News United States 

Department 

of Labor 

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

 FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION: 

Patrick C. Jackman (202) 691-7000 USDL-06-1587 

CPI QUICKLINE: (202) 691-6994 TRANSMISSION OF 

FOR CURRENT AND HISTORICAL MATERIAL IN THIS 

INFORMATION: (202) 691-5200 RELEASE IS EMBARGOED 

MEDIA CONTACT: (202) 691-5902 UNTIL 8:30 A.M. (EDT) 

INTERNET ADDRESS: http://www.bls.gov/cpi/ Friday, September 15, 2006 

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: AUGUST 2006 

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.2 percent in August, before seasonal 

adjustment, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The August level of 

203.9 (1982-84=100) was 3.8 percent higher than in August 2005. 

The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) also increased 0.2 percent 

in August, prior to seasonal adjustment. The August level of 199.6 (1982-84=100) was 3.9 percent higher than in 

August 2005. 

The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) increased 0.3 percent in August on a 

not seasonally adjusted basis. The August level of 117.9 (December 1999=100) was 3.4 percent higher than in 

August 2005. Please note that the indexes for the post-2004 period are subject to revision. 

CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U advanced 0.2 percent in August, following a 0.4 percent rise in July. 

Energy prices, which advanced 2.9 percent in July, rose 0.3 percent in August. Within energy, the index for 

petroleum based energy increased 0.4 percent and the index for energy services rose 0.2 percent. (cont.) 

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

 Seasonally adjusted Un-

 Compound adjusted

Expenditure Changes from preceding month annual rate 12-mos. 

Category 2006 3-mos. ended ended

 Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Aug.’06 Aug.’06

All Items .1 .4 .6 .4 .2 .4 .2 3.6 3.8

 Food and beverages .2 .1 .0 .2 .3 .2 .3 3.1 2.5 

 Housing .1 .2 .1 .3 .2 .3 .2 3.4 4.2 

 Apparel -1.0 1.0 .6 .2 .0 -1.2 .9 -1.0 .3 

 Transportation -.2 .9 2.4 1.5 -.2 1.6 .2 6.6 6.1 

 Medical care .5 .4 .4 .3 .3 .2 .4 3.5 4.3 

 Recreation .1 .4 .3 .2 .1 .3 -.1 1.1 1.8 

 Education and 

 communication .2 .2 .3 .0 .3 .3 .3 3.8 3.3 

 Other goods and 

 services .1 .2 .0 .1 .6 -.2 .3 2.9 2.3 

 Special Indexes 

 Energy -1.2 1.3 3.9 2.4 -.9 2.9 .3 9.4 15.1 

 Food .1 .1 .0 .1 .3 .2 .4 3.5 2.4 

 All Items less 

 food and energy .1 .3 .3 .3 .3 .2 .2 3.0 2.8 

 

Effective with release of the January 2007 CPI, BLS will publish index levels to three decimal places. Percent 

changes based on these more precise indexes will continue to be published to one decimal place. See page 4 for 

more details. 
The food index increased 0.4 percent in August. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent 

in August, the same as in July. A sharp upturn in the index for apparel was largely offset by a smaller increase 

in shelter costs, which rose 0.2 percent in August after increasing 0.4 percent in July. 

During the first eight months of 2006, the CPI-U rose at a 4.6 percent seasonally adjusted annual rate 

(SAAR). This compares with an increase of 3.4 percent for all of 2005. The index for energy, which rose 17.1 

percent in 2005, advanced at a 22.3 percent SAAR in the first eight months of 2006. Petroleum-based energy 

costs increased at a 45.7 percent annual rate, while charges for energy services fell at a 2.0 percent annual rate. 

The food index increased at a 2.4 percent SAAR thus far this year, following a 2.3 percent rise for all of 2005. 

Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U advanced at a 3.0 percent SAAR in the first eight months, following a 

2.2 percent rise for all of 2005. 

The food and beverages index increased 0.3 percent in August. The index for food at home rose 0.4 

percent in August, following a 0.2 percent increase in July. The indexes for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs and 

for fruits and vegetables each increased 1.0 percent in August. Within the former category, prices for beef, 

poultry, fish and seafood, and eggs all turned up in August, each advancing more than 1.0 percent, and pork 

prices rose for the second consecutive month. Increases in the indexes for fresh vegetables and for processed 

fruits and vegetables--up 3.1 and 0.2 percent, respectively--more than offset a 0.6 percent drop in the index for 

fresh fruits. The index for nonalcoholic beverages rose 0.8 percent in August after declining 0.5 percent in July, 

reflecting an upturn in prices for carbonated drinks. The index for cereal and bakery products was unchanged 

in August, while the indexes for dairy products and other food at home declined 0.8 and 0.2 percent, 

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

beverages--increased 0.3 percent and were virtually unchanged, respectively. 

The index for housing, which rose 0.3 percent in July, increased 0.2 percent in August. The index for 

shelter rose 0.2 percent, following a 0.4 percent rise in July. Within shelter, the indexes for rent and owners' 

equivalent rent increased 0.4 and 0.3 percent, respectively, while the index for lodging away from home fell 0.4 

percent. The index for fuels and utilities--up 0.3 percent in August--increased for the second consecutive month 

after registering declines in each of the preceding five months. The index for natural gas rose 0.7 percent in 

August, its first increase since January. The index for electricity decreased 0.1 percent. The index for fuel oil 

rose for the fifth consecutive month--up 2.0 percent in August. During the last 12 months, the indexes for fuel 

oil, for electricity, and for natural gas have increased 16.8, 12.0, and 2.8 percent, respectively. The index for 

household furnishings and operations, which was unchanged in the two preceding months, rose 0.2 percent in 

August. 

The transportation index increased 0.2 percent in August. The index for gasoline rose 0.2 percent, 

following a 5.3 percent increase in July. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices declined 0.5 percent 

from their peak level registered in July.) The index for new vehicles declined 0.1 percent in August but was 1.0 

percent higher than a year ago. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, new vehicle prices fell 0.4 percent.) The index 

for used cars and trucks increased 0.2 percent in August and was 0.3 percent higher than in August 2005. 

Within the index for public transportation, airline fares declined 1.9 percent in August after advancing 12.6 

percent in the first seven months of the year, 

The index for apparel, which declined 1.2 percent in July, increased 0.9 percent in August. (Prior to 

seasonal adjustment, apparel prices advanced 2.0 percent, as price increases associated with the introduction of 

fall-winter wear more than offset the decline in prices for discounted spring-summer clothing. Prior to seasonal 

adjustment, prices for women’s clothing, which declined 7.4 percent in July, increased 3.3 percent in August.) 

Medical care costs rose 0.4 percent in July and were 4.3 percent higher than a year ago. The index for 

medical care commodities--prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and medical supplies--increased 0.3 

percent. The index for medical care services rose 0.4 percent in August. The indexes for professional services 

and for hospital and related services increased 0.3 and 0.8 percent, respectively. 

The index for recreation declined 0.1 percent in August, largely reflecting a decline in the index for 

video and audio. Within this category, the index for televisions declined 2.2 percent. 

The index for education and communication increased 0.3 percent in August. Educational costs rose 0.7 

percent, reflecting increases of 1.2 percent in the index for college textbooks and 0.6 percent in the index for 
college tuition. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, charges for college tuition and fees rose 2.9 percent in August 

and were 7.1 percent higher than a year ago.) The index for communication was unchanged. Within this group, 

the index for telephone services rose 0.3 percent, as increases in charges for local and long distance land-line 

telephone services--up 0.4 and 0.9 percent, respectively--more than offset a 0.2 percent decline in wireless 

telephone services. The index for information technology, hardware, and services declined 1.6 percent in 

August. 

The index for other goods and services, which declined 0.2 percent in July, rose 0.3 percent in August. 

Declines in the indexes for tobacco and smoking products and for personal care products--each down 0.1 

percent--were more than offset by increases in personal care services. The index for legal services rose 1.2 

percent in August. 

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

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers rose 0.4 percent 

in August. 

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

 Seasonally adjusted Un-

 Compound adjusted

Expenditure Changes from preceding month annual rate 12-mos. 

Category 2006 3-mos. ended ended

 Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Aug.’06 Aug.’06

All Items .0 .5 .6 .5 .2 .5 .4 4.1 3.9

 Food and beverages .1 .1 -.1 .2 .3 .2 .4 3.1 2.4 

 Housing .1 .2 .1 .3 .3 .3 .4 3.7 4.2 

 Apparel -.7 1.1 .7 .1 -.2 -1.2 1.2 -.7 .2 

 Transportation -.3 1.1 2.6 1.5 -.2 1.8 .2 7.3 6.5 

 Medical care .3 .5 .4 .3 .2 .3 .4 3.8 4.3 

 Recreation .1 .4 .3 .2 .2 .2 -.2 .7 1.6 

 Education and 

 communication .1 .2 .3 .0 .2 .3 .4 3.6 3.1 

 Other goods and 

 services .1 .3 -.1 .0 .6 -.1 .2 3.1 2.3 

 Special Indexes 

 Energy -1.3 1.4 4.2 2.5 -.9 3.1 .3 10.0 15.0 

 Food .1 .1 -.1 .1 .3 .2 .4 3.4 2.4 

 All Items less 

 food and energy .2 .4 .2 .3 .3 .2 .3 3.1 2.7 

Consumer Price Index data for September are scheduled for release on Wednesday, October 18, 2006, at 

8:30 A.M. (EDT). 
Consumer Price Index Levels to be Published to Three Decimal Places 

Effective with the release of the January 2007 Consumer Price Index (CPI), the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics will display CPI index values to three decimal places in all paper and electronic publications. This 

change will apply to the All Items Consumer Price Index and all component indexes for the CPI-U, CPI-W, and 

C-CPI-U, for the U.S. City Average and for all other published areas. In addition, percent changes will be 

computed based upon the three decimal place indexes rather than the current one decimal place indexes. 

Percent changes will continue to be rounded to one decimal place. 

This change in procedure addresses a rounding issue that has resulted in published percent changes that 

are 0.1 percentage point higher or lower than the same percent changes based on unrounded index values (i.e., 

indexes to three or more decimal places). These differences can be particularly important when percent 

changes are very small. Publishing the index values to three decimal places, and using these values to compute 

percent changes, will essentially eliminate the rounding differences. This change will only affect the 

presentation of the index data. The index values will continue to be calculated from underlying price data in the 

same manner as in the past, and no systematic upward or downward effect on the data will be introduced. The 

levels of future indexes will be affected only in that they will be published to three decimal places rather than 

one. Official CPI data previously published will not be revised. 

For more information contact Patrick Jackman or Ken Stewart either by telephone at (202) 691-6952 and (202) 

691-6966, respectively, or by electronic mail at Jackman.Patrick@bls.gov or Stewart.Ken@bls.gov
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. For a recorded message of Summary CPI 

data, call (202) 691-5200.

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. 
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 115.7 

Less previous index 111.2 

Equals index point change 4.5 

Percent Change

Index point difference 4.5 

Divided by the previous index 111.2 

Equals 0.040 

Results multiplied by one hundred 0.040x100 

Equals percent change 4.0

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 unadjusted 

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 2001 through December 2005 

were replaced in January 2006. 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 for the last 5 years, but the 

seasonally adjusted indexes will be used before that period. Note: 43 of the 73 components are seasonally 

adjusted for 2006. 

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 Fuel oil, Utility (piped) gas, Motor fuels, and Educational books and supplies indexes, this 

procedure was used to offset the effects that extreme price volatility would otherwise have had on the estimates 

of seasonally adjusted data for those series. For the Nonalcoholic beverages index, the procedure was used to 

offset the effects of sharp rises in the price of coffee futures. The procedure was used to account for unusual 

butter fat supply reductions, changes in milk supply, and large swings in soybean oil inventories affecting the 

Fats and oils series. For Dairy products, it mitigated the effects of significant changes in milk, butter and 

cheese production levels. For Fresh vegetable series, the method was used to account for the effects of 

hurricane-related disruptions. For Electricity, it was used to offset an increase in demand due to warmer than 
expected weather, increased rates to conserve supplies, and declining natural gas inventories. For New vehicle 

series, the procedure was used to offset the effects of a model changeover combined with financing incentives. 

 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 Daniel Chow on 

(202) 691-6968 by e-mail at Chow.Daniel@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

2005

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Aug. 2006 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

July

2006

Aug.

2006

Aug.

2005

July

2006

May to

June

June to

July

July to

Aug.

Expenditure category

All items ...................................................................................... 100.000 203.5 203.9 3.8 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.2 

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

 609.6 610.9 - - - - -

Food and beverages ................................................................ 15.051 195.6 196.0 2.5 .2 .3 .2 .3 

Food ....................................................................................... 13.942 195.0 195.5 2.4 .3 .3 .2 .4 

Food at home ....................................................................... 7.988 192.6 193.1 1.9 .3 .4 .2 .4 

Cereals and bakery products ............................................. 1.098 214.6 214.6 2.1 .0 .3 .9 .0 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ............................................ 2.133 185.1 187.1 1.5 1.1 .4 -.6 1.0 

Dairy and related products ................................................. .852 180.8 180.0 -1.6 -.4 .1 .1 -.8 

Fruits and vegetables ......................................................... 1.219 249.1 249.2 5.3 .0 1.3 .9 1.0 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials .............. .910 146.3 146.9 1.8 .4 .1 -.5 .8 

Other food at home ............................................................ 1.777 171.0 170.6 1.7 -.2 .1 .5 -.2 

Sugar and sweets ............................................................. .302 173.3 173.5 5.3 .1 .2 .7 .2 

Fats and oils ..................................................................... .231 166.9 167.5 -.1 .4 -.2 -.5 .1 

Other foods 1 .................................................................... 1.244 186.9 186.1 1.2 -.4 .1 .7 -.4 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ....................................... .328 115.0 113.8 1.8 -1.0 .1 .5 -1.0 

Food away from home 1 ....................................................... 5.953 199.7 200.2 3.1 .3 .3 .3 .3 

Other food away from home 2 ............................................ .277 136.8 137.3 3.5 .4 .1 .4 .4 

Alcoholic beverages 1 ............................................................ 1.109 201.3 201.2 2.7 .0 .4 -.1 .0 

Housing .................................................................................... 42.380 204.7 205.1 4.2 .2 .2 .3 .2 

Shelter .................................................................................... 32.260 233.6 234.2 3.8 .3 .4 .4 .2 

Rent of primary residence 3 ................................................. 5.832 225.2 226.2 3.8 .4 .4 .4 .4 

Lodging away from home 2 .................................................. 2.611 142.8 141.1 5.1 -1.2 .3 .6 -.4 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 ................. 23.442 238.8 239.7 3.9 .4 .4 .4 .3 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ................................. .375 116.4 116.2 -1.4 -.2 .1 .0 -.2 

Fuels and utilities .................................................................... 5.371 198.5 199.0 9.5 .3 -.7 .4 .3 

Fuels ..................................................................................... 4.494 181.1 181.5 10.4 .2 -.9 .3 .3 

Fuel oil and other fuels ....................................................... .339 241.9 245.3 16.9 1.4 1.4 3.1 1.7 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ............................................... 4.155 186.2 186.4 9.9 .1 -1.1 .1 .2 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ................. .877 137.1 137.8 5.0 .5 .5 .6 .2 

Household furnishings and operations ................................... 4.749 127.1 127.1 1.0 .0 .0 .0 .2 

Household operations 1 2 ..................................................... .779 136.6 137.0 4.8 .3 .4 .2 .3 

Apparel ..................................................................................... 3.786 113.8 116.1 .3 2.0 .0 -1.2 .9

Men’s and boys’ apparel ........................................................ .915 110.3 110.8 -1.4 .5 -.4 -.4 .9 

Women’s and girls’ apparel .................................................... 1.612 102.3 105.7 .6 3.3 .4 -2.1 1.6 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel ................................................. .183 114.4 115.6 1.9 1.0 -.5 1.5 -.2 

Footwear ................................................................................ .759 119.1 120.6 -.9 1.3 -.8 -1.1 -.1 

Transportation .......................................................................... 17.415 189.0 188.5 6.1 -.3 -.2 1.6 .2 

Private transportation ............................................................. 16.329 184.9 184.5 6.2 -.2 -.3 1.7 .2 

New and used motor vehicles 2 ........................................... 7.858 95.6 95.5 .5 -.1 .1 .2 .0 

New vehicles ...................................................................... 5.155 136.9 136.4 1.0 -.4 -.1 .1 -.1 

Used cars and trucks 1 ....................................................... 1.799 142.1 142.4 .3 .2 .4 .4 .2 

Motor fuel ............................................................................. 4.191 255.6 254.4 19.6 -.5 -1.0 5.1 .3 

Gasoline (all types) ............................................................. 4.148 254.6 253.2 19.6 -.5 -1.0 5.3 .2 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ................................... .362 117.9 118.2 5.2 .3 .0 .8 .3 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ................................. 1.131 216.7 216.2 4.3 -.2 .2 .6 -.1 

Public transportation ............................................................... 1.087 237.4 234.3 4.9 -1.3 1.2 .4 .3 

Medical care ............................................................................. 6.220 337.0 337.7 4.3 .2 .3 .2 .4 

Medical care commodities ...................................................... 1.457 287.1 287.6 3.9 .2 -.1 .3 .3 

Medical care services ............................................................. 4.764 351.2 352.1 4.4 .3 .4 .2 .4 

Professional services ........................................................... 2.815 289.8 290.2 2.8 .1 .2 .2 .3 

Hospital and related services 3 ............................................ 1.576 469.3 471.1 7.2 .4 .3 .2 .8 

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

2005

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Aug. 2006 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

July

2006

Aug.

2006

Aug.

2005

July

2006

May to

June

June to

July

July to

Aug.

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ............................................................................. 5.637 111.3 111.3 1.8 0.0 0.1 0.3 -0.1 

Video and audio 2 ................................................................... 1.783 105.0 104.7 .4 -.3 .1 -.1 -.2 

Education and communication 2 .............................................. 6.047 116.3 117.5 3.3 1.0 .3 .3 .3 

Education 2 ............................................................................. 2.967 160.3 163.9 6.5 2.2 .5 .6 .7 

Educational books and supplies ........................................... .196 386.3 391.3 7.3 1.3 .5 .3 1.2 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare .............................. 2.771 462.9 473.4 6.4 2.3 .5 .6 .7 

Communication 2 .................................................................... 3.080 84.3 84.3 .4 .0 .1 .0 .0 

Information and information processing 1 2 .......................... 2.895 81.9 81.8 .0 -.1 .1 .1 -.1 

Telephone services 1 2 ....................................................... 2.245 95.6 95.9 1.9 .3 .2 .2 .3 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 ........... .650 12.7 12.5 -6.7 -1.6 -.8 .0 -1.6 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 2 .......... .236 10.6 10.6 -14.5 .0 -.9 -.9 .0 

Other goods and services ........................................................ 3.463 321.2 321.7 2.3 .2 .6 -.2 .3 

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ........................................... .710 521.5 521.1 2.9 -.1 .8 .0 -.1 

Personal care ......................................................................... 2.752 189.7 190.1 2.1 .2 .5 -.2 .4 

Personal care products 1 ...................................................... .710 155.0 154.9 -.2 -.1 .4 -.1 -.1 

Personal care services 1 ...................................................... .675 209.5 210.1 2.9 .3 .2 .2 .3 

Miscellaneous personal services .......................................... 1.172 312.9 314.4 3.4 .5 .4 -.1 .6 

Commodity and service group

Commodities .............................................................................. 40.790 166.4 166.6 3.4 .1 .0 .7 .2 

Food and beverages ................................................................ 15.051 195.6 196.0 2.5 .2 .3 .2 .3 

Commodities less food and beverages .................................... 25.739 149.3 149.4 4.0 .1 -.1 .9 .2 

Nondurables less food and beverages ................................... 14.163 183.8 184.5 7.4 .4 .1 1.2 -.4 

Apparel ................................................................................. 3.786 113.8 116.1 .3 2.0 .0 -1.2 .9 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................. 10.377 231.6 231.2 9.9 -.2 .0 2.3 .4 

Durables ................................................................................. 11.576 114.6 114.3 -.1 -.3 -.1 .3 .0 

Services ...................................................................................... 59.210 240.2 240.9 4.2 .3 .3 .3 .3 

Rent of shelter 4 ....................................................................... 31.884 243.4 244.1 3.9 .3 .3 .5 .2 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ..................................... .375 116.4 116.2 -1.4 -.2 .1 .0 -.2 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ..................................................... 4.155 186.2 186.4 9.9 .1 -1.1 .1 .2 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ..................... .877 137.1 137.8 5.0 .5 .5 .6 .2 

Household operations 1 2 ......................................................... .779 136.6 137.0 4.8 .3 .4 .2 .3 

Transportation services ............................................................ 5.707 232.7 232.2 2.3 -.2 .3 .2 .3 

Medical care services ............................................................... 4.764 351.2 352.1 4.4 .3 .4 .2 .4 

Other services .......................................................................... 10.669 277.2 279.1 3.9 .7 .3 .3 .3 

Special indexes

All items less food ...................................................................... 86.058 204.9 205.4 4.1 .2 .1 .5 .2 

All items less shelter ................................................................... 67.740 194.0 194.4 3.9 .2 .1 .5 .3 

All items less medical care ......................................................... 93.780 196.6 197.1 3.8 .3 .2 .5 .3 

Commodities less food ............................................................... 26.848 151.3 151.4 3.9 .1 -.1 .9 .3 

Nondurables less food ................................................................ 15.272 184.9 185.5 7.0 .3 .1 1.1 -.3 

Nondurables less food and apparel ............................................ 11.486 227.6 227.3 9.1 -.1 .0 2.1 .4 

Nondurables ............................................................................... 29.214 190.4 191.0 4.9 .3 .2 .7 .0 

Services less rent of shelter 4 .................................................... 27.325 254.6 255.4 4.5 .3 .4 .2 .2 

Services less medical care services ........................................... 54.446 231.0 231.6 4.1 .3 .4 .3 .3 

Energy ........................................................................................ 8.685 215.1 214.7 15.1 -.2 -.9 2.9 .3 

All items less energy .................................................................. 91.315 203.9 204.4 2.8 .2 .3 .2 .2 

All items less food and energy ................................................. 77.373 206.2 206.7 2.8 .2 .3 .2 .2 

Commodities less food and energy commodities ................... 22.319 139.6 139.9 .6 .2 .1 -.1 .2 

Energy commodities ............................................................. 4.530 256.0 255.0 19.4 -.4 -.9 5.0 .4 

Services less energy services ................................................ 55.055 245.8 246.5 3.7 .3 .4 .4 .2 

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

 $ .491 $ .490 - - - - -

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

 $ .164 $ .164 - - - - -

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. - 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—

May

2006

June

2006

July

2006

Aug.

2006

Nov.

2005

Feb.

2006

May

2006

Aug.

2006

Feb.

2006

Aug.

2006

Expenditure category

All items ...................................................................................... 201.9 202.3 203.2 203.7 3.3 2.7 5.7 3.6 3.0 4.7 

Food and beverages ................................................................ 194.7 195.3 195.7 196.2 3.0 2.9 .8 3.1 2.9 2.0 

Food ....................................................................................... 194.1 194.7 195.1 195.8 3.0 2.7 .6 3.5 2.8 2.1 

Food at home ....................................................................... 191.8 192.5 192.8 193.5 2.8 2.3 -1.0 3.6 2.5 1.3 

Cereals and bakery products ............................................. 211.3 211.9 213.8 213.8 1.5 .4 1.9 4.8 1.0 3.4 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ............................................ 185.3 186.0 184.9 186.8 3.5 -.9 .0 3.3 1.3 1.6 

Dairy and related products ................................................. 181.0 181.2 181.3 179.8 .7 .2 -4.5 -2.6 .4 -3.6 

Fruits and vegetables ......................................................... 246.4 249.5 251.7 254.1 7.3 13.1 -10.3 13.1 10.2 .7 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials .............. 146.9 147.1 146.3 147.5 3.9 .0 1.9 1.6 1.9 1.8 

Other food at home ............................................................ 169.9 170.1 171.0 170.6 .0 2.6 2.6 1.7 1.3 2.1 

Sugar and sweets ............................................................. 171.2 171.5 172.7 173.1 7.5 -2.1 11.8 4.5 2.6 8.1 

Fats and oils ..................................................................... 168.6 168.2 167.4 167.5 .2 5.4 -2.8 -2.6 2.8 -2.7 

Other foods 1 .................................................................... 185.4 185.6 186.9 186.1 -1.9 3.8 1.5 1.5 .9 1.5 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ....................................... 114.3 114.4 115.0 113.8 3.3 2.5 3.2 -1.7 2.9 .7 

Food away from home 1 ....................................................... 198.7 199.2 199.7 200.2 2.9 3.3 3.1 3.1 3.1 3.1 

Other food away from home 2 ............................................ 136.2 136.3 136.8 137.3 3.1 3.0 4.8 3.3 3.0 4.1 

Alcoholic beverages 1 ............................................................ 200.8 201.6 201.3 201.2 2.5 5.0 2.6 .8 3.7 1.7 

Housing .................................................................................... 202.3 202.8 203.5 204.0 7.6 2.8 3.0 3.4 5.2 3.2 

Shelter .................................................................................... 231.0 232.0 232.9 233.4 2.9 3.0 5.0 4.2 3.0 4.6 

Rent of primary residence 3 ................................................. 223.6 224.6 225.4 226.2 3.3 2.8 4.0 4.7 3.0 4.4 

Lodging away from home 2 .................................................. 135.4 135.8 136.6 136.1 7.0 7.5 3.6 2.1 7.2 2.9 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 ................. 237.1 238.1 239.0 239.7 2.3 3.1 5.6 4.5 2.7 5.0 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ................................. 116.3 116.4 116.4 116.2 -6.3 1.0 .3 -.3 -2.7 .0 

Fuels and utilities .................................................................... 193.9 192.6 193.3 193.9 48.7 3.9 -7.8 .0 24.3 -4.0 

Fuels ..................................................................................... 176.5 174.9 175.4 176.0 60.0 3.2 -9.6 -1.1 28.5 -5.4 

Fuel oil and other fuels ....................................................... 238.2 241.5 248.9 253.2 34.2 -18.2 33.5 27.7 4.8 30.6 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ............................................... 181.3 179.3 179.4 179.7 62.7 4.8 -12.2 -3.5 30.6 -8.0 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ................. 135.7 136.4 137.2 137.5 5.0 7.8 1.8 5.4 6.4 3.6 

Household furnishings and operations ................................... 127.1 127.1 127.1 127.4 .3 .6 2.2 .9 .5 1.6 

Household operations 1 2 ..................................................... 135.7 136.3 136.6 137.0 5.6 7.8 2.1 3.9 6.7 3.0 

Apparel ..................................................................................... 120.0 120.0 118.6 119.7 -1.3 -3.6 7.3 -1.0 -2.5 3.1 

Men’s and boys’ apparel ........................................................ 114.1 113.7 113.3 114.3 -3.1 -4.4 1.8 .7 -3.8 1.2 

Women’s and girls’ apparel .................................................... 111.3 111.8 109.4 111.1 1.1 -8.7 12.4 -.7 -3.9 5.6 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel ................................................. 117.0 116.4 118.2 118.0 -6.7 11.3 .0 3.5 1.9 1.7

Footwear ................................................................................ 124.8 123.8 122.4 122.3 -2.2 4.0 2.9 -7.8 .8 -2.6 

Transportation .......................................................................... 185.5 185.2 188.2 188.5 -5.1 3.5 20.9 6.6 -.9 13.5 

Private transportation ............................................................. 181.8 181.3 184.4 184.7 -5.6 3.3 22.2 6.5 -1.3 14.1 

New and used motor vehicles 2 ........................................... 95.8 95.9 96.1 96.1 .4 .8 .0 1.3 .6 .6 

New vehicles ...................................................................... 137.7 137.6 137.8 137.7 3.9 2.1 -1.7 .0 3.0 -.9 

Used cars and trucks 1 ....................................................... 140.9 141.5 142.1 142.4 -7.1 .3 4.1 4.3 -3.5 4.2 

Motor fuel ............................................................................. 241.7 239.3 251.6 252.3 -20.2 10.4 95.5 18.7 -6.2 52.4 

Gasoline (all types) ............................................................. 240.4 238.0 250.6 251.2 -20.5 10.3 95.5 19.2 -6.4 52.7 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ................................... 117.0 117.0 117.9 118.2 4.3 4.7 7.5 4.2 4.5 5.8 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ................................. 215.2 215.7 216.9 216.6 4.7 5.0 4.8 2.6 4.9 3.7 

Public transportation ............................................................... 226.7 229.5 230.5 231.1 5.9 2.2 3.8 8.0 4.0 5.9 

Medical care ............................................................................. 335.1 336.0 336.6 338.0 5.7 3.3 4.5 3.5 4.5 4.0 

Medical care commodities ...................................................... 286.3 286.0 286.8 287.6 5.6 3.8 4.6 1.8 4.7 3.2 

Medical care services ............................................................. 349.0 350.3 350.9 352.4 5.8 3.1 4.6 4.0 4.4 4.3 

Professional services ........................................................... 288.1 288.6 289.3 290.2 4.6 .4 3.1 2.9 2.5 3.0 

Hospital and related services 3 ............................................ 467.0 468.5 469.3 473.0 6.8 8.3 8.4 5.2 7.5 6.8 

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—

May

2006

June

2006

July

2006

Aug.

2006

Nov.

2005

Feb.

2006

May

2006

Aug.

2006

Feb.

2006

Aug.

2006

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ............................................................................. 111.0 111.1 111.4 111.3 1.8 0.7 3.3 1.1 1.3 2.2 

Video and audio 2 ................................................................... 105.1 105.2 105.1 104.9 .0 -1.5 4.3 -.8 -.8 1.7 

Education and communication 2 .............................................. 116.3 116.6 117.0 117.4 4.3 3.2 2.1 3.8 3.7 3.0 

Education 2 ............................................................................. 160.7 161.5 162.4 163.6 6.4 5.8 6.2 7.4 6.1 6.8 

Educational books and supplies ........................................... 385.1 387.1 388.2 392.9 10.2 4.9 6.1 8.4 7.5 7.2 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare .............................. 464.2 466.3 469.0 472.5 5.9 6.1 6.3 7.3 6.0 6.8 

Communication 2 .................................................................... 84.2 84.3 84.3 84.3 1.9 .5 -1.4 .5 1.2 -.5 

Information and information processing 1 2 .......................... 81.7 81.8 81.9 81.8 2.0 -1.0 -1.5 .5 .5 -.5 

Telephone services 1 2 ....................................................... 95.2 95.4 95.6 95.9 4.8 .0 .0 3.0 2.4 1.5 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 ........... 12.8 12.7 12.7 12.5 -8.7 -3.0 -6.0 -9.1 -5.9 -7.5 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 2 .......... 10.8 10.7 10.6 10.6 -12.3 -15.7 -22.2 -7.2 -14.0 -15.0 

Other goods and services ........................................................ 319.7 321.5 321.0 322.0 2.4 2.9 1.1 2.9 2.7 2.0

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ........................................... 517.5 521.5 521.5 521.1 3.8 3.7 1.2 2.8 3.7 2.0 

Personal care ......................................................................... 189.0 189.9 189.5 190.3 2.2 2.8 1.1 2.8 2.5 1.9 

Personal care products 1 ...................................................... 154.6 155.2 155.0 154.9 -.5 1.6 -2.5 .8 .5 -.9 

Personal care services 1 ...................................................... 208.7 209.1 209.5 210.1 2.2 5.4 1.5 2.7 3.8 2.1 

Miscellaneous personal services .......................................... 311.8 313.0 312.6 314.4 3.2 3.2 3.8 3.4 3.2 3.6 

Commodity and service group

Commodities .............................................................................. 165.7 165.7 166.9 167.3 -1.2 1.7 9.7 3.9 .2 6.8 

Food and beverages ................................................................ 194.7 195.3 195.7 196.2 3.0 2.9 .8 3.1 2.9 2.0 

Commodities less food and beverages .................................... 148.7 148.5 149.9 150.2 -3.8 1.1 15.3 4.1 -1.4 9.6 

Nondurables less food and beverages ................................... 183.3 183.5 185.7 185.0 -2.5 -.9 32.6 3.8 -1.7 17.3 

Apparel ................................................................................. 120.0 120.0 118.6 119.7 -1.3 -3.6 7.3 -1.0 -2.5 3.1 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................. 225.4 225.3 230.4 231.4 -9.2 4.6 38.2 11.1 -2.5 23.9 

Durables ................................................................................. 114.7 114.6 114.9 114.9 -.3 -.3 -.3 .7 -.3 .2 

Services ...................................................................................... 237.8 238.5 239.2 239.9 6.6 3.3 3.1 3.6 4.9 3.3 

Rent of shelter 4 ....................................................................... 240.7 241.5 242.7 243.3 2.8 3.3 5.0 4.4 3.0 4.7 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ..................................... 116.3 116.4 116.4 116.2 -6.3 1.0 .3 -.3 -2.7 .0 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ..................................................... 181.3 179.3 179.4 179.7 62.7 4.8 -12.2 -3.5 30.6 -8.0 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ..................... 135.7 136.4 137.2 137.5 5.0 7.8 1.8 5.4 6.4 3.6 

Household operations 1 2 ......................................................... 135.7 136.3 136.6 137.0 5.6 7.8 2.1 3.9 6.7 3.0 

Transportation services ............................................................ 230.2 231.0 231.5 232.2 2.1 1.2 2.1 3.5 1.7 2.8 

Medical care services ............................................................... 349.0 350.3 350.9 352.4 5.8 3.1 4.6 4.0 4.4 4.3 

Other services .......................................................................... 276.5 277.4 278.2 279.1 4.4 3.1 4.2 3.8 3.8 4.0 

Special indexes

All items less food ...................................................................... 203.2 203.5 204.6 205.1 3.3 2.6 6.6 3.8 3.0 5.2 

All items less shelter ................................................................... 192.8 192.9 193.9 194.4 3.5 2.4 6.2 3.4 2.9 4.8 

All items less medical care ......................................................... 195.1 195.4 196.4 196.9 3.2 2.5 6.0 3.7 2.9 4.8 

Commodities less food ............................................................... 150.7 150.5 151.8 152.2 -3.8 1.4 14.8 4.0 -1.2 9.3 

Nondurables less food ................................................................ 184.3 184.5 186.6 186.0 -2.3 -.7 30.3 3.7 -1.5 16.3 

Nondurables less food and apparel ............................................ 222.0 222.0 226.7 227.5 -8.4 4.6 34.1 10.3 -2.1 21.6 

Nondurables ............................................................................... 189.7 190.0 191.4 191.4 .0 1.1 15.7 3.6 .5 9.5 

Services less rent of shelter 4 .................................................... 252.5 253.4 253.8 254.4 10.0 3.2 1.6 3.0 6.6 2.3 

Services less medical care services ........................................... 228.6 229.5 230.1 230.7 5.9 3.2 3.4 3.7 4.6 3.6 

Energy ........................................................................................ 206.1 204.2 210.2 210.8 11.4 6.3 35.0 9.4 8.8 21.6 

All items less energy .................................................................. 203.1 203.7 204.1 204.6 2.4 2.4 3.2 3.0 2.4 3.1 

All items less food and energy ................................................. 205.4 206.0 206.4 206.9 2.6 2.0 3.8 3.0 2.3 3.4 

Commodities less food and energy commodities ................... 140.9 141.0 140.8 141.1 .0 .3 1.7 .6 .1 1.1 

Energy commodities ............................................................. 242.7 240.6 252.7 253.6 -17.4 8.1 90.8 19.2 -5.5 50.8 

Services less energy services ................................................ 243.6 244.5 245.4 246.0 3.4 3.0 4.4 4.0 3.2 4.2 

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.

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

Aug.2006 from—

Percent change to

July2006 from—

May

2006

June

2006

July

2006

Aug.

2006

Aug.

2005

June

2006

July

2006

July

2005

May

2006

June

2006

U.S. city average ............................................ M 202.5 202.9 203.5 203.9 3.8 0.5 0.2 4.1 0.5 0.3 

Region and area size2

Northeast urban .............................................. M 215.7 216.7 217.5 218.1 4.5 .6 .3 4.6 .8 .4 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 218.1 219.3 220.1 220.7 4.5 .6 .3 4.7 .9 .4 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 127.4 127.7 128.2 128.5 4.5 .6 .2 4.2 .6 .4 

Midwest urban ................................................ M 193.6 194.1 194.6 195.1 2.8 .5 .3 3.3 .5 .3 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 195.1 195.6 196.3 196.9 2.8 .7 .3 3.3 .6 .4 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 123.7 124.0 124.1 124.1 2.6 .1 .0 3.2 .3 .1 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 188.1 189.3 190.1 190.9 3.4 .8 .4 3.9 1.1 .4 

South urban .................................................... M 195.5 196.3 197.0 197.1 4.1 .4 .1 4.5 .8 .4 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 197.4 198.2 198.9 199.2 4.3 .5 .2 4.5 .8 .4 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 124.6 125.0 125.5 125.4 3.7 .3 -.1 4.4 .7 .4 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 195.9 196.7 198.0 198.3 5.1 .8 .2 5.6 1.1 .7 

West urban ..................................................... M 206.9 206.4 206.7 207.5 4.0 .5 .4 4.1 -.1 .1 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 210.3 209.5 210.0 210.7 4.1 .6 .3 4.3 -.1 .2 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 125.7 125.6 125.6 126.2 3.4 .5 .5 3.5 -.1 .0 

Size classes

A 4 .............................................................. M 185.3 185.6 186.2 186.7 4.0 .6 .3 4.3 .5 .3 

B/C 3 ........................................................... M 125.0 125.3 125.6 125.7 3.6 .3 .1 4.0 .5 .2 

D ................................................................. M 194.4 195.3 196.0 196.6 4.2 .7 .3 4.7 .8 .4 

Selected local areas5

Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI ................... M 198.4 199.0 199.3 200.4 2.3 .7 .6 2.6 .5 .2 

Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ... M 212.4 211.1 211.4 211.9 4.3 .4 .2 5.0 -.5 .1 

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

NY-NJ-CT-PA ......................................... M 221.6 222.6 223.1 224.1 4.7 .7 .4 5.0 .7 .2 

Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT ..... 1 222.9 -

 225.1 - - - - 3.6 1.0 -

Cleveland-Akron, OH ...................................... 1 192.4 - 193.1 - - - - 2.8 .4 -

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ..................................... 1 191.2 -

 191.7 - - - - 4.0 .3 -

Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV 6 ...... 1 128.8 - 130.7 - - - - 4.6 1.5 -

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

 196.0 - 197.3 4.1 .7 - - - -

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

 196.8 - 198.6 3.3 .9 - - - -

Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .................... 2 - 182.4 - 182.5 4.0 .1 - - - -

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

 203.8 - 205.6 5.1 .9 - - - -

Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,

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

 213.9 - 216.4 4.7 1.2 - - - -

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

 209.1 - 210.7 3.8 .8 - - - -

Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA .................... 2 - 208.2 - 209.6 4.9 .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

2005

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Aug. 2006 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

July

2006

Aug.

2006

Aug.

2005

July

2006

May to

June

June to

July

July to

Aug.

Expenditure category

All items ...................................................................................... 100.000 199.2 199.6 3.9 0.2 0.2 0.5 0.4 

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

 593.2 594.6 - - - - -

Food and beverages ................................................................ 16.537 194.6 195.2 2.4 .3 .3 .2 .4 

Food ....................................................................................... 15.519 194.1 194.7 2.4 .3 .3 .2 .4 

Food at home ....................................................................... 9.347 191.6 192.2 1.9 .3 .3 .1 .5 

Cereals and bakery products ............................................. 1.275 214.9 214.8 2.3 .0 .3 .7 .1 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ............................................ 2.653 184.7 186.7 1.2 1.1 .2 -.5 1.1 

Dairy and related products ................................................. .965 180.3 179.4 -1.9 -.5 .1 -.1 -.9 

Fruits and vegetables ......................................................... 1.338 247.0 247.9 5.6 .4 1.0 .8 1.4 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials .............. 1.087 145.6 146.3 2.0 .5 .2 -.6 .9 

Other food at home ............................................................ 2.030 170.4 170.0 1.7 -.2 .1 .5 -.2 

Sugar and sweets ............................................................. .337 172.5 172.5 5.3 .0 .2 .8 .2 

Fats and oils ..................................................................... .287 167.9 168.2 .4 .2 -.2 -.2 -.1 

Other foods 1 .................................................................... 1.406 187.0 186.2 1.2 -.4 .2 .6 -.4 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ....................................... .370 115.2 114.2 1.9 -.9 .5 .2 -.9 

Food away from home 1 ....................................................... 6.172 199.4 199.9 3.0 .3 .3 .3 .3 

Other food away from home 2 ............................................ .275 136.3 136.7 3.2 .3 -.1 .2 .3 

Alcoholic beverages 1 ............................................................ 1.018 200.8 200.7 2.8 .0 .2 -.1 .0 

Housing .................................................................................... 40.161 199.7 200.3 4.2 .3 .3 .3 .4 

Shelter .................................................................................... 30.069 225.8 226.5 3.7 .3 .4 .4 .4 

Rent of primary residence 3 ................................................. 7.880 224.3 225.3 3.8 .4 .4 .4 .4 

Lodging away from home 2 .................................................. 1.412 142.6 141.1 4.9 -1.1 .7 .4 .1 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 ................. 20.429 216.5 217.3 3.8 .4 .4 .4 .4 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ................................. .348 116.7 116.6 -1.3 -.1 .1 .0 -.1 

Fuels and utilities .................................................................... 5.900 196.7 197.2 9.0 .3 -.7 .3 .3 

Fuels ..................................................................................... 4.984 178.3 178.6 9.8 .2 -1.0 .3 .2 

Fuel oil and other fuels ....................................................... .347 241.3 244.6 17.1 1.4 1.3 3.3 1.6 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ............................................... 4.637 184.1 184.3 9.2 .1 -1.2 .0 .2 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ................. .916 137.4 138.2 5.1 .6 .6 .5 .2 

Household furnishings and operations ................................... 4.193 122.7 122.7 1.0 .0 .1 .1 .1 

Household operations 1 2 ..................................................... .363 139.3 139.7 4.6 .3 .5 .2 .3 

Apparel ..................................................................................... 4.090 113.2 115.7 .2 2.2 -.2 -1.2 1.2 

Men’s and boys’ apparel ........................................................ .982 110.3 110.9 -.8 .5 -.5 .0 .9 

Women’s and girls’ apparel .................................................... 1.689 101.3 105.4 .9 4.0 .1 -2.5 2.5 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel ................................................. .242 115.9 117.7 1.5 1.6 -.7 1.3 .4 

Footwear ................................................................................ .964 119.1 120.3 -.7 1.0 -.6 -.9 -.2 

Transportation .......................................................................... 19.669 189.0 188.6 6.5 -.2 -.2 1.8 .2 

Private transportation ............................................................. 18.931 186.1 185.8 6.5 -.2 -.2 1.8 .2 

New and used motor vehicles 2 ........................................... 8.944 94.9 94.8 .4 -.1 .1 .2 .0 

New vehicles ...................................................................... 5.380 137.9 137.4 1.0 -.4 -.1 .1 -.1 

Used cars and trucks 1 ....................................................... 2.801 143.0 143.2 .2 .1 .4 .4 .1 

Motor fuel ............................................................................. 5.244 256.2 255.1 19.5 -.4 -.9 5.2 .2 

Gasoline (all types) ............................................................. 5.193 255.3 254.1 19.6 -.5 -.9 5.2 .2 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ................................... .434 117.5 117.8 5.3 .3 .1 .8 .3 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ................................. 1.130 219.1 218.6 4.2 -.2 .4 .4 -.1 

Public transportation ............................................................... .738 234.1 231.4 4.8 -1.2 1.2 .1 .2 

Medical care ............................................................................. 5.171 336.5 337.3 4.3 .2 .2 .3 .4 

Medical care commodities ...................................................... 1.140 280.3 280.6 4.0 .1 .0 .3 .2 

Medical care services ............................................................. 4.030 351.6 352.5 4.3 .3 .3 .3 .5 

Professional services ........................................................... 2.336 292.1 292.5 2.6 .1 .1 .3 .2 

Hospital and related services 3 ............................................ 1.332 464.8 466.7 7.2 .4 .3 .3 .7 

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

2005

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Aug. 2006 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

July

2006

Aug.

2006

Aug.

2005

July

2006

May to

June

June to

July

July to

Aug.

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ............................................................................. 5.097 108.7 108.5 1.6 -0.2 0.2 0.2 -0.2 

Video and audio 2 ................................................................... 1.928 104.3 104.1 .5 -.2 .2 -.1 -.2 

Education and communication 2 .............................................. 5.635 113.5 114.5 3.1 .9 .2 .3 .4 

Education 2 ............................................................................. 2.243 158.4 161.7 6.4 2.1 .4 .5 .9 

Educational books and supplies ........................................... .199 387.6 393.0 7.4 1.4 .5 .3 1.3 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare .............................. 2.044 448.0 457.7 6.3 2.2 .4 .5 .8 

Communication 2 .................................................................... 3.392 86.2 86.2 .6 .0 .1 .1 .0 

Information and information processing 1 2 .......................... 3.244 84.5 84.5 .5 .0 .1 .1 .0 

Telephone services 1 2 ....................................................... 2.653 95.7 96.0 1.8 .3 .2 .2 .3 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 ........... .590 13.3 13.1 -6.4 -1.5 .0 .0 -1.5 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 2 .......... .208 10.4 10.5 -13.9 1.0 -1.9 -1.0 1.0 

Other goods and services ........................................................ 3.640 330.7 331.0 2.3 .1 .6 -.1 .2 

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ........................................... 1.137 523.3 522.9 2.8 -.1 .8 .0 -.1 

Personal care ......................................................................... 2.504 187.9 188.2 2.1 .2 .5 -.1 .4 

Personal care products 1 ...................................................... .774 155.0 155.0 -.3 .0 .3 -.1 .0 

Personal care services 1 ...................................................... .616 209.7 210.2 2.8 .2 .3 .2 .2 

Miscellaneous personal services .......................................... .949 313.9 315.1 3.4 .4 .4 .0 .5 

Commodity and service group

Commodities .............................................................................. 44.601 168.5 168.8 3.7 .2 .0 .8 .2 

Food and beverages ................................................................ 16.537 194.6 195.2 2.4 .3 .3 .2 .4 

Commodities less food and beverages .................................... 28.064 152.8 153.0 4.5 .1 -.1 1.1 .3 

Nondurables less food and beverages ................................... 15.599 191.1 191.8 8.2 .4 .2 1.2 -.3 

Apparel ................................................................................. 4.090 113.2 115.7 .2 2.2 -.2 -1.2 1.2 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................. 11.509 243.8 243.4 10.9 -.2 -.5 2.8 .3 

Durables ................................................................................. 12.465 114.8 114.5 -.2 -.3 .1 .2 .0 

Services ...................................................................................... 55.399 235.2 235.9 4.0 .3 .3 .3 .3 

Rent of shelter 4 ....................................................................... 29.721 217.6 218.3 3.8 .3 .3 .4 .3 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ..................................... .348 116.7 116.6 -1.3 -.1 .1 .0 -.1 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ..................................................... 4.637 184.1 184.3 9.2 .1 -1.2 .0 .2 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ..................... .916 137.4 138.2 5.1 .6 .6 .5 .2 

Household operations 1 2 ......................................................... .363 139.3 139.7 4.6 .3 .5 .2 .3 

Transportation services ............................................................ 5.659 231.4 231.1 1.9 -.1 .3 .1 .3 

Medical care services ............................................................... 4.030 351.6 352.5 4.3 .3 .3 .3 .5 

Other services .......................................................................... 9.726 268.1 269.6 3.6 .6 .3 .3 .3 

Special indexes

All items less food ...................................................................... 84.481 199.9 200.4 4.2 .3 .1 .6 .3 

All items less shelter ................................................................... 69.931 191.6 192.0 4.0 .2 .0 .6 .3 

All items less medical care ......................................................... 94.829 193.3 193.8 3.9 .3 .2 .5 .3 

Commodities less food ............................................................... 29.082 154.6 154.8 4.5 .1 -.1 1.0 .3 

Nondurables less food ................................................................ 16.617 191.9 192.5 7.8 .3 .1 1.3 -.4 

Nondurables less food and apparel ............................................ 12.527 239.1 238.7 10.3 -.2 -.2 2.5 .4 

Nondurables ............................................................................... 32.136 193.8 194.4 5.3 .3 .2 .8 .1 

Services less rent of shelter 4 .................................................... 25.679 225.8 226.3 4.3 .2 .3 .1 .2 

Services less medical care services ........................................... 51.369 226.4 227.0 4.0 .3 .4 .3 .3 

Energy ........................................................................................ 10.228 215.7 215.3 15.0 -.2 -.9 3.1 .3 

All items less energy .................................................................. 89.772 198.0 198.6 2.6 .3 .3 .2 .4 

All items less food and energy ................................................. 74.253 199.2 199.8 2.7 .3 .3 .2 .3 

Commodities less food and energy commodities ................... 23.491 140.0 140.4 .6 .3 .1 -.1 .2 

Energy commodities ............................................................. 5.591 256.2 255.4 19.3 -.3 -.8 5.1 .3 

Services less energy services ................................................ 50.762 240.6 241.4 3.6 .3 .4 .3 .4 

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

 $ .502 $ .501 - - - - -

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

 $ .169 $ .168 - - - - -

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. - 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—

May

2006

June

2006

July

2006

Aug.

2006

Nov.

2005

Feb.

2006

May

2006

Aug.

2006

Feb.

2006

Aug.

2006

Expenditure category

All items ...................................................................................... 197.6 197.9 198.9 199.6 2.9 2.3 6.3 4.1 2.6 5.2 

Food and beverages ................................................................ 193.9 194.4 194.7 195.4 3.0 2.7 .8 3.1 2.9 2.0 

Food ....................................................................................... 193.3 193.9 194.2 194.9 3.0 2.7 .4 3.4 2.9 1.9 

Food at home ....................................................................... 190.9 191.5 191.7 192.6 2.8 2.3 -1.0 3.6 2.6 1.3 

Cereals and bakery products ............................................. 211.6 212.3 213.8 214.0 1.7 .6 2.5 4.6 1.2 3.5 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ............................................ 185.0 185.4 184.4 186.4 3.5 -1.5 .0 3.1 1.0 1.5 

Dairy and related products ................................................. 180.7 180.9 180.8 179.2 .2 .4 -4.9 -3.3 .3 -4.1 

Fruits and vegetables ......................................................... 244.7 247.1 249.2 252.6 7.2 13.8 -10.0 13.6 10.5 1.1 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials .............. 146.2 146.5 145.6 146.9 4.2 .0 1.9 1.9 2.1 1.9 

Other food at home ............................................................ 169.3 169.5 170.4 170.0 .2 2.9 2.2 1.7 1.6 1.9 

Sugar and sweets ............................................................. 170.2 170.6 172.0 172.3 7.5 -2.1 11.3 5.0 2.6 8.1 

Fats and oils ..................................................................... 168.9 168.5 168.2 168.0 .5 7.1 -3.9 -2.1 3.7 -3.0 

Other foods 1 .................................................................... 185.5 185.9 187.0 186.2 -1.3 3.5 1.1 1.5 1.1 1.3 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ....................................... 114.4 115.0 115.2 114.2 4.0 2.1 2.1 -.7 3.1 .7 

Food away from home 1 ....................................................... 198.4 198.9 199.4 199.9 3.1 3.1 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.0 

Other food away from home 2 ............................................ 136.1 136.0 136.3 136.7 2.7 3.3 5.2 1.8 3.0 3.5 

Alcoholic beverages 1 ............................................................ 200.6 201.0 200.8 200.7 3.5 5.0 2.4 .2 4.2 1.3 

Housing .................................................................................... 197.6 198.1 198.7 199.4 8.0 2.7 2.5 3.7 5.3 3.1 

Shelter .................................................................................... 223.7 224.6 225.5 226.3 2.6 2.8 5.0 4.7 2.7 4.9 

Rent of primary residence 3 ................................................. 222.7 223.7 224.5 225.3 3.4 2.8 4.1 4.8 3.1 4.4 

Lodging away from home 2 .................................................. 134.4 135.4 135.9 136.1 3.7 8.2 2.4 5.2 5.9 3.8 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 ................. 215.0 215.9 216.7 217.6 2.3 3.1 5.4 4.9 2.7 5.2 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ................................. 116.6 116.7 116.7 116.6 -6.3 1.0 .3 .0 -2.7 .2 

Fuels and utilities .................................................................... 192.3 190.9 191.5 192.0 48.1 3.8 -8.1 -.6 24.0 -4.4 

Fuels ..................................................................................... 173.9 172.2 172.7 173.1 58.3 3.2 -9.9 -1.8 27.8 -6.0 

Fuel oil and other fuels ....................................................... 237.5 240.7 248.7 252.6 34.5 -19.1 34.8 28.0 4.3 31.4 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ............................................... 179.5 177.4 177.4 177.7 60.3 4.9 -12.3 -4.0 29.7 -8.2 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ................. 136.0 136.8 137.5 137.8 5.0 7.4 2.1 5.4 6.2 3.7 

Household furnishings and operations ................................... 122.6 122.7 122.8 122.9 .3 1.0 1.3 1.0 .7 1.1 

Household operations 1 2 ..................................................... 138.3 139.0 139.3 139.7 5.2 6.7 2.3 4.1 5.9 3.2 

Apparel ..................................................................................... 119.6 119.4 118.0 119.4 -2.3 -3.7 7.7 -.7 -3.0 3.4 

Men’s and boys’ apparel ........................................................ 114.0 113.4 113.4 114.4 -3.1 -3.4 1.8 1.4 -3.3 1.6 

Women’s and girls’ apparel .................................................... 111.0 111.1 108.3 111.0 -.7 -9.1 14.5 .0 -5.0 7.0

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel ................................................. 118.9 118.1 119.6 120.1 -6.3 7.4 1.4 4.1 .3 2.7 

Footwear ................................................................................ 124.0 123.3 122.2 121.9 -3.5 4.3 3.3 -6.6 .3 -1.8 

Transportation .......................................................................... 185.3 185.0 188.3 188.6 -5.7 3.2 23.2 7.3 -1.4 15.0 

Private transportation ............................................................. 182.6 182.2 185.5 185.8 -6.5 3.3 24.1 7.2 -1.7 15.3 

New and used motor vehicles 2 ........................................... 95.0 95.1 95.3 95.3 -.8 .4 .8 1.3 -.2 1.1 

New vehicles ...................................................................... 138.8 138.7 138.9 138.8 3.8 1.7 -1.1 .0 2.8 -.6 

Used cars and trucks 1 ....................................................... 141.8 142.4 143.0 143.2 -7.3 .3 4.3 4.0 -3.6 4.2 

Motor fuel ............................................................................. 241.8 239.7 252.2 252.8 -19.5 9.1 94.3 19.5 -6.3 52.4 

Gasoline (all types) ............................................................. 240.9 238.7 251.2 251.8 -19.8 9.3 95.2 19.4 -6.4 52.7 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ................................... 116.5 116.6 117.5 117.8 4.7 3.9 7.9 4.5 4.3 6.2 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ................................. 217.6 218.4 219.3 219.1 4.8 5.0 4.5 2.8 4.9 3.7 

Public transportation ............................................................... 225.0 227.7 228.0 228.5 6.8 3.1 3.1 6.4 4.9 4.7 

Medical care ............................................................................. 334.4 335.1 336.2 337.5 6.1 2.3 4.8 3.8 4.2 4.3 

Medical care commodities ...................................................... 279.2 279.1 280.0 280.6 5.8 3.9 4.3 2.0 4.8 3.1 

Medical care services ............................................................. 349.3 350.2 351.3 352.9 6.2 1.9 5.1 4.2 4.0 4.6 

Professional services ........................................................... 290.5 290.9 291.8 292.5 4.4 .1 3.1 2.8 2.3 2.9 

Hospital and related services 3 ............................................ 462.1 463.7 465.3 468.6 7.8 6.6 8.6 5.7 7.2 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—

May

2006

June

2006

July

2006

Aug.

2006

Nov.

2005

Feb.

2006

May

2006

Aug.

2006

Feb.

2006

Aug.

2006

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ............................................................................. 108.3 108.5 108.7 108.5 1.9 0.4 3.4 0.7 1.1 2.1 

Video and audio 2 ................................................................... 104.3 104.5 104.4 104.2 .0 -1.2 3.5 -.4 -.6 1.6 

Education and communication 2 .............................................. 113.5 113.7 114.0 114.5 4.4 2.5 1.8 3.6 3.4 2.7 

Education 2 ............................................................................. 158.8 159.5 160.3 161.7 6.2 6.4 5.7 7.5 6.3 6.6 

Educational books and supplies ........................................... 386.6 388.5 389.5 394.5 9.9 5.6 5.8 8.4 7.8 7.1 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare .............................. 449.4 451.1 453.5 457.2 5.9 6.5 5.7 7.1 6.2 6.4 

Communication 2 .................................................................... 86.0 86.1 86.2 86.2 2.4 .5 -1.4 .9 1.4 -.2 

Information and information processing 1 2 .......................... 84.3 84.4 84.5 84.5 2.9 -.5 -1.4 1.0 1.2 -.2 

Telephone services 1 2 ....................................................... 95.3 95.5 95.7 96.0 4.3 .4 -.4 3.0 2.3 1.3 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 ........... 13.3 13.3 13.3 13.1 -8.3 -5.7 -5.8 -5.9 -7.0 -5.8 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 2 .......... 10.7 10.5 10.4 10.5 -12.5 -15.9 -19.6 -7.3 -14.2 -13.7 

Other goods and services ........................................................ 328.8 330.8 330.5 331.3 2.4 3.1 .9 3.1 2.7 2.0 

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ........................................... 519.4 523.5 523.3 522.9 3.7 3.7 1.2 2.7 3.7 1.9 

Personal care ......................................................................... 187.0 187.9 187.7 188.4 1.7 2.8 .9 3.0 2.3 1.9 

Personal care products 1 ...................................................... 154.7 155.1 155.0 155.0 -1.3 1.8 -2.3 .8 .3 -.8 

Personal care services 1 ...................................................... 208.6 209.2 209.7 210.2 2.2 5.0 1.2 3.1 3.6 2.1 

Miscellaneous personal services .......................................... 312.4 313.5 313.6 315.1 2.9 3.6 3.9 3.5 3.2 3.7 

Commodity and service group

Commodities .............................................................................. 167.6 167.6 168.9 169.3 -1.7 1.7 11.2 4.1 .0 7.6 

Food and beverages ................................................................ 193.9 194.4 194.7 195.4 3.0 2.7 .8 3.1 2.9 2.0 

Commodities less food and beverages .................................... 151.8 151.6 153.3 153.7 -4.5 1.4 17.2 5.1 -1.6 11.0 

Nondurables less food and beverages ................................... 190.1 190.5 192.8 192.2 -3.1 -.7 36.1 4.5 -1.9 19.3 

Apparel ................................................................................. 119.6 119.4 118.0 119.4 -2.3 -3.7 7.7 -.7 -3.0 3.4 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................. 237.0 235.9 242.6 243.4 -9.5 4.6 43.6 11.2 -2.7 26.4 

Durables ................................................................................. 114.7 114.8 115.0 115.0 -1.0 .3 -1.0 1.1 -.3 .0 

Services ...................................................................................... 233.0 233.6 234.3 235.1 6.9 2.8 2.8 3.7 4.8 3.2 

Rent of shelter 4 ....................................................................... 215.6 216.3 217.2 217.9 2.9 2.7 5.2 4.3 2.8 4.8 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ..................................... 116.6 116.7 116.7 116.6 -6.3 1.0 .3 .0 -2.7 .2 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ..................................................... 179.5 177.4 177.4 177.7 60.3 4.9 -12.3 -4.0 29.7 -8.2 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ..................... 136.0 136.8 137.5 137.8 5.0 7.4 2.1 5.4 6.2 3.7 

Household operations 1 2 ......................................................... 138.3 139.0 139.3 139.7 5.2 6.7 2.3 4.1 5.9 3.2 

Transportation services ............................................................ 229.9 230.5 230.8 231.5 1.8 1.2 1.8 2.8 1.5 2.3 

Medical care services ............................................................... 349.3 350.2 351.3 352.9 6.2 1.9 5.1 4.2 4.0 4.6 

Other services .......................................................................... 267.3 268.1 268.8 269.6 4.4 2.8 3.8 3.5 3.6 3.7 

Special indexes

All items less food ...................................................................... 198.3 198.5 199.6 200.2 2.9 2.3 7.6 3.9 2.6 5.7 

All items less shelter ................................................................... 190.3 190.3 191.4 192.0 3.1 2.2 7.0 3.6 2.6 5.3 

All items less medical care ......................................................... 191.8 192.1 193.1 193.7 2.6 2.6 6.3 4.0 2.6 5.1 

Commodities less food ............................................................... 153.7 153.5 155.1 155.5 -4.2 1.4 16.9 4.8 -1.5 10.7 

Nondurables less food ................................................................ 190.9 191.1 193.6 192.9 -3.1 -.2 34.1 4.3 -1.7 18.2 

Nondurables less food and apparel ............................................ 232.6 232.2 238.1 239.0 -8.7 4.4 39.6 11.5 -2.4 24.7 

Nondurables ............................................................................... 192.9 193.2 194.7 194.8 -.4 1.5 17.2 4.0 .5 10.4 

Services less rent of shelter 4 .................................................... 223.9 224.6 224.9 225.4 10.6 3.1 .9 2.7 6.8 1.8 

Services less medical care services ........................................... 224.2 225.1 225.7 226.4 6.2 3.1 2.7 4.0 4.6 3.4 

Energy ........................................................................................ 206.4 204.5 210.8 211.4 8.8 5.9 37.5 10.0 7.3 23.0 

All items less energy .................................................................. 197.4 198.0 198.3 199.0 2.3 2.1 2.9 3.3 2.2 3.1 

All items less food and energy ................................................. 198.7 199.2 199.6 200.2 2.1 2.1 3.5 3.1 2.1 3.3 

Commodities less food and energy commodities ................... 141.3 141.4 141.3 141.6 -.3 .3 1.7 .9 .0 1.3 

Energy commodities ............................................................. 242.4 240.5 252.8 253.6 -17.4 7.3 90.6 19.8 -5.8 51.1 

Services less energy services ................................................ 238.8 239.7 240.4 241.3 3.1 2.8 4.3 4.3 2.9 4.3 

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.

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

Aug.2006 from—

Percent change to

July2006 from—

May

2006

June

2006

July

2006

Aug.

2006

Aug.

2005

June

2006

July

2006

July

2005

May

2006

June

2006

U.S. city average ............................................ M 198.2 198.6 199.2 199.6 3.9 0.5 0.2 4.3 0.5 0.3 

Region and area size2

Northeast urban .............................................. M 212.1 213.0 213.5 214.2 4.6 .6 .3 4.7 .7 .2 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 212.8 214.0 214.3 215.1 4.4 .5 .4 4.6 .7 .1 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 128.0 128.1 128.6 128.9 4.9 .6 .2 4.7 .5 .4 

Midwest urban ................................................ M 189.0 189.5 190.0 190.4 2.9 .5 .2 3.5 .5 .3 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 189.7 190.1 190.7 191.3 2.8 .6 .3 3.4 .5 .3 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 123.3 123.6 123.8 123.8 2.7 .2 .0 3.3 .4 .2 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 186.4 187.6 188.6 189.3 3.7 .9 .4 4.5 1.2 .5 

South urban .................................................... M 192.9 193.5 194.3 194.5 4.2 .5 .1 4.7 .7 .4 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 195.7 196.3 197.1 197.5 4.4 .6 .2 4.8 .7 .4 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 123.3 123.7 124.2 124.2 3.9 .4 .0 4.6 .7 .4 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 196.3 196.9 198.1 198.5 5.1 .8 .2 5.8 .9 .6 

West urban ..................................................... M 201.9 201.5 201.7 202.5 3.9 .5 .4 4.1 -.1 .1 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 203.6 203.0 203.3 204.0 4.0 .5 .3 4.3 -.1 .1 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 125.6 125.4 125.5 126.0 3.6 .5 .4 3.8 -.1 .1 

Size classes

A 4 .............................................................. M 183.7 184.0 184.5 185.1 3.9 .6 .3 4.2 .4 .3 

B/C 3 ........................................................... M 124.4 124.6 125.0 125.1 3.8 .4 .1 4.3 .5 .3 

D ................................................................. M 193.3 194.1 194.8 195.4 4.3 .7 .3 5.0 .8 .4 

Selected local areas5

Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI ................... M 192.0 192.4 192.8 193.8 2.4 .7 .5 2.9 .4 .2 

Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ... M 205.0 204.2 204.5 205.0 4.4 .4 .2 5.1 -.2 .1 

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

NY-NJ-CT-PA ......................................... M 215.5 216.7 216.8 217.8 4.6 .5 .5 5.0 .6 .0 

Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT ..... 1 222.9 -

 223.9 - - - - 3.7 .4 -

Cleveland-Akron, OH ...................................... 1 183.8 - 184.3 - - - - 3.1 .3 -

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ..................................... 1 192.9 -

 193.9 - - - - 4.6 .5 -

Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV 6 ...... 1 128.2 - 129.8 - - - - 4.3 1.2 -

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

 194.4 - 195.8 4.0 .7 - - - -

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

 192.0 - 194.0 3.4 1.0 - - - -

Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .................... 2 - 181.4 - 182.0 4.4 .3 - - - -

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

 202.5 - 204.6 5.6 1.0 - - - -

Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,

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

 213.2 - 215.8 4.8 1.2 - - - -

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

 205.2 - 206.7 3.6 .7 - - - -

Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA .................... 2 - 203.8 - 205.1 5.0 .6 - - - -

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,

2003-2004

 Unadjusted

 indexes

 Unadjusted

 percent change to

 Aug. 2006 from—

 July

 2006

 Aug.

 2006

 Aug.

 2005

 July

 2006

Expenditure category

All items ...................................................................................... 100.000 117.6 117.9 3.4 0.3 

Food and beverages ................................................................ 15.072 115.5 115.7 2.4 .2 

Food ....................................................................................... 13.943 115.5 115.7 2.4 .2 

Food at home ....................................................................... 8.029 112.4 112.6 1.8 .2 

Food away from home .......................................................... 5.914 119.7 120.0 3.1 .3 

Alcoholic beverages ............................................................... 1.130 115.9 115.8 2.8 -.1 

Housing .................................................................................... 42.173 122.8 123.1 4.0 .2 

Shelter .................................................................................... 32.495 123.4 123.8 3.9 .3 

Fuels and utilities .................................................................... 4.702 152.7 153.2 8.5 .3 

Household furnishings and operations ................................... 4.977 96.9 96.9 .6 .0 

Apparel ..................................................................................... 4.076 85.3 86.8 -.2 1.8 

Transportation .......................................................................... 17.095 123.1 122.8 5.0 -.2 

Private transportation ............................................................. 15.988 123.6 123.4 4.9 -.2 

Public transportation ............................................................... 1.107 116.8 115.3 4.6 -1.3 

Medical care ............................................................................. 6.055 131.6 131.9 4.1 .2 

Medical care commodities ...................................................... 1.458 121.5 121.7 3.8 .2 

Medical care services ............................................................. 4.597 135.1 135.4 4.2 .2 

Recreation ................................................................................ 5.863 106.1 105.9 1.2 -.2 

Education and communication ................................................. 6.190 103.0 103.9 2.5 .9 

Education ............................................................................... 2.751 148.9 152.1 6.4 2.1 

Communication ...................................................................... 3.439 76.0 75.9 -.5 -.1 

Other goods and services ........................................................ 3.475 118.9 119.1 1.7 .2 

Commodity and service group

Services ...................................................................................... 58.763 125.2 125.6 4.1 .3 

Commodities .............................................................................. 41.237 108.2 108.4 2.7 .2 

Durables ................................................................................... 12.340 87.3 87.1 -.3 -.2 

Nondurables ............................................................................... 28.897 118.5 118.9 3.8 .3 

All items less food and energy ................................................. 78.707 113.0 113.3 2.7 .3 

Energy ........................................................................................ 7.351 185.1 184.8 14.0 -.2 

Indexes for 2006 are initial estimates. Indexes for 2005 are interim adjustments.

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