News United States 

Department 

of Labor 

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

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Patrick C. Jackman (202) 691-7000 USDL-08-0790 

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INTERNET ADDRESS: http://www.bls.gov/cpi/ Friday, June 13, 2008 

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: MAY 2008 

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.8 percent in May, before 

seasonal adjustment, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The May 

level of 216.632 (1982-84=100) was 4.2 percent higher than in May 2007. 

The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 1.0 

percent in May, prior to seasonal adjustment. The May level of 212.788 (1982-84=100) was 4.5 percent higher 

than in May 2007. 

The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) increased 0.6 percent in May 

on a not seasonally adjusted basis. The May level of 124.645 (December 1999=100) was 3.6 percent higher 

than in May 2007. Please note that the indexes for the post-2006 period are subject to revision. 

CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U advanced 0.6 percent in May, following a 0.2 percent increase 

in April. The index for energy, which was virtually unchanged in April, increased 4.4 percent in May. The 

index for petroleum-based energy advanced 5.8 percent and the index for energy services rose 2.3 percent. The 

food index rose 0.3 percent in May. The index for food at home, which advanced 1.5 percent in April, also 

increased 0.3 percent, as five of the six major grocery store food groups registered substantial deceleration. The 

index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.2 percent in May, following a 0.1 percent rise in April. 

Upturns in the indexes for lodging away from home, for public transportation, and for household furnishings 

and operations more than offset a downturn in the index for apparel. 

Table A. Percent changes in CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)

Expenditure

Category

Seasonally adjusted

Unadjusted

12-mos.

ended

May 2008

Changes from preceding month Compound

annual rate

3-mos. ended

May 2008 Nov.

2007

Dec.

2007

Jan.

2008

Feb.

2008

Mar.

2008

Apr.

2008

May

2008

All items ................................. .9 .4 .4 .0 .3 .2 .6 4.9 4.2 

Food and beverages ........... .4 .1 .7 .4 .2 .9 .3 5.9 5.0 

Housing ............................... .4 .3 .2 .2 .4 .3 .5 4.9 3.3 

Apparel ................................ .6 .1 .4 -.3 -1.3 .5 -.3 -4.3 -.6 

Transportation ..................... 3.5 1.0 .5 -.7 .7 -.7 2.0 8.7 8.1 

Medical care ........................ .4 .3 .5 .1 .1 .2 .2 1.8 4.1 

Recreation ........................... .2 .0 .2 .1 .3 -.1 .1 1.0 1.2 

Education and

communication .............. .0 .3 .4 .1 .3 .4 .4 4.2 3.0 

Other goods and services ... .2 .3 .4 .2 .4 .5 .4 5.3 3.6 

Special indexes:

Energy ................................. 6.9 1.7 .7 -.5 1.9 .0 4.4 28.2 17.4 

Food .................................... .4 .1 .7 .4 .2 .9 .3 6.2 5.1 

All items less food and

energy ........................... .2 .2 .3 .0 .2 .1 .2 1.8 2.3 
During the first five months of 2008, the CPI-U rose at a 4.0 percent seasonally adjusted annual rate 

(SAAR). This compares with an increase of 4.1 percent for all of 2007. The index for energy advanced at a 

16.5 percent SAAR in the first five months of 2008 after advancing 17.4 percent in all of 2007. Petroleumbased energy costs increased at a 13.9 percent annual rate and charges for energy services rose at a 20.3 percent 

annual rate. The food index has increased at a 6.3 percent SAAR thus far this year, following a 4.9 percent rise 

for all of 2007. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U advanced at a 2.0 percent SAAR in the first five months, 

following a 2.4 percent rise for all of 2007. 

The food and beverages index rose 0.3 percent in May. The index for food at home increased 0.3 

percent, following a 1.5 percent rise in April. The index for cereal and bakery products recorded its fourth 

consecutive large advance--up 1.6 percent in May. Each of the other six major grocery store food groups 

decelerated in May. The index for fruits and vegetables, which increased 2.0 percent in April, was virtually 

unchanged in May. A 0.7 percent decline in the indexes for fresh fruits offset increases in the indexes for fresh 

vegetables and processed fruits and vegetables--up 0.5 and 0.4 percent, respectively. The index for meats, 

poultry, fish, and eggs, which advanced 0.9 percent in April, rose 0.1 percent in May. Beef prices, which 

declined 1.1 percent in April, rose 1.5 percent in May. Prices for poultry and for fish and seafood increased 0.8 

and 0.9 percent, respectively. These increases were largely offset by decreases in the indexes for pork, for other 

meats, and for eggs. The index for dairy products declined 0.1 percent, following a 1.2 percent increase in 

April. Milk prices fell 0.7 percent, but were 10.2 percent higher than in May 2007. The index for nonalcoholic 

beverages, which increased 1.7 percent in April, declined 0.9 percent in May reflecting a 2.2 percent drop in the 

index for carbonated drinks. The index for other food at home rose 0.5 percent after advancing 1.9 percent in 

April. The other two components of the food and beverages index--food away from home and alcoholic 

beverages--increased 0.4 and 0.1 percent, respectively. 

The index for housing rose 0.5 percent in May. The index for shelter increased 0.2 percent, following a 

0.1 percent rise in April. Within shelter, the indexes for rent and owners' equivalent rent increased 0.2 and 0.1 

percent, respectively. The index for lodging away from home, which had declined in each of the preceding 

three months, increased 1.3 percent in May. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, charges for lodging away from home 

declined 0.5 percent in May.) The index for household energy registered its fourth consecutive large increase--

up 2.8 percent in May. The index for fuel oil rose 10.4 percent and was 64.0 percent higher than in May 2007. 

The indexes for natural gas and for electricity rose 5.6 and 0.9 percent, respectively. During the last 12 months 

charges for natural gas and for electricity increased 16.5 and 5.8 percent, respectively. The index for household 

furnishings and operations, which declined 0.1 percent in April, increased 0.2 percent in May. 

The transportation index advanced 2.0 percent in May, reflecting large increases in the indexes for 

motor fuel and public transportation. The index for gasoline rose 5.7 percent and was 20.8 percent higher than 

in May 2007. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices in May rose 9.5 percent above their previous peak 

level recorded in April.) The index for new vehicles declined 0.1 percent and was 1.2 percent lower than in 

May 2007. The index for used cars and trucks declined 0.3 percent in May, but was 1.4 percent higher than a 

year ago. The index for public transportation advanced 2.3 percent in May, reflecting a 3.2 percent increase in 

the index for airline fares. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, airline fares rose 4.2 percent and were 14.4 percent 

higher than a year ago.) 

The index for apparel fell 0.3 percent in May following a 0.5 percent increase in April. (Prior to 

seasonal adjustment, apparel prices declined 1.1 percent. Prices for women’s and girls apparel decreased 2.2 

percent. During the last 12 months, prices for women’s and girls’ clothing fell 5.0 percent, while prices for 

men’s and boys’ apparel increased 1.9 percent.) 

Medical care costs rose 0.2 percent in May and were 4.1 percent higher than a year ago. The index for 

medical care commodities--prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and medical supplies--declined for the 

second consecutive month--down 0.7 percent in May. The index for medical care services increased 0.5 

percent. Within the latter group, the indexes for professional services and for hospital and related services 

increased 0.7 and 0.4 percent, respectively. 

The index for recreation, which declined 0.1 percent in April, rose 0.1 percent in May. Upturns in the 

indexes for admissions to movies, theaters, concerts, and sporting events and for photography, coupled with 

larger increases in the indexes for sporting goods and for pets, pet products and services more than offset 

declines in the indexes for video and audio and for toys. 
The index for education and communication increased 0.4 percent in May. Educational costs rose 0.4 

percent and the index for communication costs rose 0.3 percent. Within the latter category, increases in charges 

for telephone services more than offset a decline in the index for information technology, hardware and 

services. Local land-line telephone charges rose 0.3 percent and long distance land-line telephone charges rose 

1.3 percent; wireless telephone services were unchanged. The index for information technology, hardware and 

services declined 0.5 percent, reflecting decreases in the indexes for personal computers and peripheral 

equipment and for computer software and accessories. 

The index for other goods and services increased 0.4 percent in May. The index for tobacco and 

smoking products rose 0.8 percent and accounted for more than half of the increase in this major group. 

CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W)

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers increased 0.7 

percent in May. 

Table B. Percent changes in CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W)

Expenditure

Category

Seasonally adjusted

Unadjusted

12-mos.

ended

May 2008

Changes from preceding month Compound

annual rate

3-mos. ended

May 2008 Nov.

2007

Dec.

2007

Jan.

2008

Feb.

2008

Mar.

2008

Apr.

2008

May

2008

All items ................................. 1.0 .4 .4 .0 .4 .2 .7 5.4 4.5 

Food and beverages ........... .3 .1 .7 .3 .2 .9 .3 6.0 4.9 

Housing ............................... .4 .2 .2 .2 .5 .4 .5 5.7 3.5 

Apparel ................................ .4 .2 .8 -.3 -1.2 .2 -.2 -4.8 -.4 

Transportation ..................... 3.8 1.1 .7 -.7 .7 -.7 2.1 8.9 8.7 

Medical care ........................ .4 .3 .6 .1 .1 .2 .1 1.7 4.2 

Recreation ........................... .1 .1 .2 .1 .3 -.2 .0 .8 .9 

Education and

communication .............. .0 .2 .3 .1 .2 .4 .3 4.0 2.5 

Other goods and services ... .2 .4 .5 .3 .4 .4 .5 5.2 3.9 

Special indexes:

Energy ................................. 7.2 1.8 .8 -.7 1.9 -.2 4.5 27.7 17.5 

Food .................................... .3 .1 .7 .3 .2 1.0 .3 6.3 5.1 

All items less food and

energy ........................... .2 .2 .3 .0 .1 .1 .2 1.8 2.3 

Consumer Price Index data for June are scheduled for release on Wednesday, July 16, 2008, at 8:30 

A.M. (EDT). 
Facilities for Sensory Impaired

Information from this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. 

Voice phone: 202-691-5200, Federal Relay Services: 1-800-877-8339. 

Brief Explanation of the CPI 

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

services purchased by households. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes CPIs for two population groups: 

(1) the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), which covers households of wage earners 

and clerical workers that comprise approximately 32 percent of the total population and (2) the CPI for All 

Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and the Chained CPI for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U), which cover 

approximately 87 percent of the total population and include in addition to wage earners and clerical worker 

households, groups such as professional, managerial, and technical workers, the self-employed, short-term 

workers, the unemployed, and retirees and others not in the labor force. 

The CPIs are based on prices of food, clothing, shelter, and fuels, transportation fares, charges for 

doctors’ and dentists’ services, drugs, and other goods and services that people buy for day-to-day living. 

Prices are collected in 87 urban areas across the country from about 50,000 housing units and approximately 

23,000 retail establishments-department stores, supermarkets, hospitals, filling stations, and other types of 

stores and service establishments. All taxes directly associated with the purchase and use of items are included 

in the index. Prices of fuels and a few other items are obtained every month in all 87 locations. Prices of most 

other commodities and services are collected every month in the three largest geographic areas and every other 

month in other areas. Prices of most goods and services are obtained by personal visits or telephone calls of the 

Bureau’s trained representatives. 

In calculating the index, price changes for the various items in each location are averaged together with 

weights, which represent their importance in the spending of the appropriate population group. Local data are 

then combined to obtain a U.S. city average. For the CPI-U and CPI-W separate indexes are also published by 

size of city, by region of the country, for cross-classifications of regions and population-size classes, and for 27 

local areas. Area indexes do not measure differences in the level of prices among cities; they only measure the 

average change in prices for each area since the base period. For the C-CPI-U data are issued only at the 

national level. It is important to note that the CPI-U and CPI-W are considered final when released, but the CCPI-U is issued in preliminary form and subject to two annual revisions. 

The index measures price change from a designed reference date. For the CPI-U and the CPI-W the 

reference base is 1982-84 equals 100.0. The reference base for the C-CPI-U is December 1999 equals 100. 

An increase of 16.5 percent from the reference base, for example, is shown as 116.5. This change can also be 

expressed in dollars as follows: the price of a base period market basket of goods and services in the CPI has 

risen from $10 in 1982-84 to $11.65. 

For further details visit the CPI home page on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/cpi/ or contact our CPI 

Information and Analysis Section on (202) 691-7000. 
Note on Sampling Error in the Consumer Price Index 

The CPI is a statistical estimate that is subject to sampling error because it is based upon a sample of 

retail prices and not the complete universe of all prices. BLS calculates and publishes estimates of the 1-month, 

2-month, 6-month and 12-month percent change standard errors annually, for the CPI-U. These standard error 

estimates can be used to construct confidence intervals for hypothesis testing. For example, the estimated 

standard error of the 1 month percent change is 0.06 percent for the U.S. All Items Consumer Price Index. This 

means that if we repeatedly sample from the universe of all retail prices using the same methodology, and 

estimate a percentage change for each sample, then 95% of these estimates would be within 0.12 percent of the 

1 month percentage change based on all retail prices. For a 1-month change of 0.2 percent in the All Items CPI 

for All Urban Consumers, we are 95 percent confident that the actual percent change based on all retail prices 

would fall between 0.08 and 0.32 percent. For the latest data, including information on how to use the 

estimates of standard error, see “Variance Estimates for Changes in the Consumer Price Index, January 2005- 

December 2005” in the CPI Detailed Report, February 2006. These data are available on the CPI home page 

(http://www.bls.gov/cpi), using the following link http://www.bls.gov/cpi/cpivar2006.pdf
Calculating Index Changes 

 Movements of the indexes from one month to another are usually expressed as percent changes rather 

than changes in index points, because index point changes are affected by the level of the index in relation to its 

base period while percent changes are not. The example below illustrates the computation of index point and 

percent changes. 

 Percent changes for 3-month and 6-month periods are expressed as annual rates and are computed 

according to the standard formula for compound growth rates. These data indicate what the percent change 

would be if the current rate were maintained for a 12-month period. 

Index Point Change

CPI 202.416 

Less previous index 201.800 

Equals index point change .616 

Percent Change

Index point difference .616 

Divided by the previous index 201.800 

Equals 0.003 

Results multiplied by one hundred 0.003x100 

Equals percent change 0.3

Regions Defined 

The states in the four regions shown in Tables 3 and 6 are listed below. 

The Northeast--Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and 

Vermont. 

The Midwest--Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and 

Wisconsin. 

The South--Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma,

South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. 

The West--Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and 

Wyoming. 
A Note on Seasonally Adjusted and Unadjusted Data 

Because price data are used for different purposes by different groups, the Bureau of Labor Statistics 

publishes seasonally adjusted as well as unadjusted changes each month. 

For analyzing general price trends in the economy, seasonally adjusted changes are usually preferred 

since they eliminate the effect of changes that normally occur at the same time and in about the same magnitude 

every year--such as price movements resulting from changing climatic conditions, production cycles, model 

changeovers, holidays, and sales. 

The unadjusted data are of primary interest to consumers concerned about the prices they actually pay. 

Unadjusted data also are used extensively for escalation purposes. Many collective bargaining contract 

agreements and pension plans, for example, tie compensation changes to the Consumer Price Index before 

adjustment for seasonal variation. 

Seasonal factors used in computing the seasonally adjusted indexes are derived by the X-12-ARIMA 

Seasonal Adjustment Method. Seasonally adjusted indexes and seasonal factors are computed annually. Each 

year, the last 5 years of seasonally adjusted data are revised. Data from January 2003 through December 2007 

were replaced in January 2008. Exceptions to the usual revision schedule were: the updated seasonal data at the 

end of 1977 replaced data from 1967 through 1977; and, in January 2002, dependently seasonally adjusted 

series were revised for January 1987-December 2001 as a result of a change in the aggregation weights for 

dependently adjusted series. For further information, please see “Aggregation of Dependently Adjusted 

Seasonally Adjusted Series,” in the October 2001 issue of the CPI Detailed Report.

The seasonal movement of All items and 54 other aggregations is derived by combining the seasonal 

movement of 73 selected components. Each year the seasonal status of every series is reevaluated based upon 

certain statistical criteria. If any of the 73 components change their seasonal adjustment status from seasonally 

adjusted to not seasonally adjusted, not seasonally adjusted data will be used in the aggregation of the 

dependent series for the last 5 years, but the seasonally adjusted indexes will be used before that period. Note: 

48 of the 73 components are seasonally adjusted for 2008. 

Seasonally adjusted data, including the All items index levels, are subject to revision for up to five years 

after their original release. For this reason, BLS advises against the use of these data in escalation agreements. 

Effective with the calculation of the seasonal factors for 1990, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has used an 

enhanced seasonal adjustment procedure called Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment for some CPI series. 

Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment allows for better estimates of seasonally adjusted data. Extreme 

values and/or sharp movements which might distort the seasonal pattern are estimated and removed from the 

data prior to calculation of seasonal factors. Beginning with the calculation of seasonal factors for 1996, X-12-

ARIMA software was used for Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment. 

For the seasonal factors introduced in January 2008, BLS adjusted 20 series using Intervention Analysis 

Seasonal Adjustment, including selected food and beverage items, motor fuels, electricity and vehicles. For 

example, this procedure was used for the Motor fuel series to offset the effects of events such as damage to oil 

refineries from Hurricane Katrina. 

 

For a complete list of Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment series and explanations, please refer to 

the article “Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment,” located on our website at 

http://www.bls.gov/cpi/cpisapage.htm. 
 

For additional information on seasonal adjustment in the CPI, please write to the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics, Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes, Washington, DC 20212 or contact Jeff Wilson at 

(202) 691-6968, or by e-mail at Wilson.Jeff@bls.gov. If you have general questions about the CPI, please call 

our information staff at (202) 691-7000. 

 
Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average, by expenditure category and commodity and

service group

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-U

Relative

importance,

December

2007

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

May 2008 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

Apr.

2008

May

2008

May

2007

Apr.

2008

Feb. to

Mar.

Mar. to

Apr.

Apr. to

May

Expenditure category

All items ........................................................................................ 100.000 214.823 216.632 4.2 0.8 0.3 0.2 0.6 

All items (1967=100) .................................................................... -

 643.515 648.933 - - - - -

Food and beverages .................................................................. 14.914 211.365 212.251 5.0 .4 .2 .9 .3 

Food ......................................................................................... 13.833 211.102 212.054 5.1 .5 .2 .9 .3 

Food at home ......................................................................... 7.660 210.851 211.863 5.8 .5 .2 1.5 .3 

Cereals and bakery products ............................................... 1.030 240.034 244.192 10.5 1.7 1.3 1.4 1.6 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .............................................. 1.807 200.770 200.960 2.6 .1 .0 .9 .1 

Dairy and related products ................................................... .887 207.680 207.778 11.0 .0 -.8 1.2 -.1 

Fruits and vegetables ........................................................... 1.156 272.746 276.481 4.4 1.4 .1 2.0 .0 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ................ .928 159.730 158.336 3.6 -.9 .3 1.7 -.9 

Other food at home .............................................................. 1.852 181.806 182.680 5.8 .5 .1 1.9 .5 

Sugar and sweets .............................................................. .277 184.878 185.097 5.5 .1 1.0 1.2 .4 

Fats and oils ....................................................................... .205 190.640 193.364 12.8 1.4 -.7 5.1 .6 

Other foods ........................................................................ 1.369 195.993 196.787 4.7 .4 .0 1.5 .5 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ......................................... .404 118.500 118.744 3.5 .2 -.7 1.0 .2 

Food away from home 1 ......................................................... 6.173 213.083 213.967 4.3 .4 .3 .3 .4 

Other food away from home 1 2 ........................................... .297 148.667 149.666 4.5 .7 .1 .1 .7 

Alcoholic beverages ................................................................. 1.080 213.503 213.532 3.4 .0 -.1 .6 .1 

Housing ...................................................................................... 42.427 214.890 215.809 3.3 .4 .4 .3 .5 

Shelter ...................................................................................... 32.596 246.004 246.069 2.6 .0 .1 .1 .2 

Rent of primary residence 3 ................................................... 5.765 241.474 241.803 3.5 .1 .2 .3 .2 

Lodging away from home 2 .................................................... 2.564 146.378 145.634 1.1 -.5 -.6 -1.9 1.3 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 .................. 23.942 251.418 251.576 2.6 .1 .2 .2 .1 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ................................... .325 118.422 118.411 1.7 .0 .1 .6 .0 

Fuels and utilities ..................................................................... 5.128 213.302 219.881 10.7 3.1 2.0 2.2 2.4 

Household energy .................................................................. 4.215 194.121 201.212 11.9 3.7 2.3 2.6 2.8 

Fuel oil and other fuels ......................................................... .351 342.811 363.872 50.7 6.1 7.9 3.6 7.9 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ................................................. 3.864 194.379 200.999 8.8 3.4 1.9 2.5 2.3 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ................... .913 149.536 150.069 5.3 .4 .3 .3 .4 

Household furnishings and operations ..................................... 4.702 127.332 127.598 .2 .2 .5 -.1 .2 

Household operations 1 2 ....................................................... .737 145.784 146.957 4.6 .8 1.1 .5 .8 

Apparel ....................................................................................... 3.731 122.113 120.752 -.6 -1.1 -1.3 .5 -.3 

Men’s and boys’ apparel .......................................................... .935 116.653 116.479 1.9 -.1 -.8 .4 .3 

Women’s and girls’ apparel ...................................................... 1.600 111.221 108.722 -5.0 -2.2 -2.6 .0 -.3 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel ................................................... .185 116.358 114.582 .8 -1.5 -1.7 .6 -.9 

Footwear .................................................................................. .679 126.212 125.537 2.0 -.5 -.1 .9 .0 

Transportation ............................................................................ 17.688 198.608 205.262 8.1 3.4 .7 -.7 2.0 

Private transportation ............................................................... 16.583 194.574 201.133 7.9 3.4 .6 -.7 2.0 

New and used motor vehicles 2 ............................................. 7.191 93.973 93.705 -.3 -.3 -.1 -.2 -.1 

New vehicles ........................................................................ 4.632 135.175 134.669 -1.2 -.4 -.1 -.2 -.1 

Used cars and trucks 1 ......................................................... 1.773 136.787 136.325 1.4 -.3 .0 -.3 -.3 

Motor fuel ............................................................................... 5.482 294.291 322.124 21.2 9.5 1.6 -1.9 5.7 

Gasoline (all types) .............................................................. 5.215 291.910 319.787 20.8 9.5 1.3 -2.0 5.7 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ..................................... .356 126.049 126.824 4.8 .6 .9 -.2 .6 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ................................... 1.123 230.528 231.730 4.4 .5 .5 .4 .5 

Public transportation ................................................................ 1.106 244.164 251.600 10.2 3.0 2.5 -.4 2.3

Medical care ............................................................................... 6.231 363.184 363.396 4.1 .1 .1 .2 .2 

Medical care commodities ........................................................ 1.601 296.951 294.896 2.2 -.7 .4 -.2 -.7 

Medical care services ............................................................... 4.630 383.292 384.505 4.7 .3 .1 .3 .5 

Professional services ............................................................. 2.626 309.227 310.917 3.7 .5 .1 .2 .7 

Hospital and related services 3 .............................................. 1.467 530.144 531.022 7.5 .2 .2 .5 .4 

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average, by expenditure category and commodity and

service group-Continued

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-U

Relative

importance,

December

2007

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

May 2008 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

Apr.

2008

May

2008

May

2007

Apr.

2008

Feb. to

Mar.

Mar. to

Apr.

Apr. to

May

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ............................................................................... 5.647 112.874 112.987 1.2 0.1 0.3 -0.1 0.1 

Video and audio 2 .................................................................... 1.843 103.477 102.988 -.6 -.5 .2 -.4 -.5 

Education and communication 2 ................................................ 6.086 122.073 122.348 3.0 .2 .3 .4 .4 

Education 2 .............................................................................. 2.944 177.754 177.994 5.7 .1 .4 .6 .4 

Educational books and supplies ............................................. .207 442.160 442.770 6.8 .1 .3 .9 .4 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare ................................ 2.736 511.887 512.579 5.6 .1 .4 .6 .4 

Communication 2 ..................................................................... 3.142 83.670 83.929 .2 .3 .1 .2 .3 

Information and information processing 1 2 ............................ 2.975 80.921 81.080 -.1 .2 .1 .2 .2 

Telephone services 1 2 ......................................................... 2.342 99.494 99.879 1.4 .4 .2 .5 .4 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 ............. .634 10.170 10.118 -6.2 -.5 -.1 -.7 -.5 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 6 ............ .242 98.853 97.028 -13.0 -1.8 -.2 -1.5 -1.8 

Other goods and services .......................................................... 3.277 343.410 344.709 3.6 .4 .4 .5 .4 

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ............................................ .731 576.359 581.185 5.7 .8 -.1 .3 .8 

Personal care ........................................................................... 2.546 201.028 201.523 3.0 .2 .6 .6 .2 

Personal care products 1 ....................................................... .639 159.398 158.790 .1 -.4 .5 .6 -.4 

Personal care services 1 ........................................................ .629 222.799 223.649 3.4 .4 .9 .0 .4 

Miscellaneous personal services ........................................... 1.044 337.685 339.824 4.7 .6 .3 .7 .5 

Commodity and service group

Commodities ................................................................................ 41.269 175.838 178.341 5.1 1.4 .3 .1 .9 

Food and beverages .................................................................. 14.914 211.365 212.251 5.0 .4 .2 .9 .3 

Commodities less food and beverages ...................................... 26.356 155.690 158.778 5.1 2.0 .4 -.4 1.2 

Nondurables less food and beverages ..................................... 15.519 200.926 207.875 9.4 3.5 .8 -.5 2.4 

Apparel ................................................................................... 3.731 122.113 120.752 -.6 -1.1 -1.3 .5 -.3 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................... 11.787 254.599 266.943 12.6 4.8 1.5 -.9 2.9 

Durables ................................................................................... 10.837 111.671 111.362 -1.1 -.3 .0 -.3 -.2 

Services ....................................................................................... 58.731 253.426 254.509 3.5 .4 .4 .3 .5 

Rent of shelter 4 ......................................................................... 32.271 256.463 256.532 2.6 .0 .2 .0 .2 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ....................................... .325 118.422 118.411 1.7 .0 .1 .6 .0 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ....................................................... 3.864 194.379 200.999 8.8 3.4 1.9 2.5 2.3 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ....................... .913 149.536 150.069 5.3 .4 .3 .3 .4 

Household operations 1 2 ........................................................... .737 145.784 146.957 4.6 .8 1.1 .5 .8 

Transportation services .............................................................. 5.350 240.150 242.343 4.6 .9 .7 .1 .8 

Medical care services ................................................................. 4.630 383.292 384.505 4.7 .3 .1 .3 .5 

Other services ............................................................................ 10.641 293.016 293.959 3.3 .3 .4 .3 .4 

Special indexes

All items less food ........................................................................ 86.167 215.462 217.411 4.0 .9 .4 .1 .7 

All items less shelter .................................................................... 67.404 205.040 207.566 4.9 1.2 .4 .3 .9 

All items less medical care ........................................................... 93.769 207.317 209.170 4.2 .9 .4 .2 .7 

Commodities less food ................................................................. 27.436 157.870 160.880 5.0 1.9 .4 -.3 1.2

Nondurables less food ................................................................. 16.599 201.693 208.233 9.0 3.2 .9 .1 2.5 

Nondurables less food and apparel ............................................. 12.868 249.571 260.703 11.8 4.5 1.6 -.4 2.8 

Nondurables ................................................................................. 30.432 207.096 211.240 7.3 2.0 .7 .5 1.5 

Services less rent of shelter 4 ...................................................... 26.460 269.007 271.467 4.7 .9 .7 .6 .9 

Services less medical care services ............................................ 54.101 242.921 243.982 3.4 .4 .4 .3 .5 

Energy .......................................................................................... 9.698 240.194 257.106 17.4 7.0 1.9 .0 4.4 

All items less energy .................................................................... 90.302 213.851 214.101 2.7 .1 .2 .2 .2

All items less food and energy ................................................... 76.469 215.059 215.180 2.3 .1 .2 .1 .2 

Commodities less food and energy commodities ..................... 21.602 141.156 140.677 .1 -.3 -.1 .0 -.1 

Energy commodities ............................................................... 5.834 298.757 326.414 22.9 9.3 2.0 -1.6 5.8 

Services less energy services .................................................. 54.867 259.503 260.049 3.2 .2 .2 .1 .3 

Purchasing power of the consumer dollar (1982-84=$1.00) ........ -

 $ .465 $ .462 - - - - -

Purchasing power of the consumer dollar (1967=$1.00) ............. -

 $ .155 $ .154 - - - - -

1 Not seasonally adjusted. 2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. 3 This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other

item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. 4 Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.

5 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base. 6 Indexes on a December 2007=100 base. - Data not available.

NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.
Table 2. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Seasonally adjusted U.S. city average, by expenditure category

and commodity and service group

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-U

Seasonally adjusted indexes Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent

change for

3 months ended— 6 months

ended—

Feb.

2008

Mar.

2008

Apr.

2008

May

2008

Aug.

2007

Nov.

2007

Feb.

2008

May

2008 Nov.

2007

May

2008

Expenditure category

All items .............................................................................. 212.571 213.301 213.743 215.132 2.0 6.3 3.1 4.9 4.1 4.0 

Food and beverages ......................................................... 209.087 209.517 211.442 212.091 5.2 4.2 4.6 5.9 4.7 5.2 

Food ................................................................................ 208.778 209.255 211.232 211.918 5.3 4.3 4.7 6.2 4.8 5.4 

Food at home ................................................................ 207.633 207.971 211.085 211.620 5.4 4.4 5.3 7.9 4.9 6.6 

Cereals and bakery products ...................................... 233.287 236.325 239.619 243.503 5.0 6.5 12.4 18.7 5.8 15.5 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..................................... 199.499 199.527 201.404 201.610 1.4 2.5 2.3 4.3 2.0 3.3 

Dairy and related products .......................................... 207.341 205.624 207.992 207.808 36.1 6.7 3.4 .9 20.5 2.1 

Fruits and vegetables .................................................. 268.642 268.864 274.120 274.113 -3.2 10.9 2.2 8.4 3.6 5.3 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ....... 156.743 157.218 159.868 158.445 5.8 -.5 4.8 4.4 2.6 4.6 

Other food at home ..................................................... 177.957 178.157 181.508 182.434 3.5 2.7 6.8 10.4 3.1 8.6

Sugar and sweets ..................................................... 180.431 182.273 184.421 185.210 4.4 4.2 2.6 11.0 4.3 6.7 

Fats and oils .............................................................. 183.396 182.190 191.560 192.640 8.1 5.9 16.1 21.7 7.0 18.9 

Other foods ............................................................... 192.472 192.565 195.506 196.520 2.5 1.7 6.2 8.7 2.1 7.4 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ................................ 118.182 117.321 118.500 118.744 4.9 -2.3 10.0 1.9 1.2 5.9 

Food away from home 1 ............................................... 211.878 212.537 213.083 213.967 5.0 4.1 3.9 4.0 4.6 4.0 

Other food away from home 1 2 .................................. 148.385 148.564 148.667 149.666 6.3 3.5 4.9 3.5 4.9 4.2 

Alcoholic beverages ........................................................ 211.841 211.645 212.894 213.067 4.2 2.8 4.1 2.3 3.5 3.2 

Housing ............................................................................. 213.313 214.204 214.850 215.876 2.1 3.5 2.8 4.9 2.8 3.8 

Shelter ............................................................................. 244.837 245.200 245.335 245.822 3.1 3.1 2.6 1.6 3.1 2.1 

Rent of primary residence 3 .......................................... 240.191 240.763 241.489 241.919 3.0 4.5 3.6 2.9 3.8 3.3 

Lodging away from home 2 ........................................... 144.953 144.128 141.456 143.357 8.8 -.9 1.0 -4.3 3.9 -1.7 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 ......... 250.413 250.941 251.461 251.656 2.5 3.2 2.6 2.0 2.9 2.3 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ......................... 117.622 117.701 118.422 118.411 1.9 .2 2.2 2.7 1.1 2.4 

Fuels and utilities ............................................................ 208.175 212.311 216.921 222.094 -1.2 10.2 6.5 29.5 4.4 17.5 

Household energy ......................................................... 188.722 193.154 198.101 203.609 -2.5 11.2 6.7 35.5 4.1 20.3 

Fuel oil and other fuels ................................................ 302.465 326.372 338.212 364.824 16.5 72.4 21.3 111.7 41.7 60.2 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ....................................... 190.706 194.239 199.018 203.584 -4.0 6.7 5.3 29.9 1.2 16.9 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 .......... 148.647 149.080 149.537 150.203 5.7 5.4 5.7 4.3 5.6 5.0 

Household furnishings and operations ............................ 126.510 127.205 127.076 127.352 -1.1 -1.0 .3 2.7 -1.0 1.5 

Household operations 1 2 ............................................. 143.500 145.034 145.784 146.957 1.4 1.8 5.4 10.0 1.6 7.7 

Apparel .............................................................................. 119.352 117.819 118.363 118.043 -1.9 3.4 .8 -4.3 .7 -1.8 

Men’s and boys’ apparel ................................................. 114.213 113.256 113.763 114.153 .6 .4 6.8 -.2 .5 3.3 

Women’s and girls’ apparel ............................................. 108.393 105.548 105.549 105.181 -6.1 2.1 -4.2 -11.3 -2.0 -7.9 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel .......................................... 115.627 113.658 114.388 113.408 -.2 12.2 -.3 -7.5 5.8 -3.9 

Footwear ......................................................................... 123.304 123.193 124.302 124.290 1.7 3.9 -.7 3.2 2.8 1.3 

Transportation ................................................................... 194.390 195.797 194.483 198.465 -.5 19.5 3.5 8.7 9.1 6.1 

Private transportation ...................................................... 190.437 191.585 190.264 194.122 -.8 20.0 3.4 8.0 9.1 5.7 

New and used motor vehicles 2 .................................... 94.156 94.068 93.859 93.798 2.2 -.9 -.9 -1.5 .6 -1.2 

New vehicles ............................................................... 135.195 135.024 134.772 134.693 .1 -.9 -2.5 -1.5 -.4 -2.0 

Used cars and trucks 1 ............................................... 137.248 137.225 136.787 136.325 8.1 -1.5 1.9 -2.7 3.2 -.4 

Motor fuel ...................................................................... 277.448 281.996 276.571 292.243 -8.5 77.6 7.8 23.1 27.5 15.2 

Gasoline (all types) ..................................................... 276.131 279.818 274.251 289.943 -8.7 77.9 7.7 21.6 27.4 14.4 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ............................ 125.225 126.325 126.049 126.824 2.5 5.9 5.7 5.2 4.2 5.5 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair .......................... 228.425 229.641 230.660 231.822 3.9 2.2 5.4 6.1 3.0 5.7 

Public transportation ....................................................... 239.080 245.136 244.145 249.869 4.8 12.8 4.7 19.3 8.7 11.7 

Medical care ...................................................................... 361.168 361.697 362.243 362.801 5.5 5.2 3.9 1.8 5.4 2.8 

Medical care commodities .............................................. 296.151 297.377 296.876 294.687 3.4 3.5 3.9 -2.0 3.4 .9 

Medical care services ..................................................... 380.787 380.994 381.990 383.752 6.1 5.8 3.9 3.2 6.0 3.5 

Professional services .................................................... 307.160 307.527 308.120 310.154 4.7 3.3 3.0 4.0 4.0 3.5 

Hospital and related services 3 ..................................... 524.634 525.672 528.453 530.603 7.7 9.7 7.9 4.6 8.7 6.3 

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 2. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Seasonally adjusted U.S. city average, by expenditure category

and commodity and service group-Continued

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-U

Seasonally adjusted indexes Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent

change for

3 months ended— 6 months

ended—

Feb.

2008

Mar.

2008

Apr.

2008

May

2008

Aug.

2007

Nov.

2007

Feb.

2008

May

2008 Nov.

2007

May

2008

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ...................................................................... 112.373 112.656 112.588 112.663 -0.5 2.7 1.4 1.0 1.1 1.2 

Video and audio 2 ........................................................... 103.147 103.370 102.948 102.443 -2.3 2.2 .7 -2.7 -.1 -1.0 

Education and communication 2 ....................................... 121.745 122.075 122.564 123.004 2.4 2.1 3.2 4.2 2.2 3.7 

Education 2 ..................................................................... 177.406 178.144 179.234 179.968 5.2 6.0 5.6 5.9 5.6 5.8 

Educational books and supplies ................................... 436.364 437.600 441.736 443.715 12.4 4.6 3.4 6.9 8.4 5.2 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare ...................... 511.324 513.503 516.515 518.616 4.7 6.1 5.8 5.8 5.4 5.8 

Communication 2 ............................................................ 83.388 83.500 83.669 83.929 -.5 -1.9 .6 2.6 -1.2 1.6 

Information and information processing 1 2 .................. 80.638 80.752 80.921 81.080 -1.0 -2.1 .6 2.2 -1.6 1.4 

Telephone services 1 2 ............................................... 98.837 99.031 99.494 99.879 1.3 -.2 .3 4.3 .6 2.2 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 .... 10.253 10.246 10.170 10.118 -10.7 -10.4 1.9 -5.2 -10.5 -1.7 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 6 ... 100.545 100.359 98.853 97.028 -16.8 -22.2 1.8 -13.3 -19.5 -6.1 

Other goods and services ................................................. 339.869 341.374 343.072 344.305 2.0 3.2 3.9 5.3 2.6 4.6 

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ................................... 575.227 574.890 576.359 581.185 4.1 5.0 9.8 4.2 4.5 7.0 

Personal care .................................................................. 198.473 199.641 200.773 201.219 1.4 2.7 2.2 5.7 2.1 3.9 

Personal care products 1 .............................................. 157.677 158.440 159.398 158.790 -2.0 2.0 -2.2 2.9 .0 .3 

Personal care services 1 ............................................... 220.848 222.752 222.799 223.649 1.5 2.9 4.2 5.2 2.2 4.7 

Miscellaneous personal services .................................. 333.716 334.878 337.233 339.034 2.7 3.7 5.7 6.5 3.2 6.1 

Commodity and service group

Commodities ....................................................................... 173.011 173.575 173.718 175.279 .9 10.3 3.1 5.3 5.5 4.2 

Food and beverages ......................................................... 209.087 209.517 211.442 212.091 5.2 4.2 4.6 5.9 4.7 5.2 

Commodities less food and beverages ............................. 152.726 153.327 152.734 154.620 -1.6 14.0 2.2 5.1 5.9 3.6 

Nondurables less food and beverages ........................... 195.406 196.898 195.857 200.497 -5.7 31.2 4.4 10.8 11.2 7.6 

Apparel .......................................................................... 119.352 117.819 118.363 118.043 -1.9 3.4 .8 -4.3 .7 -1.8 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .......... 246.666 250.287 248.038 255.265 .3 24.5 12.2 14.7 11.7 13.4 

Durables .......................................................................... 111.756 111.800 111.417 111.227 -.4 -.9 -1.4 -1.9 -.6 -1.7 

Services .............................................................................. 251.804 252.703 253.456 254.643 2.8 3.6 3.2 4.6 3.2 3.9 

Rent of shelter 4 ................................................................ 255.267 255.657 255.735 256.268 3.1 3.0 2.7 1.6 3.1 2.1 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ............................. 117.622 117.701 118.422 118.411 1.9 .2 2.2 2.7 1.1 2.4 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ............................................. 190.706 194.239 199.018 203.584 -4.0 6.7 5.3 29.9 1.2 16.9 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 .............. 148.647 149.080 149.537 150.203 5.7 5.4 5.7 4.3 5.6 5.0 

Household operations 1 2 ................................................. 143.500 145.034 145.784 146.957 1.4 1.8 5.4 10.0 1.6 7.7 

Transportation services ..................................................... 238.389 240.053 240.412 242.389 4.2 3.1 4.0 6.9 3.6 5.5 

Medical care services ....................................................... 380.787 380.994 381.990 383.752 6.1 5.8 3.9 3.2 6.0 3.5 

Other services ................................................................... 291.364 292.410 293.296 294.450 2.0 3.5 3.4 4.3 2.7 3.8 

Special indexes

All items less food ............................................................... 213.221 213.992 214.183 215.688 1.5 6.6 2.9 4.7 4.0 3.8 

All items less shelter ........................................................... 202.328 203.213 203.782 205.548 1.5 7.9 3.4 6.5 4.6 5.0 

All items less medical care .................................................. 205.076 205.807 206.241 207.649 1.8 6.3 3.1 5.1 4.1 4.1 

Commodities less food ........................................................ 154.934 155.514 154.972 156.814 -1.4 13.5 2.3 4.9 5.8 3.6 

Nondurables less food ........................................................ 195.304 197.043 197.193 202.150 -6.5 27.7 3.0 14.8 9.2 8.7 

Nondurables less food and apparel .................................... 241.207 245.015 244.131 250.889 -1.2 23.8 9.2 17.0 10.6 13.1 

Nondurables ........................................................................ 202.376 203.730 204.711 207.834 -1.3 15.8 4.2 11.2 6.9 7.7 

Services less rent of shelter 4 ............................................. 266.373 268.136 269.814 272.112 2.7 3.6 3.7 8.9 3.2 6.3 

Services less medical care services ................................... 241.233 242.188 242.925 244.156 2.8 2.9 3.1 4.9 2.9 4.0 

Energy ................................................................................. 229.390 233.839 233.804 244.107 -5.7 43.6 7.6 28.2 16.3 17.5 

All items less energy ........................................................... 212.471 212.819 213.314 213.786 2.9 2.9 2.7 2.5 2.9 2.6 

All items less food and energy .......................................... 213.851 214.176 214.398 214.832 2.5 2.6 2.3 1.8 2.5 2.1

Commodities less food and energy commodities ........... 140.316 140.180 140.193 140.010 .4 .5 .4 -.9 .4 -.2 

Energy commodities ..................................................... 280.566 286.164 281.614 297.965 -7.0 77.3 8.9 27.2 28.4 17.7 

Services less energy services ......................................... 258.078 258.722 259.084 259.944 3.3 3.4 3.1 2.9 3.3 3.0 

1 Not seasonally adjusted. 2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. 3 This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other

item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means

estimator.

4 Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. 5 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base. 6 Indexes on a December 2007=100 base.

NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.
Table 3. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Selected areas, all items index 

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-U

All items 

Pricing

schedule 1

Indexes Percent change to

May2008 from—

Percent change to

Apr.2008 from—

Feb.

2008

Mar.

2008

Apr.

2008

May

2008

May

2007

Mar.

2008

Apr.

2008

Apr.

2007

Feb.

2008

Mar.

2008

U.S. city average ............................................ M 211.693 213.528 214.823 216.632 4.2 1.5 0.8 3.9 1.5 0.6 

Region and area size2

Northeast urban .............................................. M 225.213 226.926 228.133 230.089 4.3 1.4 .9 3.9 1.3 .5 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 227.411 229.087 230.038 232.005 4.1 1.3 .9 3.6 1.2 .4 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 133.511 134.611 135.739 136.913 4.9 1.7 .9 4.8 1.7 .8 

Midwest urban ................................................ M 201.896 203.723 205.393 207.168 4.0 1.7 .9 4.0 1.7 .8 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 203.347 205.141 206.590 208.291 3.7 1.5 .8 3.6 1.6 .7 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 128.922 130.121 131.484 132.682 4.3 2.0 .9 4.6 2.0 1.0 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 197.596 199.472 200.841 202.720 4.8 1.6 .9 4.8 1.6 .7 

South urban .................................................... M 205.060 206.676 208.085 210.006 4.6 1.6 .9 4.2 1.5 .7 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 207.605 209.065 209.987 211.846 4.4 1.3 .9 4.0 1.1 .4 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 130.351 131.442 132.516 133.714 4.6 1.7 .9 4.3 1.7 .8 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 205.189 206.933 208.746 211.225 5.1 2.1 1.2 4.2 1.7 .9 

West urban ..................................................... M 216.339 218.533 219.437 221.009 3.7 1.1 .7 3.5 1.4 .4 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 219.799 221.997 222.689 224.704 3.7 1.2 .9 3.3 1.3 .3 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 131.538 132.896 133.694 134.023 3.8 .8 .2 3.8 1.6 .6 

Size classes

A 4 .............................................................. M 193.685 195.314 196.191 197.898 4.0 1.3 .9 3.6 1.3 .4 

B/C 3 ........................................................... M 130.728 131.892 132.974 133.997 4.4 1.6 .8 4.3 1.7 .8 

D ................................................................. M 203.803 205.730 207.238 209.308 4.6 1.7 1.0 4.4 1.7 .7 

Selected local areas5

Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI ................... M 209.526 211.542 212.662 214.932 4.5 1.6 1.1 4.2 1.5 .5 

Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ... M 221.431 223.606 224.625 226.651 3.7 1.4 .9 3.1 1.4 .5 

New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island,

NY-NJ-CT-PA ......................................... M 231.020 233.122 233.822 236.151 4.0 1.3 1.0 3.6 1.2 .3 

Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT ..... 1 -

 233.084 - 235.344 4.0 1.0 - - - -

Cleveland-Akron, OH ...................................... 1 - 202.500 - 204.882 4.4 1.2 - - - -

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ..................................... 1 -

 198.596 - 202.357 5.0 1.9 - - - -

Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV 6 ...... 1 - 138.090 - 139.649 5.0 1.1 - - - -

Atlanta, GA ..................................................... 2 204.166 -

 206.371 - - - - 3.7 1.1 -

Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI .............................. 2 202.378 -

 205.281 - - - - 2.4 1.4 -

Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .................... 2 187.585 - 188.795 - - - - 2.5 .6 -

Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ............................. 2 219.082 -

 221.324 - - - - 4.9 1.0 -

Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,

PA-NJ-DE-MD ........................................ 2 220.935 -

 223.622 - - - - 3.9 1.2 -

San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA ........... 2 219.612 -

 222.074 - - - - 2.9 1.1 -

Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA .................... 2 221.728 - 223.196 - - - - 3.4 .7 -

1 Foods, fuels, and several other items priced every month in all areas; 

 most other goods and services priced as indicated: 

 M - Every month. 

 1 - January, March, May, July, September, and November. 

 2 - February, April, June, August, October, and December. 2 Regions defined as the four Census regions. See technical notes. 3 Indexes on a December 1996=100 base. 4 Indexes on a December 1986=100 base. 5 In addition, the following metropolitan areas are published semiannually

and appear in Tables 34 and 39 of the January and July issues of the CPI

Detailed Report: Anchorage, AK; Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH-KY-IN;

Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO; Honolulu, HI; Kansas City, MO-KS;

Milwaukee-Racine, WI; Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI; Phoenix-Mesa, AZ;

Pittsburgh, PA; Portland-Salem, OR-WA; St. Louis, MO-IL; San Diego, CA;

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL. 6 Indexes on a November 1996=100 base. - Data not available.

 

NOTE: Local area indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. 

Each local index has a smaller sample size than the national index and is,

therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement

error. As a result, local area indexes show greater volatility than the national

index, although their long-term trends are similar. Therefore, the Bureau of

Labor Statistics strongly urges users to consider adopting the national

average CPI for use in their escalator clauses. 

NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.
Table 4. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): U.S. city average, by expenditure category

and commodity and service group

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-W

Relative

importance,

December

2007

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

May 2008 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

Apr.

2008

May

2008

May

2007

Apr.

2008

Feb. to

Mar.

Mar. to

Apr.

Apr. to

May

Expenditure category

All items ........................................................................................ 100.000 210.698 212.788 4.5 1.0 0.4 0.2 0.7 

All items (1967=100) .................................................................... -

 627.606 633.830 - - - - -

Food and beverages .................................................................. 15.926 210.559 211.438 4.9 .4 .2 .9 .3 

Food ......................................................................................... 14.901 210.252 211.200 5.1 .5 .2 1.0 .3 

Food at home ......................................................................... 8.595 209.657 210.624 5.7 .5 .2 1.5 .2 

Cereals and bakery products ............................................... 1.110 240.663 244.648 10.6 1.7 1.3 1.5 1.5 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .............................................. 2.192 200.285 200.501 2.6 .1 .1 .9 .2 

Dairy and related products ................................................... .965 207.135 207.088 10.8 .0 -.9 1.2 -.2 

Fruits and vegetables ........................................................... 1.218 270.169 274.136 4.4 1.5 .5 1.9 .0 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ................ 1.094 158.799 157.285 3.4 -1.0 .1 1.6 -1.0 

Other food at home .............................................................. 2.016 181.215 182.241 5.9 .6 .0 1.9 .6 

Sugar and sweets .............................................................. .279 183.725 184.127 5.8 .2 .9 1.2 .4 

Fats and oils ....................................................................... .232 191.560 194.228 12.7 1.4 -.8 5.4 .5 

Other foods ........................................................................ 1.504 196.106 197.081 4.8 .5 .0 1.5 .6 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ......................................... .438 118.751 119.248 3.7 .4 -.9 .8 .4 

Food away from home 1 ......................................................... 6.305 212.794 213.723 4.2 .4 .3 .3 .4 

Other food away from home 1 2 ........................................... .218 147.335 148.517 3.8 .8 .2 .1 .8 

Alcoholic beverages ................................................................. 1.025 213.633 213.486 3.3 -.1 -.2 .5 .1 

Housing ...................................................................................... 39.994 210.161 211.191 3.5 .5 .5 .4 .5 

Shelter ...................................................................................... 30.397 238.261 238.353 2.7 .0 .2 .2 .2 

Rent of primary residence 3 ................................................... 7.979 240.507 240.818 3.5 .1 .2 .3 .2 

Lodging away from home 2 .................................................... 1.233 145.936 144.979 .8 -.7 -.7 -1.0 1.2 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 .................. 20.888 227.893 228.007 2.6 .1 .2 .2 .1 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ................................... .297 118.683 118.615 1.5 -.1 .1 .6 -.1 

Fuels and utilities ..................................................................... 5.637 210.912 217.388 10.3 3.1 1.9 2.2 2.4 

Household energy .................................................................. 4.670 190.657 197.554 11.4 3.6 2.3 2.5 2.8 

Fuel oil and other fuels ......................................................... .323 339.009 358.947 48.9 5.9 7.0 3.4 7.6 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ................................................. 4.347 192.434 199.045 8.7 3.4 1.9 2.5 2.4 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ................... .966 149.751 150.237 5.2 .3 .3 .3 .4 

Household furnishings and operations ..................................... 3.960 123.108 123.287 .4 .1 .5 .0 .1 

Household operations 1 2 ....................................................... .339 148.403 149.816 4.9 1.0 1.0 .7 1.0 

Apparel ....................................................................................... 3.998 121.855 120.407 -.4 -1.2 -1.2 .2 -.2 

Men’s and boys’ apparel .......................................................... 1.031 117.136 116.621 2.3 -.4 -.7 .1 .2 

Women’s and girls’ apparel ...................................................... 1.619 110.971 108.594 -5.0 -2.1 -2.5 -.4 -.3 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel ................................................... .251 119.200 117.213 1.4 -1.7 -1.6 .6 -.8 

Footwear .................................................................................. .821 126.150 125.335 1.9 -.6 .1 .7 -.2 

Transportation ............................................................................ 20.054 199.556 206.757 8.7 3.6 .7 -.7 2.1 

Private transportation ............................................................... 19.287 196.641 203.781 8.6 3.6 .7 -.7 2.1 

New and used motor vehicles 2 ............................................. 7.952 93.158 92.850 -.2 -.3 -.1 -.2 -.2 

New vehicles ........................................................................ 4.172 136.456 135.933 -1.2 -.4 -.1 -.1 -.1 

Used cars and trucks 1 ......................................................... 3.103 137.616 137.145 1.3 -.3 .0 -.3 -.3 

Motor fuel ............................................................................... 6.940 295.618 323.495 21.3 9.4 1.7 -1.9 5.6 

Gasoline (all types) .............................................................. 6.597 293.349 321.291 20.8 9.5 1.4 -2.0 5.7 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ..................................... .446 126.032 126.742 5.0 .6 .9 -.2 .6 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ................................... 1.169 232.983 234.221 4.3 .5 .5 .4 .5 

Public transportation ................................................................ .767 241.966 249.310 9.8 3.0 2.4 -.3 2.4 

Medical care ............................................................................... 5.192 363.356 363.462 4.2 .0 .1 .2 .1 

Medical care commodities ........................................................ 1.295 288.796 286.825 1.9 -.7 .3 -.2 -.8 

Medical care services ............................................................... 3.897 384.753 385.769 4.9 .3 .0 .3 .4 

Professional services ............................................................. 2.159 311.757 313.294 3.7 .5 .1 .2 .6 

Hospital and related services 3 .............................................. 1.260 526.495 527.230 7.9 .1 .2 .6 .4 

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 4. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): U.S. city average, by expenditure category

and commodity and service group-Continued

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-W

Relative

importance,

December

2007

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

May 2008 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

Apr.

2008

May

2008

May

2007

Apr.

2008

Feb. to

Mar.

Mar. to

Apr.

Apr. to

May

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ............................................................................... 5.341 109.775 109.876 0.9 0.1 0.3 -0.2 0.0 

Video and audio 2 .................................................................... 1.987 103.414 102.958 -.2 -.4 .2 -.3 -.5 

Education and communication 2 ................................................ 5.987 118.462 118.737 2.5 .2 .2 .4 .3 

Education 2 .............................................................................. 2.377 175.545 175.791 5.5 .1 .4 .6 .4 

Educational books and supplies ............................................. .204 444.594 445.394 6.6 .2 .1 .9 .6 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare ................................ 2.174 494.711 495.384 5.4 .1 .4 .6 .4 

Communication 2 ..................................................................... 3.609 86.244 86.496 .4 .3 .1 .3 .3 

Information and information processing 1 2 ............................ 3.488 84.320 84.511 .2 .2 .1 .3 .2 

Telephone services 1 2 ......................................................... 2.869 99.566 99.939 1.3 .4 .2 .5 .4 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 ............. .619 10.671 10.621 -5.5 -.5 -.1 -.7 -.5 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 6 ............ .228 98.820 97.010 -12.8 -1.8 -.3 -1.4 -1.8 

Other goods and services .......................................................... 3.508 354.887 356.523 3.9 .5 .4 .4 .5 

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ............................................ 1.183 578.296 583.296 5.9 .9 -.1 .2 .9 

Personal care ........................................................................... 2.325 198.859 199.367 3.0 .3 .6 .6 .2 

Personal care products 1 ....................................................... .647 159.585 158.993 .3 -.4 .5 .5 -.4 

Personal care services 1 ........................................................ .560 223.088 223.922 3.4 .4 .8 .0 .4 

Miscellaneous personal services ........................................... .910 338.851 341.212 4.8 .7 .3 .7 .6 

Commodity and service group

Commodities ................................................................................ 44.745 178.900 181.837 5.6 1.6 .4 .0 1.0 

Food and beverages .................................................................. 15.926 210.559 211.438 4.9 .4 .2 .9 .3 

Commodities less food and beverages ...................................... 28.819 160.488 164.188 6.0 2.3 .4 -.5 1.4 

Nondurables less food and beverages ..................................... 17.315 210.558 218.794 10.4 3.9 .8 -.6 2.7 

Apparel ................................................................................... 3.998 121.855 120.407 -.4 -1.2 -1.2 .2 -.2 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................... 13.318 270.496 285.024 13.7 5.4 1.8 -.7 3.4 

Durables ................................................................................... 11.504 112.171 111.845 -.7 -.3 .0 -.3 -.2 

Services ....................................................................................... 55.255 248.045 249.175 3.5 .5 .4 .4 .5 

Rent of shelter 4 ......................................................................... 30.100 229.719 229.810 2.7 .0 .2 .1 .2 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ....................................... .297 118.683 118.615 1.5 -.1 .1 .6 -.1 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ....................................................... 4.347 192.434 199.045 8.7 3.4 1.9 2.5 2.4 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ....................... .966 149.751 150.237 5.2 .3 .3 .3 .4 

Household operations 1 2 ........................................................... .339 148.403 149.816 4.9 1.0 1.0 .7 1.0 

Transportation services .............................................................. 5.266 239.044 240.728 4.0 .7 .5 .2 .7 

Medical care services ................................................................. 3.897 384.753 385.769 4.9 .3 .0 .3 .4 

Other services ............................................................................ 10.042 281.829 282.720 2.9 .3 .4 .3 .4 

Special indexes

All items less food ........................................................................ 85.099 210.583 212.870 4.4 1.1 .4 .1 .8 

All items less shelter .................................................................... 69.603 202.931 205.774 5.3 1.4 .4 .3 1.0 

All items less medical care ........................................................... 94.808 204.290 206.423 4.5 1.0 .4 .2 .7 

Commodities less food ................................................................. 29.844 162.455 166.070 5.9 2.2 .4 -.5 1.4

Nondurables less food ................................................................. 18.341 211.005 218.809 10.0 3.7 .8 -.6 2.5 

Nondurables less food and apparel ............................................. 14.343 264.488 277.717 12.9 5.0 1.7 -.6 3.2 

Nondurables ................................................................................. 33.241 211.757 216.582 7.9 2.3 .7 .2 1.6 

Services less rent of shelter 4 ...................................................... 25.155 237.922 240.181 4.6 .9 .7 .7 .9 

Services less medical care services ............................................ 51.358 238.048 239.167 3.4 .5 .4 .4 .5 

Energy .......................................................................................... 11.610 241.518 258.903 17.5 7.2 1.9 -.2 4.5 

All items less energy .................................................................... 88.390 207.812 208.021 2.7 .1 .2 .3 .2

All items less food and energy ................................................... 73.489 207.687 207.747 2.3 .0 .1 .1 .2 

Commodities less food and energy commodities ..................... 22.581 142.040 141.558 .4 -.3 -.1 .0 -.1 

Energy commodities ............................................................... 7.264 298.852 326.565 22.6 9.3 1.9 -1.7 5.7 

Services less energy services .................................................. 50.908 254.031 254.517 3.1 .2 .2 .2 .3 

Purchasing power of the consumer dollar (1982-84=$1.00) ........ -

 $ .475 $ .470 - - - - -

Purchasing power of the consumer dollar (1967=$1.00) ............. -

 $ .159 $ .158 - - - - -

1 Not seasonally adjusted. 2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. 3 This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other

item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator. 4 Indexes on a December 1984=100 base

5 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base. 6 Indexes on a December 2007=100 base. - Data not available.

NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.
Table 5. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): Seasonally adjusted U.S. city average, by

expenditure category and commodity and service group

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-W

Seasonally adjusted indexes Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent

change for

3 months ended— 6 months

ended—

Feb.

2008

Mar.

2008

Apr.

2008

May

2008

Aug.

2007

Nov.

2007

Feb.

2008

May

2008 Nov.

2007

May

2008

Expenditure category

All items .............................................................................. 208.298 209.064 209.543 211.044 1.8 6.9 3.4 5.4 4.4 4.4 

Food and beverages ......................................................... 208.257 208.709 210.669 211.319 5.2 4.0 4.6 6.0 4.6 5.3 

Food ................................................................................ 207.901 208.406 210.420 211.101 5.3 4.1 4.5 6.3 4.7 5.4 

Food at home ................................................................ 206.527 206.912 209.945 210.454 5.5 4.3 5.0 7.8 4.9 6.4 

Cereals and bakery products ...................................... 233.733 236.729 240.305 243.972 5.1 6.4 12.6 18.7 5.8 15.6 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..................................... 198.931 199.175 200.888 201.242 1.7 2.5 1.9 4.7 2.1 3.3 

Dairy and related products .......................................... 206.877 205.091 207.558 207.156 36.6 6.8 2.6 .5 20.8 1.6 

Fruits and vegetables .................................................. 265.318 266.563 271.663 271.784 -3.3 10.7 .7 10.1 3.4 5.3 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ....... 156.437 156.572 159.034 157.428 5.7 -.3 5.6 2.6 2.7 4.1 

Other food at home ..................................................... 177.521 177.582 180.938 182.005 3.6 2.7 7.2 10.5 3.1 8.8

Sugar and sweets ..................................................... 179.535 181.198 183.410 184.122 4.2 4.2 4.2 10.6 4.2 7.3 

Fats and oils .............................................................. 184.099 182.605 192.519 193.415 7.5 6.3 15.7 21.8 6.9 18.7 

Other foods ............................................................... 192.783 192.789 195.607 196.873 2.6 1.6 6.4 8.8 2.1 7.6 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ................................ 118.828 117.754 118.751 119.248 4.6 -1.9 10.9 1.4 1.3 6.0 

Food away from home 1 ............................................... 211.517 212.193 212.794 213.723 4.9 3.9 3.9 4.2 4.4 4.1 

Other food away from home 1 2 .................................. 146.924 147.188 147.335 148.517 5.4 .8 4.7 4.4 3.1 4.6 

Alcoholic beverages ........................................................ 212.072 211.736 212.888 213.079 4.5 1.9 5.0 1.9 3.2 3.5 

Housing ............................................................................. 208.533 209.497 210.427 211.451 1.8 3.9 2.8 5.7 2.8 4.2 

Shelter ............................................................................. 237.099 237.537 237.943 238.312 2.9 3.3 2.5 2.1 3.1 2.3 

Rent of primary residence 3 .......................................... 239.179 239.762 240.466 240.917 3.2 4.4 3.4 2.9 3.8 3.2 

Lodging away from home 2 ........................................... 143.829 142.831 141.337 142.993 7.1 .6 -1.7 -2.3 3.8 -2.0 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 ......... 226.982 227.481 227.924 228.112 2.4 3.1 2.7 2.0 2.8 2.4 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ......................... 117.921 117.999 118.683 118.615 1.6 .3 1.9 2.4 .9 2.1 

Fuels and utilities ............................................................ 205.930 209.904 214.459 219.616 -1.9 10.1 6.0 29.4 3.9 17.1 

Household energy ......................................................... 185.477 189.679 194.506 199.931 -3.3 11.0 6.2 35.0 3.6 19.7 

Fuel oil and other fuels ................................................ 301.932 323.185 334.332 359.850 18.2 70.7 20.8 101.8 42.0 56.1 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ....................................... 188.475 192.089 196.843 201.596 -4.8 7.0 4.8 30.9 .9 17.1 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 .......... 148.883 149.296 149.736 150.387 5.8 5.4 5.5 4.1 5.6 4.8 

Household furnishings and operations ............................ 122.330 122.902 122.893 123.075 -.6 -.8 .6 2.5 -.7 1.5 

Household operations 1 2 ............................................. 145.825 147.316 148.403 149.816 2.1 2.1 4.4 11.4 2.1 7.8 

Apparel .............................................................................. 119.341 117.864 118.109 117.867 -1.2 2.2 2.5 -4.8 .5 -1.3 

Men’s and boys’ apparel ................................................. 114.759 113.914 114.080 114.340 .7 1.5 8.7 -1.5 1.1 3.5

Women’s and girls’ apparel ............................................. 108.555 105.815 105.369 105.056 -3.6 -.7 -3.0 -12.3 -2.2 -7.7 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel .......................................... 118.510 116.638 117.342 116.416 1.1 10.6 1.7 -6.9 5.7 -2.7 

Footwear ......................................................................... 123.294 123.441 124.364 124.059 .2 4.1 .9 2.5 2.1 1.7 

Transportation ................................................................... 194.963 196.398 194.993 199.181 -.6 21.0 4.2 8.9 9.7 6.5 

Private transportation ...................................................... 192.100 193.389 191.970 196.071 -.8 21.4 4.2 8.5 9.7 6.3 

New and used motor vehicles 2 .................................... 93.308 93.239 93.051 92.890 2.8 -1.2 -.4 -1.8 .8 -1.1 

New vehicles ............................................................... 136.345 136.214 136.052 135.905 .3 -1.3 -2.4 -1.3 -.5 -1.8 

Used cars and trucks 1 ............................................... 138.094 138.070 137.616 137.145 8.2 -1.6 1.9 -2.7 3.2 -.5 

Motor fuel ...................................................................... 278.651 283.321 277.925 293.566 -8.5 77.3 8.2 23.2 27.4 15.5 

Gasoline (all types) ..................................................... 277.354 281.140 275.644 291.449 -8.7 77.3 8.0 21.9 27.2 14.8 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ............................ 125.238 126.330 126.032 126.742 2.9 5.8 6.4 4.9 4.3 5.7 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair .......................... 231.051 232.244 233.139 234.314 3.9 2.0 5.5 5.8 2.9 5.6 

Public transportation ....................................................... 236.848 242.477 241.831 247.717 4.1 11.8 4.5 19.7 7.9 11.8 

Medical care ...................................................................... 361.337 361.766 362.359 362.884 5.6 5.5 4.0 1.7 5.6 2.9 

Medical care commodities .............................................. 288.297 289.297 288.672 286.461 2.9 3.7 3.6 -2.5 3.3 .5 

Medical care services ..................................................... 382.130 382.294 383.404 385.115 6.4 6.0 4.2 3.2 6.2 3.7 

Professional services .................................................... 309.636 310.053 310.676 312.553 4.8 3.3 3.0 3.8 4.1 3.4 

Hospital and related services 3 ..................................... 520.557 521.401 524.768 527.119 7.5 10.1 9.0 5.1 8.8 7.1 

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 5. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): Seasonally adjusted U.S. city average, by

expenditure category and commodity and service group-Continued

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-W

Seasonally adjusted indexes Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent

change for

3 months ended— 6 months

ended—

Feb.

2008

Mar.

2008

Apr.

2008

May

2008

Aug.

2007

Nov.

2007

Feb.

2008

May

2008 Nov.

2007

May

2008

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ...................................................................... 109.351 109.680 109.514 109.561 -1.3 2.6 1.5 0.8 0.6 1.2 

Video and audio 2 ........................................................... 103.080 103.333 102.975 102.431 -2.5 2.8 1.7 -2.5 .1 -.4 

Education and communication 2 ....................................... 118.044 118.311 118.807 119.217 2.1 1.3 2.6 4.0 1.7 3.3 

Education 2 ..................................................................... 174.995 175.690 176.831 177.579 4.9 5.2 5.7 6.0 5.1 5.9 

Educational books and supplies ................................... 439.326 439.977 443.977 446.426 12.4 4.6 3.0 6.6 8.4 4.8 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare ...................... 493.569 495.643 498.741 500.792 4.2 5.3 6.0 6.0 4.8 6.0 

Communication 2 ............................................................ 85.917 86.014 86.243 86.495 .0 -1.6 .5 2.7 -.8 1.6 

Information and information processing 1 2 .................. 83.992 84.091 84.320 84.511 -.3 -1.7 .5 2.5 -1.0 1.5 

Telephone services 1 2 ............................................... 98.931 99.090 99.566 99.939 1.4 -.4 .2 4.1 .5 2.2 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 .... 10.754 10.745 10.671 10.621 -9.5 -9.0 1.7 -4.9 -9.3 -1.7 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 6 ... 100.582 100.265 98.820 97.010 -16.1 -21.6 1.3 -13.5 -18.9 -6.4 

Other goods and services ................................................. 351.684 353.001 354.577 356.181 2.3 3.4 4.7 5.2 2.9 5.0 

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ................................... 577.359 576.910 578.296 583.296 4.2 5.1 10.3 4.2 4.6 7.2 

Personal care .................................................................. 196.315 197.507 198.597 199.078 1.5 2.6 2.1 5.7 2.1 3.9 

Personal care products 1 .............................................. 157.877 158.730 159.585 158.993 -1.9 2.0 -1.8 2.9 .0 .5 

Personal care services 1 ............................................... 221.338 223.043 223.088 223.922 1.6 2.9 4.5 4.8 2.2 4.6 

Miscellaneous personal services .................................. 334.915 335.975 338.418 340.592 3.0 4.0 5.2 7.0 3.5 6.1 

Commodity and service group

Commodities ....................................................................... 175.865 176.501 176.517 178.328 1.1 11.1 3.8 5.7 6.0 4.8 

Food and beverages ......................................................... 208.257 208.709 210.669 211.319 5.2 4.0 4.6 6.0 4.6 5.3 

Commodities less food and beverages ............................. 157.241 157.935 157.146 159.383 -1.3 15.6 3.3 5.6 6.8 4.4 

Nondurables less food and beverages ........................... 204.470 206.199 204.907 210.341 -6.4 34.1 5.5 12.0 12.1 8.7 

Apparel .......................................................................... 119.341 117.864 118.109 117.867 -1.2 2.2 2.5 -4.8 .5 -1.3 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .......... 260.305 264.997 263.062 271.995 -2.1 29.1 10.8 19.2 12.4 14.9 

Durables .......................................................................... 112.347 112.390 112.004 111.755 -.3 -.2 -.4 -2.1 -.2 -1.3 

Services .............................................................................. 246.368 247.311 248.302 249.457 2.4 3.7 3.0 5.1 3.0 4.1 

Rent of shelter 4 ................................................................ 228.609 228.985 229.311 229.711 2.9 3.4 2.4 1.9 3.2 2.2 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ............................. 117.921 117.999 118.683 118.615 1.6 .3 1.9 2.4 .9 2.1 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ............................................. 188.475 192.089 196.843 201.596 -4.8 7.0 4.8 30.9 .9 17.1 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 .............. 148.883 149.296 149.736 150.387 5.8 5.4 5.5 4.1 5.6 4.8 

Household operations 1 2 ................................................. 145.825 147.316 148.403 149.816 2.1 2.1 4.4 11.4 2.1 7.8 

Transportation services ..................................................... 237.465 238.681 239.245 240.862 4.0 2.2 3.8 5.8 3.1 4.8 

Medical care services ....................................................... 382.130 382.294 383.404 385.115 6.4 6.0 4.2 3.2 6.2 3.7 

Other services ................................................................... 280.128 281.126 281.941 283.039 1.5 3.0 2.9 4.2 2.3 3.6 

Special indexes

All items less food ............................................................... 208.176 208.987 209.197 210.840 1.2 7.5 3.1 5.2 4.3 4.2 

All items less shelter ........................................................... 200.052 200.946 201.457 203.388 1.4 8.6 3.8 6.8 4.9 5.3 

All items less medical care .................................................. 201.898 202.668 203.139 204.658 1.6 7.0 3.3 5.6 4.3 4.4 

Commodities less food ........................................................ 159.239 159.909 159.167 161.360 -1.1 15.1 3.3 5.4 6.7 4.4 

Nondurables less food ........................................................ 205.143 206.776 205.613 210.849 -5.8 31.9 5.6 11.6 11.4 8.6 

Nondurables less food and apparel .................................... 254.991 259.253 257.678 265.929 -1.6 26.7 10.4 18.3 11.6 14.3 

Nondurables ........................................................................ 207.202 208.560 208.946 212.335 -1.0 18.4 4.8 10.3 8.3 7.5 

Services less rent of shelter 4 ............................................. 235.467 237.009 238.684 240.775 2.4 3.2 3.5 9.3 2.8 6.4 

Services less medical care services ................................... 236.298 237.254 238.224 239.416 2.5 3.0 2.8 5.4 2.7 4.1 

Energy ................................................................................. 230.458 234.853 234.484 244.995 -6.3 45.4 7.7 27.7 16.7 17.3 

All items less energy ........................................................... 206.471 206.792 207.378 207.772 2.9 2.7 2.8 2.5 2.8 2.7 

All items less food and energy .......................................... 206.548 206.833 207.131 207.468 2.4 2.4 2.4 1.8 2.4 2.1

Commodities less food and energy commodities ........... 141.277 141.117 141.088 140.914 1.0 .3 1.4 -1.0 .6 .2 

Energy commodities ..................................................... 281.012 286.354 281.575 297.683 -7.2 77.0 9.2 25.9 28.1 17.3 

Services less energy services ......................................... 252.625 253.254 253.802 254.534 3.1 3.4 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.0 

1 Not seasonally adjusted. 2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. 3 This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other

item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means

estimator.

4 Indexes on a December 1984=100 base 5 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base. 6 Indexes on a December 2007=100 base.

NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.
Table 6. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): Selected areas, all items index 

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-W

All items 

Pricing

schedule 1

Indexes Percent change to

May2008 from—

Percent change to

Apr.2008 from—

Feb.

2008

Mar.

2008

Apr.

2008

May

2008

May

2007

Mar.

2008

Apr.

2008

Apr.

2007

Feb.

2008

Mar.

2008

U.S. city average ............................................ M 207.254 209.147 210.698 212.788 4.5 1.7 1.0 4.2 1.7 0.7 

Region and area size2

Northeast urban .............................................. M 221.702 223.209 224.794 227.114 4.7 1.7 1.0 4.2 1.4 .7 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 222.315 223.795 225.144 227.412 4.4 1.6 1.0 3.9 1.3 .6 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 133.893 134.846 136.141 137.624 5.2 2.1 1.1 4.8 1.7 1.0 

Midwest urban ................................................ M 197.110 198.989 200.788 202.912 4.3 2.0 1.1 4.4 1.9 .9 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 197.549 199.378 200.989 202.969 3.9 1.8 1.0 3.9 1.7 .8 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 128.695 129.922 131.354 132.867 4.7 2.3 1.2 4.9 2.1 1.1 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 195.774 197.864 199.325 201.494 5.1 1.8 1.1 5.0 1.8 .7 

South urban .................................................... M 202.291 204.044 205.669 207.912 4.9 1.9 1.1 4.5 1.7 .8 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 205.588 207.336 208.511 210.748 4.8 1.6 1.1 4.3 1.4 .6 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 129.144 130.243 131.428 132.808 4.9 2.0 1.1 4.6 1.8 .9 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 205.523 207.600 209.641 212.533 5.5 2.4 1.4 4.5 2.0 1.0 

West urban ..................................................... M 210.816 213.159 214.355 216.029 4.0 1.3 .8 3.8 1.7 .6 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 212.614 214.954 216.055 218.141 4.0 1.5 1.0 3.7 1.6 .5 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 131.148 132.640 133.570 134.133 4.0 1.1 .4 4.0 1.8 .7 

Size classes

A 4 .............................................................. M 191.982 193.702 194.886 196.844 4.3 1.6 1.0 3.9 1.5 .6 

B/C 3 ........................................................... M 130.092 131.273 132.471 133.729 4.7 1.9 .9 4.6 1.8 .9 

D ................................................................. M 202.292 204.422 205.951 208.246 4.8 1.9 1.1 4.5 1.8 .7 

Selected local areas5

Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI ................... M 202.497 204.742 205.885 208.403 4.7 1.8 1.2 4.5 1.7 .6 

Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ... M 214.231 216.493 217.914 219.702 4.1 1.5 .8 3.7 1.7 .7 

New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island,

NY-NJ-CT-PA ......................................... M 225.281 226.951 228.215 230.923 4.3 1.8 1.2 3.8 1.3 .6 

Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT ..... 1 -

 232.656 - 235.419 4.4 1.2 - - - -

Cleveland-Akron, OH ...................................... 1 - 192.995 - 195.898 4.8 1.5 - - - -

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ..................................... 1 -

 201.892 - 206.258 5.7 2.2 - - - -

Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV 6 ...... 1 - 137.544 - 139.332 5.3 1.3 - - - -

Atlanta, GA ..................................................... 2 203.473 -

 205.801 - - - - 4.0 1.1 -

Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI .............................. 2 197.670 -

 201.037 - - - - 2.9 1.7 -

Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .................... 2 185.904 - 188.463 - - - - 3.1 1.4 -

Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ............................. 2 216.971 -

 219.456 - - - - 5.0 1.1 -

Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,

PA-NJ-DE-MD ........................................ 2 220.718 -

 223.295 - - - - 4.0 1.2 -

San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA ........... 2 214.913 -

 217.913 - - - - 3.2 1.4 -

Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA .................... 2 216.332 - 218.483 - - - - 3.8 1.0 -

1 Foods, fuels, and several other items priced every month in all areas; 

 most other goods and services priced as indicated: 

 M - Every month. 

 1 - January, March, May, July, September, and November. 

 2 - February, April, June, August, October, and December. 2 Regions defined as the four Census regions. See technical notes. 3 Indexes on a December 1996=100 base. 4 Indexes on a December 1986=100 base. 5 In addition, the following metropolitan areas are published semiannually

and appear in Tables 34 and 39 of the January and July issues of the CPI

Detailed Report: Anchorage, AK; Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH-KY-IN;

Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO; Honolulu, HI; Kansas City, MO-KS;

Milwaukee-Racine, WI; Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI; Phoenix-Mesa, AZ;

Pittsburgh, PA; Portland-Salem, OR-WA; St. Louis, MO-IL; San Diego, CA;

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL. 6 Indexes on a November 1996=100 base. - Data not available.

 

NOTE: Local area indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. 

Each local index has a smaller sample size than the national index and is,

therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement

error. As a result, local area indexes show greater volatility than the national

index, although their long-term trends are similar. Therefore, the Bureau of

Labor Statistics strongly urges users to consider adopting the national

average CPI for use in their escalator clauses. 

NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.
Table 7. Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U): U.S. city average, by expenditure

category and commodity and service group

(December 1999=100, unless otherwise noted)

C-CPI-U Relative

importance,

2005-2006

 Unadjusted

 indexes

 Unadjusted

 percent change to

 May 2008 from—

 Apr.

 2008

 May

 2008

 May

 2007

 Apr.

 2008

Expenditure category

All items ...................................................................................... 100.000 123.845 124.645 3.6 0.6 

Food and beverages ................................................................ 14.726 124.243 124.741 4.8 .4 

Food ....................................................................................... 13.648 124.284 124.822 4.9 .4 

Food at home ....................................................................... 7.557 121.725 122.273 5.5 .5 

Food away from home .......................................................... 6.091 127.683 128.209 4.2 .4 

Alcoholic beverages ............................................................... 1.077 124.083 124.084 3.6 .0 

Housing .................................................................................... 42.421 127.736 128.225 3.1 .4 

Shelter .................................................................................... 32.409 129.773 129.800 2.6 .0 

Fuels and utilities .................................................................... 5.004 157.038 161.641 9.8 2.9 

Household furnishings and operations ................................... 5.008 95.878 96.082 -.3 .2 

Apparel ..................................................................................... 3.988 91.046 89.953 -1.1 -1.2 

Transportation .......................................................................... 17.393 131.147 134.552 6.8 2.6 

Private transportation ............................................................. 16.285 132.100 135.497 6.6 2.6 

Public transportation ............................................................... 1.108 120.125 123.696 10.4 3.0 

Medical care ............................................................................. 6.085 141.421 141.469 3.8 .0 

Medical care commodities ...................................................... 1.615 125.851 124.924 2.1 -.7 

Medical care services ............................................................. 4.470 147.198 147.660 4.4 .3 

Recreation ................................................................................ 5.935 105.518 105.550 .1 .0 

Education and communication ................................................. 6.196 106.515 106.695 2.1 .2 

Education ............................................................................... 2.771 164.672 164.872 5.5 .1 

Communication ...................................................................... 3.425 73.637 73.789 -.6 .2 

Other goods and services ........................................................ 3.257 127.743 128.185 3.4 .3 

Commodity and service group

Services ...................................................................................... 58.427 131.469 132.004 3.4 .4 

Commodities .............................................................................. 41.573 114.312 115.437 3.9 1.0 

Durables ................................................................................... 11.817 83.694 83.423 -1.8 -.3 

Nondurables ............................................................................... 29.756 130.450 132.418 6.2 1.5 

All items less food and energy ................................................. 77.561 117.211 117.245 2.0 .0 

Energy ........................................................................................ 8.790 203.705 217.177 16.7 6.6 

Indexes for 2008 are initial estimates. Indexes for 2007 are interim adjustments.

NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.