6 .0 7

$-

$100.00

$200.00

$300.00

$400.00

$500.00

$600.00

$700.00

$800.00

$900.00

2001-2002

CEX

Population

Change

Geographic

Shift

Price

Change

Implicit

Quantity

2003-2004

CEX

Components of Change

Expenditures (in billions)

$9 .3 5 $0 .39 $8 0 8 .51

$3 1. 17

$2 4.8 2 $8 74 .2 4

$-

$100.00

$200.00

$300.00

$400.00

$500.00

$600.00

$700.00

$800.00

$900.00

2001-2002

CEX

Population

Change

Geographic

Shift

Price

Change

Implicit

Quantity

2003-2004

CEX

Components of Change

Expenditures (in billions)

Chart 3. South Chart 4. West 

$4 .76 $4 2 .2 5

$1, 14 6 . 0 1

$50 .70 $9 .0 7 $1,2 52 .8 0

$-

$200.00

$400.00

$600.00

$800.00

$1,000.00

$1,200.00

2001-2002

CEX

Population

Change

Geographic

Shift

Price

Change

Implicit

Quantity

2003-2004

CEX

Components of Change

Expenditures (in billions)

 

$32 .52 $1,0 4 1.77

$4 1.3 3

$9 50 .3 7

$ 2 0 . 16 -$2 .61

$-

$200.00

$400.00

$600.00

$800.00

$1,000.00

2001-2002

CEX

Population

Change

Geographic

Shift

Price

Change

Implicit

Quantity

2003-2004

CEX

Components of Change

Expenditures (in billions)
31

Table A. Selected indexes and relative importances, Northeast 

Category RI_0102 

Geo 

Shift Prices Quantity RI_0304 

ALL ITEMS 100.000 99.8 105.7 101.6 100.000 

MAJOR GROUP: FOOD AND BEVERAGES 15.199 100.0 104.9 104.9 15.618 

 FOOD AT HOME 8.165 100.1 105.1 101.3 8.127 

 Cereals and bakery products 1.242 100.1 104.2 98.7 1.195 

 Beef and veal 0.600 100.3 115.3 93.1 0.603 

 Pork 0.423 100.4 103.3 103.1 0.422 

 Poultry 0.448 99.9 104.3 99.6 0.434 

 Fish and seafood 0.394 99.6 104.5 98.0 0.375 

 Fresh fish and seafood 0.243 99.3 105.0 104.7 0.248 

 Processed fish and seafood 0.151 100.0 103.9 87.0 0.128 

 Eggs 0.090 100.0 120.5 99.6 0.101 

 Dairy and related products 0.839 100.3 105.3 105.4 0.872 

 Fresh fruits 0.486 99.9 105.2 100.0 0.477 

 Fresh vegetables 0.475 99.8 110.0 97.5 0.475 

 Processed fruits and vegetables 0.254 100.4 106.0 96.1 0.243 

 Juices and nonalcoholic drinks 0.624 100.2 100.3 102.9 0.602 

 Carbonated drinks 0.286 100.6 101.1 106.2 0.288 

 Frozen noncarbonated juices and drinks 0.020 100.5 102.9 61.9 0.012 

 Nonfrozen noncarbonated juices and drinks 0.318 99.8 99.3 102.6 0.301 

 Coffee 0.120 99.9 100.9 82.3 0.093 

 Other beverage materials including tea 0.189 99.6 98.5 120.4 0.208 

 Food away from home 5.969 99.7 104.7 106.4 6.196 

 Full service meals and snacks 2.752 99.6 104.6 110.0 2.946 

 Limited service meals and snacks 2.415 100.0 104.7 107.1 2.527 

 Food at employee sites and schools 0.308 99.8 105.5 90.1 0.272 

 Food from vending machines and mobile vendors 0.111 100.2 101.8 105.3 0.111 

 Alcoholic beverages at home 0.645 100.3 103.4 129.2 0.806 

 Beer, ale, and other malt beverages at home 0.293 101.0 105.2 111.8 0.325 

 Distilled spirits at home 0.092 99.7 104.2 142.1 0.126 

 Wine at home 0.260 99.6 100.7 145.8 0.355 

 Alcoholic beverages away from home 0.421 99.4 108.5 115.3 0.488 

MAJOR GROUP: HOUSING 44.151 99.6 107.1 99.3 43.671 

 Rent of primary residence 6.299 99.1 108.7 101.0 6.398 

 Lodging away from home 4.565 100.2 101.4 66.5 2.881 

 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence 23.971 99.5 108.4 102.4 24.705 

 Fuel oil 0.529 100.3 125.1 93.1 0.577 

 Electricity 2.104 100.1 102.6 110.6 2.232 

 Utility natural gas service 1.169 100.4 117.8 99.3 1.282 

 Floor coverings 0.035 99.6 96.8 95.0 0.030 

 Window coverings 0.076 99.5 94.8 155.7 0.104 

 Furniture and bedding 1.025 99.9 96.5 101.9 0.940 

 Appliances 0.292 100.0 92.3 130.3 0.329 

 Housekeeping supplies 0.809 100.5 98.3 110.0 0.821 

 Domestic services 0.237 98.7 106.0 101.5 0.235 

 Gardening and lawncare services 0.290 100.6 103.0 83.0 0.233 

 Moving, storage, freight expense 0.050 99.5 102.8 107.4 0.051 
32

Table A. Selected indexes and relative importances, Northeast - Continued 

Category RI_0102 

Geo 

Shift Prices Quantity RI_0304 

MAJOR GROUP: APPAREL 4.605 99.7 96.8 108.4 4.496 

 Men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear 0.250 99.3 100.2 80.8 0.187 

 Men's furnishings 0.195 99.7 108.0 106.6 0.210 

 Men's shirts and sweaters 0.267 99.8 88.7 110.1 0.243 

 Men's pants and shorts 0.207 100.1 89.8 118.1 0.205 

 Boy's apparel 0.250 99.7 100.5 92.9 0.217 

 Women's outerwear 0.178 99.7 95.3 104.6 0.165 

 Women's dresses 0.124 99.7 102.2 153.6 0.181 

 Women's suits and separates 0.907 99.9 96.9 107.0 0.878 

 Women's underwear, nightwear, sportswear and accessories 0.405 100.2 93.6 125.0 0.443 

 Girls' apparel 0.341 99.9 101.7 90.1 0.292 

 Men's footwear 0.290 98.8 90.3 125.9 0.304 

 Boys' and girls' footwear 0.192 99.5 89.7 112.1 0.179 

 Women's footwear 0.429 99.7 103.9 108.6 0.451 

 Infants' and toddlers' apparel 0.220 98.8 92.0 92.8 0.173 

 Jewelry and watches 0.302 99.6 93.7 130.2 0.343 

MAJOR GROUP: TRANSPORTATION 15.291 100.0 104.8 104.6 15.658 

 New vehicles 4.670 99.9 97.5 107.3 4.560 

 Used cars and trucks 1.295 100.3 88.8 161.6 1.740 

 Gasoline (all-types) 2.560 100.3 123.3 98.0 2.899 

 Other motor fuels 0.007 102.3 119.9 100.5 0.008 

 State and local registration, license, and motor vehicle 

property tax 0.181 101.2 110.6 107.3 0.203 

 Parking and other fees 0.245 99.6 107.0 103.2 0.252 

 Airline fare 0.745 99.9 96.4 102.5 0.687 

 Other intercity transportation 0.180 99.3 96.6 115.3 0.186 

 Intracity transportation 0.569 98.8 116.5 92.7 0.567 

MAJOR GROUP: MEDICAL CARE 5.223 100.2 108.7 98.0 5.207 

 Prescription drugs and medical supplies 0.895 100.4 107.4 84.6 0.763 

 Nonprescription drugs and medical supplies 0.370 100.2 100.8 105.3 0.368 

 Internal and respiratory over-the-counter drugs 0.255 100.2 100.0 107.4 0.256 

 Physicians' services 1.444 100.2 103.1 108.7 1.514 

 Dental services 0.646 99.3 108.5 99.1 0.645 

 Hospital services 1.076 100.6 119.7 99.8 1.207 

 Nursing homes and adult daycare 0.066 100.1 109.5 35.3 0.024 

 Health insurance 0.291 100.3 116.2 97.1 0.307 

MAJOR GROUP: RECREATION 5.903 99.9 102.5 97.7 5.517 

 Televisions 0.200 99.3 75.7 164.4 0.231 

 Cable television 1.058 100.2 111.4 109.0 1.201 

 Audio equipment 0.133 98.0 90.3 74.1 0.081 

 Audio discs, tapes and other media 0.101 100.3 99.4 94.1 0.089 

 Pets and pet products 0.307 100.2 102.2 109.0 0.320 

 Pet services including veterinary 0.203 100.1 109.4 127.0 0.264 

 Sports vehicles including bicycles 0.345 100.3 97.3 40.0 0.126 

 Sports equipment 0.238 100.6 95.8 106.4 0.228 

 Toys and games 0.379 99.9 85.1 95.2 0.286 

 Recreation services 1.900 99.7 106.0 93.5 1.753 
33

Table A. Selected indexes and relative importances, Northeast - Continued 

Category RI_0102 

Geo 

Shift Prices Quantity RI_0304 

 Recreational reading materials 0.404 99.9 103.7 88.1 0.344 

 Newspapers and magazines 0.257 100.0 104.0 86.7 0.216 

 Recreational books 0.146 99.6 103.2 90.4 0.127 

MAJOR GROUP: EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION 6.138 99.8 104.3 106.9 6.382 

 Educational books and supplies 0.165 100.4 111.5 86.3 0.149 

 College tuition and fees 1.393 100.1 114.9 113.9 1.704 

 Elementary and high school tuition and fees 0.438 98.5 113.1 95.6 0.435 

 Child care and nursery school 0.831 99.2 111.1 75.6 0.646 

 Technical and business school tuition and fees 0.060 99.3 115.2 140.1 0.090 

 Postage 0.178 100.9 108.5 96.6 0.176 

 Delivery services 0.005 102.8 117.2 179.6 0.009 

 Telephone services, local charges 0.853 99.8 108.8 87.3 0.755 

 Telephone services, long distance charges 0.896 99.9 84.4 112.5 0.793 

 Cellular Telephone services 0.524 99.8 94.8 157.5 0.729 

 Personal computers and peripheral equipment 0.347 100.5 61.7 160.5 0.323 

 Computer software and accessories 0.039 99.8 84.1 125.5 0.038 

 Computer information processing services 0.263 100.0 91.2 146.5 0.328 

 Other information processing equipment 0.079 99.1 81.1 138.3 0.082 

MAJOR GROUP: OTHER GOODS AND SERVICES 3.490 99.8 108.1 98.2 3.451 

 Cigarettes 0.702 100.3 120.1 83.6 0.660 

 Tobacco products other than cigarettes 0.043 101.3 107.8 96.0 0.042 

 Personal care products 0.607 100.2 99.2 123.4 0.696 

 Legal services 0.222 99.3 108.4 104.3 0.233 

 Funeral expenses 0.313 98.9 108.9 58.2 0.183 

 Financial services 0.211 99.3 108.5 82.6 0.176 

 Care of invalids and elderly at home 0.047 98.2 103.9 387.0 0.173 
34

Table B. Selected indexes and relative importances, Midwest 

Category RI_0102 

Geo 

Shift Prices Quantity RI_0304 

ALL ITEMS 100.000 100.0 103.8 102.9 100.000 

MAJOR GROUP: FOOD AND BEVERAGES 14.829 100.1 103.9 104.1 15.016 

 FOOD AT HOME 7.791 100.1 103.3 104.6 7.882 

 Cereals and bakery products 1.179 100.1 103.2 98.5 1.123 

 Beef and veal 0.608 100.3 113.6 90.6 0.587 

 Pork 0.419 100.3 105.8 101.2 0.421 

 Poultry 0.342 100.1 108.4 96.5 0.335 

 Fish and seafood 0.233 100.2 96.5 121.8 0.256 

 Fresh fish and seafood 0.115 100.2 93.9 119.6 0.121 

 Processed fish and seafood 0.118 100.2 98.9 123.8 0.135 

 Eggs 0.072 100.2 122.7 99.2 0.082 

 Dairy and related products 0.840 100.1 102.1 106.4 0.855 

 Fresh fruits 0.425 100.1 101.6 107.2 0.434 

 Fresh vegetables 0.383 100.1 102.0 106.3 0.389 

 Processed fruits and vegetables 0.258 100.1 101.9 105.7 0.260 

 Juices and nonalcoholic drinks 0.661 100.2 99.1 106.1 0.652 

 Carbonated drinks 0.386 100.1 99.5 106.6 0.383 

 Frozen noncarbonated juices and drinks 0.031 99.9 102.4 61.5 0.018 

 Nonfrozen noncarbonated juices and drinks 0.244 100.3 98.1 111.2 0.250 

 Coffee 0.109 100.1 98.8 90.8 0.091 

 Other beverage materials including tea 0.158 100.0 104.6 110.2 0.170 

 Food away from home 5.960 100.0 104.6 102.4 5.974 

 Full service meals and snacks 2.514 100.0 104.2 102.8 2.519 

 Limited service meals and snacks 2.568 100.0 104.5 109.2 2.741 

 Food at employee sites and schools 0.349 100.1 106.6 82.6 0.288 

 Food from vending machines and mobile vendors 0.177 100.1 103.4 84.9 0.145 

 Alcoholic beverages at home 0.671 100.1 103.0 112.3 0.727 

 Beer, ale, and other malt beverages at home 0.381 100.0 103.8 105.0 0.388 

 Distilled spirits at home 0.121 100.1 100.7 106.8 0.122 

 Wine at home 0.170 100.4 102.6 132.7 0.217 

 Alcoholic beverages away from home 0.407 100.1 105.5 107.8 0.433 

MAJOR GROUP: HOUSING 39.773 100.1 104.2 106.9 41.464 

 Rent of primary residence 4.637 100.2 104.8 99.8 4.550 

 Lodging away from home 3.095 99.9 105.7 99.8 3.048 

 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence 22.038 100.0 104.2 107.3 23.064 

 Fuel oil 0.028 99.8 120.2 123.7 0.039 

 Electricity 2.314 100.0 102.0 105.0 2.320 

 Utility natural gas service 1.522 100.3 124.7 95.3 1.696 

 Floor coverings 0.038 99.7 99.4 165.5 0.059 

 Window coverings 0.087 100.0 95.7 125.3 0.097 

 Furniture and bedding 1.047 100.0 96.2 125.0 1.177 

 Appliances 0.390 100.0 92.6 129.2 0.436 

 Housekeeping supplies 0.873 99.9 97.3 122.2 0.969 

 Domestic services 0.194 100.0 108.4 113.0 0.223 

 Gardening and lawncare services 0.149 100.7 102.1 139.8 0.200 

 Moving, storage, freight expense 0.078 100.4 107.1 80.3 0.063 
35

Table B. Selected indexes and relative importances, Midwest - Continued 

Category RI_0102 

Geo 

Shift Prices Quantity RI_0304 

MAJOR GROUP: APPAREL 4.490 100.1 95.3 98.6 3.951 

 Men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear 0.190 100.1 96.6 103.4 0.178 

 Men's furnishings 0.210 99.8 100.2 100.2 0.197 

 Men's shirts and sweaters 0.269 100.0 92.9 83.1 0.194 

 Men's pants and shorts 0.233 99.6 92.0 94.9 0.190 

 Boy's apparel 0.251 100.3 88.0 110.2 0.228 

 Women's outerwear 0.128 100.6 92.5 98.9 0.110 

 Women's dresses 0.202 100.2 104.8 67.8 0.135 

 Women's suits and separates 0.908 100.0 92.7 95.3 0.751 

 Women's underwear, nightwear, sportswear and accessories 0.437 100.2 99.6 81.4 0.332 

 Girls' apparel 0.300 100.1 92.4 116.1 0.302 

 Men's footwear 0.252 99.9 100.7 84.9 0.201 

 Boys' and girls' footwear 0.169 99.8 93.2 109.1 0.160 

 Women's footwear 0.342 100.2 95.8 99.4 0.305 

 Infants' and toddlers' apparel 0.245 99.8 94.6 106.0 0.229 

 Jewelry and watches 0.280 100.4 98.7 136.0 0.354 

MAJOR GROUP: TRANSPORTATION 18.377 100.1 103.9 93.7 16.743 

 New vehicles 4.779 100.2 97.0 120.8 5.250 

 Used cars and trucks 3.297 100.0 88.8 61.5 1.687 

 Gasoline (all-types) 3.327 100.0 120.9 94.5 3.555 

 Other motor fuels 0.005 102.1 115.6 101.8 0.006 

 State and local registration, license, and motor vehicle 

property tax 0.332 99.9 118.7 100.4 0.370 

 Parking and other fees 0.159 100.0 106.1 93.8 0.148 

 Airline fare 0.681 100.1 98.8 106.7 0.672 

 Other intercity transportation 0.169 100.1 94.7 117.2 0.175 

 Intracity transportation 0.179 100.1 106.4 86.9 0.155 

MAJOR GROUP: MEDICAL CARE 5.993 99.9 109.2 108.3 6.629 

 Prescription drugs and medical supplies 1.129 99.9 108.6 99.2 1.137 

 Nonprescription drugs and medical supplies 0.448 99.9 101.6 107.5 0.457 

 Internal and respiratory over-the-counter drugs 0.321 99.9 101.9 98.6 0.301 

 Physicians' services 1.527 100.0 108.8 110.0 1.709 

 Dental services 0.667 99.8 109.5 100.4 0.684 

 Hospital services 1.291 100.0 113.1 115.4 1.576 

 Nursing homes and adult daycare 0.079 100.0 111.8 169.4 0.141 

 Health insurance 0.312 100.0 116.1 107.4 0.364 

MAJOR GROUP: RECREATION 6.459 100.0 102.0 100.4 6.184 

 Televisions 0.232 100.1 74.2 124.6 0.201 

 Cable television 0.982 100.1 108.6 112.1 1.118 

 Audio equipment 0.130 99.7 86.4 106.2 0.111 

 Audio discs, tapes and other media 0.136 100.0 105.3 83.3 0.112 

 Pets and pet products 0.342 100.3 103.4 123.0 0.408 

 Pet services including veterinary 0.235 100.0 108.9 107.9 0.259 

 Sports vehicles including bicycles 0.422 99.3 96.1 105.8 0.399 

 Sports equipment 0.293 100.1 94.4 131.4 0.340 

 Toys and games 0.493 99.8 86.4 88.6 0.352 

 Recreation services 1.949 100.1 108.9 84.1 1.672 
36

Table B. Selected indexes and relative importances, Midwest - Continued 

Category RI_0102 

Geo 

Shift Prices Quantity RI_0304 

 Recreational reading materials 0.435 99.9 102.3 91.9 0.382 

 Newspapers and magazines 0.269 100.0 104.0 87.2 0.228 

 Recreational books 0.165 99.8 99.6 100.2 0.154 

MAJOR GROUP: EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION 6.173 100.0 103.8 105.8 6.340 

 Educational books and supplies 0.204 99.8 112.1 92.3 0.197 

 College tuition and fees 1.336 99.8 117.7 101.0 1.482 

 Elementary and high school tuition and fees 0.273 100.8 113.3 133.1 0.388 

 Child care and nursery school 0.758 100.3 107.9 99.3 0.762 

 Technical and business school tuition and fees 0.044 100.4 115.3 88.0 0.041 

 Postage 0.169 100.1 107.7 120.7 0.205 

 Delivery services 0.005 99.9 114.1 124.1 0.006 

 Telephone services, local charges 0.858 100.0 107.2 84.0 0.723 

 Telephone services, long distance charges 0.903 99.9 85.4 105.4 0.759 

 Cellular Telephone services 0.697 100.0 99.9 135.3 0.881 

 Personal computers and peripheral equipment 0.408 99.7 64.5 134.0 0.329 

 Computer software and accessories 0.055 99.8 78.9 124.9 0.050 

 Computer information processing services 0.268 100.0 102.7 129.9 0.334 

 Other information processing equipment 0.100 99.8 79.5 74.2 0.055 

MAJOR GROUP: OTHER GOODS AND SERVICES 3.905 100.0 103.8 96.8 3.672 

 Cigarettes 0.911 100.0 104.3 91.4 0.812 

 Tobacco products other than cigarettes 0.052 99.8 110.8 72.2 0.039 

 Personal care products 0.738 100.0 97.1 107.7 0.721 

 Legal services 0.347 100.1 110.8 92.6 0.334 

 Funeral expenses 0.202 100.1 107.9 125.5 0.257 

 Financial services 0.225 100.2 107.4 80.6 0.183 

 Care of invalids and elderly at home 0.084 99.9 105.7 23.5 0.020 
37

Table C. Selected indexes and relative importances, South 

Category RI_0102 

Geo 

Shift Prices Quantity RI_0304 

ALL ITEMS 100.000 100.4 104.2 100.7 100.000 

MAJOR GROUP: FOOD AND BEVERAGES 15.783 100.4 104.9 95.4 15.045 

 FOOD AT HOME 8.475 100.2 104.9 96.7 8.166 

 Cereals and bakery products 1.229 100.3 104.8 93.1 1.140 

 Beef and veal 0.715 99.8 114.5 86.8 0.673 

 Pork 0.525 99.7 104.2 92.3 0.478 

 Poultry 0.432 100.4 104.5 93.2 0.400 

 Fish and seafood 0.335 101.2 100.5 106.2 0.342 

 Fresh fish and seafood 0.201 101.4 100.1 106.2 0.205 

 Processed fish and seafood 0.134 100.9 100.9 106.2 0.137 

 Eggs 0.095 100.2 117.6 93.9 0.100 

 Dairy and related products 0.846 100.2 104.8 98.5 0.830 

 Fresh fruits 0.445 100.3 106.5 97.2 0.438 

 Fresh vegetables 0.451 100.6 109.5 95.3 0.449 

 Processed fruits and vegetables 0.291 99.9 102.5 94.9 0.268 

 Juices and nonalcoholic drinks 0.672 100.2 101.1 96.1 0.620 

 Carbonated drinks 0.349 99.9 100.8 103.3 0.344 

 Frozen noncarbonated juices and drinks 0.024 101.0 103.2 57.9 0.014 

 Nonfrozen noncarbonated juices and drinks 0.299 100.5 101.3 91.0 0.263 

 Coffee 0.099 100.3 101.8 96.2 0.093 

 Other beverage materials including tea 0.180 100.2 100.5 126.7 0.218 

 Food away from home 6.421 100.6 105.2 90.8 5.847 

 Full service meals and snacks 2.857 100.6 105.2 87.2 2.502 

 Limited service meals and snacks 2.856 100.4 105.1 95.3 2.722 

 Food at employee sites and schools 0.309 100.7 107.2 87.2 0.276 

 Food from vending machines and mobile vendors 0.141 100.5 103.6 108.3 0.150 

 Alcoholic beverages at home 0.616 100.4 104.0 115.7 0.707 

 Beer, ale, and other malt beverages at home 0.342 100.1 106.7 101.3 0.351 

 Distilled spirits at home 0.113 99.7 104.0 121.2 0.135 

 Wine at home 0.161 101.4 99.4 143.4 0.221 

 Alcoholic beverages away from home 0.270 100.9 103.9 120.6 0.324 

MAJOR GROUP: HOUSING 40.164 100.7 104.6 102.6 41.203 

 Rent of primary residence 5.483 100.7 105.3 97.6 5.378 

 Lodging away from home 2.527 102.1 104.1 90.1 2.295 

 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence 21.550 100.8 105.2 105.6 22.881 

 Fuel oil 0.037 106.6 125.6 102.1 0.048 

 Electricity 3.494 99.8 104.6 99.4 3.436 

 Utility natural gas service 0.761 100.5 118.0 88.8 0.760 

 Floor coverings 0.044 99.1 98.5 108.7 0.044 

 Window coverings 0.073 100.7 92.1 136.1 0.088 

 Furniture and bedding 1.100 101.0 99.2 97.5 1.019 

 Appliances 0.327 99.9 93.6 115.4 0.335 

 Housekeeping supplies 0.915 100.1 99.5 103.3 0.894 

 Domestic services 0.244 101.0 103.2 103.6 0.250 

 Gardening and lawncare services 0.258 100.2 101.2 108.6 0.269 

 Moving, storage, freight expense 0.086 101.5 107.0 83.1 0.073 
38

Table C. Selected indexes and relative importances, South - Continued 

Category RI_0102 

Geo 

Shift Prices Quantity RI_0304 

MAJOR GROUP: APPAREL 4.308 100.6 95.6 100.7 3.958 

 Men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear 0.206 100.9 100.2 66.2 0.131 

 Men's furnishings 0.177 101.1 98.2 101.3 0.169 

 Men's shirts and sweaters 0.242 100.9 94.5 87.0 0.190 

 Men's pants and shorts 0.187 100.3 89.4 121.7 0.193 

 Boy's apparel 0.243 100.3 91.3 111.7 0.236 

 Women's outerwear 0.104 99.7 93.7 126.8 0.117 

 Women's dresses 0.212 100.7 98.8 67.3 0.135 

 Women's suits and separates 0.824 100.6 92.1 102.5 0.744 

 Women's underwear, nightwear, sportswear and accessories 0.369 100.8 96.4 108.9 0.370 

 Girls' apparel 0.311 100.8 95.3 92.4 0.262 

 Men's footwear 0.259 100.4 94.4 99.1 0.231 

 Boys' and girls' footwear 0.190 100.2 109.2 93.1 0.183 

 Women's footwear 0.409 100.4 96.8 106.9 0.404 

 Infants' and toddlers' apparel 0.213 100.2 96.5 102.7 0.200 

 Jewelry and watches 0.288 100.2 96.4 135.1 0.357 

MAJOR GROUP: TRANSPORTATION 17.986 99.8 104.6 100.8 17.953 

 New vehicles 5.679 99.5 98.0 118.7 6.241 

 Used cars and trucks 2.721 99.2 89.2 87.8 2.006 

 Gasoline (all-types) 3.406 100.0 122.2 95.1 3.757 

 Other motor fuels 0.029 101.0 110.5 105.3 0.032 

 State and local registration, license, and motor vehicle 

property tax 0.238 100.1 106.7 109.1 0.263 

 Parking and other fees 0.109 102.6 106.9 94.3 0.107 

 Airline fare 0.584 101.4 99.6 100.4 0.561 

 Other intercity transportation 0.136 100.9 91.1 112.1 0.133 

 Intracity transportation 0.140 104.7 105.9 72.7 0.107 

MAJOR GROUP: MEDICAL CARE 6.532 99.8 108.4 98.9 6.631 

 Prescription drugs and medical supplies 1.310 99.2 107.0 95.5 1.259 

 Nonprescription drugs and medical supplies 0.423 100.3 101.5 119.1 0.487 

 Internal and respiratory over-the-counter drugs 0.305 100.6 101.7 116.0 0.343 

 Physicians' services 1.698 99.8 106.0 101.3 1.726 

 Dental services 0.655 100.2 108.7 96.0 0.650 

 Hospital services 1.529 99.8 114.7 95.9 1.592 

 Nursing homes and adult daycare 0.065 98.9 109.7 129.0 0.086 

 Health insurance 0.347 99.9 115.4 91.9 0.349 

MAJOR GROUP: RECREATION 5.467 100.6 102.9 106.4 5.712 

 Televisions 0.213 100.7 77.2 154.6 0.243 

 Cable television 1.076 100.0 110.6 113.5 1.282 

 Audio equipment 0.096 100.5 89.4 121.4 0.099 

 Audio discs, tapes and other media 0.107 100.7 99.8 85.7 0.087 

 Pets and pet products 0.391 100.2 104.0 94.4 0.365 

 Pet services including veterinary 0.224 100.6 111.3 95.4 0.227 

 Sports vehicles including bicycles 0.244 100.3 105.3 242.6 0.593 

 Sports equipment 0.295 101.1 96.7 89.6 0.245 

 Toys and games 0.350 100.2 90.9 102.3 0.309 

 Recreation services 1.496 101.2 106.6 89.4 1.368 
39

Table C. Selected indexes and relative importances, South - Continued 

Category RI_0102 

Geo 

Shift Prices Quantity RI_0304 

 Recreational reading materials 0.306 100.8 102.9 89.8 0.270 

 Newspapers and magazines 0.182 100.6 104.0 87.2 0.157 

 Recreational books 0.124 101.1 101.2 93.6 0.113 

MAJOR GROUP: EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION 5.786 100.4 102.5 106.7 6.025 

 Educational books and supplies 0.189 100.1 111.3 86.3 0.173 

 College tuition and fees 0.746 100.4 117.3 104.5 0.871 

 Elementary and high school tuition and fees 0.315 100.0 114.8 111.0 0.382 

 Child care and nursery school 0.671 101.2 106.4 98.6 0.676 

 Technical and business school tuition and fees 0.062 101.2 116.2 75.2 0.052 

 Postage 0.163 100.5 108.3 96.3 0.162 

 Delivery services 0.007 101.1 114.0 242.9 0.019 

 Telephone services, local charges 0.985 100.2 107.9 87.2 0.881 

 Telephone services, long distance charges 1.018 100.5 83.3 113.8 0.920 

 Cellular Telephone services 0.784 99.9 97.0 138.9 1.001 

 Personal computers and peripheral equipment 0.342 100.2 65.3 140.4 0.298 

 Computer software and accessories 0.046 101.1 89.4 111.6 0.044 

 Computer information processing services 0.265 100.2 101.9 134.3 0.345 

 Other information processing equipment 0.120 100.7 78.8 67.1 0.061 

MAJOR GROUP: OTHER GOODS AND SERVICES 3.975 100.4 103.0 89.1 3.474 

 Cigarettes 0.783 99.5 99.6 89.8 0.661 

 Tobacco products other than cigarettes 0.066 99.4 113.0 73.5 0.052 

 Personal care products 0.753 100.9 100.4 104.6 0.757 

 Legal services 0.315 101.1 108.5 81.4 0.267 

 Funeral expenses 0.264 99.4 108.8 61.1 0.165 

 Financial services 0.208 100.8 104.5 82.9 0.172 

 Care of invalids and elderly at home 0.266 99.2 110.4 39.7 0.109 
40

Table D. Selected indexes and relative importances, West 

Category RI_0102 

Geo 

Shift Prices Quantity RI_0304 

ALL ITEMS 100.000 99.7 104.3 103.2 100.000 

MAJOR GROUP: FOOD AND BEVERAGES 14.328 99.6 105.4 104.9 14.689 

 FOOD AT HOME 7.708 99.6 105.6 104.6 7.902 

 Cereals and bakery products 1.123 99.8 104.8 99.2 1.085 

 Beef and veal 0.573 99.5 118.0 94.9 0.595 

 Pork 0.376 99.7 105.2 103.1 0.379 

 Poultry 0.358 99.5 106.5 103.9 0.368 

 Fish and seafood 0.300 99.1 102.3 120.4 0.341 

 Fresh fish and seafood 0.174 99.0 102.1 128.1 0.210 

 Processed fish and seafood 0.125 99.4 102.6 109.6 0.131 

 Eggs 0.099 99.0 114.1 103.0 0.108 

 Dairy and related products 0.837 99.8 102.9 107.9 0.864 

 Fresh fruits 0.470 99.4 108.3 105.5 0.497 

 Fresh vegetables 0.489 99.2 106.9 103.9 0.502 

 Processed fruits and vegetables 0.236 99.9 103.8 97.1 0.221 

 Juices and nonalcoholic drinks 0.619 99.9 101.5 102.7 0.601 

 Carbonated drinks 0.303 100.1 102.7 108.0 0.313 

 Frozen noncarbonated juices and drinks 0.034 100.4 100.3 74.0 0.023 

 Nonfrozen noncarbonated juices and drinks 0.282 99.6 100.3 100.5 0.264 

 Coffee 0.099 99.3 99.0 109.6 0.100 

 Other beverage materials including tea 0.189 99.4 103.5 130.3 0.236 

 Food away from home 5.644 99.6 105.2 103.5 5.704 

 Full service meals and snacks 2.428 99.5 104.5 103.6 2.438 

 Limited service meals and snacks 2.575 99.7 105.6 106.7 2.697 

 Food at employee sites and schools 0.208 99.5 107.2 86.2 0.178 

 Food from vending machines and mobile vendors 0.116 99.6 106.1 85.2 0.097 

 Alcoholic beverages at home 0.645 99.2 103.6 120.3 0.743 

 Beer, ale, and other malt beverages at home 0.288 99.4 105.6 114.7 0.323 

 Distilled spirits at home 0.116 100.0 101.6 122.5 0.134 

 Wine at home 0.241 98.6 101.7 126.8 0.286 

 Alcoholic beverages away from home 0.332 98.7 107.7 103.1 0.339 

MAJOR GROUP: HOUSING 43.445 99.7 104.1 101.6 42.661 

 Rent of primary residence 7.440 99.1 106.3 93.5 6.831 

 Lodging away from home 2.998 99.3 102.4 104.2 2.961 

 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence 23.994 99.8 104.9 101.6 23.776 

 Fuel oil 0.021 99.3 131.3 68.5 0.017 

 Electricity 1.905 100.3 99.7 108.6 1.928 

 Utility natural gas service 0.831 99.8 108.2 94.7 0.793 

 Floor coverings 0.039 100.8 103.6 167.4 0.063 

 Window coverings 0.104 100.1 99.6 146.3 0.141 

 Furniture and bedding 1.109 100.2 97.4 113.0 1.140 

 Appliances 0.369 99.4 95.3 106.0 0.346 

 Housekeeping supplies 0.730 100.2 100.6 110.8 0.759 

 Domestic services 0.259 99.0 106.0 103.6 0.263 

 Gardening and lawncare services 0.238 99.4 106.9 109.0 0.256 

 Moving, storage, freight expense 0.137 99.5 101.3 99.4 0.127 
41

Table D. Selected indexes and relative importances, West - Continued 

Category RI_0102 

Geo 

Shift Prices Quantity RI_0304 

MAJOR GROUP: APPAREL 3.931 99.7 96.5 112.6 3.965 

 Men's suits, sport coats, and outerwear 0.169 99.1 93.8 89.3 0.130 

 Men's furnishings 0.192 99.9 98.4 113.7 0.200 

 Men's shirts and sweaters 0.236 99.8 95.6 100.9 0.211 

 Men's pants and shorts 0.170 99.4 93.9 130.3 0.193 

 Boy's apparel 0.199 100.2 95.3 121.3 0.215 

 Women's outerwear 0.096 99.1 96.8 131.1 0.112 

 Women's dresses 0.093 99.3 101.8 125.0 0.109 

 Women's suits and separates 0.763 99.9 98.6 114.1 0.799 

 Women's underwear, nightwear, sportswear and accessories 0.357 100.1 94.6 134.4 0.423 

 Girls' apparel 0.253 100.0 99.0 105.5 0.246 

 Men's footwear 0.271 99.6 97.1 92.3 0.225 

 Boys' and girls' footwear 0.144 100.0 95.2 116.9 0.149 

 Women's footwear 0.352 98.8 98.7 108.5 0.346 

 Infants' and toddlers' apparel 0.194 100.1 91.6 124.4 0.206 

 Jewelry and watches 0.366 99.4 94.1 109.7 0.349 

MAJOR GROUP: TRANSPORTATION 17.346 100.0 104.5 104.1 17.582 

 New vehicles 4.938 100.5 96.8 115.9 5.191 

 Used cars and trucks 2.399 99.3 88.7 101.4 1.996 

 Gasoline (all-types) 3.111 100.2 125.0 95.9 3.480 

 Other motor fuels 0.069 98.7 111.2 102.5 0.072 

 State and local registration, license, and motor vehicle 

property tax 0.319 101.1 119.0 101.5 0.363 

 Parking and other fees 0.138 98.7 105.6 104.5 0.140 

 Airline fare 0.782 98.7 95.0 130.7 0.892 

 Other intercity transportation 0.147 99.1 99.6 141.6 0.192 

 Intracity transportation 0.196 97.9 109.1 93.8 0.183 

MAJOR GROUP: MEDICAL CARE 5.184 100.2 108.8 106.4 5.603 

 Prescription drugs and medical supplies 0.810 100.1 107.1 99.7 0.807 

 Nonprescription drugs and medical supplies 0.414 100.6 100.2 120.6 0.469 

 Internal and respiratory over-the-counter drugs 0.292 100.7 101.0 115.5 0.319 

 Physicians' services 1.347 100.1 106.6 111.8 1.497 

 Dental services 0.737 100.1 109.3 95.3 0.716 

 Hospital services 1.111 100.5 115.3 103.4 1.239 

 Nursing homes and adult daycare 0.032 99.2 110.1 258.6 0.085 

 Health insurance 0.265 100.1 115.4 104.6 0.298 

MAJOR GROUP: RECREATION 6.248 99.7 102.1 102.4 6.069 

 Televisions 0.199 100.8 77.7 170.0 0.246 

 Cable television 0.795 99.8 110.1 111.8 0.910 

 Audio equipment 0.163 99.5 92.8 65.9 0.093 

 Audio discs, tapes and other media 0.143 99.8 104.0 81.7 0.113 

 Pets and pet products 0.345 100.4 101.2 132.1 0.431 

 Pet services including veterinary 0.262 99.4 112.9 98.3 0.269 

 Sports vehicles including bicycles 0.375 101.1 99.5 111.8 0.393 

 Sports equipment 0.472 99.0 101.0 86.1 0.378 

 Toys and games 0.349 99.9 87.6 102.4 0.291 

 Recreation services 1.900 99.5 106.3 98.6 1.844 
42

Table D. Selected indexes and relative importances, West - Continued 

Category RI_0102 

Geo 

Shift Prices Quantity RI_0304 

 Recreational reading materials 0.390 99.1 103.0 90.9 0.337 

 Newspapers and magazines 0.195 99.2 105.9 86.8 0.166 

 Recreational books 0.194 99.1 99.4 94.5 0.168 

MAJOR GROUP: EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION 6.007 99.4 105.0 104.4 6.099 

 Educational books and supplies 0.248 99.6 113.0 92.5 0.240 

 College tuition and fees 1.223 98.8 119.3 103.7 1.393 

 Elementary and high school tuition and fees 0.278 97.8 114.2 95.8 0.277 

 Child care and nursery school 0.776 99.3 112.0 86.0 0.692 

 Technical and business school tuition and fees 0.107 99.5 112.6 54.4 0.061 

 Postage 0.162 100.0 107.6 109.3 0.178 

 Delivery services 0.008 101.6 111.4 208.9 0.018 

 Telephone services, local charges 0.767 99.6 104.6 83.1 0.619 

 Telephone services, long distance charges 0.812 99.5 90.2 98.8 0.671 

 Cellular Telephone services 0.655 99.8 100.9 142.1 0.874 

 Personal computers and peripheral equipment 0.449 100.1 61.9 170.5 0.442 

 Computer software and accessories 0.067 100.3 85.5 110.0 0.059 

 Computer information processing services 0.270 99.8 101.6 137.2 0.350 

 Other information processing equipment 0.088 99.5 81.7 134.3 0.089 

MAJOR GROUP: OTHER GOODS AND SERVICES 3.510 99.5 105.1 97.4 3.332 

 Cigarettes 0.519 100.1 104.8 90.8 0.461 

 Tobacco products other than cigarettes 0.052 99.4 106.7 73.5 0.038 

 Personal care products 0.707 99.9 99.5 117.6 0.770 

 Legal services 0.428 98.0 112.9 75.4 0.333 

 Funeral expenses 0.151 100.2 109.1 93.2 0.143 

 Financial services 0.294 98.7 106.6 74.9 0.216 

 Care of invalids and elderly at home 0.071 98.9 105.6 159.4 0.110