News United States 

Department

of Labor 

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION: 

Patrick C. Jackman (202) 691-7000 USDL-05-1970 

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INTERNET ADDRESS: http://www.bls.gov/cpi/ Friday, October 14, 2005 

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: SEPTEMBER 2005 

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 1.2 percent in September, before seasonal 

adjustment, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The September level of 198.8 (1982-

84=100) was 4.7 percent higher than in September 2004. 

The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 1.5 percent in September, 

prior to seasonal adjustment. The September level of 195.0 was 5.2 percent higher than in September 2004. 

The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) increased 0.8 percent in September on a not 

seasonally adjusted basis. The September level of 114.7 (December 1999=100) was 3.5 percent higher than in September 2004. 

Please note that the indexes for the post-2003 period are subject to revision. 

CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U increased 1.2 percent in September. Energy costs increased sharply for the 

third consecutive month--up 12.0 percent in September--and accounted for over 90 percent of the advance in the September CPIU. Within energy, the index for energy commodities (petroleum-based energy) 

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

 Seasonally adjusted Un- 

 Compound Adjusted 

Expenditure Changes from preceding month annual rate 12-mos. 

Category 2005 3-mos. ended Ended 

 Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sep. Sep. ’05 Sep. ’05 

All Items .6 .5 -.1 .0 .5 .5 1.2 9.4 ’98‘97J ’9 4.7

 Food and beverages .2 .6 .1 .0 .2 .1 .2 1.9 2.5 

 Housing .5 .3 .1 .1 .4 .2 .4 4.0 3.1 

 Apparel .8 -.6 .0 -.7 -.9 1.0 -.1 .0 -.6

 Transportation 1.9 1.8 -1.0 -.1 1.5 2.2 5.1 41.5 14.5

 Medical care .5 .2 .3 .2 .4 .0 .3 2.8 3.9

 Recreation .0 .2 .3 -.3 .1 .3 .4 3.0 1.0

 Education and 

 communication .2 .4 .0 .1 .2 -.1 .7 3.2 2.1

 Other goods and 

 services .1 .0 .4 .0 .6 .2 .1 3.5 2.8

 Special Indexes 

 Energy 4.0 4.5 -2.0 -.5 3.8 5.0 12.0 122.1 34.8 

 Food .2 .7 .1 .1 .2 .0 .3 1.9 2.5

 All Items less 

 food and energy .4 .0 .1 .1 .1 .1 .1 1.4 2.0 

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita had a very small effect on survey response rates in September. Response rates in those affected 

areas were lower than usual, but the missing prices accounted for less than 1 percent of the overall CPI sample. 
increased 17.4 percent and the index for energy services rose 4.6 percent. The index for food, which was

unchanged in August, rose 0.3 percent in September, largely reflecting an upturn in the index for fruits and 

vegetables. The index for all items less food and energy registered a 0.1 percent increase for the fifth 

consecutive month. Shelter costs, which were virtually unchanged in August, declined 0.1 percent in 

September, largely as a result of a 2.5 percent decrease in the index for lodging away from home. The index 

for apparel, which increased 1.0 percent in August, declined 0.1 percent in September. These declines were 

more than offset by upturns in the indexes for new vehicles, for medical care services, and for communication. 

Consumer prices increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 9.4 percent in the third 

quarter of 2005, following increases in the first and second quarters at annual rates of 4.3 and 1.9 percent, 

respectively. This brings the year-to-date annual rate to 5.1 percent and compares with an increase of 3.3 

percent in all of 2004. The index for energy, which advanced at annual rates of 21.1 and 7.5 percent in the 

first two quarters, increased at a 122.1 percent rate in the third quarter of 2005. Thus far this year, energy 

costs have risen at a 42.5 percent SAAR after increasing 16.6 percent in all of 2004. In the first nine months 

of 2005, petroleum-based energy costs increased at a 67.9 percent rate and charges for energy services 

increased at a 14.6 percent rate. The food index rose at a 2.2 percent SAAR in the first nine months of 2005. 

The index for grocery store food prices increased at a 1.3 percent rate. Among the six major grocery store 

food groups, the index for nonalcoholic beverages registered the largest increase during this span--up at a 4.3 

percent rate--while the index for fruits and vegetables recorded the only decline--down at a 1.7 percent annual 

rate.

 The CPI-U excluding food and energy advanced at a 1.4 percent SAAR in the third quarter, following 

increases at rates of 3.3 and 1.2 percent in the first two quarters of 2005. The advance at a 2.0 percent SAAR 

for the first nine months of 2005 compares with a 2.2 percent rise in all of 2004. Each of the major groups--

including alcoholic beverages and the non-energy portion of the housing and transportation groups--registered 

a rate of change in the first 9 months of 2005 within one percent of that for all of 2004. The annual rates for 

selected groups for the last seven and three-quarter years are shown below.

 Percentage change 12 months SAAR 9 

 ended in December mos.

ended

 in Sep. 

 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

All items 1.6 2.7 3.4 1.6 2.4 1.9 3.3 5.1

 Food and beverages 2.3 2.0 2.8 2.8 1.5 3.5 2.6 2.1

 Housing 2.3 2.2 4.3 2.9 2.4 2.2 3.0 3.2

 Apparel -.7 -.5 -1.8 -3.2 -1.8 -2.1 -.2 -.7

 Transportation -1.7 5.4 4.1 -3.8 3.8 .3 6.5 17.1

 Medical care 3.4 3.7 4.2 4.7 5.0 3.7 4.2 4.0

 Recreation 1.2 .8 1.7 1.5 1.1 1.1 .7 1.1

 Education and 

 communication .7 1.6 1.3 3.2 2.2 1.6 1.5 2.5

 Other goods and services 8.8 5.1 4.2 4.5 3.3 1.5 2.5 2.8

 

Special indexes 

 Energy -8.8 13.4 14.2 -13.0 10.7 6.9 16.6 42.5

 Energy commodities -15.1 29.5 15.7 -24.5 23.7 6.9 26.7 67.9

 Energy services -3.3 1.2 12.7 -1.5 .4 6.9 6.8 14.6

 All items less energy 2.4 2.0 2.6 2.8 1.8 1.5 2.2 2.0

 Food 2.3 1.9 2.8 2.8 1.5 3.6 2.7 2.2

 All items less 

 food and energy 2.4 1.9 2.6 2.7 1.9 1.1 2.2 2.0
The food and beverages index rose 0.2 percent in September. The index for food at home increased 

0.3 percent, following a 0.2 percent decline in August. The index for fruits and vegetables, which fell 1.3 

percent in August, advanced 1.5 percent in September. The indexes for fresh fruits and for fresh vegetables 

increased 1.1 and 1.8 percent, respectively, and the index for processed fruits and vegetables increased 1.8 

percent. The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs increased 0.5 percent in September. The index for pork 

turned up in September, following declines in each of the four preceding months. Prices for beef and veal 

declined for the fourth consecutive month--down 0.5 percent in September. Poultry prices rose 1.1 percent. 

The index for eggs, which fell 4.2 percent in August, rose 9.7 percent. The index for nonalcoholic beverages, 

which was unchanged in August, rose 0.8 percent in September, reflecting an upturn in prices for carbonated 

drinks. The index for other food at home was unchanged. The other two major grocery store food groups, the 

indexes for dairy products and for cereals and bakery products, declined 1.2 and 0.4 percent, respectively.

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

increased 0.2 and 0.4 percent, respectively. 

The index for housing rose 0.4 percent in September, following an increase of 0.2 percent in July. A 

sharp increase in the index for fuels and utilities more than offset declines in the indexes for shelter and for 

household furnishings and operations. Shelter costs, which were virtually unchanged in August, declined 0.1 

percent in September. A 2.5 percent decline in the index for lodging away from home more than offset 

increases of 0.1 percent each in the indexes for rent and owners’ equivalent rent. (Prior to seasonal 

adjustment, the index for lodging away from home declined 7.1 percent, while the indexes for rent and 

owners’ equivalent rent increased 0.3 and 0.2 percent, respectively.) The index for fuels and utilities rose 4.2 

percent in September. The index for fuel oil increased 12.7 percent in September and was 55.9 percent higher 

than a year ago. The index for natural gas also increased sharply for the third consecutive month--up 12.1 

percent in September. During the last 12 months, charges for natural gas have risen 28.1 percent. The index 

for electricity rose 0.7 percent in September and was 6.4 percent higher than a year ago. The index for 

household furnishings and operations, which increased 0.2 percent in August, declined 0.2 percent in 

September. 

The transportation index increased 5.1 percent in September, reflecting a 17.8 percent increase in the 

index for motor fuels. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices rose 17.4 percent from their previous 

peak level registered in August.) The index for new and used motor vehicles increased 0.4 percent in 

September. The index for new vehicles rose 0.4 percent in September, following substantial declines in each 

of the preceding two months. (About 17 percent of the new car sample was represented by 2006 models.) 

The index for used cars and trucks declined 0.4 percent, while the indexes for leased cars and trucks and for 

car and truck rental increased 2.5 and 1.4 percent, respectively. Airline fares declined for the second 

consecutive month--down 1.4 percent in September--but were 9.0 percent higher than in September 2004. 

The index for apparel, which rose 1.0 percent in August, declined 0.1 percent in September. (Prior to 

seasonal adjustment, apparel prices rose 4.1 percent, reflecting seasonal price increases associated with the 

continued introduction of fall-winter wear.) 

Medical care costs rose 0.3 percent in September to a level 3.9 percent above a year ago. The index 

for medical care commodities--prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and medical supplies--rose 0.3 

percent. The index for medical care services also rose 0.3 percent. Charges for professional services and for 

hospital and related services increased 0.4 and 0.3 percent, respectively.

The index for recreation increased 0.4 percent in September. The indexes for video and audio and for 

club membership dues and fees for participant sports--up 0.5 and 1.4 percent, respectively--accounted for over 

70 percent of the September advance in the recreation component. 

The index for education and communication increased 0.7 percent in September. Educational costs 

rose 0.8 percent, reflecting increases in the indexes for tuition and for educational books and supplies--up 0.7 

and 1.8 percent, respectively. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, educational costs advanced 2.1 percent, reflecting 

in part a 2.4 percent rise in college tuition costs and a 2.1 percent increase in college textbooks. During the 

last 12 months, the cost of college tuition has risen 6.8 percent.) The index for communication costs, which 

declined 0.5 percent in August, rose 0.7 percent in September. Within the communication index, charges for 

telephone services increased 1.1 percent, reflecting a 3.4 percent rise in land-line long distance charges.
Partially offsetting this increase was a 0.8 percent decline in the index for personal computers and peripheral 

equipment. 

The index for other goods and services rose 0.1 percent in September. A 0.7 percent increase in the 

index for tobacco and smoking products was partially offset by a decline in the index for personal care. 

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 1.4 

percent in September. 

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

 Seasonally adjusted Un-

 Compound adjusted

Expenditure Changes from preceding month annual rate 12-mos. 

Category 2005 3-mos. ended ended

 Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sep. Sep. ’05 Sep. ’05 

All Items .6 .6 -.1 .0 .6 .6 1.4 11.0 5.2

 Food and beverages .2 .6 .1 .0 .2 .1 .2 1.7 2.3 

 Housing .3 .3 .2 .2 .4 .2 .5 4.5 3.4 

 Apparel .5 -.7 .1 -.8 -.6 .8 -.3 -.7 -.8 

 Transportation 2.1 1.8 -1.0 -.1 1.6 2.4 5.4 44.9 15.3 

 Medical care .4 .3 .4 .2 .4 .0 .2 2.5 3.9 

 Recreation .0 .1 .4 -.4 .0 .3 .4 2.7 .8 

 Education and 

 communication .1 .4 .0 -.1 .2 -.2 .7 2.9 1.6 

 Other goods and 

 services .0 .0 .3 .0 .7 .3 .2 5.0 3.2 

 Special Indexes 

 Energy 4.4 4.6 -2.1 -.6 4.1 5.1 12.3 127.3 35.7 

 Food .2 .7 .1 -.1 .2 .1 .2 1.9 2.4 

 All Items less 

 food and energy .2 .1 .2 .1 .2 .2 .1 1.7 1.9 

Consumer Price Index data for October are scheduled for release on Wednesday, November 16, 2005, at 

8:30 A.M. (EST).
Facilities for Sensory Impaired 

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

phone: 202-691-5200, Federal Relay Services: 1-800-877-8339. For a recorded message of Summary CPI 

data, call (202) 691-5200.

Brief Explanation of the CPI 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

collected in 87 urban areas across the country from about 50,000 housing units and approximately 23,000 retail 

establishments-department stores, supermarkets, hospitals, filling stations, and other types of stores and service 

establishments. All taxes directly associated with the purchase and use of items are included in the index. 

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

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

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

Bureau’s trained representatives. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Information and Analysis Section on (202) 691-7000. 
Calculating Index Changes 

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

changes rather than changes in index points, because index point changes are affected by

the level of the index in relation to its base period while percent changes are not. The 

example below illustrates the computation of index point and percent changes. 

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

are computed according to the standard formula for compound growth rates. These data 

indicate what the percent change would be if the current rate were maintained for a 12- 

month period. 

Index Point Change

CPI 115.7 

Less previous index 111.2 

Equals index point change 4.5 

Percent Change

Index point difference 4.5 

Divided by the previous index 111.2 

Equals 0.040 

Results multiplied by one hundred 0.040x100 

Equals percent change 4.0

Regions Defined 

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

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

Vermont. 

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

Wisconsin. 

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

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

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

Wyoming. 
A Note on Seasonally Adjusted and Unadjusted Data 

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

publishes seasonally adjusted as well as unadjusted changes each month. 

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

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

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

changeovers, holidays, and sales. 

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

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

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

for seasonal variation. 

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

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

year, the last 5 years of seasonally adjusted data are revised. Data from January 2000 through December 2004 

were replaced in January 2005. Exceptions to the usual revision schedule were: the updated seasonal data at the 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

adjusted to not seasonally adjusted, not seasonally adjusted data will be used for the last 5 years, but the 

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

adjusted for 2005. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ARIMA software was used for Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment. 

 For the fuel oil, utility (piped) gas, motor fuels, and educational books and supplies indexes, this 

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

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

offset the effects of labor and supply problems for coffee. The procedure was used to account for unusual 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Statistics, Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes, Washington, DC 20212 or contact Daniel Chow on 

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

our information staff at (202) 691-7000. 
Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average, by expenditure category and commodity and

service group

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-U

Relative

importance,

December

2004

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Sep. 2005 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

Aug.

2005

Sep.

2005

Sep.

2004

Aug.

2005

June to

July

July to

Aug.

Aug. to

Sep.

Expenditure category

All items ...................................................................................... 100.000 196.4 198.8 4.7 1.2 0.5 0.5 1.2 

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

 588.2 595.4 -----

Food and beverages ................................................................ 15.291 191.3 191.8 2.5 .3 .2 .1 .2 

Food ....................................................................................... 14.295 190.9 191.4 2.5 .3 .2 .0 .3 

Food at home ....................................................................... 8.183 189.5 190.0 2.1 .3 .3 -.2 .3 

Cereals and bakery products ............................................. 1.185 210.1 208.3 .9 -.9 -.1 .4 -.4 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ............................................ 2.272 184.4 185.2 1.0 .4 -.4 -.3 .5 

Dairy and related products ................................................. .849 182.9 181.8 .1 -.6 .4 .0 -1.2 

Fruits and vegetables ......................................................... 1.276 236.6 240.8 6.5 1.8 1.6 -1.3 1.5 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials .............. .884 144.3 145.2 3.5 .6 .3 .0 .8 

Other food at home ............................................................ 1.716 167.7 167.7 1.5 .0 .4 .1 .0 

Sugar and sweets ............................................................. .296 164.7 165.8 1.4 .7 .5 -1.2 .9 

Fats and oils ..................................................................... .258 167.6 169.4 -.6 1.1 1.4 -.1 1.1 

Other foods 1 .................................................................... 1.163 183.9 183.1 2.1 -.4 .1 .5 -.4 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ....................................... .301 111.8 111.5 .9 -.3 1.2 .3 -.3 

Food away from home 1 ....................................................... 6.113 194.2 194.6 3.0 .2 .2 .3 .2 

Other food away from home 2 ............................................ .332 132.6 133.2 5.8 .5 .3 .4 .3 

Alcoholic beverages 1 ............................................................ .996 195.9 196.6 1.7 .4 -.1 .1 .4 

Housing .................................................................................... 41.993 196.9 197.0 3.1 .1 .4 .2 .4 

Shelter .................................................................................... 32.686 225.6 224.4 1.9 -.5 .3 .0 -.1

Rent of primary residence 3 ................................................. 6.133 218.0 218.6 2.9 .3 .3 .3 .1 

Lodging away from home 2 .................................................. 3.008 134.3 124.7 -2.0 -7.1 1.2 -1.6 -2.5 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 ................. 23.158 230.7 231.2 2.3 .2 .2 .2 .1 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ................................. .387 117.8 116.6 .0 -1.0 .1 -.3 -1.0 

Fuels and utilities .................................................................... 4.951 181.8 188.9 13.3 3.9 1.3 1.2 4.2 

Fuels ..................................................................................... 4.021 164.4 172.1 15.3 4.7 1.5 1.4 5.1

Fuel oil and other fuels ....................................................... .300 209.8 235.9 46.0 12.4 6.2 2.9 11.8 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ............................................... 3.722 169.6 176.4 13.1 4.0 1.1 1.3 4.6 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ................. .930 131.2 131.4 4.5 .2 .5 .1 .3 

Household furnishings and operations ................................... 4.355 125.8 125.7 .6 -.1 -.1 .2 -.2 

Household operations 1 2 ..................................................... .707 130.7 131.0 3.9 .2 .2 .3 .2 

Apparel ..................................................................................... 3.841 115.8 120.5 -.6 4.1 -.9 1.0 -.1

Men’s and boys’ apparel ........................................................ .977 112.4 114.0 -1.9 1.4 -1.4 1.1 -1.0 

Women’s and girls’ apparel .................................................... 1.638 105.1 112.3 -1.8 6.9 -1.1 .6 -.4 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel ................................................. .188 113.5 115.5 -3.3 1.8 -1.6 -.7 -1.0 

Footwear ................................................................................ .765 121.7 126.0 3.5 3.5 -.4 1.3 1.5 

Transportation .......................................................................... 17.414 177.7 186.5 14.5 5.0 1.5 2.2 5.1

Private transportation ............................................................. 16.385 173.8 183.1 14.9 5.4 1.5 2.4 5.4 

New and used motor vehicles 2 ........................................... 7.744 95.0 95.4 1.6 .4 -.3 .0 .4 

New vehicles ...................................................................... 4.692 135.0 135.8 .7 .6 -1.0 -.5 .4 

Used cars and trucks 1 ....................................................... 2.037 142.0 141.5 3.7 -.4 .8 .7 -.4 

Motor fuel ............................................................................. 3.969 212.7 249.5 54.8 17.3 6.1 8.2 17.8

Gasoline (all types) ............................................................. 3.934 211.7 248.5 54.8 17.4 6.1 8.3 17.9 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ................................... .364 112.4 112.7 3.1 .3 .6 .4 .3 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ................................. 1.341 207.3 208.7 4.0 .7 .3 .2 .7 

Public transportation ............................................................... 1.029 223.3 220.7 7.5 -1.2 1.0 .1 .1 

Medical care ............................................................................. 6.132 323.9 324.6 3.9 .2 .4 .0 .3 

Medical care commodities ...................................................... 1.484 276.8 277.7 2.5 .3 .1 .3 .3 

Medical care services ............................................................. 4.649 337.3 337.9 4.4 .2 .4 .0 .3 

Professional services ........................................................... 2.767 282.4 283.0 3.5 .2 .2 -.1 .4 

Hospital and related services 3 ............................................ 1.516 439.6 439.8 4.6 .0 .6 -.4 .3 

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

2004

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Sep. 2005 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

Aug.

2005

Sep.

2005

Sep.

2004

Aug.

2005

June to

July

July to

Aug.

Aug. to

Sep.

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ............................................................................. 5.733 109.3 109.7 1.0 0.4 0.1 0.3 0.4 

Video and audio 2 ................................................................... 1.691 104.3 104.4 .4 .1 .1 1.3 .5 

Education and communication 2 .............................................. 5.846 113.7 115.3 2.1 1.4 .2 -.1 .7 

Education 2 ............................................................................. 2.931 153.9 157.1 6.2 2.1 .6 .2 .8 

Educational books and supplies ........................................... .220 364.6 372.4 5.6 2.1 .6 -.1 1.8 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare .............................. 2.712 444.8 454.1 6.2 2.1 .6 .2 .7 

Communication 2 .................................................................... 2.914 84.0 84.6 -1.9 .7 -.2 -.5 .7 

Information and information processing 1 2 .......................... 2.737 81.8 82.4 -2.0 .7 -.2 -.5 .7 

Telephone services 1 2 ....................................................... 2.187 94.1 95.1 -.2 1.1 -.2 -.3 1.1 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 ........... .550 13.4 13.3 -9.5 -.7 .0 -1.5 -.7 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 2 .......... .192 12.4 12.3 -18.0 -.8 -1.5 -3.1 -.8 

Other goods and services ........................................................ 3.750 314.4 315.0 2.8 .2 .6 .2 .1 

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ........................................... .804 506.5 510.1 5.6 .7 1.1 .6 .7 

Personal care ......................................................................... 2.946 186.1 186.1 2.1 .0 .4 .1 -.1 

Personal care products 1 ...................................................... .658 155.2 154.8 .8 -.3 .5 .1 -.3 

Personal care services 1 ...................................................... .652 204.1 204.6 2.8 .2 .4 .1 .2 

Miscellaneous personal services .......................................... 1.454 304.2 304.7 3.0 .2 .4 .1 .3 

Commodity and service group

Commodities .............................................................................. 40.239 161.1 165.6 6.9 2.8 .6 1.1 2.4 

Food and beverages ................................................................ 15.291 191.3 191.8 2.5 .3 .2 .1 .2 

Commodities less food and beverages .................................... 24.948 143.7 149.9 9.7 4.3 .9 1.7 3.7 

Nondurables less food and beverages ................................... 13.980 171.8 184.4 16.9 7.3 3.4 2.9 5.4 

Apparel ................................................................................. 3.841 115.8 120.5 -.6 4.1 -.9 1.0 -.1 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................. 10.139 210.4 228.0 23.6 8.4 2.8 3.8 8.5 

Durables ................................................................................. 10.967 114.4 114.6 .4 .2 -.3 -.2 .2 

Services ...................................................................................... 59.761 231.3 231.7 3.2 .2 .4 .2 .4

Rent of shelter 4 ....................................................................... 32.300 235.0 233.8 2.0 -.5 .3 .0 -.2 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ..................................... .387 117.8 116.6 .0 -1.0 .1 -.3 -1.0 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ..................................................... 3.722 169.6 176.4 13.1 4.0 1.1 1.3 4.6 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ..................... .930 131.2 131.4 4.5 .2 .5 .1 .3 

Household operations 1 2 ......................................................... .707 130.7 131.0 3.9 .2 .2 .3 .2 

Transportation services ............................................................ 6.235 227.0 227.0 3.1 .0 .3 .4 .4 

Medical care services ............................................................... 4.649 337.3 337.9 4.4 .2 .4 .0 .3 

Other services .......................................................................... 10.833 268.7 271.2 2.8 .9 .2 .2 .6 

Special indexes

All items less food ...................................................................... 85.705 197.3 200.0 5.0 1.4 .6 .6 1.4 

All items less shelter ................................................................... 67.314 187.1 191.0 6.1 2.1 .5 .8 1.8 

All items less medical care ......................................................... 93.868 189.8 192.3 4.7 1.3 .5 .6 1.3 

Commodities less food ............................................................... 25.943 145.7 151.8 9.4 4.2 .8 1.6 3.6 

Nondurables less food ................................................................ 14.976 173.3 185.2 15.8 6.9 3.2 2.7 5.3 

Nondurables less food and apparel ............................................ 11.135 208.3 224.3 21.6 7.7 2.5 3.5 7.8 

Nondurables ............................................................................... 29.271 182.1 188.9 9.3 3.7 1.5 1.4 2.8

Services less rent of shelter 4 .................................................... 27.462 244.5 246.8 4.6 .9 .4 .5 1.0 

Services less medical care services ........................................... 55.113 222.5 222.8 3.1 .1 .4 .2 .4 

Energy ........................................................................................ 7.991 186.6 208.0 34.8 11.5 3.8 5.0 12.0 

All items less energy .................................................................. 92.009 198.9 199.2 2.0 .2 .2 .1 .2 

All items less food and energy ................................................. 77.714 201.0 201.3 2.0 .1 .1 .1 .1 

Commodities less food and energy commodities ................... 21.674 139.0 140.2 .6 .9 -.3 .1 .1 

Energy commodities ............................................................. 4.269 213.6 249.9 54.3 17.0 6.1 7.9 17.4 

Services less energy services ................................................ 56.040 237.7 237.4 2.5 -.1 .3 .1 .1 

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

 $ .509 $ .503 -----

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

 $ .170 $ .168 -----

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

item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.

4 Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. 5 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base. - Data not available.

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

and commodity and service group

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-U

Seasonally adjusted indexes Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent change for

3 months ended— 6 months

ended—

June

2005

July

2005

Aug.

2005

Sep.

2005

Dec.

2004

Mar.

2005

June

2005

Sep.

2005

Mar.

2005

Sep.

2005

Expenditure category

All items ...................................................................................... 194.1 195.1 196.1 198.5 3.4 4.3 1.9 9.4 3.8 5.6 

Food and beverages ................................................................ 191.0 191.4 191.5 191.9 3.2 1.5 3.0 1.9 2.4 2.4

Food ....................................................................................... 190.6 191.0 191.0 191.5 3.5 1.3 3.4 1.9 2.4 2.7 

Food at home ....................................................................... 189.6 190.1 189.7 190.2 4.6 -.8 3.4 1.3 1.8 2.4

Cereals and bakery products ............................................. 208.6 208.4 209.3 208.5 2.3 1.7 -.2 -.2 2.0 -.2 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ............................................ 185.2 184.5 183.9 184.8 .4 2.6 1.7 -.9 1.5 .4 

Dairy and related products ................................................. 182.5 183.3 183.3 181.1 -3.7 6.2 1.3 -3.0 1.1 -.9 

Fruits and vegetables ......................................................... 239.7 243.6 240.4 244.1 36.0 -21.1 11.8 7.5 3.6 9.7

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials .............. 144.1 144.5 144.5 145.7 1.4 4.9 3.4 4.5 3.2 4.0 

Other food at home ............................................................ 166.9 167.5 167.6 167.6 -2.2 3.2 3.4 1.7 .5 2.6 

Sugar and sweets ............................................................. 165.5 166.4 164.4 165.8 -1.2 -2.4 9.2 .7 -1.8 4.9 

Fats and oils ..................................................................... 165.0 167.3 167.1 168.9 -1.2 -6.2 -3.8 9.8 -3.7 2.8 

Other foods 1 .................................................................... 182.9 183.0 183.9 183.1 -2.4 6.9 3.6 .4 2.1 2.0 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ....................................... 110.2 111.5 111.8 111.5 1.1 4.0 -5.9 4.8 2.5 -.7 

Food away from home 1 ....................................................... 193.2 193.6 194.2 194.6 2.1 3.8 3.2 2.9 3.0 3.0 

Other food away from home 2 ............................................ 131.8 132.2 132.7 133.1 3.5 8.1 7.6 4.0 5.8 5.8 

Alcoholic beverages 1 ............................................................ 195.9 195.8 195.9 196.6 1.0 3.8 .4 1.4 2.4 .9 

Housing .................................................................................... 194.8 195.5 195.9 196.7 3.0 3.8 1.9 4.0 3.4 2.9 

Shelter .................................................................................... 224.1 224.8 224.9 224.6 1.8 4.4 .7 .9 3.1 .8 

Rent of primary residence 3 ................................................. 217.0 217.7 218.3 218.6 2.3 3.0 3.2 3.0 2.7 3.1 

Lodging away from home 2 .................................................. 129.5 131.0 128.9 125.7 1.6 18.6 -13.5 -11.2 9.7 -12.4 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 ................. 230.0 230.5 230.9 231.2 1.6 3.0 2.3 2.1 2.3 2.2 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ................................. 118.0 118.1 117.8 116.6 7.4 1.0 -3.3 -4.7 4.2 -4.0 

Fuels and utilities .................................................................... 173.7 175.9 178.0 185.5 10.9 3.1 11.6 30.1 7.0 20.5 

Fuels ..................................................................................... 155.7 158.0 160.2 168.4 12.6 2.4 13.0 36.8 7.4 24.4 

Fuel oil and other fuels ....................................................... 198.6 210.9 217.1 242.7 54.2 3.7 27.5 123.0 26.5 68.6 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ............................................... 160.7 162.4 164.5 172.0 10.1 2.3 12.0 31.2 6.2 21.3 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ................. 130.2 130.8 130.9 131.3 2.9 7.1 4.7 3.4 5.0 4.1 

Household furnishings and operations ................................... 125.9 125.8 126.0 125.8 2.6 -.3 .0 -.3 1.1 -.2 

Household operations 1 2 ..................................................... 130.1 130.3 130.7 131.0 2.9 4.2 5.7 2.8 3.5 4.3 

Apparel ..................................................................................... 119.3 118.2 119.4 119.3 -.7 3.4 -5.2 .0 1.3 -2.6 

Men’s and boys’ apparel ........................................................ 116.0 114.4 115.7 114.6 -1.4 5.3 -6.3 -4.7 1.9 -5.5

Women’s and girls’ apparel .................................................... 110.7 109.5 110.2 109.8 -.4 4.0 -7.9 -3.2 1.8 -5.6

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel ................................................. 118.3 116.4 115.6 114.4 -1.0 -3.3 4.2 -12.5 -2.2 -4.6 

Footwear ................................................................................ 122.3 121.8 123.4 125.2 -2.0 5.4 1.3 9.8 1.7 5.5 

Transportation .......................................................................... 170.9 173.5 177.3 186.4 6.5 10.3 2.9 41.5 8.4 20.7 

Private transportation ............................................................. 167.1 169.6 173.6 183.0 6.4 10.8 2.2 43.8 8.6 21.2 

New and used motor vehicles 2 ........................................... 95.8 95.5 95.5 95.9 2.6 1.7 1.7 .4 2.1 1.1 

New vehicles ...................................................................... 138.5 137.1 136.4 137.0 5.1 2.0 .0 -4.3 3.6 -2.2

Used cars and trucks 1 ....................................................... 139.9 141.0 142.0 141.5 2.4 1.2 6.5 4.7 1.8 5.6 

Motor fuel ............................................................................. 182.1 193.2 209.1 246.3 17.7 42.4 2.5 234.7 29.4 85.2 

Gasoline (all types) ............................................................. 181.0 192.1 208.1 245.3 17.7 41.6 2.2 237.3 29.1 85.7 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ................................... 111.2 111.9 112.4 112.7 2.2 3.7 1.1 5.5 2.9 3.3 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ................................. 206.3 207.0 207.5 208.9 4.2 3.4 3.2 5.1 3.8 4.1 

Public transportation ............................................................... 218.2 220.4 220.6 220.9 8.0 2.5 14.8 5.0 5.2 9.8 

Medical care ............................................................................. 322.8 324.0 324.1 325.0 3.8 6.0 3.3 2.8 4.9 3.0 

Medical care commodities ...................................................... 275.3 275.7 276.5 277.4 .7 3.0 3.1 3.1 1.9 3.1 

Medical care services ............................................................. 336.3 337.8 337.7 338.6 4.8 6.9 3.3 2.8 5.8 3.0

Professional services ........................................................... 281.6 282.3 282.1 283.3 2.7 5.5 3.5 2.4 4.1 3.0

Hospital and related services 3 ............................................ 439.2 441.8 440.0 441.1 6.1 7.5 3.4 1.7 6.8 2.6 

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—

June

2005

July

2005

Aug.

2005

Sep.

2005

Dec.

2004

Mar.

2005

June

2005

Sep.

2005

Mar.

2005

Sep.

2005

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ............................................................................. 109.0 109.1 109.4 109.8 0.7 -0.4 0.7 3.0 0.2 1.8 

Video and audio 2 ................................................................... 102.9 103.0 104.3 104.8 .8 -.8 -5.3 7.6 .0 1.0 

Education and communication 2 .............................................. 113.5 113.7 113.6 114.4 1.1 2.2 2.1 3.2 1.6 2.7 

Education 2 ............................................................................. 152.4 153.3 153.6 154.8 6.2 5.2 7.1 6.4 5.7 6.8 

Educational books and supplies ........................................... 363.4 365.5 365.3 371.7 7.8 -.4 5.6 9.5 3.6 7.5 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare .............................. 440.1 442.8 443.9 447.0 5.9 5.7 7.1 6.4 5.8 6.8 

Communication 2 .................................................................... 84.6 84.4 84.0 84.6 -3.7 -.9 -2.8 .0 -2.3 -1.4 

Information and information processing 1 2 .......................... 82.4 82.2 81.8 82.4 -3.8 -1.0 -3.3 .0 -2.4 -1.7 

Telephone services 1 2 ....................................................... 94.6 94.4 94.1 95.1 -2.1 .8 -1.7 2.1 -.6 .2 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 ........... 13.6 13.6 13.4 13.3 -12.9 -5.5 -10.9 -8.5 -9.3 -9.8 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 2 .......... 13.0 12.8 12.4 12.3 -26.3 -13.6 -11.4 -19.9 -20.2 -15.7 

Other goods and services ........................................................ 312.3 314.1 314.7 315.0 2.8 3.3 1.7 3.5 3.0 2.6

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ........................................... 497.8 503.4 506.5 510.1 1.6 10.1 1.0 10.3 5.8 5.5 

Personal care ......................................................................... 185.4 186.1 186.3 186.1 3.1 1.5 2.0 1.5 2.3 1.7 

Personal care products 1 ...................................................... 154.3 155.0 155.2 154.8 -.3 -1.0 3.4 1.3 -.7 2.4 

Personal care services 1 ...................................................... 203.0 203.9 204.1 204.6 4.3 4.2 -.6 3.2 4.3 1.3 

Miscellaneous personal services .......................................... 302.6 303.9 304.2 305.0 3.7 1.5 3.7 3.2 2.6 3.4 

Commodity and service group

Commodities .............................................................................. 158.8 159.8 161.5 165.4 3.7 5.2 1.5 17.7 4.4 9.3 

Food and beverages ................................................................ 191.0 191.4 191.5 191.9 3.2 1.5 3.0 1.9 2.4 2.4

Commodities less food and beverages .................................... 140.6 141.9 144.3 149.6 4.2 7.5 .6 28.2 5.8 13.5 

Nondurables less food and beverages ................................... 162.8 168.4 173.2 182.5 13.7 3.0 .5 57.9 8.2 26.0 

Apparel ................................................................................. 119.3 118.2 119.4 119.3 -.7 3.4 -5.2 .0 1.3 -2.6 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................. 196.1 201.5 209.2 226.9 9.0 15.8 3.1 79.2 12.3 36.0 

Durables ................................................................................. 115.4 115.1 114.9 115.1 2.5 .7 -.3 -1.0 1.6 -.7 

Services ...................................................................................... 229.2 230.1 230.5 231.4 2.7 4.0 2.3 3.9 3.3 3.1 

Rent of shelter 4 ....................................................................... 233.6 234.2 234.3 233.8 1.8 4.6 1.0 .3 3.2 .7 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ..................................... 118.0 118.1 117.8 116.6 7.4 1.0 -3.3 -4.7 4.2 -4.0 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ..................................................... 160.7 162.4 164.5 172.0 10.1 2.3 12.0 31.2 6.2 21.3 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ..................... 130.2 130.8 130.9 131.3 2.9 7.1 4.7 3.4 5.0 4.1 

Household operations 1 2 ......................................................... 130.1 130.3 130.7 131.0 2.9 4.2 5.7 2.8 3.5 4.3 

Transportation services ............................................................ 225.5 226.2 227.1 227.9 2.4 1.6 4.4 4.3 2.0 4.3

Medical care services ............................................................... 336.3 337.8 337.7 338.6 4.8 6.9 3.3 2.8 5.8 3.0 

Other services .......................................................................... 267.5 268.1 268.6 270.3 2.5 2.3 2.3 4.3 2.4 3.3 

Special indexes

All items less food ...................................................................... 194.7 195.8 197.0 199.7 3.2 4.9 1.7 10.7 4.0 6.1 

All items less shelter ................................................................... 184.6 185.6 187.1 190.5 4.1 4.3 2.6 13.4 4.2 7.9 

All items less medical care ......................................................... 187.6 188.5 189.6 192.0 3.3 4.2 1.9 9.7 3.7 5.8 

Commodities less food ............................................................... 142.7 143.9 146.2 151.5 4.1 7.3 .6 27.0 5.7 13.0 

Nondurables less food ................................................................ 164.8 170.0 174.6 183.8 12.1 3.2 .5 54.7 7.6 24.7 

Nondurables less food and apparel ............................................ 195.3 200.2 207.2 223.4 7.8 15.1 2.9 71.2 11.4 32.7

Nondurables ............................................................................... 177.6 180.3 182.8 188.0 8.1 2.3 3.0 25.6 5.2 13.7 

Services less rent of shelter 4 .................................................... 241.5 242.4 243.5 245.9 4.5 2.2 4.4 7.5 3.3 5.9 

Services less medical care services ........................................... 220.3 221.1 221.6 222.4 2.8 3.4 2.4 3.9 3.1 3.1 

Energy ........................................................................................ 167.6 174.0 182.7 204.6 15.3 21.1 7.5 122.1 18.2 54.5 

All items less energy .................................................................. 198.5 198.8 199.0 199.3 2.3 2.9 1.4 1.6 2.6 1.5 

All items less food and energy ................................................. 200.7 201.0 201.2 201.4 2.0 3.3 1.2 1.4 2.7 1.3 

Commodities less food and energy commodities ................... 140.3 139.9 140.1 140.3 1.4 1.1 -.3 .0 1.3 -.1 

Energy commodities ............................................................. 184.0 195.3 210.7 247.3 19.8 39.6 3.8 226.3 29.3 84.0 

Services less energy services ................................................ 236.2 237.0 237.2 237.5 2.3 4.0 1.7 2.2 3.1 2.0 

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

item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.

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

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

Sep.2005 from—

Percent change to

Aug.2005 from—

June

2005

July

2005

Aug.

2005

Sep.

2005

Sep.

2004

July

2005

Aug.

2005

Aug.

2004

June

2005

July

2005

U.S. city average ............................................ M 194.5 195.4 196.4 198.8 4.7 1.7 1.2 3.6 1.0 0.5 

Region and area size2

Northeast urban .............................................. M 206.2 207.9 208.7 210.8 4.8 1.4 1.0 3.8 1.2 .4 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 208.5 210.2 211.2 213.2 4.9 1.4 .9 4.0 1.3 .5 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 121.8 123.0 123.0 124.5 4.4 1.2 1.2 3.4 1.0 .0 

Midwest urban ................................................ M 187.8 188.4 189.7 192.5 4.8 2.2 1.5 3.5 1.0 .7 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 189.8 190.1 191.5 193.8 4.2 1.9 1.2 3.2 .9 .7 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 119.6 120.2 120.9 123.1 5.4 2.4 1.8 3.8 1.1 .6 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 182.3 182.9 184.6 187.2 6.1 2.4 1.4 4.7 1.3 .9 

South urban .................................................... M 187.8 188.5 189.4 192.0 5.0 1.9 1.4 3.7 .9 .5 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 189.7 190.3 191.0 193.9 5.4 1.9 1.5 4.0 .7 .4 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 119.7 120.2 120.9 122.3 4.6 1.7 1.2 3.4 1.0 .6 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 186.9 187.5 188.6 191.9 5.9 2.3 1.7 4.8 .9 .6 

West urban ..................................................... M 198.0 198.6 199.6 201.7 4.1 1.6 1.1 3.4 .8 .5 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 200.5 201.3 202.4 204.5 4.1 1.6 1.0 3.5 .9 .5 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 121.1 121.3 122.0 123.1 4.0 1.5 .9 3.3 .7 .6 

Size classes

A 4 .............................................................. M 177.9 178.6 179.6 181.7 4.7 1.7 1.2 3.7 1.0 .6 

B/C 3 ........................................................... M 120.2 120.8 121.3 122.9 4.7 1.7 1.3 3.4 .9 .4 

D ................................................................. M 186.9 187.2 188.7 191.5 5.3 2.3 1.5 4.3 1.0 .8 

Selected local areas5

Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI ................... M 194.0 194.2 195.8 198.3 4.4 2.1 1.3 2.9 .9 .8 

Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ... M 200.7 201.4 203.1 205.8 5.8 2.2 1.3 5.2 1.2 .8 

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

NY-NJ-CT-PA ......................................... M 210.7 212.5 214.1 215.8 4.8 1.6 .8 4.1 1.6 .8 

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

 217.2 - 220.1 4.9 1.3 ----

Cleveland-Akron, OH ...................................... 1 - 187.8 - 191.6 4.2 2.0 ----

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

 184.3 - 188.9 5.1 2.5 ----

Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV 6 ...... 1 - 125.0 - 126.7 4.9 1.4 ----

Atlanta, GA ..................................................... 2 189.6 -

 189.5 ---- 2.9 -.1 -

Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI .............................. 2 189.6 -

 192.2 ---- 2.9 1.4 -

Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .................... 2 174.2 - 175.5 ---- 3.8 .7 -

Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ............................. 2 192.6 -

 195.6 ---- 5.7 1.6 -

Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,

PA-NJ-DE-MD ........................................ 2 204.8 -

 206.6 ---- 3.8 .9 -

San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA ........... 2 201.2 -

 203.0 ---- 2.2 .9 -

Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA .................... 2 199.8 - 199.9 ---- 2.7 .1 -

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

2004

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Sep. 2005 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

Aug.

2005

Sep.

2005

Sep.

2004

Aug.

2005

June to

July

July to

Aug.

Aug. to

Sep.

Expenditure category

All items ...................................................................................... 100.000 192.1 195.0 5.2 1.5 0.6 0.6 1.4 

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

 572.3 580.9 -----

Food and beverages ................................................................ 17.024 190.6 191.1 2.3 .3 .2 .1 .2 

Food ....................................................................................... 15.940 190.2 190.7 2.4 .3 .2 .1 .2 

Food at home ....................................................................... 9.540 188.7 189.1 1.9 .2 .2 -.2 .2 

Cereals and bakery products ............................................. 1.342 209.9 208.1 .9 -.9 -.2 .4 -.3 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ............................................ 2.845 184.5 185.1 .9 .3 -.4 -.2 .3 

Dairy and related products ................................................. .962 182.8 181.7 .2 -.6 .2 .2 -1.2 

Fruits and vegetables ......................................................... 1.407 234.7 238.8 6.7 1.7 1.6 -1.1 1.3 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials .............. 1.051 143.4 144.6 3.5 .8 .3 -.1 1.0 

Other food at home ............................................................ 1.934 167.1 167.1 1.4 .0 .4 .1 .0 

Sugar and sweets ............................................................. .311 163.8 165.1 1.2 .8 .7 -1.4 .9 

Fats and oils ..................................................................... .311 167.6 169.4 -.5 1.1 1.3 .1 1.0 

Other foods 1 .................................................................... 1.312 184.0 183.2 1.9 -.4 .1 .4 -.4 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ....................................... .341 112.1 111.9 .8 -.2 1.3 .2 -.2 

Food away from home 1 ....................................................... 6.400 194.0 194.4 3.0 .2 .2 .3 .2 

Other food away from home 2 ............................................ .251 132.4 133.0 5.7 .5 .3 .4 .1 

Alcoholic beverages 1 ............................................................ 1.084 195.3 196.0 1.0 .4 -.1 -.2 .4 

Housing .................................................................................... 38.973 192.3 192.9 3.4 .3 .4 .2 .5 

Shelter .................................................................................... 29.902 218.5 217.9 2.1 -.3 .3 .1 -.1

Rent of primary residence 3 ................................................. 8.025 217.1 217.7 2.9 .3 .3 .1 .3 

Lodging away from home 2 .................................................. 1.742 134.5 124.5 -2.5 -7.4 1.1 -1.3 -3.5 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 ................. 19.795 209.3 209.7 2.2 .2 .2 .2 .1 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ................................. .339 118.1 116.9 .1 -1.0 .1 -.3 -1.0 

Fuels and utilities .................................................................... 5.288 181.0 187.7 12.9 3.7 1.2 1.1 4.1 

Fuels ..................................................................................... 4.336 162.7 169.9 14.6 4.4 1.4 1.3 4.9

Fuel oil and other fuels ....................................................... .281 208.9 235.4 46.1 12.7 5.9 3.0 11.8 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ............................................... 4.055 168.7 175.2 12.8 3.9 .9 1.3 4.3 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ................. .952 131.5 131.7 4.7 .2 .5 .1 .3 

Household furnishings and operations ................................... 3.783 121.5 121.4 .7 -.1 -.2 .2 .0 

Household operations 1 2 ..................................................... .321 133.6 133.5 4.6 -.1 .2 .5 -.1 

Apparel ..................................................................................... 4.208 115.5 119.6 -.8 3.5 -.6 .8 -.3

Men’s and boys’ apparel ........................................................ 1.063 111.8 113.2 -2.1 1.3 -1.1 1.2 -1.0 

Women’s and girls’ apparel .................................................... 1.664 104.5 111.1 -2.5 6.3 -.5 .3 -.7 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel ................................................. .242 116.0 117.6 -3.8 1.4 -1.5 -.8 -1.4 

Footwear ................................................................................ .991 121.2 124.9 3.7 3.1 -.3 1.0 1.1 

Transportation .......................................................................... 19.845 177.1 186.4 15.3 5.3 1.6 2.4 5.4

Private transportation ............................................................. 19.072 174.4 183.9 15.6 5.4 1.7 2.5 5.6 

New and used motor vehicles 2 ........................................... 9.146 94.4 94.7 1.9 .3 -.2 .2 .3 

New vehicles ...................................................................... 4.725 136.0 136.8 .6 .6 -1.1 -.4 .5 

Used cars and trucks 1 ....................................................... 3.536 142.9 142.4 3.7 -.3 .9 .7 -.3 

Motor fuel ............................................................................. 4.843 213.4 250.3 54.8 17.3 6.3 8.1 17.8

Gasoline (all types) ............................................................. 4.803 212.4 249.3 54.8 17.4 6.3 8.2 17.7 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ................................... .449 111.9 112.3 3.3 .4 .5 .4 .4 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ................................. 1.357 209.7 211.1 4.1 .7 .3 .3 .7 

Public transportation ............................................................... .773 220.8 218.8 7.7 -.9 1.0 .0 .3 

Medical care ............................................................................. 5.014 323.5 324.0 3.9 .2 .4 .0 .2 

Medical care commodities ...................................................... 1.126 269.9 270.3 2.1 .1 .3 .3 .1 

Medical care services ............................................................. 3.888 337.9 338.4 4.5 .1 .4 -.1 .3 

Professional services ........................................................... 2.270 285.0 285.6 3.5 .2 .4 .0 .4 

Hospital and related services 3 ............................................ 1.276 435.3 435.5 4.6 .0 .5 -.5 .3 

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

2004

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Sep. 2005 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

Aug.

2005

Sep.

2005

Sep.

2004

Aug.

2005

June to

July

July to

Aug.

Aug. to

Sep.

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ............................................................................. 5.546 106.8 107.0 0.8 0.2 0.0 0.3 0.4 

Video and audio 2 ................................................................... 1.878 103.6 103.7 .4 .1 .0 1.4 .3 

Education and communication 2 .............................................. 5.498 111.1 112.6 1.6 1.4 .2 -.2 .7 

Education 2 ............................................................................. 2.361 152.0 155.1 6.0 2.0 .6 .3 .6 

Educational books and supplies ........................................... .217 365.9 373.6 5.3 2.1 .5 -.1 1.7 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare .............................. 2.145 430.4 439.1 6.1 2.0 .6 .3 .5 

Communication 2 .................................................................... 3.137 85.7 86.3 -1.7 .7 -.3 -.3 .8 

Information and information processing 1 2 .......................... 2.990 84.1 84.8 -1.7 .8 -.4 -.5 .8 

Telephone services 1 2 ....................................................... 2.473 94.3 95.3 -.2 1.1 -.2 -.3 1.1 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 ........... .517 14.0 13.9 -8.6 -.7 -.7 -.7 -.7 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 2 .......... .171 12.2 12.1 -18.2 -.8 -1.6 -2.4 -.8 

Other goods and services ........................................................ 3.891 323.6 324.4 3.2 .2 .7 .3 .2 

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ........................................... 1.244 508.5 512.2 5.8 .7 1.3 .7 .7 

Personal care ......................................................................... 2.648 184.4 184.4 1.9 .0 .4 .1 .0 

Personal care products 1 ...................................................... .712 155.4 155.0 .6 -.3 .6 .0 -.3 

Personal care services 1 ...................................................... .611 204.4 204.8 2.6 .2 .4 .1 .2 

Miscellaneous personal services .......................................... 1.160 304.6 305.1 3.0 .2 .3 .2 .3 

Commodity and service group

Commodities .............................................................................. 44.809 162.7 167.4 7.5 2.9 .8 1.2 2.6 

Food and beverages ................................................................ 17.024 190.6 191.1 2.3 .3 .2 .1 .2 

Commodities less food and beverages .................................... 27.786 146.4 153.0 10.7 4.5 1.1 1.9 4.0 

Nondurables less food and beverages ................................... 15.322 177.3 191.0 18.5 7.7 3.7 3.2 5.8 

Apparel ................................................................................. 4.208 115.5 119.6 -.8 3.5 -.6 .8 -.3 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................. 11.113 219.5 239.4 25.9 9.1 3.0 4.1 9.2 

Durables ................................................................................. 12.464 114.7 114.8 1.0 .1 -.3 .0 .1 

Services ...................................................................................... 55.191 226.8 227.5 3.3 .3 .3 .2 .5

Rent of shelter 4 ....................................................................... 29.562 210.4 209.9 2.1 -.2 .3 .0 .0 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ..................................... .339 118.1 116.9 .1 -1.0 .1 -.3 -1.0 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ..................................................... 4.055 168.7 175.2 12.8 3.9 .9 1.3 4.3 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ..................... .952 131.5 131.7 4.7 .2 .5 .1 .3 

Household operations 1 2 ......................................................... .321 133.6 133.5 4.6 -.1 .2 .5 -.1 

Transportation services ............................................................ 6.166 226.9 226.9 2.9 .0 .3 .4 .3 

Medical care services ............................................................... 3.888 337.9 338.4 4.5 .1 .4 -.1 .3 

Other services .......................................................................... 9.907 260.2 262.4 2.5 .8 .2 .2 .6 

Special indexes

All items less food ...................................................................... 84.060 192.3 195.6 5.7 1.7 .6 .7 1.7 

All items less shelter ................................................................... 70.098 184.6 188.8 6.5 2.3 .6 .9 2.1 

All items less medical care ......................................................... 94.986 186.5 189.5 5.3 1.6 .5 .7 1.4 

Commodities less food ............................................................... 28.870 148.2 154.6 10.3 4.3 1.0 1.8 3.8 

Nondurables less food ................................................................ 16.406 178.5 191.5 17.3 7.3 3.6 2.9 5.5 

Nondurables less food and apparel ............................................ 12.197 216.5 234.6 23.7 8.4 2.8 3.9 8.5 

Nondurables ............................................................................... 32.346 184.6 191.9 10.0 4.0 1.8 1.5 3.0

Services less rent of shelter 4 .................................................... 25.628 217.0 219.2 4.6 1.0 .5 .4 1.1 

Services less medical care services ........................................... 51.303 218.3 219.1 3.2 .4 .4 .3 .4 

Energy ........................................................................................ 9.179 187.2 209.3 35.7 11.8 4.1 5.1 12.3 

All items less energy .................................................................. 90.821 193.6 194.1 2.1 .3 .2 .2 .1 

All items less food and energy ................................................. 74.881 194.6 195.1 1.9 .3 .2 .2 .1 

Commodities less food and energy commodities ................... 23.745 139.6 140.6 .8 .7 -.2 .3 .0 

Energy commodities ............................................................. 5.124 214.0 250.5 54.3 17.1 6.3 7.9 17.5 

Services less energy services ................................................ 51.136 233.1 233.1 2.5 .0 .3 .1 .1 

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

 $ .520 $ .513 -----

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

 $ .175 $ .172 -----

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

item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.

4 Indexes on a December 1984=100 base 5 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base. - Data not available.

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

expenditure category and commodity and service group

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-W

Seasonally adjusted indexes Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent change for

3 months ended— 6 months

ended—

June

2005

July

2005

Aug.

2005

Sep.

2005

Dec.

2004

Mar.

2005

June

2005

Sep.

2005

Mar.

2005

Sep.

2005

Expenditure category

All items ...................................................................................... 189.7 190.8 192.0 194.7 3.3 4.4 2.1 11.0 3.8 6.5 

Food and beverages ................................................................ 190.4 190.7 190.8 191.2 3.2 1.3 3.0 1.7 2.3 2.3

Food ....................................................................................... 189.9 190.3 190.4 190.8 3.5 1.3 3.0 1.9 2.4 2.5 

Food at home ....................................................................... 188.8 189.2 188.9 189.3 4.4 -.6 3.2 1.1 1.8 2.1

Cereals and bakery products ............................................. 208.7 208.2 209.0 208.3 2.3 1.9 .0 -.8 2.1 -.4 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ............................................ 185.2 184.5 184.1 184.7 .4 2.6 1.7 -1.1 1.5 .3 

Dairy and related products ................................................. 182.4 182.8 183.2 181.0 -3.9 6.2 1.5 -3.0 1.0 -.8 

Fruits and vegetables ......................................................... 237.0 240.9 238.2 241.3 38.7 -21.9 11.0 7.5 4.1 9.2

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials .............. 143.4 143.8 143.7 145.1 1.4 4.6 3.4 4.8 3.0 4.1 

Other food at home ............................................................ 166.3 166.9 167.0 167.0 -2.4 3.5 2.9 1.7 .5 2.3 

Sugar and sweets ............................................................. 164.7 165.8 163.5 164.9 -2.2 -1.7 8.7 .5 -2.0 4.5 

Fats and oils ..................................................................... 165.0 167.2 167.3 168.9 -1.6 -5.6 -4.0 9.8 -3.6 2.7 

Other foods 1 .................................................................... 183.1 183.3 184.0 183.2 -2.4 7.1 3.1 .2 2.2 1.7 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ....................................... 110.5 111.9 112.1 111.9 1.1 4.4 -6.9 5.2 2.7 -1.1 

Food away from home 1 ....................................................... 193.0 193.4 194.0 194.4 1.9 4.1 3.0 2.9 3.0 2.9 

Other food away from home 2 ............................................ 131.7 132.1 132.6 132.7 4.2 7.4 8.0 3.1 5.8 5.5 

Alcoholic beverages 1 ............................................................ 195.7 195.6 195.3 196.0 .4 3.8 -.6 .6 2.1 .0 

Housing .................................................................................... 190.3 191.0 191.4 192.4 3.0 3.5 2.8 4.5 3.3 3.6 

Shelter .................................................................................... 217.2 217.9 218.1 217.9 1.9 3.8 1.5 1.3 2.8 1.4 

Rent of primary residence 3 ................................................. 216.1 216.8 217.1 217.7 2.5 3.2 2.8 3.0 2.9 2.9 

Lodging away from home 2 .................................................. 129.9 131.3 129.6 125.1 .3 15.8 -9.8 -14.0 7.8 -11.9 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 ................. 208.6 209.1 209.5 209.7 1.6 2.9 2.3 2.1 2.3 2.2 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ................................. 118.3 118.4 118.1 116.9 7.4 1.7 -3.6 -4.7 4.5 -4.1 

Fuels and utilities .................................................................... 173.0 175.0 177.0 184.2 10.5 3.2 12.2 28.5 6.7 20.1 

Fuels ..................................................................................... 154.3 156.4 158.5 166.2 11.8 2.2 13.8 34.6 6.9 23.8 

Fuel oil and other fuels ....................................................... 198.5 210.2 216.5 242.1 58.7 -.2 29.7 121.3 25.9 69.4 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ............................................... 160.0 161.5 163.6 170.7 9.3 2.4 13.0 29.6 5.8 21.0 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ................. 130.4 131.1 131.2 131.6 3.5 7.1 4.4 3.7 5.3 4.1 

Household furnishings and operations ................................... 121.7 121.4 121.6 121.6 3.0 -.7 .3 -.3 1.2 .0 

Household operations 1 2 ..................................................... 132.8 133.0 133.6 133.5 5.4 2.8 8.2 2.1 4.1 5.1 

Apparel ..................................................................................... 118.9 118.2 119.1 118.7 -.7 3.7 -5.5 -.7 1.5 -3.1 

Men’s and boys’ apparel ........................................................ 115.2 113.9 115.3 114.1 -2.0 6.4 -8.5 -3.8 2.1 -6.2

Women’s and girls’ apparel .................................................... 110.0 109.5 109.8 109.0 .4 3.3 -9.6 -3.6 1.8 -6.6

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel ................................................. 120.7 118.9 118.0 116.4 -.7 -2.9 2.4 -13.5 -1.8 -5.9

Footwear ................................................................................ 122.0 121.6 122.8 124.2 -1.3 6.9 2.7 7.4 2.7 5.0 

Transportation .......................................................................... 169.7 172.5 176.7 186.2 6.8 10.6 2.6 44.9 8.7 22.0 

Private transportation ............................................................. 166.9 169.7 174.0 183.7 6.7 11.1 2.2 46.8 8.9 22.5 

New and used motor vehicles 2 ........................................... 94.9 94.7 94.9 95.2 2.6 1.3 2.6 1.3 1.9 1.9 

New vehicles ...................................................................... 139.5 137.9 137.4 138.1 4.4 1.7 .3 -4.0 3.1 -1.9

Used cars and trucks 1 ....................................................... 140.7 141.9 142.9 142.4 2.4 1.2 6.5 4.9 1.8 5.7 

Motor fuel ............................................................................. 182.5 194.0 209.8 247.1 18.2 41.9 2.0 236.1 29.5 85.1 

Gasoline (all types) ............................................................. 181.7 193.1 208.9 245.8 18.3 41.8 2.2 234.9 29.5 85.0 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ................................... 110.8 111.4 111.9 112.3 2.2 4.5 1.1 5.5 3.3 3.3 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ................................. 208.6 209.3 209.9 211.3 4.4 3.8 3.3 5.3 4.1 4.3 

Public transportation ............................................................... 216.1 218.3 218.2 218.8 9.8 3.3 13.0 5.1 6.5 9.0 

Medical care ............................................................................. 322.4 323.6 323.6 324.4 3.8 5.7 3.7 2.5 4.7 3.1 

Medical care commodities ...................................................... 268.2 268.9 269.6 270.0 .5 2.6 2.4 2.7 1.5 2.6 

Medical care services ............................................................. 337.0 338.4 338.2 339.1 4.8 6.7 3.9 2.5 5.7 3.2

Professional services ........................................................... 284.0 285.0 285.0 286.1 2.9 4.7 3.6 3.0 3.8 3.3

Hospital and related services 3 ............................................ 435.6 437.8 435.7 436.8 5.9 8.1 3.5 1.1 7.0 2.3 

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—

June

2005

July

2005

Aug.

2005

Sep.

2005

Dec.

2004

Mar.

2005

June

2005

Sep.

2005

Mar.

2005

Sep.

2005

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ............................................................................. 106.5 106.5 106.8 107.2 0.4 0.0 0.4 2.7 0.2 1.5 

Video and audio 2 ................................................................... 102.3 102.3 103.7 104.0 .4 -.4 -4.9 6.8 .0 .8 

Education and communication 2 .............................................. 111.1 111.3 111.1 111.9 .4 1.8 1.1 2.9 1.1 2.0 

Education 2 ............................................................................. 150.6 151.5 151.9 152.8 6.2 5.3 6.3 6.0 5.8 6.2 

Educational books and supplies ........................................... 365.1 367.1 366.6 372.9 7.3 -.1 5.6 8.8 3.5 7.2 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare .............................. 426.3 428.9 430.0 432.2 6.1 5.8 6.4 5.7 6.0 6.0 

Communication 2 .................................................................... 86.3 86.0 85.7 86.4 -3.6 -.9 -2.3 .5 -2.3 -.9 

Information and information processing 1 2 .......................... 84.8 84.5 84.1 84.8 -3.7 -.9 -2.3 .0 -2.3 -1.2 

Telephone services 1 2 ....................................................... 94.8 94.6 94.3 95.3 -2.1 .4 -1.3 2.1 -.8 .4 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 ........... 14.2 14.1 14.0 13.9 -10.1 -7.9 -8.0 -8.2 -9.0 -8.1 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 2 .......... 12.7 12.5 12.2 12.1 -26.6 -13.8 -14.3 -17.6 -20.5 -16.0 

Other goods and services ........................................................ 320.7 322.9 323.8 324.6 2.7 3.7 1.6 5.0 3.2 3.3

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ........................................... 498.9 505.2 508.5 512.2 1.5 10.0 1.2 11.1 5.7 6.0 

Personal care ......................................................................... 183.7 184.4 184.6 184.6 3.1 .9 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 

Personal care products 1 ...................................................... 154.5 155.4 155.4 155.0 -.5 -1.3 3.2 1.3 -.9 2.2 

Personal care services 1 ...................................................... 203.3 204.1 204.4 204.8 4.3 3.6 -.6 3.0 3.9 1.2 

Miscellaneous personal services .......................................... 303.2 304.0 304.6 305.4 4.2 .5 4.5 2.9 2.4 3.7 

Commodity and service group

Commodities .............................................................................. 159.9 161.1 163.0 167.2 4.2 5.5 1.5 19.6 4.8 10.2 

Food and beverages ................................................................ 190.4 190.7 190.8 191.2 3.2 1.3 3.0 1.7 2.3 2.3

Commodities less food and beverages .................................... 142.6 144.1 146.8 152.6 4.4 8.3 .8 31.1 6.3 15.0 

Nondurables less food and beverages ................................... 167.0 173.2 178.7 189.0 15.6 3.7 .5 64.1 9.5 28.4 

Apparel ................................................................................. 118.9 118.2 119.1 118.7 -.7 3.7 -5.5 -.7 1.5 -3.1 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................. 203.3 209.4 218.0 238.0 10.1 18.0 3.0 87.8 14.0 39.1 

Durables ................................................................................. 115.3 115.0 115.0 115.1 3.2 .3 .7 -.7 1.8 .0 

Services ...................................................................................... 224.8 225.5 226.0 227.1 2.9 3.3 2.9 4.2 3.1 3.5 

Rent of shelter 4 ....................................................................... 209.3 210.0 210.0 209.9 1.4 4.1 1.7 1.2 2.7 1.4 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ..................................... 118.3 118.4 118.1 116.9 7.4 1.7 -3.6 -4.7 4.5 -4.1 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ..................................................... 160.0 161.5 163.6 170.7 9.3 2.4 13.0 29.6 5.8 21.0 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ..................... 130.4 131.1 131.2 131.6 3.5 7.1 4.4 3.7 5.3 4.1 

Household operations 1 2 ......................................................... 132.8 133.0 133.6 133.5 5.4 2.8 8.2 2.1 4.1 5.1 

Transportation services ............................................................ 225.7 226.4 227.2 227.8 2.7 1.6 3.4 3.8 2.2 3.6

Medical care services ............................................................... 337.0 338.4 338.2 339.1 4.8 6.7 3.9 2.5 5.7 3.2 

Other services .......................................................................... 259.1 259.6 260.1 261.7 2.2 2.2 1.6 4.1 2.2 2.8 

Special indexes

All items less food ...................................................................... 189.5 190.7 192.1 195.3 3.3 5.0 1.9 12.8 4.2 7.2 

All items less shelter ................................................................... 181.8 182.9 184.5 188.3 4.1 4.6 2.5 15.1 4.3 8.6 

All items less medical care ......................................................... 184.1 185.1 186.4 189.1 3.4 4.0 2.2 11.3 3.7 6.7 

Commodities less food ............................................................... 144.5 146.0 148.6 154.3 4.4 8.2 .6 30.0 6.2 14.3 

Nondurables less food ................................................................ 168.6 174.7 179.8 189.6 14.3 3.9 -.2 59.9 9.0 26.3 

Nondurables less food and apparel ............................................ 201.6 207.2 215.2 233.5 9.2 16.7 2.2 80.0 12.9 35.6

Nondurables ............................................................................... 179.4 182.6 185.4 191.0 8.8 2.7 2.0 28.5 5.7 14.5 

Services less rent of shelter 4 .................................................... 214.2 215.2 216.0 218.3 4.3 2.1 4.2 7.9 3.2 6.0 

Services less medical care services ........................................... 216.2 217.0 217.7 218.6 2.7 2.7 2.8 4.5 2.7 3.7 

Energy ........................................................................................ 167.6 174.4 183.3 205.8 15.4 22.0 7.0 127.3 18.6 55.9 

All items less energy .................................................................. 193.3 193.6 193.9 194.1 2.3 2.5 1.7 1.7 2.4 1.7 

All items less food and energy ................................................. 194.4 194.7 195.0 195.2 2.1 2.7 1.5 1.7 2.4 1.6 

Commodities less food and energy commodities ................... 140.6 140.3 140.7 140.7 1.4 1.4 .0 .3 1.4 .1 

Energy commodities ............................................................. 184.0 195.5 210.9 247.8 20.0 39.3 3.3 229.0 29.3 84.4 

Services less energy services ................................................ 231.9 232.6 232.9 233.2 2.1 3.5 2.1 2.3 2.8 2.2 

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

item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means estimator.

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

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

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-W

All items 

Pricing

schedule 1

Indexes Percent change to

Sep.2005 from—

Percent change to

Aug.2005 from—

June

2005

July

2005

Aug.

2005

Sep.

2005

Sep.

2004

July

2005

Aug.

2005

Aug.

2004

June

2005

July

2005

U.S. city average ............................................ M 190.1 191.0 192.1 195.0 5.2 2.1 1.5 3.8 1.1 0.6 

Region and area size2

Northeast urban .............................................. M 202.5 204.0 204.8 207.9 5.2 1.9 1.5 3.9 1.1 .4 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 203.4 204.9 206.0 209.0 5.3 2.0 1.5 4.0 1.3 .5 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 121.8 122.8 122.9 124.8 4.7 1.6 1.5 3.5 .9 .1 

Midwest urban ................................................ M 182.9 183.6 185.1 188.2 5.4 2.5 1.7 3.9 1.2 .8 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 184.0 184.4 186.1 188.7 4.7 2.3 1.4 3.5 1.1 .9 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 119.0 119.8 120.5 122.9 6.0 2.6 2.0 4.1 1.3 .6 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 179.6 180.4 182.5 185.6 6.9 2.9 1.7 5.2 1.6 1.2 

South urban .................................................... M 184.7 185.5 186.6 189.8 5.6 2.3 1.7 4.0 1.0 .6 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 187.3 188.1 189.2 192.6 6.2 2.4 1.8 4.4 1.0 .6 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 118.2 118.7 119.5 121.3 5.1 2.2 1.5 3.6 1.1 .7 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 186.7 187.3 188.8 192.6 6.6 2.8 2.0 5.2 1.1 .8 

West urban ..................................................... M 193.1 193.7 194.9 197.1 4.4 1.8 1.1 3.7 .9 .6 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 194.1 195.0 196.1 198.4 4.5 1.7 1.2 3.8 1.0 .6 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 120.6 120.9 121.6 122.8 4.2 1.6 1.0 3.4 .8 .6 

Size classes

A 4 .............................................................. M 176.2 177.0 178.1 180.7 5.2 2.1 1.5 3.9 1.1 .6 

B/C 3 ........................................................... M 119.3 119.9 120.5 122.4 5.1 2.1 1.6 3.7 1.0 .5 

D ................................................................. M 185.1 185.6 187.3 190.7 6.1 2.7 1.8 4.8 1.2 .9 

Selected local areas5

Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI ................... M 187.1 187.4 189.2 192.2 5.0 2.6 1.6 3.3 1.1 1.0 

Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ... M 193.7 194.6 196.4 199.0 6.0 2.3 1.3 5.3 1.4 .9 

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

NY-NJ-CT-PA ......................................... M 205.1 206.5 208.3 211.0 5.2 2.2 1.3 4.0 1.6 .9 

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

 216.0 - 220.2 5.5 1.9 ----

Cleveland-Akron, OH ...................................... 1 - 178.8 - 183.1 4.7 2.4 ----

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

 185.4 - 190.8 6.0 2.9 ----

Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV 6 ...... 1 - 124.5 - 127.2 5.6 2.2 ----

Atlanta, GA ..................................................... 2 187.5 -

 188.3 ---- 3.2 .4 -

Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI .............................. 2 184.7 -

 187.7 ---- 3.4 1.6 -

Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .................... 2 172.7 - 174.4 ---- 4.2 1.0 -

Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ............................. 2 190.7 -

 193.8 ---- 6.0 1.6 -

Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,

PA-NJ-DE-MD ........................................ 2 204.0 -

 206.0 ---- 4.0 1.0 -

San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA ........... 2 197.5 -

 199.5 ---- 2.3 1.0 -

Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA .................... 2 194.8 - 195.3 ---- 3.0 .3 -

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,

2001-2002

 Unadjusted

 indexes

 Unadjusted

 percent change to

 Sep. 2005 from—

 Aug.

 2005

 Sep.

 2005

 Sep.

 2004

 Aug.

 2005

Expenditure category

All items ...................................................................................... 100.000 113.8 114.7 3.5 0.8 

Food and beverages ................................................................ 15.076 113.6 113.9 2.3 .3 

Food ....................................................................................... 14.086 113.7 114.0 2.4 .3 

Food at home ....................................................................... 8.062 111.6 111.9 2.0 .3 

Food away from home .......................................................... 6.023 116.5 116.7 2.9 .2 

Alcoholic beverages ............................................................... .990 113.1 113.4 1.5 .3 

Housing .................................................................................... 41.793 118.4 118.2 2.7 -.2 

Shelter .................................................................................... 32.380 119.0 118.3 1.8 -.6 

Fuels and utilities .................................................................... 4.643 140.8 145.2 11.7 3.1 

Household furnishings and operations ................................... 4.771 96.0 95.9 .2 -.1 

Apparel ..................................................................................... 4.317 86.9 90.5 -1.0 4.1 

Transportation .......................................................................... 17.315 115.7 119.3 10.4 3.1 

Private transportation ............................................................. 16.206 116.1 120.1 10.6 3.4 

Public transportation ............................................................... 1.109 110.5 109.2 8.0 -1.2 

Medical care ............................................................................. 5.783 126.6 126.8 3.7 .2 

Medical care commodities ...................................................... 1.466 117.5 117.9 2.3 .3 

Medical care services ............................................................. 4.317 129.8 130.0 4.3 .2 

Recreation ................................................................................ 5.978 103.5 103.8 .4 .3 

Education and communication ................................................. 6.004 100.1 101.5 .7 1.4 

Education ............................................................................... 2.560 141.6 144.6 6.1 2.1 

Communication ...................................................................... 3.444 75.9 76.6 -3.2 .9 

Other goods and services ........................................................ 3.734 117.2 117.4 2.7 .2 

Commodity and service group

Services ...................................................................................... 58.567 120.5 120.6 2.9 .1 

Commodities .............................................................................. 41.433 105.3 107.2 4.5 1.8 

Durables ................................................................................... 12.521 87.0 87.1 -.1 .1 

Nondurables ............................................................................... 28.912 114.2 117.2 6.5 2.6 

All items less food and energy ................................................. 78.985 110.2 110.4 1.8 .2 

Energy ........................................................................................ 6.929 161.9 177.6 30.6 9.7 

Indexes for 2005 are initial estimates. Indexes for 2004 are interim adjustments.

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