News United States 

Department

of Labor 

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION: 

Stephen B. Reed (202) 691-7000 USDL-08-1308 

CPI QUICKLINE: (202) 691-6994 TRANSMISSION OF 

FOR CURRENT AND HISTORICAL MATERIAL IN THIS 

INFORMATION: (202) 691-5200 RELEASE IS EMBARGOED 

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

INTERNET ADDRESS: http://www.bls.gov/cpi/ Tuesday, September 16, 2008 

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: AUGUST 2008 

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

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

August level of 219.086 (1982-84=100) was 5.4 percent higher than in August 2007. 

The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) decreased 0.5 

percent in August, prior to seasonal adjustment. The August level of 215.247 (1982-84=100) was 5.9 percent 

higher than in August 2007. 

The Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U) decreased 0.2 percent in 

August on a not seasonally adjusted basis. The August level of 125.843 (December 1999=100) was 4.7 percent 

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

CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U decreased 0.1 percent in August, following a 0.8 percent 

increase in July. The index for energy fell 3.1 percent in August after three consecutive sharp increases. The 

gasoline index declined by 4.2 percent in August but is 35.6 percent higher than in August 2007. The index for 

household energy, which was up 3.8 percent in July, declined 1.6 percent in August. The food index advanced 

0.6 percent in August after rising 0.9 percent in July. The index for food at home rose 0.8 percent in August 

after a 1.2 percent increase in July and is up 7.5 percent over the past year. The index for all items less food 

and energy increased 0.2 percent in August after increasing 0.3 percent in July. A downturn in the index (cont.)

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

Expenditure

Category

Seasonally adjusted

Unadjusted

12-mos.

ended

Aug. 2008

Changes from preceding month Compound

annual rate

3-mos. ended

Aug. 2008 Feb.

2008

Mar.

2008

Apr.

2008

May

2008

June

2008

July

2008

Aug.

2008

All items ................................. 0.0 0.3 0.2 0.6 1.1 0.8 -0.1 7.2 5.4 

Food and beverages ........... .4 .2 .9 .3 .7 .9 .6 9.1 5.9 

Housing ............................... .2 .4 .3 .5 .5 .6 -.1 4.2 3.8 

Apparel ................................ -.3 -1.3 .5 -.3 .1 1.2 .5 7.4 1.7 

Transportation ..................... -.7 .7 -.7 2.0 3.8 1.7 -1.5 16.8 12.1 

Medical care ........................ .1 .1 .2 .2 .2 .1 .2 2.1 3.3 

Recreation ........................... .1 .3 -.1 .1 .1 .4 .5 4.4 2.4 

Education and

communication .............. .1 .3 .4 .4 .5 .5 .2 5.0 3.6 

Other goods and services ... .2 .4 .5 .4 .4 .4 .2 4.0 4.1 

Special indexes:

Energy ................................. -.5 1.9 .0 4.4 6.6 4.0 -3.1 32.9 27.2 

Food .................................... .4 .2 .9 .3 .8 .9 .6 9.6 6.1 

All items less food and

energy ........................... .0 .2 .1 .2 .3 .3 .2 3.4 2.5 
for lodging away from home was responsible for almost half of the smaller increase. Deceleration in the 

indexes for new vehicles, apparel, and telephone services also contributed. Partly offsetting these were larger 

increases in the indexes for medical care and recreation. 

During the first eight months of 2008, the CPI-U rose at a 5.1 percent seasonally adjusted annualized 

rate (SAAR). This compares with a 4.1 percent increase for the 12 months ending December 2007. The energy 

index rose at a 22.4 percent SAAR in the first eight months of 2008 after increasing 17.4 percent in 2007. 

Gasoline prices increased at a 22.1 percent SAAR in 2008 after a 29.6 percent increase in 2007, while natural 

gas prices rose at a 46.3 percent SAAR after decreasing 0.4 percent in 2007. The food index increased at a 7.5 

SAAR for the first eight months of 2008 after increasing 4.9 percent in 2007. Excluding food and energy, the 

CPI-U has advanced at a 2.5 percent SAAR in 2008 following a 2.4 percent increase in 2007. 

The food and beverages index rose 0.6 percent in August following a 0.9 percent increase in July. The 

index for food at home increased 0.8 percent, following a 1.2 percent rise in July. Four of the six grocery store 

food groups increased less in August than in July. Most notable were a downturn in the index for cereals and 

bakery products, which declined 0.1 percent in August after a 1.8 percent increase in July, and a smaller 

increase in the index for dairy and related products, up 0.4 percent in August after a 1.6 percent increase in July.

The index for meats, poultry, fish and eggs increased 1.0 percent for the second consecutive month. The fruits 

and vegetables index increased more rapidly in August, up 2.1 percent following a 1.2 percent increase in July. 

The food away from home index decelerated in August, up 0.3 percent after a 0.6 percent increase in July, while 

the index for alcoholic beverages increased 0.4 percent for the second straight month. 

The index for housing declined 0.1 percent in August after a 0.6 percent increase in July. The shelter 

index increased 0.1 percent in August after a 0.2 percent increase in July. The smaller increase was due to a 

downturn in the lodging away from home index, which fell 1.1 percent in August after a 0.7 percent increase in 

July. The indexes for rent and for owners’ equivalent rent duplicated their July increases of 0.3 percent and 0.1 

percent, respectively. The index for household energy declined 1.6 percent in August, but is still 17.3 percent 

above its August 2007 level. Within household energy, the indexes for fuel oil and for natural gas fell 

substantially, declining 9.6 percent and 5.8 percent respectively. The index for electricity increased 1.2 percent 

in August following a 2.5 percent increase in July. The index for household furnishings and operations, which 

rose 0.4 percent in July, increased 0.2 percent in August.

The transportation index turned down in August, declining 1.5 percent following three straight 

substantial increases. The index for gasoline decreased 4.2 percent following a 4.1 percent increase in July.

(Prior to seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices fell 7.4 percent in August but are 35.6 percent above their August 

2007 level.) The index for new vehicles declined 0.6 percent in August after a 0.2 percent increase in July, 

with the index for new cars virtually unchanged and the index for new trucks declining 1.2 percent. The index 

for used cars and trucks fell 0.3 percent in August following a 0.1 percent decline in July. The indexes for new 

vehicles and for used cars and trucks each declined 1.3 percent since August 2007. The index for public 

transportation increased 1.1 percent in August, the same increase as in July, mostly due to a 1.6 percent increase 

in the index for airline fare. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, the index for airline fare decreased 0.9 percent in 

August and is 20.9 percent higher than in August 2007.) 

The index for apparel rose 0.5 percent in August following a 1.2 percent increase in July. (Prior to 

seasonal adjustment, apparel prices rose 1.8 percent in August and are 1.7 percent higher than in August 2007.) 

The index for women’s and girls’ apparel increased 2.0 percent in August, while the index for men’s and boys’ 

apparel rose 0.3 percent. 

The medical care index rose 0.2 percent in August after rising 0.1 percent in July, and is 3.3 percent 

higher than a year ago. The index for medical care commodities--prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and 

medical supplies—increased 0.1 percent in August after a 0.2 percent decrease in July. The index for medical 

care services increased 0.3 percent in August. The indexes for professional services and for hospital and related 

services increased 0.3 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.

The index for recreation increased 0.5 percent in August, following a 0.4 percent increase in July. The 

index for video and audio rose 0.5 percent in August after being virtually unchanged in July. The indexes for 

pets, pet products and services and for admissions both rose 1.3 percent in August, while the index for sporting 

goods declined 0.7 percent.
The index for education and communication increased 0.2 percent in August after a 0.5 percent increase 

in July. The index for education rose 0.6 percent, reflecting increases of 3.4 percent for college textbooks and 

0.3 percent for college tuition and fees. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, charges for college tuition rose 2.6 

percent in August and were 6.3 percent higher than a year ago.) The communication index, which increased 0.5 

percent in July, declined 0.2 percent in August. Within communication, the telephone services index was 

virtually unchanged in August after a 0.7 percent increase in July, and the information technology hardware and 

services index declined 0.7 percent after a 0.2 percent increase in July.

The index for other goods and services increased 0.2 percent in August after three consecutive increases 

of 0.4 percent. The deceleration was caused by the index for tobacco and smoking products, which rose 0.1 

percent in August after a 1.2 percent increase in July.

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

On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers decreased 0.2 

percent in August. 

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

Expenditure

Category

Seasonally adjusted

Unadjusted

12-mos.

ended

Aug. 2008

Changes from preceding month Compound

annual rate

3-mos. ended

Aug. 2008 Feb.

2008

Mar.

2008

Apr.

2008

May

2008

June

2008

July

2008

Aug.

2008

All items ................................. 0.0 0.4 0.2 0.7 1.2 0.9 -0.2 8.0 5.9 

Food and beverages ........... .3 .2 .9 .3 .8 .9 .6 9.6 6.0 

Housing ............................... .2 .5 .4 .5 .5 .7 .0 4.6 4.2 

Apparel ................................ -.3 -1.2 .2 -.2 .0 .8 1.0 7.6 1.8 

Transportation ..................... -.7 .7 -.7 2.1 4.0 1.8 -1.7 17.4 12.8 

Medical care ........................ .1 .1 .2 .1 .2 .1 .3 2.3 3.4 

Recreation ........................... .1 .3 -.2 .0 .2 .4 .5 4.4 2.3 

Education and

communication .............. .1 .2 .4 .3 .5 .5 .2 5.2 3.3 

Other goods and services ... .3 .4 .4 .5 .6 .5 .2 5.1 4.6 

Special indexes:

Energy ................................. -.7 1.9 -.2 4.5 6.8 4.0 -3.2 33.8 27.8 

Food .................................... .3 .2 1.0 .3 .8 .9 .6 9.9 6.2 

All items less food and

energy ........................... .0 .1 .1 .2 .3 .3 .2 3.5 2.5 

Consumer Price Index data for September are scheduled for release on Thursday, October 16, 2008, at 

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

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

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

Brief Explanation of the CPI 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bureau’s trained representatives. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Calculating Index Changes 

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

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

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

percent changes. 

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

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

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

Index Point Change

CPI 202.416 

Less previous index 201.800 

Equals index point change .616 

Percent Change

Index point difference .616 

Divided by the previous index 201.800 

Equals 0.003 

Results multiplied by one hundred 0.003x100 

Equals percent change 0.3
Regions Defined 

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

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

Vermont. 

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

Wisconsin. 

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

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

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

Wyoming. 

A Note on Seasonally Adjusted and Unadjusted Data 

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

publishes seasonally adjusted as well as unadjusted changes each month. 

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

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

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

changeovers, holidays, and sales. 

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

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

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

adjustment for seasonal variation. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

48 of the 73 components are seasonally adjusted for 2008. 
Seasonally adjusted data, including the All items index levels, are subject to revision for up to five years 

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

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

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

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

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

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

ARIMA software was used for Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment. 

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

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

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

refineries from Hurricane Katrina. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

service group

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-U

Relative

importance,

December

2007

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Aug. 2008 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

July

2008

Aug.

2008

Aug.

2007

July

2008

May to

June

June to

July

July to

Aug.

Expenditure category

All items ........................................................................................ 100.000 219.964 219.086 5.4 -0.4 1.1 0.8 -0.1 

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

 658.915 656.284 - ----

Food and beverages .................................................................. 14.914 215.326 216.419 5.9 .5 .7 .9 .6 

Food ......................................................................................... 13.833 215.299 216.422 6.1 .5 .8 .9 .6 

Food at home ......................................................................... 7.660 215.785 217.259 7.5 .7 1.0 1.2 .8 

Cereals and bakery products ............................................... 1.030 250.321 250.080 11.7 -.1 .5 1.8 -.1 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .............................................. 1.807 205.075 207.488 5.2 1.2 .8 1.0 1.0 

Dairy and related products ................................................... .887 213.981 214.748 6.4 .4 1.6 1.6 .4 

Fruits and vegetables ........................................................... 1.156 280.209 283.296 12.0 1.1 2.8 1.2 2.1 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ................ .928 159.346 160.055 3.4 .4 .2 .7 .4 

Other food at home .............................................................. 1.852 185.725 186.991 7.0 .7 .4 1.0 .7 

Sugar and sweets .............................................................. .277 187.067 187.813 5.4 .4 .0 .4 .6 

Fats and oils ....................................................................... .205 201.205 203.059 16.5 .9 1.9 2.4 1.1 

Other foods ........................................................................ 1.369 199.566 200.961 5.9 .7 .2 .9 .6 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ......................................... .404 120.510 121.033 4.3 .4 -.2 1.7 .4 

Food away from home 1 ......................................................... 6.173 216.376 217.063 4.5 .3 .5 .6 .3 

Other food away from home 1 2 ........................................... .297 151.120 151.133 4.0 .0 .1 .8 .0 

Alcoholic beverages ................................................................. 1.080 214.394 215.094 3.3 .3 .1 .4 .4 

Housing ...................................................................................... 42.427 219.610 219.148 3.8 -.2 .5 .6 -.1 

Shelter ...................................................................................... 32.596 248.075 247.985 2.4 .0 .3 .2 .1 

Rent of primary residence 3 ................................................... 5.765 243.367 244.181 3.8 .3 .4 .3 .3 

Lodging away from home 2 .................................................... 2.564 153.032 149.146 -.7 -2.5 .7 .7 -1.1 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 .................. 23.942 252.504 252.957 2.5 .2 .3 .1 .1 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ................................... .325 118.764 118.562 1.4 -.2 .6 -.3 -.2 

Fuels and utilities ..................................................................... 5.128 239.039 235.650 15.3 -1.4 1.8 3.3 -1.1 

Household energy .................................................................. 4.215 221.742 217.455 17.3 -1.9 2.1 3.8 -1.6 

Fuel oil and other fuels ......................................................... .351 395.706 367.794 49.2 -7.1 8.5 1.3 -6.5 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ................................................. 3.864 221.805 218.656 14.7 -1.4 1.5 4.0 -1.1 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ................... .913 152.063 154.134 6.3 1.4 .4 .7 1.3 

Household furnishings and operations ..................................... 4.702 127.884 128.013 1.2 .1 .0 .4 .2 

Household operations 1 2 ....................................................... .737 148.290 149.169 5.8 .6 .7 .2 .6 

Apparel ....................................................................................... 3.731 114.357 116.376 1.7 1.8 .1 1.2 .5 

Men’s and boys’ apparel .......................................................... .935 109.669 110.180 1.1 .5 -.9 .0 .3 

Women’s and girls’ apparel ...................................................... 1.600 100.049 104.211 .9 4.2 .5 2.0 2.0 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel ................................................... .185 109.218 109.558 -.6 .3 -.4 -.3 -.8 

Footwear .................................................................................. .679 122.421 121.982 1.4 -.4 .2 1.3 -1.6

Transportation ............................................................................ 17.688 212.806 206.739 12.1 -2.9 3.8 1.7 -1.5 

Private transportation ............................................................... 16.583 208.038 201.779 11.8 -3.0 3.8 1.7 -1.6

New and used motor vehicles 2 ............................................. 7.191 93.650 93.260 -.9 -.4 .1 .2 -.4 

New vehicles ........................................................................ 4.632 134.397 133.404 -1.3 -.7 .2 .2 -.6 

Used cars and trucks 1 ......................................................... 1.773 135.840 135.405 -1.3 -.3 -.3 -.1 -.3 

Motor fuel ............................................................................... 5.482 349.731 323.822 35.9 -7.4 10.1 4.1 -4.2 

Gasoline (all types) .............................................................. 5.215 347.357 321.511 35.6 -7.4 10.1 4.1 -4.2

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ..................................... .356 129.118 130.327 7.1 .9 .8 1.0 .9 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ................................... 1.123 234.788 236.125 5.4 .6 .6 .6 .6 

Public transportation ................................................................ 1.106 270.002 268.487 15.2 -.6 3.4 1.1 1.1

Medical care ............................................................................... 6.231 363.963 364.477 3.3 .1 .2 .1 .2

Medical care commodities ........................................................ 1.601 294.777 295.003 1.3 .1 .1 -.2 .1 

Medical care services ............................................................... 4.630 385.361 385.990 3.9 .2 .3 .2 .3 

Professional services ............................................................. 2.626 311.926 312.396 3.4 .2 .3 .2 .3 

Hospital and related services 3 .............................................. 1.467 533.558 535.501 6.9 .4 .4 .3 .6 

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

service group-Continued

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-U

Relative

importance,

December

2007

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Aug. 2008 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

July

2008

Aug.

2008

Aug.

2007

July

2008

May to

June

June to

July

July to

Aug.

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ............................................................................... 5.647 113.277 113.786 2.4 0.4 0.1 0.4 0.5 

Video and audio 2 .................................................................... 1.843 102.203 102.546 .2 .3 -.3 .0 .5 

Education and communication 2 ................................................ 6.086 123.445 124.653 3.6 1.0 .5 .5 .2 

Education 2 .............................................................................. 2.944 179.229 183.184 6.0 2.2 .4 .5 .6 

Educational books and supplies ............................................. .207 444.382 458.989 7.4 3.3 .2 .8 2.6 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare ................................ 2.736 516.264 527.230 5.9 2.1 .5 .4 .5 

Communication 2 ..................................................................... 3.142 84.840 84.701 1.3 -.2 .6 .5 -.2 

Information and information processing 1 2 ............................ 2.975 81.965 81.815 1.1 -.2 .5 .6 -.2 

Telephone services 1 2 ......................................................... 2.342 101.339 101.301 2.5 .0 .8 .7 .0 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 ............. .634 10.087 10.012 -4.5 -.7 -.5 .2 -.7 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 6 ............ .242 94.711 92.921 -12.8 -1.9 -1.4 -1.0 -1.9 

Other goods and services .......................................................... 3.277 346.810 346.990 4.1 .1 .4 .4 .2 

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ............................................ .731 596.782 597.361 7.6 .1 1.5 1.2 .1 

Personal care ........................................................................... 2.546 201.545 201.623 3.1 .0 .1 .1 .3 

Personal care products 1 ....................................................... .639 158.989 159.252 .9 .2 .0 .1 .2 

Personal care services 1 ........................................................ .629 223.719 224.151 3.3 .2 -.1 .1 .2 

Miscellaneous personal services ........................................... 1.044 340.077 341.053 4.8 .3 .3 .1 .4 

Commodity and service group

Commodities ................................................................................ 41.269 181.087 179.148 7.3 -1.1 1.9 1.2 -.5 

Food and beverages .................................................................. 14.914 215.326 216.419 5.9 .5 .7 .9 .6 

Commodities less food and beverages ...................................... 26.356 161.301 158.179 8.1 -1.9 2.5 1.3 -1.1 

Nondurables less food and beverages ..................................... 15.519 213.363 207.284 14.9 -2.8 4.1 1.2 -1.8 

Apparel ................................................................................... 3.731 114.357 116.376 1.7 1.8 .1 1.2 .5

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................... 11.787 280.062 268.740 19.1 -4.0 5.7 2.2 -2.0 

Durables ................................................................................... 10.837 111.275 110.779 -1.1 -.4 .0 .2 -.3 

Services ....................................................................................... 58.731 258.422 258.638 4.1 .1 .5 .5 .1 

Rent of shelter 4 ......................................................................... 32.271 258.637 258.547 2.4 .0 .3 .2 .1 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ....................................... .325 118.764 118.562 1.4 -.2 .6 -.3 -.2 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ....................................................... 3.864 221.805 218.656 14.7 -1.4 1.5 4.0 -1.1 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ....................... .913 152.063 154.134 6.3 1.4 .4 .7 1.3 

Household operations 1 2 ........................................................... .737 148.290 149.169 5.8 .6 .7 .2 .6 

Transportation services .............................................................. 5.350 247.869 248.806 6.1 .4 1.1 .5 .8 

Medical care services ................................................................. 4.630 385.361 385.990 3.9 .2 .3 .2 .3 

Other services ............................................................................ 10.641 295.677 297.923 4.0 .8 .4 .4 .4

Special indexes

All items less food ........................................................................ 86.167 220.758 219.552 5.2 -.5 1.1 .8 -.3 

All items less shelter .................................................................... 67.404 211.468 210.264 6.8 -.6 1.4 1.1 -.2 

All items less medical care ........................................................... 93.769 212.576 211.653 5.5 -.4 1.1 .9 -.2

Commodities less food ................................................................. 27.436 163.364 160.341 7.9 -1.9 2.4 1.3 -1.1

Nondurables less food ................................................................. 16.599 213.447 207.769 14.1 -2.7 3.7 1.3 -2.0

Nondurables less food and apparel ............................................. 12.868 272.612 262.470 17.7 -3.7 5.1 2.1 -2.2 

Nondurables ................................................................................. 30.432 215.628 212.882 10.4 -1.3 2.3 1.1 -.9 

Services less rent of shelter 4 ...................................................... 26.460 277.982 278.606 6.1 .2 .8 1.0 .2 

Services less medical care services ............................................ 54.101 248.007 248.198 4.1 .1 .6 .6 .2 

Energy .......................................................................................... 9.698 280.833 266.283 27.2 -5.2 6.6 4.0 -3.1 

All items less energy .................................................................... 90.302 215.335 215.873 3.1 .2 .4 .4 .3

All items less food and energy ................................................... 76.469 216.045 216.476 2.5 .2 .3 .3 .2 

Commodities less food and energy commodities ..................... 21.602 139.535 139.785 .6 .2 .1 .5 .1 

Energy commodities ............................................................... 5.834 354.423 328.240 36.8 -7.4 10.0 3.9 -4.4 

Services less energy services .................................................. 54.867 262.323 262.867 3.3 .2 .4 .3 .2 

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

 $ .455 $ .456 - ----

Purchasing power of the consumer dollar (1967=$1.00) ............. - $ .152 $ .152 - ----

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

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

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

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

and commodity and service group

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-U

Seasonally adjusted indexes Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent

change for

3 months ended— 6 months

ended—

May

2008

June

2008

July

2008

Aug.

2008

Nov.

2007

Feb.

2008

May

2008

Aug.

2008 Feb.

2008

Aug.

2008

Expenditure category

All items .............................................................................. 215.132 217.403 219.181 218.880 6.3 3.1 4.9 7.2 4.7 6.0 

Food and beverages ......................................................... 212.091 213.612 215.539 216.778 4.2 4.6 5.9 9.1 4.4 7.5

Food ................................................................................ 211.918 213.542 215.545 216.807 4.3 4.7 6.2 9.6 4.5 7.8 

Food at home ................................................................ 211.620 213.706 216.227 217.949 4.4 5.3 7.9 12.5 4.9 10.2 

Cereals and bakery products ...................................... 243.503 244.840 249.210 249.024 6.5 12.4 18.7 9.4 9.4 13.9 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..................................... 201.610 203.295 205.361 207.479 2.5 2.3 4.3 12.2 2.4 8.2 

Dairy and related products .......................................... 207.808 211.086 214.537 215.356 6.7 3.4 .9 15.3 5.0 7.9 

Fruits and vegetables .................................................. 274.113 281.911 285.411 291.493 10.9 2.2 8.4 27.9 6.5 17.7

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ....... 158.445 158.735 159.796 160.411 -.5 4.8 4.4 5.1 2.1 4.7 

Other food at home ..................................................... 182.434 183.140 184.951 186.154 2.7 6.8 10.4 8.4 4.7 9.4

Sugar and sweets ..................................................... 185.210 185.209 185.865 186.956 4.2 2.6 11.0 3.8 3.4 7.4 

Fats and oils .............................................................. 192.640 196.211 200.870 202.996 5.9 16.1 21.7 23.3 10.8 22.5 

Other foods ............................................................... 196.520 196.980 198.743 199.930 1.7 6.2 8.7 7.1 3.9 7.9

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ................................ 118.744 118.453 120.510 121.033 -2.3 10.0 1.9 7.9 3.7 4.9 

Food away from home 1 ............................................... 213.967 215.015 216.376 217.063 4.1 3.9 4.0 5.9 4.0 5.0 

Other food away from home 1 2 .................................. 149.666 149.873 151.120 151.133 3.5 4.9 3.5 4.0 4.2 3.7 

Alcoholic beverages ........................................................ 213.067 213.246 214.173 215.105 2.8 4.1 2.3 3.9 3.5 3.1

Housing ............................................................................. 215.876 216.918 218.267 218.101 3.5 2.8 4.9 4.2 3.1 4.5 

Shelter ............................................................................. 245.822 246.612 247.090 247.258 3.1 2.6 1.6 2.4 2.8 2.0 

Rent of primary residence 3 .......................................... 241.919 242.837 243.535 244.296 4.5 3.6 2.9 4.0 4.1 3.4 

Lodging away from home 2 ........................................... 143.357 144.426 145.394 143.846 -.9 1.0 -4.3 1.4 .1 -1.5 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 ......... 251.656 252.299 252.610 252.970 3.2 2.6 2.0 2.1 2.9 2.1 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ......................... 118.411 119.092 118.764 118.562 .2 2.2 2.7 .5 1.2 1.6 

Fuels and utilities ............................................................ 222.094 226.160 233.540 230.876 10.2 6.5 29.5 16.8 8.3 23.0 

Household energy ......................................................... 203.609 207.912 215.751 212.286 11.2 6.7 35.5 18.2 8.9 26.5 

Fuel oil and other fuels ................................................ 364.824 396.000 401.283 375.211 72.4 21.3 111.7 11.9 44.6 53.9 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ....................................... 203.584 206.565 214.896 212.549 6.7 5.3 29.9 18.8 6.0 24.2 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 .......... 150.203 150.831 151.857 153.832 5.4 5.7 4.3 10.0 5.6 7.1 

Household furnishings and operations ............................ 127.352 127.369 127.919 128.222 -1.0 .3 2.7 2.8 -.3 2.7 

Household operations 1 2 ............................................. 146.957 148.006 148.290 149.169 1.8 5.4 10.0 6.2 3.6 8.1 

Apparel .............................................................................. 118.043 118.107 119.574 120.157 3.4 .8 -4.3 7.4 2.1 1.4 

Men’s and boys’ apparel ................................................. 114.153 113.139 113.090 113.420 .4 6.8 -.2 -2.5 3.6 -1.4

Women’s and girls’ apparel ............................................. 105.181 105.698 107.860 110.057 2.1 -4.2 -11.3 19.9 -1.1 3.1 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel .......................................... 113.408 112.922 112.638 111.741 12.2 -.3 -7.5 -5.8 5.8 -6.6

Footwear ......................................................................... 124.290 124.489 126.047 124.023 3.9 -.7 3.2 -.9 1.6 1.2 

Transportation ................................................................... 198.465 205.915 209.358 206.303 19.5 3.5 8.7 16.8 11.2 12.6 

Private transportation ...................................................... 194.122 201.450 204.899 201.552 20.0 3.4 8.0 16.2 11.4 12.0 

New and used motor vehicles 2 .................................... 93.798 93.909 94.052 93.702 -.9 -.9 -1.5 -.4 -.9 -1.0 

New vehicles ............................................................... 134.693 134.990 135.300 134.548 -.9 -2.5 -1.5 -.4 -1.7 -1.0 

Used cars and trucks 1 ............................................... 136.325 135.980 135.840 135.405 -1.5 1.9 -2.7 -2.7 .2 -2.7 

Motor fuel ...................................................................... 292.243 321.618 334.732 320.647 77.6 7.8 23.1 44.9 38.4 33.6 

Gasoline (all types) ..................................................... 289.943 319.107 332.237 318.255 77.9 7.7 21.6 45.2 38.4 32.8 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ............................ 126.824 127.824 129.118 130.327 5.9 5.7 5.2 11.5 5.8 8.3 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair .......................... 231.822 233.321 234.818 236.340 2.2 5.4 6.1 8.0 3.8 7.1 

Public transportation ....................................................... 249.869 258.462 261.275 264.183 12.8 4.7 19.3 25.0 8.6 22.1 

Medical care ...................................................................... 362.801 363.618 363.852 364.710 5.2 3.9 1.8 2.1 4.6 2.0 

Medical care commodities .............................................. 294.687 295.102 294.438 294.694 3.5 3.9 -2.0 .0 3.7 -1.0 

Medical care services ..................................................... 383.752 384.727 385.353 386.458 5.8 3.9 3.2 2.9 4.8 3.0

Professional services .................................................... 310.154 311.068 311.739 312.575 3.3 3.0 4.0 3.2 3.2 3.6

Hospital and related services 3 ..................................... 530.603 532.592 534.172 537.549 9.7 7.9 4.6 5.3 8.8 5.0 

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

and commodity and service group-Continued

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-U

Seasonally adjusted indexes Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent

change for

3 months ended— 6 months

ended—

May

2008

June

2008

July

2008

Aug.

2008

Nov.

2007

Feb.

2008

May

2008

Aug.

2008 Feb.

2008

Aug.

2008

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ...................................................................... 112.663 112.831 113.264 113.876 2.7 1.4 1.0 4.4 2.1 2.7 

Video and audio 2 ........................................................... 102.443 102.181 102.195 102.658 2.2 .7 -2.7 .8 1.4 -.9 

Education and communication 2 ....................................... 123.004 123.613 124.226 124.505 2.1 3.2 4.2 5.0 2.7 4.6 

Education 2 ..................................................................... 179.968 180.749 181.582 182.734 6.0 5.6 5.9 6.3 5.8 6.1 

Educational books and supplies ................................... 443.715 444.469 447.821 459.494 4.6 3.4 6.9 15.0 4.0 10.9 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare ...................... 518.616 520.969 523.254 525.789 6.1 5.8 5.8 5.6 6.0 5.7 

Communication 2 ............................................................ 83.929 84.393 84.840 84.702 -1.9 .6 2.6 3.7 -.6 3.2 

Information and information processing 1 2 .................. 81.080 81.513 81.965 81.815 -2.1 .6 2.2 3.7 -.8 2.9 

Telephone services 1 2 ............................................... 99.879 100.677 101.339 101.301 -.2 .3 4.3 5.8 .0 5.0 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 .... 10.118 10.071 10.087 10.012 -10.4 1.9 -5.2 -4.1 -4.4 -4.6 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 6 ... 97.028 95.663 94.711 92.921 -22.2 1.8 -13.3 -15.9 -11.0 -14.6 

Other goods and services ................................................. 344.305 345.693 346.962 347.715 3.2 3.9 5.3 4.0 3.5 4.7

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ................................... 581.185 589.904 596.782 597.361 5.0 9.8 4.2 11.6 7.3 7.8 

Personal care .................................................................. 201.219 201.392 201.660 202.169 2.7 2.2 5.7 1.9 2.5 3.8 

Personal care products 1 .............................................. 158.790 158.868 158.989 159.252 2.0 -2.2 2.9 1.2 -.1 2.0 

Personal care services 1 ............................................... 223.649 223.520 223.719 224.151 2.9 4.2 5.2 .9 3.6 3.0 

Miscellaneous personal services .................................. 339.034 340.085 340.264 341.606 3.7 5.7 6.5 3.1 4.7 4.8 

Commodity and service group

Commodities ....................................................................... 175.279 178.550 180.657 179.687 10.3 3.1 5.3 10.4 6.6 7.9 

Food and beverages ......................................................... 212.091 213.612 215.539 216.778 4.2 4.6 5.9 9.1 4.4 7.5

Commodities less food and beverages ............................. 154.620 158.506 160.622 158.775 14.0 2.2 5.1 11.2 8.0 8.1 

Nondurables less food and beverages ........................... 200.497 208.661 211.267 207.465 31.2 4.4 10.8 14.6 17.0 12.7 

Apparel .......................................................................... 118.043 118.107 119.574 120.157 3.4 .8 -4.3 7.4 2.1 1.4 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .......... 255.265 269.755 275.611 270.166 24.5 12.2 14.7 25.5 18.2 20.0 

Durables .......................................................................... 111.227 111.258 111.425 111.140 -.9 -1.4 -1.9 -.3 -1.1 -1.1 

Services .............................................................................. 254.643 255.872 257.269 257.642 3.6 3.2 4.6 4.8 3.4 4.7 

Rent of shelter 4 ................................................................ 256.268 257.040 257.575 257.717 3.0 2.7 1.6 2.3 2.8 1.9 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ............................. 118.411 119.092 118.764 118.562 .2 2.2 2.7 .5 1.2 1.6 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ............................................. 203.584 206.565 214.896 212.549 6.7 5.3 29.9 18.8 6.0 24.2 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 .............. 150.203 150.831 151.857 153.832 5.4 5.7 4.3 10.0 5.6 7.1 

Household operations 1 2 ................................................. 146.957 148.006 148.290 149.169 1.8 5.4 10.0 6.2 3.6 8.1 

Transportation services ..................................................... 242.389 245.102 246.409 248.277 3.1 4.0 6.9 10.1 3.6 8.5 

Medical care services ....................................................... 383.752 384.727 385.353 386.458 5.8 3.9 3.2 2.9 4.8 3.0 

Other services ................................................................... 294.450 295.504 296.752 297.887 3.5 3.4 4.3 4.8 3.5 4.5 

Special indexes

All items less food ............................................................... 215.688 218.065 219.806 219.250 6.6 2.9 4.7 6.8 4.7 5.7 

All items less shelter ........................................................... 205.548 208.438 210.755 210.264 7.9 3.4 6.5 9.5 5.6 8.0 

All items less medical care .................................................. 207.649 209.955 211.774 211.433 6.3 3.1 5.1 7.5 4.7 6.3 

Commodities less food ........................................................ 156.814 160.607 162.695 160.922 13.5 2.3 4.9 10.9 7.8 7.9 

Nondurables less food ........................................................ 202.150 209.702 212.335 208.004 27.7 3.0 14.8 12.1 14.7 13.4 

Nondurables less food and apparel .................................... 250.889 263.688 269.125 263.228 23.8 9.2 17.0 21.2 16.3 19.1

Nondurables ........................................................................ 207.834 212.718 215.067 213.122 15.8 4.2 11.2 10.6 9.9 10.9 

Services less rent of shelter 4 ............................................. 272.112 274.317 276.996 277.598 3.6 3.7 8.9 8.3 3.7 8.6 

Services less medical care services ................................... 244.156 245.531 246.945 247.327 2.9 3.1 4.9 5.3 3.0 5.1 

Energy ................................................................................. 244.107 260.316 270.602 262.107 43.6 7.6 28.2 32.9 24.3 30.6 

All items less energy ........................................................... 213.786 214.624 215.529 216.080 2.9 2.7 2.5 4.4 2.8 3.4 

All items less food and energy .......................................... 214.832 215.526 216.230 216.650 2.6 2.3 1.8 3.4 2.5 2.6

Commodities less food and energy commodities ........... 140.010 140.156 140.792 140.885 .5 .4 -.9 2.5 .5 .8 

Energy commodities ..................................................... 297.965 327.625 340.411 325.603 77.3 8.9 27.2 42.6 39.0 34.7

Services less energy services ......................................... 259.944 261.005 261.729 262.367 3.4 3.1 2.9 3.8 3.2 3.4 

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

item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means

estimator.

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

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

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-U

All items 

Pricing

schedule 1

Indexes Percent change to

Aug.2008 from—

Percent change to

July2008 from—

May

2008

June

2008

July

2008

Aug.

2008

Aug.

2007

June

2008

July

2008

July

2007

May

2008

June

2008

U.S. city average ............................................ M 216.632 218.815 219.964 219.086 5.4 0.1 -0.4 5.6 1.5 0.5 

Region and area size2

Northeast urban .............................................. M 230.089 232.649 234.545 233.788 5.5 .5 -.3 5.7 1.9 .8 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 232.005 234.518 236.460 236.107 5.3 .7 -.1 5.5 1.9 .8 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 136.913 138.542 139.623 138.537 6.1 .0 -.8 6.3 2.0 .8 

Midwest urban ................................................ M 207.168 208.968 210.071 209.351 5.4 .2 -.3 5.6 1.4 .5 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 208.291 209.813 211.003 210.341 5.3 .3 -.3 5.3 1.3 .6 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 132.682 134.018 134.595 133.969 5.6 .0 -.5 5.9 1.4 .4 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 202.720 205.122 206.435 206.251 5.9 .6 -.1 6.0 1.8 .6 

South urban .................................................... M 210.006 212.324 213.304 212.387 5.6 .0 -.4 5.8 1.6 .5 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 211.846 214.359 215.373 214.496 5.4 .1 -.4 5.6 1.7 .5 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 133.714 134.980 135.643 135.004 5.6 .0 -.5 5.8 1.4 .5 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 211.225 214.739 215.274 214.655 6.9 .0 -.3 6.8 1.9 .2 

West urban ..................................................... M 221.009 223.040 223.867 222.823 4.9 -.1 -.5 5.3 1.3 .4 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 224.704 226.767 227.562 226.541 5.0 -.1 -.4 5.4 1.3 .4 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 134.023 135.283 136.021 135.207 4.9 -.1 -.6 5.4 1.5 .5 

Size classes

A 4 .............................................................. M 197.898 199.840 200.941 200.278 5.2 .2 -.3 5.4 1.5 .6 

B/C 3 ........................................................... M 133.997 135.330 136.055 135.315 5.5 .0 -.5 5.8 1.5 .5 

D ................................................................. M 209.308 211.989 212.555 212.138 5.9 .1 -.2 5.8 1.6 .3 

Selected local areas5

Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI ................... M 214.932 215.738 217.459 215.971 4.9 .1 -.7 5.8 1.2 .8 

Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ... M 226.651 229.033 229.886 228.484 5.1 -.2 -.6 5.7 1.4 .4 

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

NY-NJ-CT-PA ......................................... M 236.151 238.580 240.273 240.550 5.4 .8 .1 5.1 1.7 .7 

Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT ..... 1 235.344 -

 241.258 ---- 6.3 2.5 -

Cleveland-Akron, OH ...................................... 1 204.882 - 206.941 ---- 5.0 1.0 -

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ..................................... 1 202.357 - 206.413 ---- 6.2 2.0 -

Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV 6 ...... 1 139.649 - 142.065 ---- 5.7 1.7 -

Atlanta, GA ..................................................... 2 - 212.032 - 211.404 5.0 -.3 ----

Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI .............................. 2 - 207.593 - 209.484 4.9 .9 ----

Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .................... 2 - 193.567 - 192.723 4.9 -.4 ----

Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ............................. 2 - 225.079 - 225.473 5.8 .2 ----

Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,

PA-NJ-DE-MD ........................................ 2 - 228.408 - 228.337 4.4 .0 ----

San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA ........... 2 - 225.181 - 225.411 4.2 .1 ----

Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA .................... 2 - 228.068 - 227.745 5.4 -.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

2007

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Aug. 2008 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

July

2008

Aug.

2008

Aug.

2007

July

2008

May to

June

June to

July

July to

Aug.

Expenditure category

All items ........................................................................................ 100.000 216.304 215.247 5.9 -0.5 1.2 0.9 -0.2 

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

 644.303 641.155 - ----

Food and beverages .................................................................. 15.926 214.662 215.850 6.0 .6 .8 .9 .6 

Food ......................................................................................... 14.901 214.577 215.812 6.2 .6 .8 .9 .6 

Food at home ......................................................................... 8.595 214.679 216.214 7.4 .7 1.0 1.2 .8 

Cereals and bakery products ............................................... 1.110 250.972 250.842 11.9 -.1 .6 1.8 .0 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .............................................. 2.192 204.557 207.211 5.3 1.3 .8 1.0 1.2 

Dairy and related products ................................................... .965 213.582 214.139 6.2 .3 1.6 1.7 .3 

Fruits and vegetables ........................................................... 1.218 278.885 282.171 12.2 1.2 3.2 1.2 1.9 

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ................ 1.094 158.527 159.024 3.2 .3 .1 .8 .2 

Other food at home .............................................................. 2.016 185.174 186.458 7.2 .7 .4 .9 .7 

Sugar and sweets .............................................................. .279 186.054 186.860 5.8 .4 .0 .4 .7 

Fats and oils ....................................................................... .232 201.821 203.721 16.5 .9 2.0 2.1 1.1 

Other foods ........................................................................ 1.504 199.722 201.119 5.9 .7 .2 .8 .6 

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ......................................... .438 121.015 121.443 4.4 .4 -.3 1.8 .4 

Food away from home 1 ......................................................... 6.305 216.177 217.002 4.6 .4 .5 .6 .4 

Other food away from home 1 2 ........................................... .218 150.232 150.301 3.7 .0 .5 .6 .0 

Alcoholic beverages ................................................................. 1.025 214.440 214.931 3.2 .2 .1 .5 .4 

Housing ...................................................................................... 39.994 215.026 214.743 4.2 -.1 .5 .7 .0 

Shelter ...................................................................................... 30.397 239.845 240.038 2.5 .1 .3 .2 .1 

Rent of primary residence 3 ................................................... 7.979 242.276 243.010 3.6 .3 .4 .3 .3 

Lodging away from home 2 .................................................... 1.233 152.248 148.368 -1.0 -2.5 1.1 -.1 -1.0 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 .................. 20.888 228.824 229.219 2.5 .2 .2 .1 .1 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ................................... .297 119.006 118.894 1.4 -.1 .6 -.2 -.1 

Fuels and utilities ..................................................................... 5.637 236.381 233.373 15.3 -1.3 1.7 3.3 -1.0 

Household energy .................................................................. 4.670 217.640 213.807 17.1 -1.8 2.0 3.8 -1.4 

Fuel oil and other fuels ......................................................... .323 388.208 363.535 47.5 -6.4 7.9 1.4 -5.6 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ................................................. 4.347 219.612 216.557 14.9 -1.4 1.5 4.0 -1.1 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ................... .966 152.220 154.475 6.3 1.5 .4 .7 1.4 

Household furnishings and operations ..................................... 3.960 123.798 123.944 1.4 .1 .1 .5 .2 

Household operations 1 2 ....................................................... .339 151.290 152.083 6.0 .5 .7 .3 .5 

Apparel ....................................................................................... 3.998 113.978 116.214 1.8 2.0 .0 .8 1.0 

Men’s and boys’ apparel .......................................................... 1.031 109.969 110.513 1.8 .5 -.7 -.6 1.0 

Women’s and girls’ apparel ...................................................... 1.619 99.772 104.584 .6 4.8 .5 1.5 2.9 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel ................................................... .251 111.502 111.593 -1.1 .1 -.5 -.5 -1.3 

Footwear .................................................................................. .821 122.380 122.026 1.8 -.3 .2 1.4 -1.6

Transportation ............................................................................ 20.054 214.533 207.796 12.8 -3.1 4.0 1.8 -1.7 

Private transportation ............................................................... 19.287 211.201 204.348 12.8 -3.2 4.0 1.8 -1.8

New and used motor vehicles 2 ............................................. 7.952 92.686 92.287 -1.0 -.4 .0 .1 -.4 

New vehicles ........................................................................ 4.172 135.556 134.540 -1.4 -.7 .2 .2 -.5 

Used cars and trucks 1 ......................................................... 3.103 136.639 136.186 -1.3 -.3 -.3 -.1 -.3 

Motor fuel ............................................................................... 6.940 351.124 325.116 36.0 -7.4 10.0 4.1 -4.2 

Gasoline (all types) .............................................................. 6.597 348.888 322.930 35.6 -7.4 10.0 4.1 -4.2

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ..................................... .446 128.997 130.228 7.1 1.0 .8 1.0 1.0 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ................................... 1.169 237.324 238.583 5.3 .5 .6 .7 .6 

Public transportation ................................................................ .767 266.259 264.755 14.6 -.6 3.5 1.0 .8 

Medical care ............................................................................... 5.192 363.942 364.652 3.4 .2 .2 .1 .3

Medical care commodities ........................................................ 1.295 286.562 286.880 1.2 .1 .1 -.2 .2 

Medical care services ............................................................... 3.897 386.560 387.420 4.1 .2 .2 .1 .4 

Professional services ............................................................. 2.159 314.235 314.893 3.4 .2 .3 .2 .3 

Hospital and related services 3 .............................................. 1.260 529.798 532.065 7.4 .4 .4 .3 .7 

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

and commodity and service group-Continued

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-W

Relative

importance,

December

2007

Unadjusted

indexes

Unadjusted

percent change to

Aug. 2008 from—

Seasonally adjusted

percent change from—

July

2008

Aug.

2008

Aug.

2007

July

2008

May to

June

June to

July

July to

Aug.

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ............................................................................... 5.341 110.198 110.698 2.3 0.5 0.2 0.4 0.5 

Video and audio 2 .................................................................... 1.987 102.267 102.643 .7 .4 -.3 .1 .4 

Education and communication 2 ................................................ 5.987 119.852 120.809 3.3 .8 .5 .5 .2 

Education 2 .............................................................................. 2.377 176.879 180.819 6.0 2.2 .3 .5 .8 

Educational books and supplies ............................................. .204 446.741 461.104 7.0 3.2 .1 .8 2.4 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare ................................ 2.174 498.598 509.241 5.9 2.1 .4 .5 .7 

Communication 2 ..................................................................... 3.609 87.490 87.369 1.4 -.1 .6 .5 -.1 

Information and information processing 1 2 ............................ 3.488 85.484 85.355 1.3 -.2 .6 .6 -.2 

Telephone services 1 2 ......................................................... 2.869 101.375 101.339 2.4 .0 .8 .6 .0 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 ............. .619 10.600 10.525 -4.0 -.7 -.3 .1 -.7 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 6 ............ .228 94.691 92.931 -12.8 -1.9 -1.3 -1.1 -1.9 

Other goods and services .......................................................... 3.508 359.961 360.102 4.6 .0 .6 .5 .2 

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ............................................ 1.183 599.180 599.823 7.8 .1 1.5 1.2 .1 

Personal care ........................................................................... 2.325 199.495 199.501 3.0 .0 .1 .2 .2 

Personal care products 1 ....................................................... .647 159.237 159.345 1.0 .1 .0 .1 .1 

Personal care services 1 ........................................................ .560 223.994 224.464 3.3 .2 .0 .1 .2 

Miscellaneous personal services ........................................... .910 341.763 342.974 4.8 .4 .2 .1 .4 

Commodity and service group

Commodities ................................................................................ 44.745 185.105 182.846 8.1 -1.2 2.1 1.3 -.6 

Food and beverages .................................................................. 15.926 214.662 215.850 6.0 .6 .8 .9 .6 

Commodities less food and beverages ...................................... 28.819 167.376 163.761 9.3 -2.2 2.8 1.4 -1.2 

Nondurables less food and beverages ..................................... 17.315 225.595 218.454 16.5 -3.2 4.5 1.3 -1.9 

Apparel ................................................................................... 3.998 113.978 116.214 1.8 2.0 .0 .8 1.0

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................... 13.318 300.341 287.124 21.0 -4.4 6.1 2.5 -2.6 

Durables ................................................................................... 11.504 111.820 111.357 -.9 -.4 .0 .1 -.3 

Services ....................................................................................... 55.255 252.991 253.304 4.2 .1 .5 .6 .2 

Rent of shelter 4 ......................................................................... 30.100 231.255 231.445 2.5 .1 .3 .2 .1 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ....................................... .297 119.006 118.894 1.4 -.1 .6 -.2 -.1 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ....................................................... 4.347 219.612 216.557 14.9 -1.4 1.5 4.0 -1.1 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 ....................... .966 152.220 154.475 6.3 1.5 .4 .7 1.4 

Household operations 1 2 ........................................................... .339 151.290 152.083 6.0 .5 .7 .3 .5 

Transportation services .............................................................. 5.266 245.005 246.041 5.2 .4 1.0 .5 .7 

Medical care services ................................................................. 3.897 386.560 387.420 4.1 .2 .2 .1 .4 

Other services ............................................................................ 10.042 284.449 286.389 3.8 .7 .3 .5 .4

Special indexes

All items less food ........................................................................ 85.099 216.407 214.950 5.9 -.7 1.3 .9 -.3 

All items less shelter .................................................................... 69.603 210.069 208.544 7.4 -.7 1.6 1.2 -.3 

All items less medical care ........................................................... 94.808 210.002 208.900 6.1 -.5 1.3 .9 -.2

Commodities less food ................................................................. 29.844 169.213 165.689 9.1 -2.1 2.8 1.4 -1.2

Nondurables less food ................................................................. 18.341 225.309 218.562 15.7 -3.0 4.3 1.3 -1.8

Nondurables less food and apparel ............................................. 14.343 291.760 279.753 19.6 -4.1 5.7 2.3 -2.4 

Nondurables ................................................................................. 33.241 221.740 218.473 11.3 -1.5 2.7 1.1 -.8 

Services less rent of shelter 4 ...................................................... 25.155 246.411 246.834 6.2 .2 .8 1.1 .2 

Services less medical care services ............................................ 51.358 243.071 243.354 4.2 .1 .6 .6 .2 

Energy .......................................................................................... 11.610 282.579 267.624 27.8 -5.3 6.8 4.0 -3.2 

All items less energy .................................................................... 88.390 209.062 209.718 3.1 .3 .4 .4 .3

All items less food and energy ................................................... 73.489 208.317 208.857 2.5 .3 .3 .3 .2 

Commodities less food and energy commodities ..................... 22.581 140.492 140.802 .9 .2 .2 .4 .1 

Energy commodities ............................................................... 7.264 354.402 328.310 36.7 -7.4 9.9 4.0 -4.3 

Services less energy services .................................................. 50.908 256.365 257.072 3.3 .3 .4 .3 .3 

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

 $ .462 $ .465 - ----

Purchasing power of the consumer dollar (1967=$1.00) ............. - $ .155 $ .156 - ----

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

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

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

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

expenditure category and commodity and service group

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-W

Seasonally adjusted indexes Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent

change for

3 months ended— 6 months

ended—

May

2008

June

2008

July

2008

Aug.

2008

Nov.

2007

Feb.

2008

May

2008

Aug.

2008 Feb.

2008

Aug.

2008

Expenditure category

All items .............................................................................. 211.044 213.601 215.507 215.130 6.9 3.4 5.4 8.0 5.1 6.7 

Food and beverages ......................................................... 211.319 212.937 214.883 216.195 4.0 4.6 6.0 9.6 4.3 7.8

Food ................................................................................ 211.101 212.814 214.813 216.160 4.1 4.5 6.3 9.9 4.3 8.1 

Food at home ................................................................ 210.454 212.594 215.085 216.812 4.3 5.0 7.8 12.6 4.7 10.2 

Cereals and bakery products ...................................... 243.972 245.533 249.875 249.930 6.4 12.6 18.7 10.1 9.5 14.3 

Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..................................... 201.242 202.831 204.852 207.265 2.5 1.9 4.7 12.5 2.2 8.6 

Dairy and related products .......................................... 207.156 210.453 214.042 214.768 6.8 2.6 .5 15.5 4.7 7.8 

Fruits and vegetables .................................................. 271.784 280.522 283.919 289.447 10.7 .7 10.1 28.6 5.6 19.0

Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ....... 157.428 157.651 158.971 159.322 -.3 5.6 2.6 4.9 2.6 3.7 

Other food at home ..................................................... 182.005 182.718 184.409 185.692 2.7 7.2 10.5 8.4 4.9 9.4

Sugar and sweets ..................................................... 184.122 184.097 184.838 186.049 4.2 4.2 10.6 4.3 4.2 7.4 

Fats and oils .............................................................. 193.415 197.297 201.406 203.666 6.3 15.7 21.8 22.9 10.9 22.4 

Other foods ............................................................... 196.873 197.277 198.916 200.172 1.6 6.4 8.8 6.9 4.0 7.8

Other miscellaneous foods 1 2 ................................ 119.248 118.879 121.015 121.443 -1.9 10.9 1.4 7.6 4.3 4.4 

Food away from home 1 ............................................... 213.723 214.851 216.177 217.002 3.9 3.9 4.2 6.3 3.9 5.3 

Other food away from home 1 2 .................................. 148.517 149.306 150.232 150.301 .8 4.7 4.4 4.9 2.8 4.6 

Alcoholic beverages ........................................................ 213.079 213.293 214.434 215.219 1.9 5.0 1.9 4.1 3.4 3.0

Housing ............................................................................. 211.451 212.511 213.943 213.851 3.9 2.8 5.7 4.6 3.3 5.2 

Shelter ............................................................................. 238.312 239.047 239.431 239.715 3.3 2.5 2.1 2.4 2.9 2.2 

Rent of primary residence 3 .......................................... 240.917 241.841 242.535 243.215 4.4 3.4 2.9 3.9 3.9 3.4 

Lodging away from home 2 ........................................... 142.993 144.505 144.351 142.928 .6 -1.7 -2.3 -.2 -.5 -1.2 

Owners’ equivalent rent of primary residence 3 4 ......... 228.112 228.635 228.943 229.239 3.1 2.7 2.0 2.0 2.9 2.0 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ......................... 118.615 119.293 119.006 118.894 .3 1.9 2.4 .9 1.1 1.7 

Fuels and utilities ............................................................ 219.616 223.395 230.774 228.472 10.1 6.0 29.4 17.1 8.0 23.1 

Household energy ......................................................... 199.931 203.870 211.612 208.571 11.0 6.2 35.0 18.4 8.6 26.5 

Fuel oil and other fuels ................................................ 359.850 388.227 393.808 371.762 70.7 20.8 101.8 13.9 43.6 51.6 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ....................................... 201.596 204.597 212.785 210.473 7.0 4.8 30.9 18.8 5.9 24.7 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 .......... 150.387 151.009 152.020 154.174 5.4 5.5 4.1 10.5 5.5 7.2 

Household furnishings and operations ............................ 123.075 123.200 123.832 124.141 -.8 .6 2.5 3.5 -.1 3.0 

Household operations 1 2 ............................................. 149.816 150.867 151.290 152.083 2.1 4.4 11.4 6.2 3.2 8.8 

Apparel .............................................................................. 117.867 117.920 118.892 120.050 2.2 2.5 -4.8 7.6 2.3 1.2 

Men’s and boys’ apparel ................................................. 114.340 113.486 112.842 113.971 1.5 8.7 -1.5 -1.3 5.1 -1.4

Women’s and girls’ apparel ............................................. 105.056 105.595 107.177 110.267 -.7 -3.0 -12.3 21.4 -1.9 3.2 

Infants’ and toddlers’ apparel .......................................... 116.416 115.785 115.245 113.771 10.6 1.7 -6.9 -8.8 6.0 -7.8

Footwear ......................................................................... 124.059 124.267 126.005 124.021 4.1 .9 2.5 -.1 2.5 1.2 

Transportation ................................................................... 199.181 207.141 210.841 207.328 21.0 4.2 8.9 17.4 12.3 13.1 

Private transportation ...................................................... 196.071 203.949 207.657 203.988 21.4 4.2 8.5 17.2 12.4 12.8 

New and used motor vehicles 2 .................................... 92.890 92.928 93.007 92.659 -1.2 -.4 -1.8 -1.0 -.8 -1.4 

New vehicles ............................................................... 135.905 136.143 136.460 135.721 -1.3 -2.4 -1.3 -.5 -1.8 -.9 

Used cars and trucks 1 ............................................... 137.145 136.790 136.639 136.186 -1.6 1.9 -2.7 -2.8 .1 -2.7 

Motor fuel ...................................................................... 293.566 322.859 336.117 321.941 77.3 8.2 23.2 44.6 38.5 33.5 

Gasoline (all types) ..................................................... 291.449 320.576 333.854 319.790 77.3 8.0 21.9 44.9 38.4 32.9 

Motor vehicle parts and equipment 1 ............................ 126.742 127.750 128.997 130.228 5.8 6.4 4.9 11.5 6.1 8.1 

Motor vehicle maintenance and repair .......................... 234.314 235.703 237.365 238.826 2.0 5.5 5.8 7.9 3.7 6.8 

Public transportation ....................................................... 247.717 256.314 258.873 261.046 11.8 4.5 19.7 23.3 8.1 21.5 

Medical care ...................................................................... 362.884 363.629 363.864 364.964 5.5 4.0 1.7 2.3 4.8 2.0 

Medical care commodities .............................................. 286.461 286.749 286.207 286.645 3.7 3.6 -2.5 .3 3.7 -1.1 

Medical care services ..................................................... 385.115 386.038 386.607 387.963 6.0 4.2 3.2 3.0 5.1 3.1

Professional services .................................................... 312.553 313.396 314.053 315.066 3.3 3.0 3.8 3.3 3.2 3.5

Hospital and related services 3 ..................................... 527.119 529.160 530.663 534.373 10.1 9.0 5.1 5.6 9.6 5.4 

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

expenditure category and commodity and service group-Continued

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-W

Seasonally adjusted indexes Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent

change for

3 months ended— 6 months

ended—

May

2008

June

2008

July

2008

Aug.

2008

Nov.

2007

Feb.

2008

May

2008

Aug.

2008 Feb.

2008

Aug.

2008

Expenditure category

Recreation 2 ...................................................................... 109.561 109.737 110.173 110.748 2.6 1.5 0.8 4.4 2.1 2.6 

Video and audio 2 ........................................................... 102.431 102.166 102.269 102.685 2.8 1.7 -2.5 1.0 2.2 -.8 

Education and communication 2 ....................................... 119.217 119.805 120.439 120.740 1.3 2.6 4.0 5.2 1.9 4.6 

Education 2 ..................................................................... 177.579 178.167 179.067 180.563 5.2 5.7 6.0 6.9 5.5 6.5 

Educational books and supplies ................................... 446.426 446.991 450.380 461.173 4.6 3.0 6.6 13.9 3.8 10.2 

Tuition, other school fees, and childcare ...................... 500.792 502.545 504.965 508.443 5.3 6.0 6.0 6.3 5.6 6.1 

Communication 2 ............................................................ 86.495 87.016 87.490 87.369 -1.6 .5 2.7 4.1 -.5 3.4 

Information and information processing 1 2 .................. 84.511 85.007 85.484 85.355 -1.7 .5 2.5 4.1 -.6 3.3 

Telephone services 1 2 ............................................... 99.939 100.723 101.375 101.339 -.4 .2 4.1 5.7 -.1 4.9 

Information technology, hardware and services 1 5 .... 10.621 10.585 10.600 10.525 -9.0 1.7 -4.9 -3.6 -3.8 -4.2 

Personal computers and peripheral equipment 1 6 ... 97.010 95.766 94.691 92.931 -21.6 1.3 -13.5 -15.8 -10.9 -14.6 

Other goods and services ................................................. 356.181 358.283 360.084 360.634 3.4 4.7 5.2 5.1 4.1 5.2

Tobacco and smoking products 1 ................................... 583.296 592.248 599.180 599.823 5.1 10.3 4.2 11.8 7.6 7.9 

Personal care .................................................................. 199.078 199.288 199.599 199.951 2.6 2.1 5.7 1.8 2.4 3.7 

Personal care products 1 .............................................. 158.993 159.052 159.237 159.345 2.0 -1.8 2.9 .9 .1 1.9 

Personal care services 1 ............................................... 223.922 223.838 223.994 224.464 2.9 4.5 4.8 1.0 3.7 2.8 

Miscellaneous personal services .................................. 340.592 341.405 341.783 343.214 4.0 5.2 7.0 3.1 4.6 5.0 

Commodity and service group

Commodities ....................................................................... 178.328 182.091 184.380 183.312 11.1 3.8 5.7 11.7 7.4 8.6 

Food and beverages ......................................................... 211.319 212.937 214.883 216.195 4.0 4.6 6.0 9.6 4.3 7.8

Commodities less food and beverages ............................. 159.383 163.920 166.283 164.264 15.6 3.3 5.6 12.8 9.3 9.1 

Nondurables less food and beverages ........................... 210.341 219.911 222.730 218.408 34.1 5.5 12.0 16.2 19.0 14.1 

Apparel .......................................................................... 117.867 117.920 118.892 120.050 2.2 2.5 -4.8 7.6 2.3 1.2 

Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .......... 271.995 288.571 295.649 287.973 29.1 10.8 19.2 25.7 19.6 22.4 

Durables .......................................................................... 111.755 111.778 111.904 111.513 -.2 -.4 -2.1 -.9 -.3 -1.5 

Services .............................................................................. 249.457 250.646 252.098 252.502 3.7 3.0 5.1 5.0 3.3 5.0 

Rent of shelter 4 ................................................................ 229.711 230.376 230.750 231.020 3.4 2.4 1.9 2.3 2.9 2.1 

Tenants’ and household insurance 1 2 ............................. 118.615 119.293 119.006 118.894 .3 1.9 2.4 .9 1.1 1.7 

Gas (piped) and electricity 3 ............................................. 201.596 204.597 212.785 210.473 7.0 4.8 30.9 18.8 5.9 24.7 

Water and sewer and trash collection services 2 .............. 150.387 151.009 152.020 154.174 5.4 5.5 4.1 10.5 5.5 7.2 

Household operations 1 2 ................................................. 149.816 150.867 151.290 152.083 2.1 4.4 11.4 6.2 3.2 8.8 

Transportation services ..................................................... 240.862 243.223 244.333 246.033 2.2 3.8 5.8 8.9 3.0 7.3 

Medical care services ....................................................... 385.115 386.038 386.607 387.963 6.0 4.2 3.2 3.0 5.1 3.1 

Other services ................................................................... 283.039 283.979 285.261 286.423 3.0 2.9 4.2 4.9 3.0 4.5 

Special indexes

All items less food ............................................................... 210.840 213.542 215.430 214.752 7.5 3.1 5.2 7.6 5.3 6.4 

All items less shelter ........................................................... 203.388 206.640 209.123 208.500 8.6 3.8 6.8 10.4 6.1 8.6 

All items less medical care .................................................. 204.658 207.249 209.190 208.771 7.0 3.3 5.6 8.3 5.2 6.9 

Commodities less food ........................................................ 161.360 165.803 168.143 166.189 15.1 3.3 5.4 12.5 9.0 8.9 

Nondurables less food ........................................................ 210.849 219.878 222.640 218.543 31.9 5.6 11.6 15.4 18.0 13.5 

Nondurables less food and apparel .................................... 265.929 281.115 287.558 280.555 26.7 10.4 18.3 23.9 18.3 21.1

Nondurables ........................................................................ 212.335 218.042 220.363 218.559 18.4 4.8 10.3 12.3 11.4 11.3 

Services less rent of shelter 4 ............................................. 240.775 242.816 245.434 245.949 3.2 3.5 9.3 8.9 3.4 9.1 

Services less medical care services ................................... 239.416 240.801 242.231 242.706 3.0 2.8 5.4 5.6 2.9 5.5 

Energy ................................................................................. 244.995 261.655 272.093 263.479 45.4 7.7 27.7 33.8 25.1 30.7 

All items less energy ........................................................... 207.772 208.598 209.458 210.097 2.7 2.8 2.5 4.6 2.8 3.5 

All items less food and energy .......................................... 207.468 208.116 208.747 209.244 2.4 2.4 1.8 3.5 2.4 2.6

Commodities less food and energy commodities ........... 140.914 141.128 141.700 141.896 .3 1.4 -1.0 2.8 .8 .9 

Energy commodities ..................................................... 297.683 327.093 340.121 325.564 77.0 9.2 25.9 43.1 39.0 34.2

Services less energy services ......................................... 254.534 255.507 256.168 256.890 3.4 2.9 3.1 3.8 3.1 3.4 

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

item stratum index series were calculated using a geometric means

estimator.

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

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

(1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)

CPI-W

All items 

Pricing

schedule 1

Indexes Percent change to

Aug.2008 from—

Percent change to

July2008 from—

May

2008

June

2008

July

2008

Aug.

2008

Aug.

2007

June

2008

July

2008

July

2007

May

2008

June

2008

U.S. city average ............................................ M 212.788 215.223 216.304 215.247 5.9 0.0 -0.5 6.2 1.7 0.5 

Region and area size2

Northeast urban .............................................. M 227.114 229.829 231.488 230.790 6.2 .4 -.3 6.2 1.9 .7 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 227.412 230.120 231.808 231.465 6.0 .6 -.1 6.1 1.9 .7 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 137.624 139.286 140.253 139.329 6.6 .0 -.7 6.6 1.9 .7 

Midwest urban ................................................ M 202.912 204.867 206.038 205.121 5.9 .1 -.4 6.1 1.5 .6 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 202.969 204.509 205.761 204.989 5.6 .2 -.4 5.7 1.4 .6 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 132.867 134.409 135.037 134.236 6.2 -.1 -.6 6.5 1.6 .5 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 201.494 204.023 205.452 204.812 6.4 .4 -.3 6.6 2.0 .7 

South urban .................................................... M 207.912 210.469 211.438 210.362 6.2 -.1 -.5 6.4 1.7 .5 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 210.748 213.549 214.379 213.439 6.0 -.1 -.4 6.2 1.7 .4 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 132.808 134.222 134.952 134.179 6.1 .0 -.6 6.4 1.6 .5 

Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than

50,000) ............................................... M 212.533 216.357 216.901 216.031 7.5 -.2 -.4 7.5 2.1 .3 

West urban ..................................................... M 216.029 218.508 219.248 217.854 5.4 -.3 -.6 6.0 1.5 .3 

Size A - More than 1,500,000 ..................... M 218.141 220.603 221.232 219.827 5.6 -.4 -.6 6.2 1.4 .3 

Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 3 ................ M 134.133 135.738 136.478 135.464 5.4 -.2 -.7 5.9 1.7 .5 

Size classes

A 4 .............................................................. M 196.844 199.028 200.009 199.187 5.8 .1 -.4 6.0 1.6 .5 

B/C 3 ........................................................... M 133.729 135.240 135.986 135.138 6.1 -.1 -.6 6.4 1.7 .6 

D ................................................................. M 208.246 211.236 211.929 211.233 6.4 .0 -.3 6.4 1.8 .3 

Selected local areas5

Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI ................... M 208.403 209.021 211.020 209.435 5.4 .2 -.8 6.2 1.3 1.0 

Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ... M 219.702 222.435 223.245 221.230 5.7 -.5 -.9 6.6 1.6 .4 

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

NY-NJ-CT-PA ......................................... M 230.923 233.776 235.446 235.510 6.1 .7 .0 5.9 2.0 .7 

Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT ..... 1 235.419 -

 240.511 ---- 6.2 2.2 -

Cleveland-Akron, OH ...................................... 1 195.898 - 198.063 ---- 5.7 1.1 -

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ..................................... 1 206.258 - 210.830 ---- 7.5 2.2 -

Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV 6 ...... 1 139.332 - 141.622 ---- 5.9 1.6 -

Atlanta, GA ..................................................... 2 - 212.013 - 211.113 5.5 -.4 ----

Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI .............................. 2 - 203.524 - 205.492 5.5 1.0 ----

Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .................... 2 - 193.742 - 193.206 5.9 -.3 ----

Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ............................. 2 - 223.849 - 224.597 6.4 .3 ----

Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,

PA-NJ-DE-MD ........................................ 2 - 228.429 - 228.212 5.0 -.1 ----

San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA ........... 2 - 221.454 - 221.385 4.6 .0 ----

Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA .................... 2 - 223.573 - 223.273 6.2 -.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 7. Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U): U.S. city average, by expenditure

category and commodity and service group

(December 1999=100, unless otherwise noted)

C-CPI-U Relative

importance,

2005-2006

 Unadjusted

 indexes

 Unadjusted

 percent change to

 Aug. 2008 from—

 July

 2008

 Aug.

 2008

 Aug.

 2007

 July

 2008

Expenditure category

All items ...................................................................................... 100.000 126.116 125.843 4.7 -0.2

Food and beverages ................................................................ 14.726 126.459 127.106 5.7 .5 

Food ....................................................................................... 13.648 126.641 127.307 5.9 .5 

Food at home ....................................................................... 7.557 124.391 125.255 7.1 .7 

Food away from home .......................................................... 6.091 129.640 130.051 4.4 .3 

Alcoholic beverages ............................................................... 1.077 124.546 124.950 3.4 .3 

Housing .................................................................................... 42.421 130.200 130.003 3.5 -.2 

Shelter .................................................................................... 32.409 130.773 130.741 2.4 .0 

Fuels and utilities .................................................................... 5.004 175.270 173.245 14.6 -1.2 

Household furnishings and operations ................................... 5.008 96.105 96.144 .5 .0 

Apparel ..................................................................................... 3.988 84.768 86.236 1.1 1.7 

Transportation .......................................................................... 17.393 138.367 135.388 10.2 -2.2 

Private transportation ............................................................. 16.285 138.954 135.808 9.9 -2.3 

Public transportation ............................................................... 1.108 132.480 131.800 15.0 -.5 

Medical care ............................................................................. 6.085 141.656 141.848 3.0 .1 

Medical care commodities ...................................................... 1.615 124.847 124.943 1.3 .1 

Medical care services ............................................................. 4.470 147.959 148.191 3.6 .2 

Recreation ................................................................................ 5.935 105.634 106.026 1.4 .4 

Education and communication ................................................. 6.196 107.565 108.467 2.9 .8 

Education ............................................................................... 2.771 166.019 169.625 5.9 2.2 

Communication ...................................................................... 3.425 74.463 74.293 .5 -.2 

Other goods and services ........................................................ 3.257 128.601 128.634 4.0 .0 

Commodity and service group

Services ...................................................................................... 58.427 133.831 133.970 3.9 .1 

Commodities .............................................................................. 41.573 116.468 115.695 5.8 -.7 

Durables ................................................................................... 11.817 83.257 82.845 -1.7 -.5 

Nondurables ............................................................................... 29.756 134.179 133.199 9.0 -.7 

All items less food and energy ................................................. 77.561 117.543 117.757 2.2 .2 

Energy ........................................................................................ 8.790 237.294 225.983 26.7 -4.8 

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

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