News United States 

Department 

of Labor 

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION: 

Stephen B. Reed (202) 691-7000 USDL-09-0171 

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INTERNET ADDRESS: http://www.bls.gov/cpi/ Friday, February 20, 2009 

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: JANUARY 2009 

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.4 percent in January, before 

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

January level of 211.143 (1982-84=100) was virtually unchanged from January 2008. 

The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 0.4 

percent in January, prior to seasonal adjustment. The January level of 205.700 (1982-84=100) was 0.5 percent 

lower than in January 2008. 

The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) increased 0.5 percent in 

January on a not seasonally adjusted basis. The January level of 121.208 (December 1999=100) was 0.5 

percent lower than in January 2008. Please note that the indexes for the post-2007 period are subject to 

revision. 

CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U increased 0.3 percent in January after declining in each of the 

three previous months. The energy index climbed 1.7 percent in January, its first increase in six months, but it 

was still 31.4 percent below its July 2008 peak level. Within energy, the gasoline index rose 6.0 percent in 

January after a 19.3 percent decline in December. However, some energy components continued to decline; the 

fuel oil index fell 3.7 percent in January and the index for natural gas declined 3.6 percent. The food index, 

which rose sharply during the summer and moderated through the fall, increased 0.1 percent in January after 

being virtually unchanged in December. The food index has risen 5.3 percent over the past year. The (cont.) 

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

Expenditure

Category

Seasonally adjusted

Unadjusted

12-mos.

ended

Jan. 2009

Changes from preceding month Compound

annual rate

3-mos. ended

Jan. 2009 July

2008

Aug.

2008

Sep.

2008

Oct.

2008

Nov.

2008

Dec.

2008

Jan.

2009

All items ................................. 0.7 0.0 0.0 -0.8 -1.7 -0.8 0.3 -8.4 0.0 

Food and beverages ........... .9 .6 .5 .4 .2 .1 .1 1.4 5.2 

Housing ............................... .6 .0 -.1 .0 -.1 .0 .0 -.3 2.2 

Apparel ................................ 1.0 .4 -.3 -.7 .1 -.6 .3 -.9 -.9 

Transportation ..................... 1.4 -.9 -.1 -4.8 -9.7 -5.0 1.3 -43.0 -12.6 

Medical care ........................ .1 .2 .3 .2 .2 .3 .4 3.9 2.6 

Recreation ........................... .3 .4 .2 .2 .0 -.2 .0 -.5 1.6 

Education and

communication .............. .5 .2 .1 .2 .2 .3 .3 3.3 3.6 

Other goods and services ... .4 .2 .2 .3 .0 .0 .3 1.5 3.3 

Special indexes:

Energy ................................. 3.5 -2.0 -1.0 -7.8 -16.9 -9.3 1.7 -65.4 -20.4 

Food .................................... .9 .6 .5 .4 .2 .0 .1 1.1 5.3 

All items less food and

energy ........................... .3 .2 .1 .0 .1 .0 .2 .9 1.7 
food at home index declined 0.1 percent in January as the fruits and vegetables index continued to fall. The 

index for all items less food and energy rose 0.2 percent in January after being virtually unchanged in 

December. Contributing to the increase were larger advances in the indexes for rent and owners equivalent rent 

and upturns in the indexes for new vehicles and apparel. 

The food and beverages index increased 0.1 percent in January, the same increase as in December. A 

0.3 percent increase in the index for food away from home and a 0.2 percent rise in the alcoholic beverages 

index more than offset a 0.1 percent decline in the food at home index. The food at home index has risen 5.7 

percent over the past year. Within food at home, the indexes for four of the six major grocery store food groups 

declined in January. The index for fruits and vegetables fell 1.3 percent, its fifth consecutive monthly decline. 

The index for fresh fruits fell 2.2 percent and the fresh vegetables index declined 1.6 percent. The dairy and 

related products index, down 1.1 percent in December, fell 0.6 percent in January, with the milk index declining 

1.4 percent. Also declining in January were the indexes for meats, poultry, fish and eggs and for nonalcoholic 

beverages, each down 0.1 percent. The index for cereals and bakery products was virtually unchanged in 

January, but was still up 11.3 percent over the last year. The index for other food at home rose 0.6 percent in 

January, the only major grocery store food group index to increase for the month. 

 

The housing index was virtually unchanged in January for the second straight month. However the 

shelter index, virtually unchanged in December, rose 0.2 percent in January. Over the last 12 months, the 

housing index has risen 2.2 percent and the index for shelter was up 1.8 percent. Within shelter, the indexes for 

rent and owners’ equivalent rent both rose 0.3 percent in January after rising 0.2 percent and 0.1 percent, 

respectively, in December. The index for lodging away from home fell 1.1 percent in January and has declined 

4.7 percent over the past 12 months. The household energy index fell 0.9 percent in January, its sixth 

consecutive monthly decline. Within household energy, the electricity index rose 0.2 percent, but the indexes 

for fuel oil and natural gas both declined. Despite the recent declines, the household energy index was up 4.9 

percent over the past 12 months. The index for household furnishings and operations turned down in January, 

declining 0.1 percent after increasing 0.1 percent in December. 

The transportation index rose for the first time since July, increasing 1.3 percent in January. The index 

has declined 12.6 percent over the past 12 months. The index for motor fuel, which had been declining in 

recent months, rose 5.3 percent in January. However, the motor fuel index is still 48.1 percent below its peak in 

July. The index for new and used motor vehicles increased in January after posting 12 straight declines, rising 

0.2 percent. The index for new vehicles rose 0.3 percent in January but has declined 2.6 percent over the past 

year. The index for public transportation continued to decline, falling 1.8 percent in January. The airline fare 

index fell 2.1 percent in January and was down 0.9 percent compared to a year ago. 

After declining 0.6 percent in December, the apparel index turned up in January, rising 0.3 percent. The 

index for men’s and boys’ apparel rose 1.6 percent and the index for women’s and girls’ apparel rose 0.2 

percent. (On a not seasonally adjusted basis, the apparel index declined 2.0 percent in January and was down 

0.9 percent over the last 12 months.) 

The medical care index climbed 0.4 percent in January following a 0.2 percent increase in November 

and a 0.3 percent advance in December. The index for medical care commodities rose 0.4 percent, with the 

prescription drugs index rising 0.5 percent. The medical care services index rose 0.5 percent in January. 

Within this group, the index for physicians’ services rose 0.2 percent and the hospital and related services index 

increased 0.8 percent. 

The index for recreation, down 0.2 percent in December, was virtually unchanged in January. The 

indexes for photography, toys, admissions, and for pets, pet products and services all rose in January. These 

increases offset declines in the indexes for video and audio and for sporting goods. The recreation index is up 

1.6 percent over the past 12 months. 

The education and communication index increased 0.3 percent in January and was up 3.6 percent over 

the past year. The education index, which rose 0.5 percent in December, advanced 0.3 percent in January. The 

index for communication climbed 0.2 percent for the second straight month. Within communication, the 

telephone services index rose 0.2 percent and the index for information technology, hardware and services 

increased 0.1 percent. 
 After being virtually unchanged in December, the index for other goods and services rose 0.3 percent 

in January and was up 3.3 percent over the past 12 months. The index for tobacco and smoking products rose 

0.8 percent in January, while the personal care index increased 0.1 percent. 

 

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 0.3 

percent in January. 

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

Expenditure

Category

Seasonally adjusted

Unadjusted

12-mos.

ended

Jan. 2009

Changes from preceding month Compound

annual rate

3-mos. ended

Jan. 2009 July

2008

Aug.

2008

Sep.

2008

Oct.

2008

Nov.

2008

Dec.

2008

Jan.

2009

All items ................................. 0.8 0.0 0.0 -1.0 -2.1 -1.0 0.3 -10.5 -0.5 

Food and beverages ........... .9 .6 .5 .4 .2 .1 .0 1.2 5.3 

Housing ............................... .6 .0 -.1 .0 .0 .0 .0 .1 2.6 

Apparel ................................ .8 .6 .0 -1.0 .0 -.6 .6 .3 -.8 

Transportation ..................... 1.5 -1.1 -.1 -5.3 -10.9 -5.6 1.5 -46.8 -14.5 

Medical care ........................ .1 .3 .3 .1 .2 .3 .4 3.8 2.6 

Recreation ........................... .3 .4 .2 .1 .0 -.1 .0 -.5 1.5 

Education and

communication .............. .5 .2 .0 .2 .2 .3 .2 2.8 3.3 

Other goods and services ... .5 .2 .2 .3 .1 .1 .4 2.5 3.9 

Special indexes:

Energy ................................. 3.5 -2.0 -.8 -8.2 -17.8 -9.7 1.9 -67.3 -21.7 

Food .................................... .9 .6 .5 .4 .2 .1 .0 1.0 5.4 

All items less food and

energy ........................... .3 .2 .1 .0 .1 .0 .2 1.2 1.7 

Consumer Price Index data for February are scheduled for release on Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at 

8:30 A.M. (EDT). 
Revised seasonally adjusted changes

Over-the-month percent changes in the U.S. City Average Consumer Price Index for All Urban 

Consumers (CPI-U) for All Items and for All Items less food and energy, seasonally adjusted, using former and 

recalculated seasonal factors for 2008. 

All Items 

2008 Former Recalculated Difference 

 

January .4 .4 .0 

February .0 .2 .2 

March .3 .4 .1 

April .2 .2 .0 

May .6 .5 -.1 

June 1.1 .9 -.2 

July .8 .7 -.1 

August -.1 .0 .1 

September 0 .0 .0 

October -1.0 -.8 .2 

November -1.7 -1.7 .0 

December -.7 -.8 -.1 

All Items less food and energy 

2008 Former Recalculated Difference 

 

January .3 .3 .0 

February .0 .1 .1 

March .2 .2 .0 

April .1 .1 .0 

May .2 .2 .0 

June .3 .3 .0 

July .3 .3 .0 

August .2 .2 .0 

September .1 .1 .0 

October -.1 .0 .1 

November .0 .1 .1 

December .0 .0 .0 

C-CPI-U Index Revisions 

In accordance with the previously-announced schedule, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is revising the 

2007 and 2008 values of the Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U), effective 

with the release of January 2009 data. 

The C-CPI-U was introduced with release of July data on August 16, 2002. The index in its final form 

employs a Tornqvist formula and utilizes expenditure data in adjacent time periods in order to reflect the effect 
of any substitution that consumers make across item categories in response to changes in relative prices. The 

C-CPI-U was designed to be a closer approximation to a “cost-of-living” index than the CPI-U and CPI-W. 

The use of expenditure data for both a base period and a current period distinguishes the C-CPI-U from the 

other CPI measures, which use only a single expenditure base period to compute price change over time. 

Because the current expenditure data required for the calculation of the C-CPI-U are available only with 

a time lag, the index is issued first in preliminary form, using the latest available expenditure data at the time of 

publication, and is subject to two subsequent revisions. The preliminary values for each month of the preceding 

two years are revised annually with release of the January index. Expenditure data for the year 2007 are now 

available, and the C-CPI-U indexes for that year are now in final form. The initial indexes for 2008 are now 

revised interim indexes. The C-CPI-U U.S. All Items index values for 2007 and 2008 as originally published 

and revised are shown below. 

For more information on the C-CPI-U, write to: 

Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes 

2 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Room 3130 

Washington, DC 20212 

Or contact Rob Cage either by telephone at (202) 691-6959 or by electronic mail at Cage.Rob@bls.gov

U.S. City Average C-CPI-U All Items 

2007 Interim Final

January 117.310 117.330

February 117.897 117.877

March 118.978 118.913

April 119.712 119.666

May 120.290 120.292

June 120.478 120.439

July 120.384 120.377

August 120.198 120.288

September 120.538 120.638

October 120.823 120.885

November 121.443 121.481

December 121.322 121.295

Annual average 119.948 119.957

2008 Initial Interim

January 121.895 121.868

February 122.251 122.224

March 123.204 123.177

April 123.845 123.817

May 124.645 124.617

June 125.582 125.554

July 126.116 126.088

August 125.843 125.815

September 125.774 125.746

October 124.784 124.757

November 122.284 122.257

December 120.661 120.634

Annual average n.a. 123.880
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 2004 through December 2008 

were replaced in January 2009. 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: 

47 of the 73 components are seasonally adjusted for 2009. 

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 2009, BLS adjusted 29 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

2008

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Jan. 2009 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

Dec.

2008

Jan.

2009

Jan.

2008

Dec.

2008

Oct. to

Nov.

Nov. to

Dec.

Dec. to

Jan.

Expenditure category

All items ........................................................................................ 100.000 210.228 211.143 0.0 0.4 -1.7 -0.8 0.3 

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

 629.751 632.491 - - - - -

Food and beverages .................................................................. 15.757 218.839 219.729 5.2 .4 .2 .1 .1 

Food ......................................................................................... 14.629 218.805 219.675 5.3 .4 .2 .0 .1 

Food at home ......................................................................... 8.156 218.683 219.744 5.7 .5 .1 -.2 -.1 

Cereals and bakery products ............................................... 1.150 253.063 254.445 11.3 .5 .4 .5 .0 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .............................................. 1.898 208.890 208.616 4.3 -.1 -.5 -.2 -.1 

Dairy and related products 1 ................................................ .910 210.838 209.632 1.3 -.6 .2 -1.1 -.6 

Fruits and vegetables ........................................................... 1.194 281.706 282.601 1.3 .3 -.7 -1.6 -1.3 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ................ .982 162.750 164.882 4.4 1.3 .2 .1 -.1 

Other food at home .............................................................. 2.022 190.203 192.492 9.3 1.2 .7 .7 .6 

Sugar and sweets .............................................................. .300 193.312 197.429 9.6 2.1 .6 .9 1.5 

Fats and oils ....................................................................... .241 206.710 206.886 13.8 .1 .2 1.0 -1.9 

Other foods ........................................................................ 1.481 203.902 206.343 8.6 1.2 .8 .6 .8 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ......................................... .433 123.791 124.012 7.7 .2 .7 .2 .2 

Food away from home 1 ......................................................... 6.474 220.684 221.319 4.9 .3 .3 .3 .3 

Other food away from home 1 2 ........................................... .314 154.062 153.402 4.6 -.4 .3 .1 -.4 

Alcoholic beverages ................................................................. 1.127 217.975 219.113 4.1 .5 .5 .5 .2 

Housing ...................................................................................... 43.421 216.073 216.928 2.2 .4 -.1 .0 .0 

Shelter ...................................................................................... 33.200 247.085 248.292 1.8 .5 .2 .0 .2 

Rent of primary residence 3 ................................................... 5.957 247.278 247.974 3.4 .3 .3 .2 .3 

Lodging away from home 2 .................................................... 2.478 129.157 133.559 -4.7 3.4 -.8 -.6 -1.1 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 .................. 24.433 254.875 255.500 2.2 .2 .2 .1 .3 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ................................... .333 120.019 120.402 2.5 .3 .3 -.2 .3 

Fuels and utilities ..................................................................... 5.431 215.184 215.232 5.1 .0 -1.5 -.4 -.7 

Household energy .................................................................. 4.460 194.335 194.149 4.9 -.1 -1.8 -.5 -.9 

Fuel oil and other fuels ......................................................... .301 256.209 247.163 -19.5 -3.5 -11.1 -8.4 -2.7 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ................................................. 4.159 199.487 199.791 7.1 .2 -1.0 .1 -.8 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ................... .971 156.390 157.275 6.1 .6 .4 .3 .2 

Household furnishings and operations ..................................... 4.790 128.535 128.761 1.8 .2 -.1 .1 -.1 

Household operations 1 2 ....................................................... .781 150.689 150.438 5.3 -.2 .0 .5 -.2 

Apparel ....................................................................................... 3.691 117.078 114.764 -.9 -2.0 .1 -.6 .3 

Men’s and boys’ apparel .......................................................... .923 110.767 110.797 .1 .0 -.5 -.5 1.6 

Women’s and girls’ apparel ...................................................... 1.541 105.456 100.638 -3.6 -4.6 .2 -1.0 .2 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel ................................................... .183 112.568 112.321 -1.4 -.2 .3 -.3 .5 

Footwear .................................................................................. .688 124.093 122.363 1.0 -1.4 .8 -.4 -.2 

Transportation ............................................................................ 15.314 164.628 166.738 -12.6 1.3 -9.7 -5.0 1.3 

Private transportation ............................................................... 14.189 159.411 161.788 -13.5 1.5 -10.2 -5.2 1.5 

New and used motor vehicles 2 ............................................. 6.931 91.408 91.831 -3.2 .5 -.6 -.3 .2 

New vehicles ........................................................................ 4.480 132.308 133.273 -2.6 .7 -.4 -.3 .3 

Used cars and trucks ........................................................... 1.628 125.883 124.863 -9.0 -.8 -1.4 -.7 -.8 

Motor fuel ............................................................................... 3.164 149.132 156.604 -39.9 5.0 -28.9 -18.8 5.3 

Gasoline (all types) .............................................................. 2.964 146.102 154.488 -40.4 5.7 -29.3 -19.3 6.0 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ..................................... .382 133.077 133.414 7.3 .3 .8 .1 .3 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair 1 ................................ 1.188 239.356 241.076 5.9 .7 .3 .1 .7 

Public transportation ................................................................ 1.125 237.638 234.394 .0 -1.4 -2.3 -1.4 -1.8 

Medical care ............................................................................... 6.390 367.133 369.830 2.6 .7 .2 .3 .4 

Medical care commodities ........................................................ 1.625 298.361 299.998 1.6 .5 .5 .4 .4 

Medical care services ............................................................... 4.765 388.267 391.365 3.0 .8 .2 .2 .5 

Professional services ............................................................. 2.702 313.886 315.603 3.0 .5 .3 .2 .3 

Hospital and related services 3 .............................................. 1.545 543.585 551.305 5.3 1.4 .1 .5 .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

2008

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Jan. 2009 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

Dec.

2008

Jan.

2009

Jan.

2008

Dec.

2008

Oct. to

Nov.

Nov. to

Dec.

Dec. to

Jan.

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ............................................................................... 5.741 113.674 113.822 1.6 0.1 0.0 -0.2 0.0 

Video and audio 2 .................................................................... 1.822 101.629 101.347 -1.6 -.3 -.1 .1 -.5 

Education and communication 2 ................................................ 6.301 125.921 126.151 3.6 .2 .2 .3 .3 

Education 2 .............................................................................. 3.107 186.916 187.175 5.5 .1 .4 .5 .3 

Educational books and supplies ............................................. .221 464.544 468.432 7.0 .8 .4 .5 .3 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare ................................ 2.886 538.309 538.765 5.4 .1 .4 .5 .3 

Communication 2 ..................................................................... 3.194 84.737 84.928 1.8 .2 .1 .2 .2 

Information and information processing 1 2 ............................ 3.022 81.886 82.030 1.7 .2 .1 .2 .2 

Telephone services 1 2 ......................................................... 2.408 101.688 101.880 3.0 .2 .1 .1 .2 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 ............. .614 9.906 9.919 -3.0 .1 -.1 .4 .1 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 6 ............ .214 88.529 88.522 -12.4 .0 -1.1 -.5 .0 

Other goods and services .......................................................... 3.386 349.220 350.259 3.3 .3 .0 .0 .3 

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ............................................ .776 602.644 607.403 6.1 .8 .0 .5 .8 

Personal care ........................................................................... 2.610 202.774 203.080 2.5 .2 .0 -.1 .1 

Personal care products 1 ....................................................... .651 161.397 162.588 2.8 .7 .7 .2 .7 

Personal care services 1 ........................................................ .647 226.281 225.734 2.6 -.2 .3 .0 -.2 

Miscellaneous personal services ........................................... 1.074 339.698 340.608 2.5 .3 -.5 .0 .0 

Commodity and service group

Commodities ................................................................................ 39.556 163.582 164.360 -4.0 .5 -4.1 -2.1 .5 

Food and beverages .................................................................. 15.757 218.839 219.729 5.2 .4 .2 .1 .1 

Commodities less food and beverages ...................................... 23.799 135.720 136.427 -9.2 .5 -6.7 -3.5 .8 

Nondurables less food and beverages ..................................... 13.289 161.681 162.938 -13.6 .8 -9.6 -5.8 1.7 

Apparel ................................................................................... 3.691 117.078 114.764 -.9 -2.0 .1 -.6 .3 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................... 9.598 192.948 196.490 -17.6 1.8 -12.8 -7.5 2.3 

Durables ................................................................................... 10.510 108.811 109.025 -2.9 .2 -.5 -.4 -.1 

Services ....................................................................................... 60.444 256.731 257.780 2.8 .4 .0 .1 .1 

Rent of shelter 4 ......................................................................... 32.867 257.567 258.830 1.8 .5 .2 .1 .2 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ....................................... .333 120.019 120.402 2.5 .3 .3 -.2 .3 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ....................................................... 4.159 199.487 199.791 7.1 .2 -1.0 .1 -.8 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ....................... .971 156.390 157.275 6.1 .6 .4 .3 .2 

Household operations 1 2 ........................................................... .781 150.689 150.438 5.3 -.2 .0 .5 -.2 

Transportation services .............................................................. 5.567 246.287 247.006 4.1 .3 -.3 .0 .3 

Medical care services ................................................................. 4.765 388.267 391.365 3.0 .8 .2 .2 .5 

Other services ............................................................................ 11.002 300.067 300.614 3.3 .2 .2 .2 .1 

Special indexes

All items less food ........................................................................ 85.371 208.855 209.777 -.8 .4 -2.0 -.9 .3 

All items less shelter .................................................................... 66.800 198.127 198.936 -.8 .4 -2.5 -1.2 .3 

All items less medical care ........................................................... 93.610 202.442 203.281 -.1 .4 -1.8 -.9 .3

Commodities less food ................................................................. 24.926 138.536 139.258 -8.7 .5 -6.4 -3.3 .8 

Nondurables less food ................................................................. 14.416 165.032 166.282 -12.5 .8 -9.0 -5.3 1.6 

Nondurables less food and apparel ............................................. 10.726 194.403 197.704 -15.8 1.7 -11.8 -6.6 2.1 

Nondurables ................................................................................. 29.046 189.557 190.649 -4.4 .6 -4.8 -2.5 .8 

Services less rent of shelter 4 ...................................................... 27.577 275.370 276.227 4.1 .3 -.1 .3 .1 

Services less medical care services ............................................ 55.679 246.090 247.013 2.8 .4 .1 .1 .1 

Energy .......................................................................................... 7.624 171.158 174.622 -20.4 2.0 -16.9 -9.3 1.7 

All items less energy .................................................................... 92.376 215.930 216.586 2.2 .3 .1 .0 .2

All items less food and energy ................................................... 77.746 216.100 216.719 1.7 .3 .1 .0 .2 

Commodities less food and energy commodities ..................... 21.461 139.228 139.111 -.5 -.1 -.1 -.2 .1 

Energy commodities ............................................................... 3.465 155.745 162.395 -38.6 4.3 -27.8 -18.0 4.6 

Services less energy services .................................................. 56.285 262.636 263.759 2.5 .4 .1 .1 .2 

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

 $ .476 $ .474 - - - - -

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 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—

Oct.

2008

Nov.

2008

Dec.

2008

Jan.

2009

Apr.

2008

July

2008

Oct.

2008

Jan.

2009 July

2008

Jan.

2009

Expenditure category

All items .............................................................................. 216.889 213.263 211.577 212.174 2.9 8.9 -3.1 -8.4 5.8 -5.8 

Food and beverages ......................................................... 218.575 219.023 219.181 219.309 5.9 7.8 6.0 1.4 6.8 3.7 

Food ................................................................................ 218.586 218.988 219.082 219.193 6.1 8.1 6.1 1.1 7.1 3.6 

Food at home ................................................................ 219.387 219.515 219.179 218.879 7.9 9.6 6.6 -.9 8.7 2.8 

Cereals and bakery products ...................................... 253.228 254.287 255.655 255.719 17.8 15.7 8.1 4.0 16.8 6.0 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..................................... 210.251 209.204 208.726 208.536 3.3 7.4 10.3 -3.2 5.4 3.3 

Dairy and related products 1 ....................................... 212.733 213.102 210.838 209.632 1.5 12.7 -2.3 -5.7 7.0 -4.0 

Fruits and vegetables .................................................. 284.228 282.374 277.783 274.270 5.5 16.6 -1.1 -13.3 10.9 -7.4 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ....... 163.478 163.799 164.038 163.804 8.1 -.6 9.8 .8 3.7 5.2 

Other food at home ..................................................... 189.255 190.551 191.809 192.914 11.4 8.1 9.9 8.0 9.7 8.9

Sugar and sweets ..................................................... 191.279 192.364 194.164 197.086 9.6 4.7 11.4 12.7 7.1 12.1

Fats and oils .............................................................. 207.469 207.855 209.848 205.904 25.1 20.8 14.4 -3.0 22.9 5.4 

Other foods ............................................................... 202.826 204.429 205.566 207.193 9.8 6.8 8.8 8.9 8.3 8.9 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ................................ 122.699 123.543 123.791 124.012 12.1 7.0 7.5 4.3 9.5 5.9 

Food away from home 1 ............................................... 219.290 220.043 220.684 221.319 3.9 6.3 5.5 3.8 5.1 4.6 

Other food away from home 1 2 .................................. 153.544 153.978 154.062 153.402 5.6 6.8 6.6 -.4 6.2 3.0 

Alcoholic beverages ........................................................ 217.130 218.167 219.154 219.504 3.9 2.9 5.3 4.4 3.4 4.9 

Housing ............................................................................. 217.788 217.622 217.592 217.646 3.6 6.0 -.4 -.3 4.8 -.3 

Shelter ............................................................................. 248.063 248.455 248.519 248.938 1.4 2.6 1.6 1.4 2.0 1.5 

Rent of primary residence 3 .......................................... 245.836 246.480 246.928 247.744 3.1 3.6 3.6 3.1 3.4 3.4 

Lodging away from home 2 ........................................... 142.649 141.484 140.600 139.122 -9.6 6.0 -5.1 -9.5 -2.1 -7.3 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 ......... 253.911 254.522 254.683 255.349 2.4 2.1 1.9 2.3 2.2 2.1 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ......................... 119.916 120.232 120.019 120.402 3.4 1.2 3.9 1.6 2.3 2.8 

Fuels and utilities ............................................................ 223.185 219.934 219.092 217.515 19.8 31.3 -14.1 -9.8 25.4 -12.0 

Household energy ......................................................... 203.339 199.606 198.564 196.727 23.3 36.8 -18.2 -12.4 29.9 -15.3 

Fuel oil and other fuels ................................................ 323.363 287.529 263.242 256.210 33.0 56.4 -48.7 -60.6 44.2 -55.0 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ....................................... 205.620 203.527 203.746 202.120 22.5 35.0 -14.5 -6.6 28.6 -10.6 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 .......... 155.635 156.219 156.646 157.027 4.4 6.7 9.7 3.6 5.5 6.6 

Household furnishings and operations ............................ 128.839 128.735 128.910 128.759 1.9 2.4 3.1 -.2 2.2 1.4 

Household operations 1 2 ............................................. 150.052 149.998 150.689 150.438 8.5 7.1 4.8 1.0 7.8 2.9 

Apparel .............................................................................. 118.802 118.905 118.221 118.523 -3.9 3.6 -2.4 -.9 -.2 -1.7 

Men’s and boys’ apparel ................................................. 112.572 112.064 111.478 113.210 1.5 -1.3 -2.1 2.3 .1 .1

Women’s and girls’ apparel ............................................. 107.100 107.286 106.214 106.470 -14.6 6.9 -3.0 -2.3 -4.5 -2.7 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel .......................................... 113.528 113.858 113.474 114.014 -4.3 -4.6 2.0 1.7 -4.5 1.9 

Footwear ......................................................................... 124.076 125.046 124.534 124.325 3.7 5.0 -5.2 .8 4.4 -2.3 

Transportation ................................................................... 195.027 176.111 167.353 169.489 .4 25.3 -21.3 -43.0 12.2 -33.0 

Private transportation ...................................................... 190.377 170.921 161.950 164.414 -.2 25.0 -21.9 -44.4 11.7 -34.1 

New and used motor vehicles 2 .................................... 92.162 91.614 91.321 91.534 -2.3 -1.2 -6.5 -2.7 -1.7 -4.6 

New vehicles ............................................................... 132.754 132.190 131.766 132.132 -2.2 .8 -6.9 -1.9 -.7 -4.4 

Used cars and trucks .................................................. 129.506 127.738 126.872 125.893 -3.1 -7.7 -14.1 -10.7 -5.4 -12.4 

Motor fuel ...................................................................... 278.245 197.861 160.675 169.176 -.4 80.2 -46.8 -86.3 34.0 -73.0 

Gasoline (all types) ..................................................... 276.131 195.185 157.460 166.839 -2.0 79.9 -46.4 -86.7 32.8 -73.3 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ............................ 131.917 132.947 133.077 133.414 5.8 10.1 9.0 4.6 7.9 6.8 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair 1 ....................... 238.227 239.048 239.356 241.076 5.0 7.6 6.0 4.9 6.3 5.4 

Public transportation ....................................................... 252.717 246.856 243.444 239.071 10.1 30.1 -12.8 -19.9 19.7 -16.4 

Medical care ...................................................................... 366.402 367.299 368.302 369.914 2.0 2.0 2.6 3.9 2.0 3.2 

Medical care commodities .............................................. 296.175 297.631 298.814 299.887 1.5 -1.9 1.7 5.1 -.2 3.4 

Medical care services ..................................................... 388.199 388.825 389.723 391.533 2.1 3.3 2.9 3.5 2.7 3.2 

Professional services .................................................... 313.580 314.450 315.052 316.115 1.6 4.5 2.5 3.3 3.0 2.9 

Hospital and related services 3 ..................................... 542.353 543.141 545.921 550.035 4.8 4.9 5.9 5.8 4.9 5.8 

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—

Oct.

2008

Nov.

2008

Dec.

2008

Jan.

2009

Apr.

2008

July

2008

Oct.

2008

Jan.

2009 July

2008

Jan.

2009

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ...................................................................... 114.168 114.196 114.002 114.022 1.3 2.3 3.2 -0.5 1.8 1.3 

Video and audio 2 ........................................................... 102.207 102.128 102.189 101.677 -1.6 -2.2 -.5 -2.1 -1.9 -1.3 

Education and communication 2 ....................................... 124.882 125.166 125.567 125.900 3.4 5.6 2.1 3.3 4.5 2.7 

Education 2 ..................................................................... 184.250 184.945 185.829 186.426 5.7 5.5 5.9 4.8 5.6 5.4 

Educational books and supplies ................................... 461.222 462.974 465.315 466.752 5.7 5.7 11.8 4.9 5.7 8.3 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare ...................... 530.337 532.337 534.870 536.592 5.7 5.5 5.5 4.8 5.6 5.1 

Communication 2 ............................................................ 84.534 84.604 84.746 84.926 1.3 5.7 -1.4 1.9 3.5 .2 

Information and information processing 1 2 .................. 81.652 81.723 81.886 82.030 1.4 5.3 -1.5 1.9 3.3 .2 

Telephone services 1 2 ............................................... 101.407 101.538 101.688 101.880 2.4 7.6 .3 1.9 5.0 1.1 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 .... 9.874 9.867 9.906 9.919 -2.3 -3.2 -8.2 1.8 -2.8 -3.3 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 6 ... 89.945 88.984 88.529 88.522 -8.2 -15.7 -18.7 -6.2 -12.1 -12.6 

Other goods and services ................................................. 349.261 349.385 349.529 350.529 4.2 4.9 2.6 1.5 4.6 2.0 

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ................................... 599.744 599.820 602.644 607.403 2.6 14.9 2.0 5.2 8.6 3.6 

Personal care .................................................................. 203.095 203.181 203.007 203.284 4.7 2.2 2.8 .4 3.4 1.6 

Personal care products 1 .............................................. 159.826 161.000 161.397 162.588 3.1 -1.0 2.1 7.1 1.0 4.6 

Personal care services 1 ............................................... 225.564 226.197 226.281 225.734 5.3 1.7 3.3 .3 3.5 1.8 

Miscellaneous personal services .................................. 343.049 341.188 341.063 341.123 5.4 4.1 3.1 -2.2 4.7 .4 

Commodity and service group

Commodities ....................................................................... 175.699 168.455 164.891 165.772 1.9 13.2 -8.5 -20.8 7.4 -14.9 

Food and beverages ......................................................... 218.575 219.023 219.181 219.309 5.9 7.8 6.0 1.4 6.8 3.7 

Commodities less food and beverages ............................. 152.538 142.365 137.385 138.547 -.2 16.4 -15.9 -31.9 7.7 -24.4 

Nondurables less food and beverages ........................... 194.197 175.495 165.287 168.119 2.8 34.9 -28.6 -43.8 17.8 -36.7 

Apparel .......................................................................... 118.802 118.905 118.221 118.523 -3.9 3.6 -2.4 -.9 -.2 -1.7 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .......... 245.600 214.232 198.177 202.707 5.6 42.5 -33.9 -53.6 22.6 -44.6 

Durables .......................................................................... 109.872 109.345 108.961 108.857 -2.3 -.7 -5.0 -3.6 -1.5 -4.3 

Services .............................................................................. 257.741 257.841 258.073 258.406 3.6 5.9 .9 1.0 4.7 1.0 

Rent of shelter 4 ................................................................ 258.625 259.074 259.268 259.773 1.1 2.6 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.8 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ............................. 119.916 120.232 120.019 120.402 3.4 1.2 3.9 1.6 2.3 2.8 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ............................................. 205.620 203.527 203.746 202.120 22.5 35.0 -14.5 -6.6 28.6 -10.6 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 .............. 155.635 156.219 156.646 157.027 4.4 6.7 9.7 3.6 5.5 6.6 

Household operations 1 2 ................................................. 150.052 149.998 150.689 150.438 8.5 7.1 4.8 1.0 7.8 2.9 

Transportation services ..................................................... 247.582 246.922 246.912 247.648 4.5 9.8 2.0 .1 7.1 1.1 

Medical care services ....................................................... 388.199 388.825 389.723 391.533 2.1 3.3 2.9 3.5 2.7 3.2 

Other services ................................................................... 298.927 299.430 300.093 300.534 3.5 4.8 2.9 2.2 4.1 2.5 

Special indexes

All items less food ............................................................... 216.642 212.356 210.379 211.055 2.4 9.0 -4.5 -9.9 5.6 -7.3 

All items less shelter ........................................................... 207.134 201.862 199.458 200.133 3.5 12.0 -5.3 -12.8 7.7 -9.1 

All items less medical care .................................................. 209.321 205.557 203.785 204.338 2.9 9.4 -3.5 -9.2 6.1 -6.4 

Commodities less food ........................................................ 154.902 145.017 140.192 141.335 -.1 15.8 -15.2 -30.7 7.6 -23.3 

Nondurables less food ........................................................ 195.575 177.942 168.525 171.218 2.9 32.7 -26.9 -41.3 16.9 -34.5 

Nondurables less food and apparel .................................... 241.852 213.399 199.276 203.422 5.7 39.0 -31.4 -50.0 21.2 -41.4 

Nondurables ........................................................................ 206.802 196.837 191.854 193.462 5.5 19.6 -13.5 -23.4 12.4 -18.6 

Services less rent of shelter 4 ............................................. 276.353 276.182 276.902 277.056 6.1 9.4 .2 1.0 7.7 .6 

Services less medical care services ................................... 247.137 247.277 247.630 247.839 3.5 5.8 1.0 1.1 4.7 1.0 

Energy ................................................................................. 237.300 197.086 178.835 181.938 9.1 60.3 -36.0 -65.4 32.3 -53.0 

All items less energy ........................................................... 216.449 216.604 216.630 216.970 2.2 3.9 1.9 1.0 3.0 1.4 

All items less food and energy .......................................... 216.758 216.868 216.882 217.265 1.5 3.1 1.1 .9 2.3 1.0 

Commodities less food and energy commodities ........... 140.050 139.870 139.578 139.745 -.7 1.1 -1.7 -.9 .2 -1.3 

Energy commodities ..................................................... 282.428 203.872 167.125 174.862 1.4 78.6 -46.9 -85.3 34.6 -72.1 

Services less energy services ......................................... 263.149 263.463 263.696 264.221 2.3 3.9 2.2 1.6 3.1 1.9 

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

Jan.2009 from—

Percent change to

Dec.2008 from—

Oct.

2008

Nov.

2008

Dec.

2008

Jan.

2009

Jan.

2008

Nov.

2008

Dec.

2008

Dec.

2007

Oct.

2008

Nov.

2008

U.S. city average ............................................ M 216.573 212.425 210.228 211.143 0.0 -0.6 0.4 0.1 -2.9 -1.0 

Region and area size2

Northeast urban .............................................. M 230.837 227.236 225.091 225.436 .5 -.8 .2 .7 -2.5 -.9 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 233.165 229.625 227.681 227.852 .7 -.8 .1 .9 -2.4 -.8 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 136.730 134.445 132.830 133.308 .0 -.8 .4 .4 -2.9 -1.2 

Midwest urban ................................................ M 206.019 201.737 199.582 200.815 -.3 -.5 .6 -.3 -3.1 -1.1 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 207.049 202.922 200.465 202.001 -.4 -.5 .8 -.5 -3.2 -1.2 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 131.946 129.018 128.018 128.636 -.1 -.3 .5 .0 -3.0 -.8 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 202.086 197.883 195.383 195.843 -.4 -1.0 .2 -.2 -3.3 -1.3 

South urban .................................................... M 210.108 205.559 203.501 204.288 -.1 -.6 .4 .0 -3.1 -1.0 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 212.617 208.644 206.414 207.035 -.1 -.8 .3 .2 -2.9 -1.1 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 133.285 130.324 129.099 129.615 -.2 -.5 .4 -.2 -3.1 -.9 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 213.103 206.659 204.428 205.766 .6 -.4 .7 .8 -4.1 -1.1 

West urban ..................................................... M 221.034 217.113 214.685 215.923 .1 -.5 .6 .0 -2.9 -1.1 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 224.967 220.925 218.698 219.806 .4 -.5 .5 .3 -2.8 -1.0 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 133.795 131.440 129.725 130.682 -.5 -.6 .7 -.6 -3.0 -1.3 

Size classes

A 4 .............................................................. M 198.148 194.628 192.646 193.412 .2 -.6 .4 .3 -2.8 -1.0 

B/C 3 ........................................................... M 133.587 130.857 129.519 130.135 -.2 -.6 .5 -.2 -3.0 -1.0 

D ................................................................. M 209.755 204.856 202.359 203.409 .1 -.7 .5 .0 -3.5 -1.2 

Selected local areas5

Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI ................... M 213.363 209.053 205.959 207.616 -.5 -.7 .8 -.6 -3.5 -1.5 

Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ... M 226.159 222.229 219.620 220.719 -.1 -.7 .5 .1 -2.9 -1.2 

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

NY-NJ-CT-PA ......................................... M 238.403 234.498 233.012 233.402 1.5 -.5 .2 1.6 -2.3 -.6 

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

 232.354 - 230.806 -.5 -.7 - - - -

Cleveland-Akron, OH ...................................... 1 - 198.187 - 198.232 -.7 .0 - - - -

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

 200.051 - 198.623 .8 -.7 - - - -

Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV 6 ...... 1 - 138.547 - 137.598 1.0 -.7 - - - -

Atlanta, GA ..................................................... 2 206.388 -

 196.961 - - - - -2.9 -4.6 -

Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI .............................. 2 205.238 -

 197.991 - - - - -1.1 -3.5 -

Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .................... 2 191.140 - 185.930 - - - - -.2 -2.7 -

Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ............................. 2 223.699 -

 218.324 - - - - .5 -2.4 -

Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,

PA-NJ-DE-MD ........................................ 2 225.113 -

 218.186 - - - - -.4 -3.1 -

San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA ........... 2 225.824 -

 218.528 - - - - .0 -3.2 -

Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA .................... 2 225.915 - 222.580 - - - - 1.7 -1.5 -

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

2008

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Jan. 2009 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

Dec.

2008

Jan.

2009

Jan.

2008

Dec.

2008

Oct. to

Nov.

Nov. to

Dec.

Dec. to

Jan.

Expenditure category

All items ........................................................................................ 100.000 204.813 205.700 -0.5 0.4 -2.1 -1.0 0.3 

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

 610.075 612.719 - - - - -

Food and beverages .................................................................. 16.942 218.269 219.123 5.3 .4 .2 .1 .0 

Food ......................................................................................... 15.865 218.155 218.998 5.4 .4 .2 .1 .0 

Food at home ......................................................................... 9.201 217.498 218.485 5.6 .5 .0 -.1 -.2 

Cereals and bakery products ............................................... 1.249 253.759 255.055 11.3 .5 .4 .5 .0 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .............................................. 2.315 208.639 208.161 4.2 -.2 -.5 -.2 -.2 

Dairy and related products 1 ................................................ .992 209.922 208.530 .9 -.7 .2 -1.1 -.7 

Fruits and vegetables ........................................................... 1.266 278.835 279.906 1.5 .4 -.9 -1.6 -1.3 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ................ 1.167 162.280 164.514 4.7 1.4 .2 .1 -.2 

Other food at home .............................................................. 2.212 189.527 191.782 9.2 1.2 .7 .6 .6 

Sugar and sweets .............................................................. .304 192.120 195.867 9.5 2.0 .7 .9 1.2 

Fats and oils ....................................................................... .274 207.439 207.400 13.8 .0 .3 .8 -2.0 

Other foods ........................................................................ 1.634 203.937 206.490 8.5 1.3 .7 .5 .9 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ......................................... .472 124.144 124.477 7.6 .3 .7 .2 .3 

Food away from home 1 ......................................................... 6.664 220.847 221.497 5.1 .3 .4 .3 .3 

Other food away from home 1 2 ........................................... .233 153.646 153.397 5.3 -.2 .4 .1 -.2 

Alcoholic beverages ................................................................. 1.077 218.445 219.458 4.3 .5 .5 .5 .1 

Housing ...................................................................................... 41.313 212.452 213.078 2.6 .3 .0 .0 .0 

Shelter ...................................................................................... 31.224 240.752 241.651 2.2 .4 .2 .1 .2 

Rent of primary residence 3 ................................................... 8.279 246.026 246.696 3.2 .3 .2 .2 .3 

Lodging away from home 2 .................................................... 1.209 129.982 134.235 -4.0 3.3 -.5 -.5 -1.1 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 .................. 21.430 230.926 231.503 2.1 .2 .3 .1 .3 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ................................... .306 120.360 120.715 2.5 .3 .3 -.2 .3 

Fuels and utilities ..................................................................... 6.030 213.861 213.882 5.5 .0 -1.3 -.3 -.8 

Household energy .................................................................. 4.996 192.050 191.852 5.4 -.1 -1.7 -.4 -1.0 

Fuel oil and other fuels ......................................................... .283 260.185 251.976 -17.7 -3.2 -10.2 -7.8 -2.1 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ................................................. 4.713 197.545 197.703 7.1 .1 -1.0 .1 -1.0 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ................... 1.035 156.864 157.733 6.2 .6 .4 .2 .2 

Household furnishings and operations ..................................... 4.059 124.314 124.454 1.7 .1 -.1 .0 -.1 

Household operations 1 2 ....................................................... .360 152.814 152.273 4.7 -.4 -.2 .4 -.4 

Apparel ....................................................................................... 3.979 117.006 114.969 -.8 -1.7 .0 -.6 .6 

Men’s and boys’ apparel .......................................................... 1.024 111.232 111.879 .3 .6 -.6 -.5 2.0 

Women’s and girls’ apparel ...................................................... 1.568 105.413 100.751 -3.5 -4.4 .1 -1.1 .6 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel ................................................... .249 115.003 114.775 -1.3 -.2 .4 -.5 .5 

Footwear .................................................................................. .840 124.152 122.753 1.3 -1.1 .6 -.2 .0 

Transportation ............................................................................ 17.067 160.914 163.215 -14.5 1.4 -10.9 -5.6 1.5 

Private transportation ............................................................... 16.284 157.272 159.719 -15.1 1.6 -11.2 -5.8 1.6 

New and used motor vehicles 2 ............................................. 7.627 89.482 89.774 -4.3 .3 -.7 -.4 .1 

New vehicles ........................................................................ 4.057 133.317 134.490 -2.5 .9 -.4 -.3 .4 

Used cars and trucks ........................................................... 2.863 126.526 125.485 -9.1 -.8 -1.4 -.6 -.8 

Motor fuel ............................................................................... 4.029 149.650 157.265 -39.9 5.1 -29.0 -18.7 5.3 

Gasoline (all types) .............................................................. 3.770 146.644 155.204 -40.4 5.8 -29.5 -19.1 6.0 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ..................................... .482 133.295 133.645 7.4 .3 .8 .1 .3 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair 1 ................................ 1.242 241.855 243.594 5.8 .7 .3 .1 .7 

Public transportation ................................................................ .784 235.199 232.422 -.1 -1.2 -2.4 -1.4 -1.5 

Medical care ............................................................................... 5.355 367.301 370.001 2.6 .7 .2 .3 .4 

Medical care commodities ........................................................ 1.320 290.080 291.710 1.4 .6 .5 .4 .3 

Medical care services ............................................................... 4.035 389.744 392.831 3.0 .8 .1 .2 .5 

Professional services ............................................................. 2.234 316.435 318.110 2.9 .5 .3 .2 .3 

Hospital and related services 3 .............................................. 1.338 540.101 547.655 5.6 1.4 .1 .5 .8 

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

2008

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Jan. 2009 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

Dec.

2008

Jan.

2009

Jan.

2008

Dec.

2008

Oct. to

Nov.

Nov. to

Dec.

Dec. to

Jan.

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ............................................................................... 5.454 110.487 110.630 1.5 0.1 0.0 -0.1 0.0 

Video and audio 2 .................................................................... 1.982 101.810 101.488 -1.3 -.3 -.1 .1 -.5 

Education and communication 2 ................................................ 6.221 121.819 122.025 3.3 .2 .2 .3 .2 

Education 2 .............................................................................. 2.527 184.352 184.642 5.4 .2 .4 .5 .2 

Educational books and supplies ............................................. .219 467.179 471.061 6.8 .8 .3 .5 .2 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare ................................ 2.308 519.500 519.987 5.3 .1 .4 .5 .2 

Communication 2 ..................................................................... 3.694 87.444 87.599 1.9 .2 .1 .2 .2 

Information and information processing 1 2 ............................ 3.568 85.454 85.581 1.9 .1 .1 .2 .1 

Telephone services 1 2 ......................................................... 2.965 101.720 101.876 2.9 .2 .1 .2 .2 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 ............. .604 10.406 10.418 -3.0 .1 -.1 .4 .1 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 6 ............ .202 88.176 88.178 -12.8 .0 -1.2 -.5 .0 

Other goods and services .......................................................... 3.668 362.986 364.333 3.9 .4 .1 .1 .4 

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ............................................ 1.267 605.662 610.503 6.2 .8 .1 .5 .8 

Personal care ........................................................................... 2.401 200.918 201.209 2.7 .1 .1 .0 .1 

Personal care products 1 ....................................................... .662 161.295 162.683 2.9 .9 .7 .2 .9 

Personal care services 1 ........................................................ .580 226.578 225.951 2.6 -.3 .3 .1 -.3 

Miscellaneous personal services ........................................... .947 342.530 343.022 3.0 .1 -.3 .1 -.1 

Commodity and service group

Commodities ................................................................................ 42.689 164.233 165.151 -4.9 .6 -4.8 -2.4 .6 

Food and beverages .................................................................. 16.942 218.269 219.123 5.3 .4 .2 .1 .0 

Commodities less food and beverages ...................................... 25.747 137.015 137.932 -10.6 .7 -7.7 -4.0 1.1 

Nondurables less food and beverages ..................................... 14.587 164.879 166.694 -15.3 1.1 -11.2 -6.3 2.2 

Apparel ................................................................................... 3.979 117.006 114.969 -.8 -1.7 .0 -.6 .6 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................... 10.609 198.108 202.400 -19.6 2.2 -14.4 -8.3 2.8 

Durables ................................................................................... 11.160 108.576 108.689 -3.5 .1 -.6 -.4 -.1 

Services ....................................................................................... 57.311 252.176 253.033 3.1 .3 .1 .1 .1 

Rent of shelter 4 ......................................................................... 30.918 232.112 232.981 2.2 .4 .3 .1 .2 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ....................................... .306 120.360 120.715 2.5 .3 .3 -.2 .3 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ....................................................... 4.713 197.545 197.703 7.1 .1 -1.0 .1 -1.0 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ....................... 1.035 156.864 157.733 6.2 .6 .4 .2 .2 

Household operations 1 2 ........................................................... .360 152.814 152.273 4.7 -.4 -.2 .4 -.4 

Transportation services .............................................................. 5.512 245.881 246.931 4.2 .4 -.1 .1 .5 

Medical care services ................................................................. 4.035 389.744 392.831 3.0 .8 .1 .2 .5 

Other services ............................................................................ 10.432 288.227 288.627 3.2 .1 .2 .2 .1 

Special indexes

All items less food ........................................................................ 84.135 202.292 203.186 -1.5 .4 -2.5 -1.2 .4 

All items less shelter .................................................................... 68.776 193.918 194.811 -1.7 .5 -3.1 -1.4 .4 

All items less medical care ........................................................... 94.645 198.153 198.978 -.7 .4 -2.2 -1.0 .3 

Commodities less food ................................................................. 26.824 139.620 140.543 -10.1 .7 -7.4 -3.8 1.0 

Nondurables less food ................................................................. 15.664 167.933 169.708 -14.2 1.1 -10.6 -5.9 2.1 

Nondurables less food and apparel ............................................. 11.686 198.909 202.906 -17.9 2.0 -13.4 -7.5 2.6 

Nondurables ................................................................................. 31.530 190.910 192.284 -5.4 .7 -5.7 -2.9 1.1 

Services less rent of shelter 4 ...................................................... 26.392 243.646 244.376 4.2 .3 -.1 .3 .0 

Services less medical care services ............................................ 53.275 242.079 242.819 3.1 .3 .1 .2 .1 

Energy .......................................................................................... 9.024 168.726 172.463 -21.7 2.2 -17.8 -9.7 1.9 

All items less energy .................................................................... 90.976 210.168 210.707 2.3 .3 .1 .0 .2

All items less food and energy ................................................... 75.111 208.925 209.404 1.7 .2 .1 .0 .2 

Commodities less food and energy commodities ..................... 22.513 139.731 139.614 -.8 -.1 -.2 -.2 .2 

Energy commodities ............................................................... 4.311 154.744 161.781 -38.9 4.5 -28.2 -18.1 4.9 

Services less energy services .................................................. 52.598 258.039 258.976 2.7 .4 .2 .1 .2 

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

 $ .488 $ .486 - - - - -

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

 $ .164 $ .163 - - - - -

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—

Oct.

2008

Nov.

2008

Dec.

2008

Jan.

2009

Apr.

2008

July

2008

Oct.

2008

Jan.

2009 July

2008

Jan.

2009

Expenditure category

All items .............................................................................. 212.601 208.101 206.067 206.778 3.0 9.9 -4.1 -10.5 6.4 -7.4 

Food and beverages ......................................................... 218.043 218.475 218.667 218.714 5.8 8.1 6.3 1.2 7.0 3.8 

Food ................................................................................ 217.996 218.380 218.504 218.536 6.0 8.4 6.4 1.0 7.2 3.7 

Food at home ................................................................ 218.387 218.414 218.100 217.690 7.5 9.8 6.9 -1.3 8.7 2.7 

Cereals and bakery products ...................................... 254.038 255.122 256.440 256.432 17.8 15.8 8.4 3.8 16.8 6.1 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..................................... 209.896 208.861 208.532 208.092 2.8 7.6 10.7 -3.4 5.2 3.4 

Dairy and related products 1 ....................................... 211.808 212.184 209.922 208.530 .9 13.0 -3.3 -6.0 6.8 -4.7 

Fruits and vegetables .................................................. 282.679 280.199 275.625 272.072 5.8 18.2 -1.0 -14.2 11.9 -7.9 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ....... 163.051 163.379 163.589 163.227 8.4 -.6 11.0 .4 3.8 5.6 

Other food at home ..................................................... 188.700 189.935 191.118 192.226 11.0 8.4 9.8 7.7 9.7 8.8

Sugar and sweets ..................................................... 190.131 191.411 193.170 195.556 10.1 4.7 11.3 11.9 7.4 11.6 

Fats and oils .............................................................. 208.300 208.914 210.685 206.547 25.7 20.1 14.8 -3.3 22.8 5.4 

Other foods ............................................................... 202.985 204.430 205.514 207.338 9.0 7.3 8.7 8.9 8.1 8.8 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ................................ 123.026 123.837 124.144 124.477 11.1 7.8 6.8 4.8 9.5 5.8 

Food away from home 1 ............................................... 219.219 220.107 220.847 221.497 3.9 6.5 5.7 4.2 5.2 5.0 

Other food away from home 1 2 .................................. 152.910 153.464 153.646 153.397 4.8 8.1 7.3 1.3 6.4 4.3 

Alcoholic beverages ........................................................ 217.234 218.369 219.567 219.832 3.6 3.5 5.1 4.9 3.5 5.0 

Housing ............................................................................. 213.541 213.447 213.500 213.570 4.4 6.4 -.3 .1 5.4 -.1 

Shelter ............................................................................. 240.638 241.167 241.355 241.879 2.0 2.5 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.1 

Rent of primary residence 3 .......................................... 244.622 245.224 245.683 246.440 3.1 3.5 3.4 3.0 3.3 3.2 

Lodging away from home 2 ........................................... 142.375 141.612 140.971 139.451 -8.4 4.6 -3.8 -8.0 -2.1 -5.9 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 ......... 230.036 230.625 230.792 231.392 2.3 1.9 1.9 2.4 2.1 2.1 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ......................... 120.258 120.589 120.360 120.715 3.2 1.1 4.3 1.5 2.2 2.9 

Fuels and utilities ............................................................ 221.405 218.484 217.920 216.117 19.6 31.1 -12.8 -9.2 25.2 -11.0 

Household energy ......................................................... 200.433 197.108 196.397 194.348 22.8 36.4 -16.6 -11.6 29.4 -14.2 

Fuel oil and other fuels ................................................ 322.137 289.361 266.721 261.002 29.2 51.7 -45.6 -56.9 40.0 -51.6 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ....................................... 203.861 201.730 201.987 200.013 22.4 35.2 -13.9 -7.3 28.6 -10.7 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 .......... 156.056 156.679 157.070 157.447 4.4 6.4 10.4 3.6 5.4 7.0 

Household furnishings and operations ............................ 124.735 124.600 124.653 124.546 1.8 2.7 3.2 -.6 2.2 1.3 

Household operations 1 2 ............................................. 152.612 152.247 152.814 152.273 8.4 8.0 3.5 -.9 8.2 1.3 

Apparel .............................................................................. 118.586 118.644 117.923 118.677 -4.7 2.8 -1.6 .3 -1.0 -.6 

Men’s and boys’ apparel ................................................. 113.150 112.498 111.922 114.105 .7 -1.5 -1.2 3.4 -.4 1.1 

Women’s and girls’ apparel ............................................. 107.111 107.198 106.026 106.642 -15.6 5.4 -1.0 -1.7 -5.7 -1.4 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel .......................................... 115.841 116.261 115.672 116.306 -2.6 -4.9 .8 1.6 -3.8 1.2 

Footwear ......................................................................... 124.181 124.867 124.559 124.556 4.4 4.3 -4.4 1.2 4.4 -1.6 

Transportation ................................................................... 194.765 173.617 163.954 166.362 .2 26.5 -23.4 -46.8 12.6 -36.2 

Private transportation ...................................................... 191.488 170.016 160.223 162.806 -.1 26.3 -23.8 -47.7 12.3 -36.9 

New and used motor vehicles 2 .................................... 90.578 89.915 89.570 89.682 -2.3 -2.7 -8.3 -3.9 -2.5 -6.1 

New vehicles ............................................................... 133.797 133.231 132.783 133.378 -1.8 .5 -7.2 -1.2 -.7 -4.3 

Used cars and trucks .................................................. 130.207 128.402 127.590 126.534 -3.2 -7.8 -14.2 -10.8 -5.6 -12.5 

Motor fuel ...................................................................... 279.523 198.375 161.274 169.900 .1 79.4 -46.6 -86.4 34.0 -73.0 

Gasoline (all types) ..................................................... 277.297 195.487 158.198 167.678 -1.7 79.4 -46.5 -86.6 32.8 -73.3 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ............................ 132.088 133.125 133.295 133.645 5.3 9.7 9.9 4.8 7.5 7.3 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair 1 ....................... 240.688 241.509 241.855 243.594 4.8 7.7 5.8 4.9 6.2 5.4 

Public transportation ....................................................... 249.564 243.594 240.296 236.685 8.9 31.6 -14.1 -19.1 19.7 -16.6 

Medical care ...................................................................... 366.655 367.450 368.451 370.068 1.7 2.0 2.8 3.8 1.9 3.3 

Medical care commodities .............................................. 288.112 289.453 290.504 291.485 .9 -1.9 1.9 4.8 -.5 3.3 

Medical care services ..................................................... 389.700 390.230 391.178 393.024 2.0 3.3 3.2 3.5 2.6 3.3 

Professional services .................................................... 316.078 316.894 317.551 318.623 1.5 4.2 2.6 3.3 2.8 3.0 

Hospital and related services 3 ..................................... 538.729 539.315 541.934 546.425 5.4 5.2 5.9 5.8 5.3 5.8 

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—

Oct.

2008

Nov.

2008

Dec.

2008

Jan.

2009

Apr.

2008

July

2008

Oct.

2008

Jan.

2009 July

2008

Jan.

2009

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ...................................................................... 110.941 110.939 110.795 110.813 1.3 2.3 2.7 -0.5 1.8 1.1 

Video and audio 2 ........................................................... 102.310 102.240 102.323 101.794 -.9 -2.0 -.4 -2.0 -1.4 -1.2 

Education and communication 2 ....................................... 120.990 121.236 121.592 121.817 3.1 5.7 1.8 2.8 4.4 2.3 

Education 2 ..................................................................... 181.938 182.620 183.489 183.869 5.6 5.5 6.3 4.3 5.6 5.3 

Educational books and supplies ................................... 464.228 465.758 468.077 469.011 5.1 5.9 12.0 4.2 5.5 8.0 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare ...................... 512.363 514.306 516.743 517.817 5.6 5.5 5.8 4.3 5.6 5.1 

Communication 2 ............................................................ 87.225 87.301 87.450 87.598 1.5 5.9 -1.2 1.7 3.6 .3 

Information and information processing 1 2 .................. 85.214 85.292 85.454 85.581 1.5 5.6 -1.3 1.7 3.5 .2 

Telephone services 1 2 ............................................... 101.436 101.564 101.720 101.876 2.4 7.5 .2 1.7 4.9 1.0 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 .... 10.375 10.367 10.406 10.418 -2.4 -2.6 -8.2 1.7 -2.5 -3.4 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 6 ... 89.690 88.631 88.176 88.178 -8.6 -15.7 -19.5 -6.6 -12.2 -13.3 

Other goods and services ................................................. 362.377 362.805 363.328 364.631 4.0 6.6 2.6 2.5 5.3 2.6 

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ................................... 602.533 602.881 605.662 610.503 2.5 15.2 2.3 5.4 8.7 3.8 

Personal care .................................................................. 200.950 201.251 201.207 201.461 4.7 2.3 2.8 1.0 3.5 1.9 

Personal care products 1 .............................................. 159.914 160.994 161.295 162.683 3.6 -.9 1.7 7.1 1.4 4.4 

Personal care services 1 ............................................... 225.800 226.433 226.578 225.951 5.1 1.6 3.3 .3 3.4 1.8 

Miscellaneous personal services .................................. 344.645 343.491 343.848 343.462 5.7 4.6 3.1 -1.4 5.1 .8 

Commodity and service group

Commodities ....................................................................... 178.513 169.885 165.761 166.831 1.8 14.6 -9.9 -23.7 8.0 -17.1 

Food and beverages ......................................................... 218.043 218.475 218.667 218.714 5.8 8.1 6.3 1.2 7.0 3.8 

Commodities less food and beverages ............................. 156.862 144.748 138.964 140.426 -.4 18.4 -17.8 -35.8 8.6 -27.3 

Nondurables less food and beverages ........................... 202.819 180.093 168.682 172.433 2.4 40.1 -31.5 -47.8 19.8 -40.2 

Apparel .......................................................................... 118.586 118.644 117.923 118.677 -4.7 2.8 -1.6 .3 -1.0 -.6 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .......... 259.794 222.275 203.893 209.548 5.8 47.5 -36.8 -57.7 24.9 -48.3 

Durables .......................................................................... 109.941 109.240 108.798 108.637 -2.1 -1.2 -6.2 -4.7 -1.6 -5.4 

Services .............................................................................. 252.582 252.766 253.092 253.417 4.0 6.1 .9 1.3 5.1 1.1 

Rent of shelter 4 ................................................................ 232.028 232.611 232.887 233.312 1.7 2.4 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.2 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ............................. 120.258 120.589 120.360 120.715 3.2 1.1 4.3 1.5 2.2 2.9 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ............................................. 203.861 201.730 201.987 200.013 22.4 35.2 -13.9 -7.3 28.6 -10.7 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 .............. 156.056 156.679 157.070 157.447 4.4 6.4 10.4 3.6 5.4 7.0 

Household operations 1 2 ................................................. 152.612 152.247 152.814 152.273 8.4 8.0 3.5 -.9 8.2 1.3 

Transportation services ..................................................... 245.912 245.719 245.957 247.099 3.9 8.6 2.6 1.9 6.2 2.3 

Medical care services ....................................................... 389.700 390.230 391.178 393.024 2.0 3.3 3.2 3.5 2.6 3.3 

Other services ................................................................... 287.178 287.718 288.397 288.590 3.2 4.8 2.6 2.0 4.0 2.3 

Special indexes

All items less food ............................................................... 211.463 206.112 203.702 204.532 2.5 10.2 -5.8 -12.5 6.2 -9.2 

All items less shelter ........................................................... 204.682 198.293 195.424 196.211 3.4 13.2 -6.6 -15.6 8.2 -11.2 

All items less medical care .................................................. 206.135 201.510 199.400 200.078 3.0 10.3 -4.4 -11.2 6.6 -7.9 

Commodities less food ........................................................ 159.001 147.181 141.555 142.991 -.2 17.9 -17.1 -34.6 8.4 -26.4 

Nondurables less food ........................................................ 203.866 182.304 171.591 175.208 2.7 37.7 -29.9 -45.4 18.9 -38.1 

Nondurables less food and apparel .................................... 255.126 220.873 204.294 209.514 5.9 44.1 -34.6 -54.5 23.6 -45.4 

Nondurables ........................................................................ 211.081 199.078 193.307 195.377 5.9 22.0 -15.6 -26.6 13.7 -21.3 

Services less rent of shelter 4 ............................................. 244.548 244.382 245.083 245.075 6.3 10.0 -.2 .9 8.2 .4 

Services less medical care services ................................... 242.513 242.767 243.176 243.374 3.9 6.0 1.1 1.4 5.0 1.2 

Energy ................................................................................. 238.171 195.711 176.692 180.037 8.5 61.2 -36.3 -67.3 32.2 -54.4 

All items less energy ........................................................... 210.373 210.543 210.598 210.987 2.2 3.8 1.9 1.2 3.0 1.5 

All items less food and energy .......................................... 209.203 209.331 209.372 209.834 1.5 2.9 1.0 1.2 2.2 1.1

Commodities less food and energy commodities ........... 140.715 140.424 140.094 140.375 -.9 1.0 -2.3 -1.0 .1 -1.6 

Energy commodities ..................................................... 282.643 202.960 166.230 174.341 1.2 78.1 -46.6 -85.5 34.2 -72.2 

Services less energy services ......................................... 257.753 258.207 258.541 259.134 2.5 3.7 2.5 2.2 3.1 2.3 

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. 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

Jan.2009 from—

Percent change to

Dec.2008 from—

Oct.

2008

Nov.

2008

Dec.

2008

Jan.

2009

Jan.

2008

Nov.

2008

Dec.

2008

Dec.

2007

Oct.

2008

Nov.

2008

U.S. city average ............................................ M 212.182 207.296 204.813 205.700 -0.5 -0.8 0.4 -0.5 -3.5 -1.2 

Region and area size2

Northeast urban .............................................. M 227.762 223.741 221.446 221.704 .3 -.9 .1 .6 -2.8 -1.0 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 228.437 224.621 222.628 222.707 .5 -.9 .0 .8 -2.5 -.9 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 137.489 134.757 132.938 133.345 -.3 -1.0 .3 .1 -3.3 -1.3 

Midwest urban ................................................ M 201.236 196.346 193.987 195.245 -.7 -.6 .6 -.8 -3.6 -1.2 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 201.323 196.770 194.120 195.621 -.7 -.6 .8 -.9 -3.6 -1.3 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 131.699 128.186 127.005 127.768 -.6 -.3 .6 -.6 -3.6 -.9 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 200.017 195.114 192.391 192.907 -1.0 -1.1 .3 -.9 -3.8 -1.4 

South urban .................................................... M 207.312 201.821 199.399 200.067 -.9 -.9 .3 -.7 -3.8 -1.2 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 210.663 205.753 203.121 203.519 -.9 -1.1 .2 -.6 -3.6 -1.3 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 132.017 128.504 127.055 127.529 -1.0 -.8 .4 -.9 -3.8 -1.1 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 213.696 205.777 203.054 204.316 -.3 -.7 .6 -.1 -5.0 -1.3 

West urban ..................................................... M 215.499 210.870 208.088 209.367 -.5 -.7 .6 -.7 -3.4 -1.3 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 217.714 213.143 210.637 211.857 -.1 -.6 .6 -.2 -3.3 -1.2 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 133.694 130.684 128.641 129.639 -1.0 -.8 .8 -1.3 -3.8 -1.6 

Size classes

A 4 .............................................................. M 196.590 192.508 190.272 191.023 -.2 -.8 .4 -.2 -3.2 -1.2 

B/C 3 ........................................................... M 133.026 129.723 128.157 128.783 -.8 -.7 .5 -.8 -3.7 -1.2 

D ................................................................. M 208.028 202.041 199.228 200.057 -.8 -1.0 .4 -.8 -4.2 -1.4 

Selected local areas5

Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI ................... M 206.772 202.022 198.434 200.222 -.6 -.9 .9 -.9 -4.0 -1.8 

Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ... M 218.726 214.083 211.007 212.454 -.6 -.8 .7 -.6 -3.5 -1.4 

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

NY-NJ-CT-PA ......................................... M 232.778 228.727 227.223 227.503 1.3 -.5 .1 1.5 -2.4 -.7 

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

 231.854 - 230.095 -.5 -.8 - - - -

Cleveland-Akron, OH ...................................... 1 - 188.860 - 188.798 -.7 .0 - - - -

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

 201.479 - 199.416 .0 -1.0 - - - -

Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV 6 ...... 1 - 137.700 - 136.359 .4 -1.0 - - - -

Atlanta, GA ..................................................... 2 205.236 -

 195.310 - - - - -3.3 -4.8 -

Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI .............................. 2 200.570 -

 192.808 - - - - -1.6 -3.9 -

Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .................... 2 190.600 - 183.088 - - - - -1.0 -3.9 -

Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ............................. 2 222.038 -

 215.867 - - - - .1 -2.8 -

Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,

PA-NJ-DE-MD ........................................ 2 225.069 -

 217.610 - - - - -.5 -3.3 -

San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA ........... 2 221.192 -

 213.685 - - - - -.2 -3.4 -

Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA .................... 2 220.687 - 216.424 - - - - 1.1 -1.9 -

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

 Jan. 2009 from—

 Dec.

 2008

 Jan.

 2009

 Jan.

 2008

 Dec.

 2008

Expenditure category

All items ...................................................................................... 100.000 120.634 121.208 -0.5 0.5

Food and beverages ................................................................ 14.726 128.368 128.877 5.1 .4 

Food ....................................................................................... 13.648 128.554 129.049 5.2 .4 

Food at home ....................................................................... 7.557 125.778 126.363 5.5 .5 

Food away from home .......................................................... 6.091 132.092 132.469 4.8 .3 

Alcoholic beverages ............................................................... 1.077 126.380 127.069 4.1 .5 

Housing .................................................................................... 42.421 128.110 128.626 2.0 .4 

Shelter .................................................................................... 32.409 130.116 130.787 1.7 .5 

Fuels and utilities .................................................................... 5.004 159.370 159.345 5.1 .0 

Household furnishings and operations ................................... 5.008 95.519 95.606 1.0 .1 

Apparel ..................................................................................... 3.988 86.697 84.775 -1.4 -2.2 

Transportation .......................................................................... 17.393 109.410 111.132 -13.2 1.6 

Private transportation ............................................................. 16.285 109.042 110.987 -14.0 1.8 

Public transportation ............................................................... 1.108 116.373 114.670 -.3 -1.5 

Medical care ............................................................................. 6.085 142.732 143.725 2.4 .7 

Medical care commodities ...................................................... 1.615 126.168 126.833 1.4 .5 

Medical care services ............................................................. 4.470 148.833 149.960 2.8 .8 

Recreation ................................................................................ 5.935 105.192 105.210 .4 .0 

Education and communication ................................................. 6.196 109.496 109.680 3.1 .2 

Education ............................................................................... 2.771 172.827 173.075 5.4 .1 

Communication ...................................................................... 3.425 74.095 74.235 1.2 .2 

Other goods and services ........................................................ 3.257 126.569 126.949 .8 .3 

Commodity and service group

Services ...................................................................................... 58.427 132.808 133.356 2.6 .4 

Commodities .............................................................................. 41.573 105.946 106.544 -4.8 .6 

Durables ................................................................................... 11.817 80.680 80.775 -3.5 .1 

Nondurables ............................................................................... 29.756 118.735 119.615 -5.2 .7 

All items less food and energy ................................................. 77.561 117.161 117.453 1.2 .2 

Energy ........................................................................................ 8.790 142.529 146.297 -22.0 2.6 

Indexes for 2009 are initial estimates. Indexes for 2008 are interim adjustments.

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