FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
     Patrick C. Jackman (202) 606-7000      USDL-98-292
 CPI QUICKLINE:         (202) 606-6994      TRANSMISSION OF
 FOR CURRENT AND HISTORICAL                 MATERIAL IN THIS
 INFORMATION:           (202) 606-7828      RELEASE IS EMBARGOED
 MEDIA CONTACT:         (202) 606-5902      UNTIL 8:30 A.M. (EDT)
 INTERNET ADDRESS:    			    Tuesday, July 14, 1998
      http://stats.bls.gov/cpihome.htm
 
                                      
                     CONSUMER PRICE INDEX:  JUNE 1998
 
     The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.1
 percent in June, before seasonal adjustment, to a level of 163.0 (1982-
 84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor
 reported today.  For the 12-month period ended in June, the CPI-U has
 increased 1.7 percent.
 
      The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers
 (CPI-W) rose 0.1 percent in June, prior to seasonal adjustment.  The June
 1998 CPI-W level of 159.7 was 1.5 percent higher than the index in June
 1997.
 
 CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
     
      On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.1 percent in June
 after increasing 0.3 percent in May. Food, energy, and all items less food
 and energy all contributed to the moderation.  The food index, which rose
 0.6 percent in May, increased 0.1 percent in June.  Grocery store food
 prices decelerated--advancing 0.1 percent in June after increasing 0.8
 percent in May--largely as a result of a sharp downturn in prices for
 fruits and vegetables.  The energy index, which rose 0.3 percent in May,
 its first increase since last September, turned back down in June.  The
 index for petroleum-based energy decreased 1.0 percent, and the index for
 energy services fell 0.4 percent.  Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U
 increased 0.1 percent in June, following a 0.2 percent rise in May.  A
 smaller increase in shelter costs and a decline in cigarette prices
 largely were responsible for the moderation.

 Table A.  Percent changes in CPI for Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
                                   Seasonally adjusted                Un-
                                                          Compound  adjusted
     Expenditure        Changes from preceding month    annual rate  12-mos.
      Category       1997              1998             3-mos. ended  ended
                     Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.  May June   June `98  June `98
                                                                    
 All Items            .1    .0   .1   .0   .2   .3   .1    2.5       1.7
  Food and beverages  .1    .3   .0   .0   .1   .5   .1    2.8       2.2
  Housing             .1    .1   .1   .2   .4   .3   .1    3.1       2.4
  Apparel             .2   -.5   .2  -.2  -.1   .4   .2    2.1        .1
  Transportation     -.3   -.3  -.4  -.5  -.1   .1  -.3   -1.1      -1.6
  Medical care        .3    .1   .3   .3   .4   .3   .4    4.6       3.2
  Recreation           -    .3   .3   .4   .0   .0   .1     .4       1.4
  Education and                                                         
    communication      -    .0  -.1   .3   .3   .3   .1    2.8       2.5
    Other goods and                                                     
      services        .4    .4   .8  -.3  1.0   .7   .0    6.9       6.0
  Special Indexes                                                       
     Energy         -1.8  -2.4 -2.2 -1.2  -.1   .3  -.7   -1.9      -5.9
   Food               .0    .3   .0   .0   .1   .6   .1    3.0       2.2
   All Items less                                                       
     food and energy  .2    .2   .3   .1   .3   .2   .1    2.6       2.2

 Beginning with release of the data for January 1999, the BLS will
 introduce a new formula for calculating the basic components of the CPI.
 See page 5 for more details.
 
      Consumer prices rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of
 2.5 percent in the second quarter after increasing at a 0.2 percent rate
 in the first three months of 1998.  This brings the year-to-date annual
 rate to 1.4 percent and compares with an increase of 1.7 percent for all
 of 1997.  Energy prices, which fell at a 21.1 percent SAAR in the first
 quarter of 1998, continued to decline in the second quarter, albeit much
 less rapidly--down at a 1.9 percent rate.  In the first half of 1998,
 petroleum-based energy costs fell at a 20.1 percent SAAR, and charges for
 energy services decreased at a 4.8 percent annual rate.  The food index
 rose at a 3.0 percent SAAR in the second quarter, after advancing at a 1.3
 percent rate in the first three months of 1998.  Grocery store food prices
 increased at a 1.9 percent SAAR in the first six months, largely as a
 result of a sharp increase in the index for fruits and vegetables--up at a
 11.3 percent rate. The CPI-U excluding food and energy advanced at a 2.6
 percent rate in the second quarter of 1998, following an increase at a 2.4
 percent rate in the first three months of 1998.  The advance at a 2.5
 percent SAAR for the first half of 1998 compares with a 2.2 percent
 increase for all of 1997.   The rates for selected groups for the last
 four and one-half years are shown below.

                                                    
                              Percent change
                                          
            					 SAAR 6 months
                   12 months ended in December   ended in June                                ended in June
                      1994   1995  1996   1997      1998

 All Items             2.7    2.5   3.3    1.7       1.4
   Food and beverages  2.7    2.1   4.2    1.6       1.9
   Housing             2.2    3.0   2.9    2.4       2.3
   Apparel            -1.6     .1   -.2    1.0        .0
   Transportation      3.8    1.5   4.4   -1.4      -3.0
   Medical care        4.9    3.9   3.0    2.8       3.7
   Recreation          1.4    2.8   3.0    1.5       2.2
   Education and                                 
      communication    3.3    4.0   3.4    3.0       1.8
   Other goods and                               
      services         4.2    4.3   3.6    5.2       5.4
 Special indexes                                  
   Energy              2.2   -1.3   8.6   -3.4     -12.1
      commodities      5.2   -3.3  13.8   -6.9     -20.1
      services         -.6     .8   3.8     .2      -4.8
   All Items less      
      energy           2.6    2.9   2.9    2.1       2.4
         Food          2.9    2.1   4.3    1.5       2.2
         All Items                                
            less food
             & energy  2.6    3.0   2.6    2.2       2.5
         Shelter       3.0    3.5   2.9    3.4       3.3
     
      
      The food and beverages index rose 0.1 percent in June.  The index for
 grocery store food prices, which rose 0.8 percent in May, increased 0.1
 percent in June.  A sharp downturn in the index for fruits and vegetables-
 -down 1.0 percent in June after increasing 5.3 percent in May--primarily
 was responsible for the deceleration.  In June, the index for fresh
 vegetables decreased 5.5 percent, more than offsetting a 3.0 percent rise
 in the index for fresh fruits.  (Prior to seasonal adjustment, prices for
 fresh fruits fell 0.7 percent.)  The index for processed fruits and
 vegetables declined 0.1 percent.  The index for meats, poultry, fish, and
 eggs, which rose 0.3 percent in May, was unchanged in June.  The index for
 beef increased 0.7 percent, while the indexes for pork and for poultry
 declined 0.8 and 0.1 percent, respectively.  The index for cereal and
 bakery products increased 0.3 percent, following an increase of 0.4
 percent in May.  Each of the three other major grocery store food groups
 accelerated in June.  The index for nonalcoholic beverages, which had
 declined in each of the preceding three months, rose 0.4 percent in June,
 reflecting an upturn in prices for carbonated drinks.  The index for dairy
 products was unchanged, following a 0.3 percent drop in May, and the index
 for other food at home increased 0.8 percent after declining 0.1 percent
 in May.  The other two components of the food and beverage index--food
 away from home and alcoholic beverages--rose 0.1 percent and 0.4 percent,
 respectively.
      
      The housing component rose 0.1 percent in June.  Shelter costs rose
 0.2 percent, following an increase of 0.4 percent in May.  Within shelter,
 the index for rent rose 0.3 percent, owners' equivalent rent increased 0.2
 percent, and the cost of lodging away from home declined 0.7 percent.
 (Prior to seasonal adjustment, the latter index increased 0.8 percent.)
 The index for fuels and utilities decreased 0.4 percent in June.  The
 index for household fuels declined 0.5 percent; the indexes for natural
 gas and for fuel oil each declined 1.8 percent, while the index for
 electricity rose 0.1 percent.  (Prior to seasonal adjustment, charges for
 electricity rose 5.8 percent, reflecting the shift to seasonal rates in
 some areas.)  The index for household furnishings and operations, which
 decreased 0.2 percent in May, increased 0.2 percent in June.
      
      The transportation component, which rose 0.1 percent in May after
 declining in each of the preceding six months, turned back down in June.
 The 0.3 percent decline in June largely was due to the downturn in the
 index for gasoline, which fell 0.9 percent after increasing 0.8 percent in
 May.  (Prior to seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices rose 0.1 percent in
 June.)  The index for new and used vehicle prices declined 0.1 percent in
 June; the index for new vehicles declined 0.3 percent, while the index for
 used cars and trucks advanced 0.6 percent.  Public transportation costs
 declined 1.1 percent in June.  The index for airline fares, which
 increased 8.2 percent during the first three months of 1998, declined for
 the third consecutive month.  The 2.0 percent decline in June brought the
 decrease over the last three months to 4.7 percent.
 
      The index for apparel increased 0.2 percent in June.  (Prior to
 seasonal adjustment, apparel prices fell 2.1 percent, reflecting seasonal
 price declines.)
      
      Medical care costs rose 0.4 percent in June to a level 3.2 percent
 above a year ago.  The index for medical care commodities--prescription
 drugs, nonprescription drugs, and medical supplies--increased 0.2 percent.
 The index for medical care services rose 0.4 percent.  Charges for
 professional services and for hospital and related services increased 0.5
 and 0.3 percent, respectively.
 
      The index for recreation costs increased 0.1 percent in June after
 being unchanged in the previous two months.  The index for recreation
 services, which was unchanged in May, increased 0.5 percent in June,
 reflecting increased charges for admissions to sporting events and for
 club membership dues and fees for participant sports.
      
      The index for education and communication rose 0.1 percent in June,
 following increases of 0.3 percent in both April and May. Increases in
 local telephone charges and long distance telephone charges--up 0.2 and
 0.4 percent, respectively--partially were offset by declines in the
 indexes for personal computers and peripheral equipment and for cellular
 telephone services--down 3.3 and 1.9 percent, respectively.
 
 
      The index for other goods and services, which rose 0.7 percent in
 May, was virtually unchanged in June.  The deceleration largely was
 attributable to a downturn in the index for tobacco and smoking products,
 which fell 0.6 percent in June after increasing 1.7 percent in May.
 
 CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W)
 
      On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and
 Clerical Workers increased 0.1 percent in June.
 
 Table B.  Percent changes in CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical
 Workers (CPI-W)
                                 Seasonally adjusted                 Un-
                                                        Compound   adjusted
    Expenditure        Changes from preceding month    annual rate   12-
                                                                    mos.
      Category      1997             1998                3-mos.     ended
                                                          ended
                    Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May  June  June `98    June `98
                                                                    
 All Items           .1    .0   .0  -.1   .3   .3   .1    2.5       1.5
  Food and beverages .0    .3   .0   .0   .0   .6   .1    2.5       2.1
  Housing            .0    .0   .1   .3   .3   .3   .1    2.9       2.2
  Apparel            .0   -.5  -.2  -.5   .2   .3   .3    3.1       -.6
  Transportation    -.3   -.5  -.4  -.6   .0   .1  -.1     .0      -1.7
  Medical care       .4    .2   .2   .3   .4   .3   .5    4.8       3.3
  Recreation          -    .3   .3   .3   .1  -.2   .1     .0       1.2
  Education and                                                        
   communication      -   -.1   .0   .4   .2   .4   .1    2.8       2.5
  Other goods and                                                    
   services          .4    .5  1.1  -.6  1.4   .8  -.1    8.4       6.4
 Special Indexes                                                       
    Energy         -1.9  -2.5 -2.1 -1.3  -.2   .3  -.6   -1.9      -6.1
    Food            -.1    .4  -.1   .0   .1   .6   .1    2.8       2.2
    All Items less                                                       
      food and       
        energy       .2    .2   .2   .1   .4   .2   .1    2.9       2.1
 
  
 Consumer Price Index data for July are scheduled for release on Tuesday,
 August 18, 1998, at 8:30 A.M. (EDT).
 
 CPI (Old Series)
 
          For each of the first six months of 1998, BLS has calculated the
 Old Series CPI-U and Old Series CPI-W based on the 1982-84 expenditure
 pattern used in the CPI from 1987 through 1997.  These Old Series data are
 contained in tables 1(OS)-4(OS).  From May to June, the Old Series CPI-U
 and the Old Series CPI-W rose 0.1 percent and were unchanged, respectively.  Over the period from
 December 1997 through June 1998, the Old Series CPI-U and the Old Series
 CPI-W rose 1.1 and 0.9 percent, respectively.  Over the same period, the
 CPI-U and CPI-W based on the updated 1993-95 expenditure pattern also
 increased 1.1 and 0.9 percent, respectively.  Note these percentage
 changes are based on not seasonally adjusted indexes.


 --------------------------------------------------------------------------

      Planned change in the Consumer Price Index Formula
      
      On April 16, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced its decision to
 use a new formula for calculating the basic components of the Consumer
 Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and the Consumer Price Index
 for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).  This change will
 become effective with data for January 1999.
     The new formula, the geometric mean estimator, will be used in index
 categories that comprise approximately 61 percent of total consumer
 spending represented by the CPI-U.  The remaining index categories, which
 are shown in the table below, will continue to be calculated as they are
 currently. Based upon BLS research, it is expected that planned use of the
 new formula will reduce the annual rate of increase in the CPI by
 approximately 0.2 percentage point per year.
      The geometric mean estimator will be introduced in both the CPI-U and
 the CPI-W effective with data for January 1999, in accord with the past
 practice of introducing methodological changes at the beginning of a
 calendar year. BLS will continue to publish "overlap" CPI-U and CPI-W
 series using the current calculation method for the first six months of
 1999.  These indexes will not be published regularly for months subsequent
 to June 1999, but will be available upon request.
      Additional information on this change will be published in the April
 1998 CPI Detailed Report and is available on the Internet
 (http://stats.bls.gov/cpihome.htm).  This information may also be obtained
 by writing to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Consumer Prices
 and Price Indexes, 2 Massachusetts Ave. N.E., Room 3615 Washington, D.C.
 20212 or by calling (202) 606-7000.
 
      Arithmetic Mean (Laspeyres) Formula
      
 1.  Selected shelter services:

 A) Rent of primary       B) Owners' equivalent     C) Housing at school,
 residence                rent of primary           excluding board
                          residence
                                                   
                                                   
 2.  Selected utilities and government charges:

 A) Electricity           C) Residential water and  E)  Telephone services,
                          sewerage maintenance      local charges
                                                   
 B) Utility natural gas   D) State and local        F) Cable television
 service                  registration, license,
                          and motor vehicle
                          property tax
                                                   
                                                   
 3.  Selected medical care services:

 A) Physicians' services  C) Eyeglasses and eye     E) Hospital services
                          care
 B) Dental services       D) Services by other      F) Nursing homes and
                          medical professionals     adult daycare

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------    

 Using   a   hedonic  model   to   adjust
 television prices in the Consumer  Price
 Index for changes in quality
 
   Effective  with  the  release  of the Consumer  Price  Index  (CPI)  for
 January  1999,  the  Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)  will  introduce  an
 improvement  in the way in which it calculates the Television  stratum  of
 the CPI.
   As  of  December  1997,  Televisions constituted 0.215  percent  in  the
 Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (the CPI-U) and 0.256 percent
 in  the  Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical  Workers
 (the CPI-W).
   Bureau   of   Labor  Statistics  researchers  developed a regression
 procedure, called a hedonic model, that decomposes the price of television
 sets  into implicit prices for each important feature and component1. This
 model  uses Television observations collected for the CPI and provides  an
 estimate  of the value of each of the significant features and  components
 of  the  sets for which prices are collected. This yields a mechanism  for
 replacing  obsolete  televisions in the  CPI  sample  with  current  ones,
 allowing the CPI to capture the price change that may occur as new  models
 replace old ones in the market place without counting the value of quality
 improvements as price increases.
   The  CPI  has used similar hedonic methods to adjust apparel prices  for
 many  years.  In January 1998, the CPI began using a similar approach  for
 Personal  Computers.  In the coming years, BLS plans to extend the  method
 to additional CPI items.
   Starting with the CPI for January 1999, when a television model in the
 CPI sample improves in some way, the value of that change, as derived from
 the  regression estimates, will be deducted from the observed price change
 for  that product.  (Conversely, if a model deteriorates, the value of the
 difference will be added to the price.)
   For additional information on these changes, write to
	 Bureau of Labor Statistics
	 Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes
	 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Room 3260
	 Washington, DC 20212
 or telephone Tim LaFleur at (202) 606-6982 ext. 253,
 or send e-mail to LaFleur_T@bls.gov
 
 _______________________________
 1 Brent R. Moulton, Timothy J. LaFleur, and Karin E. Moses, "Research on
 Improved Quality Adjustment in the CPI: The Case of Televisions," presented
 to the Conference of the Ottawa Group, April 1998.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Overview of Publication Changes
 
 Beginning in 1998, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) introduced
 a new geographic area sample, a revised item structure and updated
 expenditure weights into the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
 Approximately every ten years the CPI undertakes this type of
 revision in order to keep the index up-to-date.  Since World War
 II, revisions of the CPI have been introduced in 1953, 1964, 1978,
 and 1987.
 
 Because the changes the CPI undergoes during each revision can
 have a major impact on our users, special steps were taken in
 order to ameliorate the effects of these changes.  Beginning with
 the release of the January 1997 index, data series that were to be
 changed or dropped from publication have been footnoted in all BLS
 published tables.  This provided an early warning for users to
 reconsider their use of those indexes and provided time for them
 to make changes in their use.  The 1998 CPI Revision contains
 substantial changes in both the items being presented and the
 frequency of local area index publication.
 
 Changes to the Item Structure
 
 Effective in 1998, there are considerable changes to both the
 items being priced and the manner in which they are being
 aggregated in the CPI.  The most notable change in presentation is
 a reconstruction of several major groups with a resulting change
 from the formerly available seven major groups to the new total of
 eight.
 
 Formerly the major groups were: Food and Beverages, Housing,
 Apparel and Upkeep, Transportation, Medical Care, Entertainment
 and Other Goods and Services.  Three of these groups-- Food and
 Beverages, Transportation, and Medical care remained the same.
 The Apparel group was modified to exclude apparel upkeep products
 and services.  The Entertainment group has been slightly redefined
 into a major group called Recreation and a new major group,
 Education and Communication, has been formed from  past
 subelements of the Housing, Entertainment and Other Goods and
 Services groups
 
 Other important changes in our item structure at lower levels are
 an expansion of our Food Away from Home index, a reorientation of
 our car and truck indexes to a vehicle index, and the expansion of
 our information processing equipment index.
 
 For a complete listing of the new CPI Publication Structure see
 Table X.
 
 Changes to the Geographic Structure
 
 In each revision, the CPI geographic sample is selected to be
 representative of the current demographics of the United States.
 The 1998 revision utilizes the 1990 Census of population.  The CPI
 developed an updated area sample design, decided on new local area
 indexes and changed the frequency of publication for local area
 indexes in order to better reflect these new demographics.
  
 In addition to the national index, the BLS formerly published
 indexes for 29 metropolitan areas.  In 1998, it continues to
 publish indexes for all but two of these areas--Buffalo-Niagara
 Falls, NY, and New Orleans, LA.  Due to the revised Metropolitan
 Area (MA) definitions issued by the Office of Management and
 Budget(OMB), two other areas, Washington, DC, and Baltimore, MD,
 which the BLS formerly published separately, constitute a new
 Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area.  A single index is now
 published for this consolidated area.
 
 The new publication plan for local area indexes, that began with
 the index for January 1998, is summarized below:
 
      *  Monthly indexes are now published for the three largest
 metropolitan areas.  Because of sample design considerations,
 indexes for the Philadelphia and San Francisco areas, both
 formerly published monthly, are now published every other month
 following the release of the December, 1997 index.
 
      *  Bimonthly indexes are published for the next 11 largest
 areas, including Atlanta and Seattle, which used to have
 semiannual average indexes.
 
      *  Semiannual average indexes are now published for 12
 additional areas, including Pittsburgh and St. Louis, which
 formerly had bimonthly indexes.
 
      *  The BLS continues to publish separate indexes for the four
 Census regions of the United States.  However, beginning in 1998,
 there are only two area size classes for metropolitan areas,
 instead of the former three: Size A - areas with a population
 greater than 1.5 million; and Size B/C - areas with less than 1.5
 million population.  This cutoff of 1.5 million in population
 reflects a rise from the former cutoff of 1.2 million and is
 important since cities in size class A are those for which the
 Bureau publishes city level indexes.  The B/C size class is a
 combination of the old Size B and Size C metropolitan areas.  In
 addition to the two metropolitan area size indexes for each
 region, separate Size D indexes for urban non-metropolitan areas
 continue to be published for both the Midwest and the South.
 Separate indexes for Northeast and West urban nonmetropolitan
 areas were discontinued in 1987.
 
 The following is the full list of areas for which indexes are
 currently published, beginning in January, 1998:

 1. Metropolitan Areas for which a local index is published monthly:
 
  New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA
  Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI
  Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA
 
 2. Metropolitan Areas for which a local index is published bimonthly:
 
 In Odd Months (i.e. January,            In Even Months (i.e.
 March, etc.)                            February, April, etc.)
 ----------------------------            ----------------------                  

 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-          Philadelphia-Wilmington-
 ME-CT                                   Atlantic City, PA-NJ-DE-MD
 
 Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-            San Francisco-Oakland-San
 VA-WV                                   Jose, CA
 
 Cleveland-Akron, OH  		         Atlanta, GA

 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX                   Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX
                                         
 		                         Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI
                                         
		                         Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL
                                         
                                         Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA
                  
 3. Metropolitan Areas for which a local index is published  
    semiannually (In January and July)
 
 Pittsburgh, PA                          Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH-KY-IN 
 Kansas City, MO-KS                      Milwaukee-Racine, WI
 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI             St. Louis, MO-IL
 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL     Anchorage, AK
 Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO              Honolulu, HI
 Portland-Salem, OR-WA                   San Diego, CA

 --------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
 BLS to Maintain Current Reference Base of 1982-84-100 for most CPI
 index series

      The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) previously indicated its
 intention to change the numerical reference base for both the
 Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and the
 Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers
 (CPI-W) from their present 1982-84=100 base to a 1993-95=100 base,
 effective with release of the January 1999 index in February 1999.
 BLS also indicated that the alternate, or 1967=100 base, would be
 discontinued in 1999 as well.  This plan was initially described
 in the December 1996 Monthly Labor Review, a publication which
 contained several articles that dealt with the 1998 CPI Revision.
 
      The BLS has now decided not to implement this rebasing plan.
 Instead, the BLS will maintain the reference base of 1982-84=100
 used for most items.  In addition, the 1967=100 reference base
 will continue to be the alternate base for the All Items indexes.
 This decision is based in part on the fact that historical data
 have less precision after rebasing.  Rebasing is simply an
 arithmetic transformation that does not substantially impact the
 index.  Because the rebased index values are smaller, however, the
 loss of precision due to rounding is more serious.  In addition,
 retaining the old index reference bases would spare users the
 inconvenience associated with conversion.
 
      Changes in the numerical reference base should not be
 confused with the plans by BLS to update the market basket of the
 CPI.  With release of the January CPI in February 1998, the
 expenditure weights applied to CPI categories will be based on
 consumer spending patterns for 1993-95.
 
 -----------------------------------------------------------------

 A Note on Seasonally Adjusted and Unadjusted Data

      Because price data are used for different purposes by
 different groups, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes
 seasonally adjusted as well as unadjusted changes each month.
 
      For analyzing general price trends in the economy, seasonally
 adjusted changes are usually preferred since they eliminate the
 effect of changes that normally occur at the same time and in
 about the same magnitude every year--such as price movements
 resulting from changing climatic conditions, production cycles,
 model changeovers, holidays, and sales.
 
      The unadjusted data are of primary interest to consumers
 concerned about the prices they actually pay.  Unadjusted data
 also are used extensively for escalation purposes.  Many
 collective bargaining contract agreements and pension plans, for
 example, tie compensation changes to the Consumer Price Index
 unadjusted for seasonal variation.
 
      Seasonal factors used in computing the seasonally adjusted
 indexes are derived by the X-12-ARIMA Seasonal Adjustment Method.
 The updated seasonal data at the end of 1977 replaced data from
 1967 through 1977.  Subsequent annual updates have replaced 5
 years of seasonal data, e.g., data from 1993 through 1997 were
 replaced at the end of 1997.  The seasonal movement of all items
 and 54 other aggregations is derived by combining the seasonal
 movement of 73 selected components.  Each year the seasonal status
 of every series is reevaluated based upon certain statistical
 criteria.  If any of the 73 components change their seasonal
 adjustment status from seasonally adjusted to not seasonally
 adjusted, not seasonally adjusted data will be used for the last 5
 years, but the seasonally adjusted indexes will be used before
 that period.
 
      Seasonally adjusted data, including the All items index
 levels, are subject to revision for up to five years after their
 original release.  For this reason, BLS advises against the use of
 these data in escalation agreements.
 
      Effective with the calculation of the seasonal factors for
 1990, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has used an enhanced seasonal
 adjustment procedure called Intervention Analysis Seasonal
 Adjustment for some CPI series.  Intervention Analysis Seasonal
 Adjustment allows for better estimates of seasonally adjusted
 data.  Extreme values and/or sharp movements which might distort
 the seasonal pattern are estimated and removed from the data prior
 to calculation of seasonal factors.  Beginning with the
 calculation of seasonal factors for 1996, X-12-ARIMA software was
 used for Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment.
 
      For the fuel oil and the motor fuels indexes, this procedure
 was used to offset the effects that extreme price volatility would
 otherwise have had on the estimates of seasonally adjusted data
 for those series.  For some women's apparel indexes and the girls'
 apparel index, the procedure was used to offset the effects of
 changes in pricing methodology.  For the tobacco and smoking
 products index, this procedure was used to offset the effects of
 increases in excise taxes and wholesale tobacco prices.  For some
 alcoholic beverage series, Intervention Analysis Seasonal
 Adjustment was used to offset the effects of excise tax increases.
 For the Nonalcoholic beverages index, the procedure was used to
 offset the effects of a large increase in coffee prices due to
 adverse weather.  For the Water and sewerage maintenance index,
 the procedure was used to account for a data collection anomaly.
 
      A description of Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment,
 as well as a list of unusual events modeled and seasonal factors
 for these items may be obtained by writing the Bureau of Labor
 Statistics, Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes,
 Washington, DC 20212 or by calling Claire McAnaw Gallagher on
 (202) 606-6968.
 
 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)
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                   Unadjusted                           
                                                 Relative   Unadjusted indexes percent change to   Seasonally adjusted  
                                               importance,                      June 1998 from-    percent change from- 
                     CPI-U                       December                                                               
                                                   1997       May       June                                            
                                                              1998      1998     June      May   Mar. to Apr. to  May to
                                                                                 1997     1998     Apr.    May     June 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                        
             Expenditure category                                                                                       
                                                                                                                        
 All items ...................................    100.000     162.8     163.0      1.7      0.1     0.2     0.3     0.1 
 All items (1967=100) ........................          -     487.7     488.2        -        -       -       -       - 
                                                                                                                        
  Food and beverages .........................     16.310     160.7     160.6      2.2     -0.1     0.1     0.5     0.1 
   Food ......................................     15.326     160.3     160.1      2.2     -0.1     0.1     0.6     0.1 
    Food at home .............................      9.646     160.7     160.5      2.0     -0.1    -0.1     0.8     0.1 
     Cereals and bakery products .............      1.536     180.5     181.6      1.9      0.6    -0.2     0.4     0.3 
     Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..........      2.629     146.2     146.3     -1.1      0.1    -0.1     0.3     0.0 
     Dairy and related products (1)...........      1.037     148.1     148.1      2.8      0.0     0.1    -0.3     0.0 
     Fruits and vegetables ...................      1.394     203.9     198.1      7.8     -2.8     0.2     5.3    -1.0 
     Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage                                                                                
         materials ...........................      1.077     132.9     132.8     -1.5     -0.1    -0.4    -0.5     0.4 
     Other food at home ......................      1.972     149.3     150.4      1.8      0.7     0.0    -0.1     0.8 
      Sugar and sweets .......................       .377     149.5     150.5      1.6      0.7    -0.7    -0.4     0.9 
      Fats and oils ..........................       .291     141.2     143.3      1.2      1.5    -1.1     0.6     1.6 
      Other foods ............................      1.305     164.7     165.6      2.7      0.5     0.4    -0.1     0.6 
       Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)......       .309     101.4     102.5        -      1.1     0.2    -0.3     1.1 
    Food away from home (1)...................      5.680     160.6     160.7      2.6      0.1     0.2     0.2     0.1 
     Other food away from home (1) (2)........       .172     100.6     101.0        -      0.4     0.3     0.0     0.4 
   Alcoholic beverages .......................       .983     165.2     165.5      1.7      0.2     0.0     0.0     0.4 
                                                                                                                        
  Housing ....................................     39.560     159.7     160.6      2.4      0.6     0.4     0.3     0.1 
   Shelter ...................................     29.788     181.2     181.8      3.3      0.3     0.4     0.4     0.2 
    Rent of primary residence ................      6.885     171.1     171.7      3.2      0.4     0.2     0.4     0.3 
    Lodging away from home (2)................      2.327     108.7     109.6        -      0.8     1.2     1.0    -0.7 
    Owners' equivalent rent of primary                                                                                  
        residence (3).........................     20.199     186.8     187.4      3.3      0.3     0.4     0.3     0.2 
    Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)..       .377      99.6      99.1        -     -0.5     0.1    -0.8    -0.5 
   Fuels and utilities .......................      4.942     127.9     131.2     -0.5      2.6     0.3     0.1    -0.4 
    Fuels ....................................      4.018     113.2     116.8     -2.5      3.2     0.4     0.0    -0.5 
     Fuel oil and other fuels ................       .261      91.8      89.5     -8.7     -2.5    -0.7     0.0    -1.2 
     Gas (piped) and electricity .............      3.757     120.5     124.7     -2.2      3.5     0.4     0.0    -0.4 
   Household furnishings and operations ......      4.831     126.6     126.7      0.8      0.1     0.4    -0.2     0.2 
                                                                                                                        
  Apparel ....................................      4.944     135.3     132.5      0.1     -2.1    -0.1     0.4     0.2 
   Men's and boys' apparel ...................      1.390     133.5     131.0      1.6     -1.9    -0.6    -0.4     0.2 
   Women's and girls' apparel ................      1.990     129.7     125.8      0.2     -3.0    -0.1     1.0     0.6 
   Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1).........       .268     126.9     124.7     -6.2     -1.7     1.8     0.2    -1.7 
   Footwear ..................................       .895     128.3     128.2      1.5     -0.1    -0.2     0.6     1.5 
                                                                                                                        
  Transportation .............................     17.578     142.0     141.7     -1.6     -0.2    -0.1     0.1    -0.3 
   Private transportation ....................     16.240     138.4     138.2     -1.8     -0.1    -0.1     0.1    -0.1 
    New and used motor vehicles (2)...........      7.899      99.9      99.7     -0.9     -0.2     0.1     0.0    -0.1 
     New vehicles ............................      5.063     143.3     142.6     -1.1     -0.5     0.0    -0.3    -0.3 
     Used cars and trucks (1).................      1.880     150.0     150.9     -0.6      0.6     0.6     1.2     0.6 
    Motor fuel ...............................      2.995      94.7      94.8    -10.5      0.1    -0.9     0.9    -1.0 
     Gasoline (all types) ....................      2.976      94.2      94.3    -10.5      0.1    -1.0     0.8    -0.9 
    Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........       .560     100.6     101.0     -0.7      0.4    -0.5     0.1     0.5 
    Motor vehicle maintenance and repair .....      1.603     165.9     166.5      2.4      0.4     0.0     0.1     0.4 
   Public transportation .....................      1.338     190.4     188.2      0.9     -1.2    -0.2    -0.8    -1.1 
                                                                                                                        
  Medical care ...............................      5.614     241.4     242.0      3.2      0.2     0.4     0.3     0.4 
   Medical care commodities ..................      1.222     221.5     222.1      2.8      0.3     0.7     0.7     0.2 
   Medical care services .....................      4.392     245.9     246.5      3.3      0.2     0.4     0.2     0.4 
    Professional services ....................      2.808     221.7     222.5      3.2      0.4     0.4     0.2     0.5 
    Hospital and related services ............      1.334     285.6     285.8      3.0      0.1     0.4     0.1     0.3 
                                                                                                                        
  Recreation (2)..............................      6.145     101.0     101.2      1.4      0.2     0.0     0.0     0.1 
   Video and audio (1) (2)....................      1.763     101.2     101.2      1.6      0.0     0.0    -0.2     0.0 
                                                                                                                        
  Education and communication (2).............      5.528     100.1     100.1      2.5      0.0     0.3     0.3     0.1 
   Education (2)..............................      2.615     100.9     100.8      5.1     -0.1     0.6     0.5     0.3 
    Educational books and supplies ...........       .194     248.9     248.6      4.8     -0.1     0.8     0.6     0.0 
    Tuition, other school fees, and childcare       2.421     290.5     290.4      5.2      0.0     0.6     0.5     0.3 
   Communication (1) (2)......................      2.913      99.4      99.4     -1.3      0.0     0.0     0.1     0.0 
    Information and information processing (1)                                                                          
        (2)...................................      2.706      99.3      99.3     -1.5      0.0    -0.1     0.1     0.0 
     Telephone services (1) (2)...............      2.357     101.1     101.4        -      0.3     0.1     0.6     0.3 
     Information and information processing                                                                             
         other than telephone services (1) (4)       .350      41.5      40.6    -18.6     -2.2    -1.4    -3.0    -2.2 
      Personal computers and peripheral                                                                                 
          equipment (1) (2)...................       .234      82.7      80.0        -     -3.3    -2.4    -4.5    -3.3 
                                                                                                                        
  Other goods and services ...................      4.321     236.7     236.4      6.0     -0.1     1.0     0.7     0.0 
   Tobacco and smoking products ..............       .894     270.0     266.9     10.6     -1.1     3.8     1.7    -0.6 
   Personal care (1)..........................      3.427     156.6     156.8      2.6      0.1     0.3     0.4     0.1 
    Personal care products (1)................       .737     149.3     149.2      3.5     -0.1     0.0     1.4    -0.1 
    Personal care services (1)................       .963     165.4     165.3      1.7     -0.1     0.3     0.1    -0.1 
    Miscellaneous personal services ..........      1.465     234.0     234.7      3.6      0.3     0.2     0.2     0.4 
                                                                                                                        
          Commodity and service group                                                                                   
                                                                                                                        
 Commodities .................................     42.635     142.3     141.8      0.2     -0.4     0.1     0.4    -0.1 
  Food and beverages .........................     16.310     160.7     160.6      2.2     -0.1     0.1     0.5     0.1 
  Commodities less food and beverages ........     26.326     131.3     130.6     -1.1     -0.5     0.2     0.2    -0.1 
   Nondurables less food and beverages .......     14.729     134.0     133.0     -0.9     -0.7     0.1     0.7    -0.1 
    Apparel ..................................      4.944     135.3     132.5      0.1     -2.1    -0.1     0.4     0.2 
    Nondurables less food, beverages, and                                                                               
        apparel ..............................      9.785     138.4     138.2     -1.4     -0.1     0.0     0.9     0.0 
   Durables ..................................     11.596     127.6     127.4     -1.2     -0.2    -0.1    -0.2     0.0 
 Services ....................................     57.365     183.4     184.2      2.7      0.4     0.4     0.3     0.1 
  Rent of shelter (3).........................     29.410     188.6     189.3      3.4      0.4     0.3     0.4     0.2 
  Transportation services ....................      6.984     187.8     187.1      1.4     -0.4    -0.1    -0.2    -0.2 
  Other services .............................     10.625     216.1     216.6      3.7      0.2     0.4     0.3     0.3 
                                                                                                                        
                Special indexes                                                                                         
                                                                                                                        
 All items less food .........................     84.674     163.3     163.5      1.6      0.1     0.2     0.2     0.1 
 All items less shelter ......................     70.212     157.3     157.3      1.0      0.0     0.2     0.2     0.1 
 All items less medical care .................     94.386     158.4     158.6      1.6      0.1     0.2     0.3     0.0 
 Commodities less food .......................     27.309     132.7     132.1     -0.9     -0.5     0.1     0.2    -0.1 
 Nondurables less food .......................     15.712     135.9     134.9     -0.7     -0.7     0.0     0.7    -0.1 
 Nondurables less food and apparel ...........     10.768     140.1     139.9     -1.1     -0.1     0.1     0.7     0.1 
 Nondurables .................................     31.039     147.5     146.9      0.8     -0.4     0.0     0.6    -0.1 
 Services less rent of shelter (3)............     27.955     191.1     192.1      2.1      0.5     0.3     0.3     0.1 
 Services less medical care services .........     52.973     177.6     178.4      2.6      0.5     0.3     0.2     0.2 
 Energy ......................................      7.013     103.8     105.7     -5.9      1.8    -0.1     0.3    -0.7 
 All items less energy .......................     92.987     170.5     170.5      2.3      0.0     0.2     0.3     0.1 
  All items less food and energy .............     77.661     173.1     173.0      2.2     -0.1     0.3     0.2     0.1 
   Commodities less food and energy                                                                                     
       commodities ...........................     24.053     143.6     142.8      0.4     -0.6     0.1     0.1     0.0 
    Energy commodities .......................      3.256      94.6      94.5    -10.2     -0.1    -0.9     0.8    -1.0 
   Services less energy services .............     53.608     189.8     190.3      3.1      0.3     0.4     0.3     0.2 
 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar .....          -    $ .614    $ .614        -        -       -       -       - 
 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar - old                                                                          
     base ....................................          -    $ .205    $ .205        -        -       -       -       - 

   1 Not seasonally adjusted.
   2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
   3 Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
   4 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base.
   - Data not available.
 NOTE:  Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 Table 2. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Seasonally adjusted U.S. city average, by expenditure
 category and commodity and service group

 (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                                                 Seasonally adjusted indexes    Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent 
                                                                                               change for               
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                     CPI-U                                                           3 months ended--         6 months  
                                                                                                              ended--   
                                                 Mar.    Apr.    May     June                                           
                                                 1998    1998    1998    1998                                           
                                                                                Sep.   Dec.   Mar.   June   Dec.   June 
                                                                                1997   1997   1998   1998   1997   1998 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                        
             Expenditure category                                                                                       
                                                                                                                        
 All items ...................................  162.0   162.4   162.9   163.0    2.3    1.5    0.2    2.5    1.9    1.4 
                                                                                                                        
  Food and beverages .........................  159.7   159.8   160.6   160.8    2.8    1.8    1.0    2.8    2.3    1.9 
   Food ......................................  159.4   159.5   160.4   160.6    2.8    1.5    1.3    3.0    2.2    2.2 
    Food at home .............................  159.5   159.4   160.7   160.8    2.6    1.0    0.5    3.3    1.8    1.9 
     Cereals and bakery products .............  180.1   179.7   180.5   181.0    1.4    1.8    2.3    2.0    1.6    2.1 
     Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..........  146.6   146.5   146.9   146.9    0.3   -3.2   -2.9    0.8   -1.5   -1.1 
     Dairy and related products (1)...........  148.4   148.5   148.1   148.1   -1.7   12.5    1.6   -0.8    5.2    0.4 
     Fruits and vegetables ...................  193.0   193.3   203.5   201.4    9.1    1.9    4.5   18.6    5.5   11.3 
     Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage                                                                                
         materials ...........................  133.7   133.1   132.5   133.0    5.1   -6.6   -1.8   -2.1   -0.9   -1.9 
     Other food at home ......................  149.3   149.3   149.2   150.4    3.3   -0.5    1.6    3.0    1.4    2.3 
      Sugar and sweets .......................  150.7   149.6   149.0   150.3    1.4    2.4    3.8   -1.1    1.9    1.3 
      Fats and oils ..........................  141.8   140.3   141.1   143.3    1.7   -2.0    0.9    4.3   -0.1    2.6 
      Other foods ............................  164.0   164.7   164.5   165.5    2.8    3.2    1.5    3.7    3.0    2.6 
       Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)......  101.5   101.7   101.4   102.5      -      -    6.1    4.0      -    5.1 
    Food away from home (1)...................  159.9   160.2   160.6   160.7    3.1    3.1    2.3    2.0    3.1    2.1 
     Other food away from home (1) (2)........  100.3   100.6   100.6   101.0      -      -    1.2    2.8      -    2.0 
   Alcoholic beverages .......................  164.7   164.7   164.7   165.3    2.7    2.2    0.5    1.5    2.5    1.0 
                                                                                                                        
  Housing ....................................  158.9   159.5   159.9   160.1    2.1    2.6    1.5    3.1    2.3    2.3 
   Shelter ...................................  179.9   180.6   181.3   181.6    2.8    3.9    2.7    3.8    3.3    3.3 
    Rent of primary residence ................  170.3   170.7   171.3   171.8    3.2    3.1    2.9    3.6    3.1    3.2 
    Lodging away from home (2)................   99.9   101.1   102.1   101.4      -      -   -0.4    6.1      -    2.8 
    Owners' equivalent rent of primary                                                                                  
        residence (3).........................  185.9   186.6   187.2   187.6    2.9    3.3    3.1    3.7    3.1    3.4 
    Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)..  100.3   100.4    99.6    99.1      -      -    1.2   -4.7      -   -1.8 
   Fuels and utilities .......................  128.3   128.7   128.8   128.3    0.9    0.0   -7.1    0.0    0.5   -3.6 
    Fuels ....................................  113.1   113.5   113.5   112.9    0.0   -1.7   -9.6   -0.7   -0.9   -5.3 
     Fuel oil and other fuels ................   92.3    91.7    91.7    90.6  -11.6   -0.4  -14.9   -7.2   -6.2  -11.1 
     Gas (piped) and electricity .............  120.6   121.1   121.1   120.6    1.3   -1.9   -9.4    0.0   -0.3   -4.8 
   Household furnishings and operations ......  126.2   126.7   126.4   126.6   -1.3    0.6    2.6    1.3   -0.3    1.9 
                                                                                                                        
  Apparel ....................................  132.5   132.4   132.9   133.2   -0.9    1.2   -2.1    2.1    0.2    0.0 
   Men's and boys' apparel ...................  132.8   132.0   131.5   131.7    4.1    2.5    3.4   -3.3    3.3    0.0 
   Women's and girls' apparel ................  125.4   125.3   126.5   127.2   -3.1   -0.9   -0.6    5.9   -2.0    2.6 
   Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1).........  124.4   126.6   126.9   124.7  -17.4   -2.8   -4.4    1.0  -10.4   -1.7 
   Footwear ..................................  126.1   125.8   126.5   128.4    3.8    5.8  -10.1    7.5    4.8   -1.7 
                                                                                                                        
  Transportation .............................  141.7   141.5   141.7   141.3    3.1   -3.3   -4.9   -1.1   -0.1   -3.0 
   Private transportation ....................  138.0   137.9   138.1   137.9    3.2   -3.3   -6.4   -0.3   -0.1   -3.4 
    New and used motor vehicles (2)...........  100.1   100.2   100.2   100.1      -      -    0.4    0.0      -    0.2 
     New vehicles ............................  143.7   143.7   143.2   142.7   -0.6   -1.9    0.8   -2.8   -1.2   -1.0 
     Used cars and trucks (1).................  147.3   148.2   150.0   150.9   -9.2   -0.8   -1.6   10.1   -5.1    4.1 
    Motor fuel ...............................   93.0    92.2    93.0    92.1   20.0  -14.7  -34.8   -3.8    1.2  -20.8 
     Gasoline (all types) ....................   92.5    91.6    92.3    91.5   21.9  -15.7  -35.0   -4.3    1.4  -21.1 
    Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........  101.1   100.6   100.7   101.2   -0.4   -2.0   -0.8    0.4   -1.2   -0.2 
    Motor vehicle maintenance and repair .....  165.7   165.7   165.9   166.6    1.2    3.5    2.5    2.2    2.3    2.3 
   Public transportation .....................  192.1   191.7   190.2   188.2    0.2   -1.9   14.3   -7.9   -0.9    2.6 
                                                                                                                        
  Medical care ...............................  239.6   240.6   241.4   242.3    2.1    3.4    2.9    4.6    2.7    3.7 
   Medical care commodities ..................  218.1   219.7   221.2   221.6    0.4    3.0    1.3    6.6    1.7    3.9 
   Medical care services .....................  244.3   245.2   245.7   246.8    2.4    3.5    3.2    4.2    3.0    3.7 
    Professional services ....................  220.0   220.8   221.3   222.3    2.4    2.6    3.5    4.2    2.5    3.9 
    Hospital and related services ............  284.6   285.6   285.9   286.7    2.3    4.4    2.6    3.0    3.3    2.8 
                                                                                                                        
  Recreation (2)..............................  101.0   101.0   101.0   101.1      -      -    4.1    0.4      -    2.2 
   Video and audio (1) (2)....................  101.4   101.4   101.2   101.2    1.2    0.4    5.7   -0.8    0.8    2.4 
                                                                                                                        
  Education and communication (2).............  100.2   100.5   100.8   100.9      -      -    0.8    2.8      -    1.8 
   Education (2)..............................  101.2   101.8   102.3   102.6      -      -    4.9    5.6      -    5.3 
    Educational books and supplies ...........  246.3   248.3   249.9   249.8    4.4    4.7    4.2    5.8    4.6    5.0 
    Tuition, other school fees, and childcare   290.3   292.0   293.5   294.3    4.8    5.3    5.0    5.6    5.1    5.3 
   Communication (1) (2)......................   99.3    99.3    99.4    99.4   -3.5    0.8   -2.8    0.4   -1.4   -1.2 
    Information and information processing (1)                                                                          
        (2)...................................   99.3    99.2    99.3    99.3   -3.9    0.8   -2.8    0.0   -1.6   -1.4 
     Telephone services (1) (2)...............  100.4   100.5   101.1   101.4      -      -    1.6    4.0      -    2.8 
     Information and information processing                                                                             
         other than telephone services (1) (4)   43.4    42.8    41.5    40.6  -10.8   -8.8  -29.7  -23.4   -9.8  -26.6 
      Personal computers and peripheral                                                                                 
          equipment (1) (2)...................   88.7    86.6    82.7    80.0      -      -  -38.1  -33.8      -  -36.0 
                                                                                                                        
  Other goods and services ...................  233.0   235.4   237.0   236.9    4.7    5.9    3.9    6.9    5.3    5.4 
   Tobacco and smoking products ..............  254.3   264.0   268.4   266.9    8.5    9.8    3.5   21.3    9.2   12.1 
   Personal care (1)..........................  155.5   155.9   156.6   156.8   -0.3    3.4    4.0    3.4    1.6    3.7 
    Personal care products (1)................  147.3   147.3   149.3   149.2   -1.4    4.5    5.6    5.3    1.5    5.4 
    Personal care services (1)................  164.7   165.2   165.4   165.3    0.5    2.7    2.0    1.5    1.6    1.7 
    Miscellaneous personal services ..........  232.4   232.8   233.3   234.2    4.7    4.6    2.1    3.1    4.7    2.6 
                                                                                                                        
          Commodity and service group                                                                                   
                                                                                                                        
 Commodities .................................  141.3   141.4   141.9   141.8    2.0   -0.3   -2.2    1.4    0.8   -0.4 
  Food and beverages .........................  159.7   159.8   160.6   160.8    2.8    1.8    1.0    2.8    2.3    1.9 
  Commodities less food and beverages ........  130.3   130.5   130.7   130.6    1.5   -1.5   -4.5    0.9    0.0   -1.8 
   Nondurables less food and beverages .......  131.7   131.8   132.7   132.6    3.9   -1.5   -8.3    2.8    1.2   -2.9 
    Apparel ..................................  132.5   132.4   132.9   133.2   -0.9    1.2   -2.1    2.1    0.2    0.0 
    Nondurables less food, beverages, and                                                                               
        apparel ..............................  136.3   136.3   137.5   137.5    6.8   -3.9  -10.7    3.6    1.3   -3.8 
   Durables ..................................  127.8   127.7   127.4   127.4   -2.2   -1.6    0.3   -1.2   -1.9   -0.5 
 Services ....................................  182.7   183.4   183.9   184.1    2.5    2.9    2.2    3.1    2.7    2.7 
  Rent of shelter (3).........................  187.6   188.2   189.0   189.3    2.9    4.0    2.8    3.7    3.4    3.2 
  Transportation services ....................  188.2   188.1   187.8   187.5    1.3    0.6    5.0   -1.5    1.0    1.7 
  Other services .............................  215.2   216.1   216.8   217.5    2.5    3.6    3.2    4.3    3.1    3.8 
                                                                                                                        
                Special indexes                                                                                         
                                                                                                                        
 All items less food .........................  162.4   162.8   163.2   163.3    2.3    1.5    0.2    2.2    1.9    1.2 
 All items less shelter ......................  156.5   156.8   157.1   157.2    2.1    0.8   -0.8    1.8    1.4    0.5 
 All items less medical care .................  157.5   157.8   158.3   158.3    2.3    1.5    0.3    2.0    1.9    1.1 
 Commodities less food .......................  131.9   132.0   132.2   132.1    1.5   -1.2   -4.1    0.6    0.2   -1.8 
 Nondurables less food .......................  133.8   133.8   134.7   134.5    3.3   -1.2   -7.1    2.1    1.0   -2.6 
 Nondurables less food and apparel ...........  138.0   138.1   139.1   139.2    6.1   -3.0  -10.0    3.5    1.4   -3.5 
 Nondurables .................................  145.9   145.9   146.8   146.7    3.3    0.5   -3.2    2.2    1.9   -0.5 
 Services less rent of shelter (3)............  190.6   191.2   191.7   191.9    2.4    2.1    1.3    2.8    2.2    2.0 
 Services less medical care services .........  177.0   177.6   178.0   178.3    2.6    3.0    2.1    3.0    2.8    2.5 
 Energy ......................................  103.0   102.9   103.2   102.5    8.3   -7.7  -21.1   -1.9    0.0  -12.1 
 All items less energy .......................  169.8   170.2   170.7   170.9    1.9    2.2    2.1    2.6    2.0    2.4 
  All items less food and energy .............  172.4   172.9   173.3   173.5    1.7    2.4    2.4    2.6    2.0    2.5 
   Commodities less food and energy                                                                                     
       commodities ...........................  142.8   143.0   143.2   143.2   -0.3    0.6    0.8    1.1    0.1    1.0 
    Energy commodities .......................   92.9    92.1    92.8    91.9   16.1  -13.2  -33.3   -4.2    0.4  -20.1 
   Services less energy services .............  189.0   189.7   190.2   190.5    2.6    3.3    3.0    3.2    2.9    3.1 

   1 Not seasonally adjusted.
   2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
   3 Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
   4 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base.
   - Data not available.
 NOTE:  Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 Table 3. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Selected areas, all items index 

 (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                All items                                  
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
                                               Prici-           Indexes             Percent change to    Percent change to 
                     CPI-U                       ng                                  June1998 from--      May1998 from--   
                                               sched-                                                                      
                                                 ule   Mar.   Apr.    May   June                                           
                                                 (1)   1998   1998   1998   1998   June   Apr.    May    May   Mar.   Apr. 
                                                                                   1997   1998   1998   1997   1998   1998 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                           
 U.S. city average ...........................   M    162.2  162.5  162.8  163.0    1.7    0.3    0.1    1.7    0.4    0.2 
                                                                                                                           
            Region and area size(2)                                                                                        
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
 Northeast urban .............................   M    169.3  169.5  169.4  169.6    1.6    0.1    0.1    1.6    0.1   -0.1 
   Size A -  More than 1,500,000 .............   M    170.2  170.2  170.2  170.4    1.6    0.1    0.1    1.6    0.0    0.0 
   Size B/C  50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)..........   M    101.7  102.1  101.8  101.9    1.3   -0.2    0.1    1.5    0.1   -0.3 
                                                                                                                           
 Midwest urban (4)............................   M    158.4  159.0  159.4  159.5    1.8    0.3    0.1    2.0    0.6    0.3 
   Size A   - More than 1,500,000 ............   M    159.5  160.1  160.5  160.8    2.2    0.4    0.2    2.2    0.6    0.2 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    101.6  101.9  102.3  102.2    1.5    0.3   -0.1    1.8    0.7    0.4 
   Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                                                   
       50,000) ...............................   M    152.9  153.2  153.4  153.3    0.5    0.1   -0.1    0.8    0.3    0.1 
                                                                                                                           
 South urban .................................   M    158.2  158.5  158.8  159.1    1.3    0.4    0.2    1.4    0.4    0.2 
   Size A -  More than 1,500,000 .............   M    157.2  157.6  157.7  158.4    1.7    0.5    0.4    1.4    0.3    0.1 
   Size B/C -  50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)........   M    101.8  102.0  102.2  102.3    1.0    0.3    0.1    1.2    0.4    0.2 
   Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                                                   
       50,000) ...............................   M    158.4  159.1  159.3  160.0    2.4    0.6    0.4    2.1    0.6    0.1 
                                                                                                                           
 West urban ..................................   M    163.3  163.6  164.3  164.2    2.0    0.4   -0.1    2.0    0.6    0.4 
   Size A   - More than 1,500,000 ............   M    163.8  164.2  165.0  165.0    2.4    0.5    0.0    2.4    0.7    0.5 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    102.3  102.2  102.4  102.3    1.0    0.1   -0.1    0.9    0.1    0.2 
                                                                                                                           
                 Size classes                                                                                              
                                                                                                                           
   A (5)......................................   M    146.6  147.0  147.3  147.5    2.0    0.3    0.1    1.9    0.5    0.2 
   B/C (3)....................................   M    101.8  102.0  102.2  102.2    1.2    0.2    0.0    1.3    0.4    0.2 
   D .........................................   M    158.1  158.5  158.8  159.2    1.7    0.4    0.3    1.5    0.4    0.2 
                                                                                                                           
            Selected local areas(6)                                                                                        
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
 Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI ..............   M    164.1  164.8  165.6  166.0    2.7    0.7    0.2    2.8    0.9    0.5 
 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA .....   M    161.4  161.8  162.3  162.2    1.8    0.2   -0.1    1.8    0.6    0.3 
 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island,                                                                                       
     NY-NJ-CT-PA .............................   M    173.0  173.0  173.0  173.1    1.6    0.1    0.1    1.8    0.0    0.0 
                                                                                                                           
 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT .........   1    171.3      -  170.9      -      -      -      -    2.5   -0.2      - 
 Cleveland-Akron, OH .........................   1    158.6      -  159.2      -      -      -      -    2.3    0.4      - 
 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX .......................   1    153.0      -  153.0      -      -      -      -      -    0.0      - 
 Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV (7)........   1    101.6      -  101.5      -      -      -      -    1.0   -0.1      - 
                                                                                                                           
 Atlanta, GA .................................   2        -  160.8      -  162.0      -    0.7      -      -      -      - 
 Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI .................   2        -  159.1      -  159.4    2.8    0.2      -      -      -      - 
 Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX ..............   2        -  146.3      -  146.4    1.1    0.1      -      -      -      - 
 Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ...................   2        -  160.2      -  160.2      -    0.0      -      -      -      - 
 Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,                                                                                    
     PA-NJ-DE-MD .............................   2        -  167.1      -  168.0    1.1    0.5      -      -      -      - 
 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA ..........   2        -  164.6      -  165.5    3.4    0.5      -      -      -      - 
 Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA ................   2        -  166.4      -  167.5      -    0.7      -      -      -      - 

   1 Areas on pricing schedule 2 (see Table 10) will appear next month. 
   2 Regions defined as the four Census regions.  See map in technical notes.
   3 Indexes on a December 1996=100 base.
   4 The 'North Central' region has been renamed the 'Midwest' region by the Census Bureau.  It is composed of the same
 geographic entities.
   5 Indexes on a December 1986=100 base.
   6 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; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland-Salem,
 OR-WA; St. Louis, MO-IL; San Diego, CA; Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL.
   7 Indexes on a November 1996=100 base.
   - Data not available.
 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)
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                   Unadjusted                           
                                                 Relative   Unadjusted indexes percent change to   Seasonally adjusted  
                                               importance,                      June 1998 from-    percent change from- 
                     CPI-W                       December                                                               
                                                   1997       May       June                                            
                                                              1998      1998     June      May   Mar. to Apr. to  May to
                                                                                 1997     1998     Apr.    May     June 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                        
             Expenditure category                                                                                       
                                                                                                                        
 All items ...................................    100.000     159.5     159.7      1.5      0.1     0.3     0.3     0.1 
 All items (1967=100) ........................          -     475.2     475.6        -        -       -       -       - 
                                                                                                                        
  Food and beverages .........................     17.903     159.9     159.9      2.1      0.0     0.0     0.6     0.1 
   Food ......................................     16.861     159.6     159.5      2.2     -0.1     0.1     0.6     0.1 
    Food at home .............................     10.785     159.6     159.4      1.9     -0.1    -0.1     0.8     0.1 
     Cereals and bakery products .............      1.678     180.3     181.4      2.0      0.6    -0.2     0.5     0.3 
     Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..........      3.125     145.8     145.9     -1.1      0.1    -0.1     0.3     0.1 
     Dairy and related products (1)...........      1.135     147.8     147.7      2.7     -0.1     0.1    -0.3    -0.1 
     Fruits and vegetables ...................      1.447     202.8     197.1      7.6     -2.8     0.2     5.2    -1.2 
     Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage                                                                                
         materials ...........................      1.215     131.6     131.6     -1.5      0.0    -0.4    -0.5     0.4 
     Other food at home ......................      2.185     148.7     149.8      1.8      0.7    -0.1     0.0     0.7 
      Sugar and sweets .......................       .420     149.4     150.5      1.6      0.7    -0.7    -0.5     0.9 
      Fats and oils ..........................       .332     141.1     143.1      1.3      1.4    -1.0     0.8     1.4 
      Other foods ............................      1.432     164.6     165.5      2.9      0.5     0.4     0.0     0.5 
       Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)......       .344     101.5     102.5        -      1.0    -0.1    -0.2     1.0 
    Food away from home (1)...................      6.076     160.6     160.8      2.7      0.1     0.2     0.2     0.1 
     Other food away from home (1) (2)........       .212     100.6     101.0        -      0.4     0.3     0.0     0.4 
   Alcoholic beverages .......................      1.042     164.1     164.3      1.4      0.1     0.1    -0.1     0.3 
                                                                                                                        
  Housing ....................................     36.450     156.1     157.0      2.2      0.6     0.3     0.3     0.1 
   Shelter ...................................     27.033     175.7     176.4      3.2      0.4     0.3     0.3     0.2 
    Rent of primary residence ................      8.347     170.8     171.3      3.2      0.3     0.2     0.4     0.3 
    Lodging away from home (2)................      1.346     108.6     110.0        -      1.3     1.5     0.5    -0.2 
    Owners' equivalent rent of primary                                                                                  
        residence (3).........................     17.016     170.2     170.8      3.3      0.4     0.3     0.4     0.2 
    Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)..       .324      99.7      99.3        -     -0.4     0.0    -0.8    -0.4 
   Fuels and utilities .......................      5.053     127.9     131.3     -0.3      2.7     0.4    -0.1    -0.3 
    Fuels ....................................      4.143     112.9     116.5     -2.3      3.2     0.4    -0.1    -0.4 
     Fuel oil and other fuels ................       .229      92.0      90.0     -7.8     -2.2    -0.5     0.0    -1.0 
     Gas (piped) and electricity .............      3.914     120.2     124.5     -2.0      3.6     0.5    -0.1    -0.4 
   Household furnishings and operations ......      4.365     125.2     125.2      0.8      0.0     0.4    -0.2     0.0 
                                                                                                                        
  Apparel ....................................      5.300     133.7     131.0     -0.6     -2.0     0.2     0.3     0.3 
   Men's and boys' apparel ...................      1.503     133.1     130.7      1.5     -1.8    -0.2    -0.5     0.2 
   Women's and girls' apparel ................      1.985     127.4     123.4     -1.1     -3.1    -0.1     0.9     0.5 
   Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1).........       .337     127.4     125.4     -6.3     -1.6     1.9     0.4    -1.6 
   Footwear ..................................      1.082     129.0     128.8      1.3     -0.2    -0.1     0.5     1.5 
                                                                                                                        
  Transportation .............................     19.847     141.1     140.9     -1.7     -0.1     0.0     0.1    -0.1 
   Private transportation ....................     18.790     138.6     138.5     -1.8     -0.1    -0.1     0.2    -0.1 
    New and used motor vehicles (2)...........      9.285     100.1     100.0     -0.9     -0.1     0.2     0.1     0.0 
     New vehicles ............................      5.304     144.5     143.8     -1.1     -0.5     0.1    -0.4    -0.3 
     Used cars and trucks (1).................      3.162     151.3     152.3     -0.7      0.7     0.5     1.2     0.7 
    Motor fuel ...............................      3.682      95.0      95.0    -10.3      0.0    -1.0     0.9    -0.9 
     Gasoline (all types) ....................      3.658      94.5      94.5    -10.4      0.0    -0.9     0.7    -0.9 
    Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........       .694      99.9     100.3     -0.5      0.4    -0.5     0.0     0.6 
    Motor vehicle maintenance and repair .....      1.664     167.0     167.6      2.4      0.4     0.1     0.1     0.4 
   Public transportation .....................      1.057     187.4     185.5      0.8     -1.0    -0.2    -0.7    -0.8 
                                                                                                                        
  Medical care ...............................      4.591     240.6     241.4      3.3      0.3     0.4     0.3     0.5 
   Medical care commodities ..................       .906     218.3     218.9      2.6      0.3     0.7     0.7     0.2 
   Medical care services .....................      3.684     245.6     246.4      3.4      0.3     0.4     0.2     0.5 
    Professional services ....................      2.372     223.2     224.1      3.4      0.4     0.3     0.3     0.5 
    Hospital and related services ............      1.097     281.7     282.0      3.1      0.1     0.2     0.2     0.3 
                                                                                                                        
  Recreation (2)..............................      5.969     100.9     101.0      1.2      0.1     0.1    -0.2     0.1 
   Video and audio (1) (2)....................      1.968     101.1     101.1      1.6      0.0     0.0    -0.3     0.0 
                                                                                                                        
  Education and communication (2).............      5.396     100.3     100.3      2.5      0.0     0.2     0.4     0.1 
   Education (2)..............................      2.402     100.9     100.9      5.2      0.0     0.6     0.5     0.3 
    Educational books and supplies ...........       .192     251.3     250.9      4.7     -0.2     0.8     0.8    -0.1 
    Tuition, other school fees, and childcare       2.211     284.9     284.7      5.2     -0.1     0.6     0.4     0.3 
   Communication (1) (2)......................      2.994      99.7      99.8     -0.9      0.1     0.0     0.2     0.1 
    Information and information processing (1)                                                                          
        (2)...................................      2.841      99.7      99.8     -0.9      0.1     0.0     0.2     0.1 
     Telephone services (1) (2)...............      2.547     101.2     101.4        -      0.2     0.1     0.7     0.2 
     Information and information processing                                                                             
         other than telephone services (1) (4)       .294      42.6      41.8    -17.9     -1.9    -1.6    -3.4    -1.9 
      Personal computers and peripheral                                                                                 
          equipment (1) (2)...................       .191      81.9      79.5        -     -2.9    -2.6    -4.8    -2.9 
                                                                                                                        
  Other goods and services ...................      4.544     234.8     234.0      6.4     -0.3     1.4     0.8    -0.1 
   Tobacco and smoking products ..............      1.300     270.1     266.6     10.7     -1.3     4.1     1.5    -0.6 
   Personal care (1)..........................      3.244     156.7     156.8      2.7      0.1     0.3     0.5     0.1 
    Personal care products (1)................       .832     150.5     150.3      3.7     -0.1     0.1     1.4    -0.1 
    Personal care services (1)................       .964     165.7     165.6      1.8     -0.1     0.4     0.1    -0.1 
    Miscellaneous personal services ..........      1.226     233.0     233.6      3.6      0.3     0.2     0.2     0.3 
                                                                                                                        
          Commodity and service group                                                                                   
                                                                                                                        
 Commodities .................................     47.234     142.1     141.7      0.1     -0.3     0.2     0.3     0.0 
  Food and beverages .........................     17.903     159.9     159.9      2.1      0.0     0.0     0.6     0.1 
  Commodities less food and beverages ........     29.331     131.4     130.7     -1.2     -0.5     0.2     0.2    -0.1 
   Nondurables less food and beverages .......     15.928     133.6     132.5     -1.2     -0.8     0.2     0.7    -0.2 
    Apparel ..................................      5.300     133.7     131.0     -0.6     -2.0     0.2     0.3     0.3 
    Nondurables less food, beverages, and                                                                               
        apparel ..............................     10.628     138.2     137.8     -1.5     -0.3     0.1     1.0    -0.2 
   Durables ..................................     13.403     127.3     127.2     -1.1     -0.1     0.1    -0.3     0.0 
 Services ....................................     52.766     180.3     181.1      2.7      0.4     0.3     0.2     0.2 
  Rent of shelter (3).........................     26.708     169.2     169.8      3.2      0.4     0.4     0.2     0.3 
  Transportation services ....................      6.824     185.4     184.9      1.6     -0.3     0.1    -0.1    -0.1 
  Other services .............................     10.006     213.0     213.4      3.7      0.2     0.4     0.3     0.3 
                                                                                                                        
                Special indexes                                                                                         
                                                                                                                        
 All items less food .........................     83.139     159.4     159.6      1.3      0.1     0.3     0.3     0.1 
 All items less shelter ......................     72.967     155.1     155.1      0.8      0.0     0.2     0.3     0.0 
 All items less medical care .................     95.409     155.7     155.9      1.4      0.1     0.3     0.3     0.1 
 Commodities less food .......................     30.373     132.7     132.1     -1.0     -0.5     0.2     0.2    -0.1 
 Nondurables less food .......................     16.970     135.5     134.4     -1.0     -0.8     0.2     0.6    -0.1 
 Nondurables less food and apparel ...........     11.670     139.7     139.4     -1.2     -0.2     0.2     0.7    -0.3 
 Nondurables .................................     33.831     147.1     146.5      0.5     -0.4     0.0     0.6    -0.1 
 Services less rent of shelter (3)............     26.057     170.2     171.2      2.1      0.6     0.2     0.4     0.1 
 Services less medical care services .........     49.082     174.7     175.5      2.6      0.5     0.2     0.3     0.2 
 Energy ......................................      7.825     103.2     105.0     -6.1      1.7    -0.2     0.3    -0.6 
 All items less energy .......................     92.175     167.3     167.2      2.1     -0.1     0.3     0.3     0.1 
  All items less food and energy .............     75.315     169.3     169.2      2.1     -0.1     0.4     0.2     0.1 
   Commodities less food and energy                                                                                     
       commodities ...........................     26.463     143.1     142.3      0.4     -0.6     0.4     0.1     0.0 
    Energy commodities .......................      3.910      95.0      94.8    -10.1     -0.2    -1.0     0.8    -0.8 
   Services less energy services .............     48.852     186.9     187.3      3.0      0.2     0.3     0.3     0.2 
 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar .....          -    $ .627    $ .626        -        -       -       -       - 
 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar - old                                                                          
     base ....................................          -    $ .210    $ .210        -        -       -       -       - 

   1 Not seasonally adjusted.
   2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
   3 Indexes on a December 1984=100 base
   4 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base.
   - Data not available.
 NOTE:  Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 Table 5. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): Seasonally adjusted U.S. city
 average, by expenditure category and commodity and service group

 (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                                                 Seasonally adjusted indexes    Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent 
                                                                                               change for               
                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                        
                     CPI-W                                                           3 months ended--         6 months  
                                                                                                              ended--   
                                                 Mar.    Apr.    May     June                                           
                                                 1998    1998    1998    1998                                           
                                                                                Sep.   Dec.   Mar.   June   Dec.   June 
                                                                                1997   1997   1998   1998   1997   1998 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                        
             Expenditure category                                                                                       
                                                                                                                        
 All items ...................................  158.6   159.0   159.5   159.6    2.3    1.3   -0.3    2.5    1.8    1.1 
                                                                                                                        
  Food and beverages .........................  159.2   159.2   160.1   160.2    2.6    1.5    1.3    2.5    2.0    1.9 
   Food ......................................  158.7   158.8   159.7   159.8    2.8    1.3    1.3    2.8    2.1    2.0 
    Food at home .............................  158.6   158.4   159.7   159.8    2.3    0.8    0.8    3.1    1.5    1.9 
     Cereals and bakery products .............  179.8   179.4   180.3   180.8    1.1    2.3    2.0    2.2    1.7    2.1 
     Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..........  146.3   146.1   146.5   146.6    0.3   -2.9   -3.0    0.8   -1.3   -1.1 
     Dairy and related products (1)...........  148.1   148.2   147.8   147.7   -1.7   12.6    1.6   -1.1    5.2    0.3 
     Fruits and vegetables ...................  192.6   193.0   203.0   200.5    8.9    0.4    6.3   17.4    4.6   11.7 
     Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage                                                                                
         materials ...........................  132.4   131.9   131.2   131.7    4.3   -6.4   -1.5   -2.1   -1.2   -1.8 
     Other food at home ......................  148.7   148.6   148.6   149.7    3.0   -0.8    2.2    2.7    1.1    2.4 
      Sugar and sweets .......................  150.7   149.6   148.9   150.2    1.1    2.4    4.1   -1.3    1.8    1.3 
      Fats and oils ..........................  141.4   140.0   141.1   143.1    1.4   -1.7    0.3    4.9   -0.1    2.6 
      Other foods ............................  163.9   164.5   164.5   165.3    3.0    2.7    2.0    3.5    2.9    2.7 
       Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)......  101.8   101.7   101.5   102.5      -      -    7.4    2.8      -    5.1 
    Food away from home (1)...................  159.9   160.2   160.6   160.8    3.1    3.1    2.3    2.3    3.1    2.3 
     Other food away from home (1) (2)........  100.3   100.6   100.6   101.0      -      -    1.2    2.8      -    2.0 
   Alcoholic beverages .......................  163.6   163.7   163.6   164.1    2.2    2.0    0.0    1.2    2.1    0.6 
                                                                                                                        
  Housing ....................................  155.4   155.9   156.3   156.5    2.1    2.4    1.6    2.9    2.2    2.2 
   Shelter ...................................  174.8   175.4   176.0   176.4    3.1    3.3    3.0    3.7    3.2    3.4 
    Rent of primary residence ................  170.0   170.3   171.0   171.5    3.2    3.1    3.1    3.6    3.2    3.3 
    Lodging away from home (2)................  100.1   101.6   102.1   101.9      -      -    0.4    7.4      -    3.8 
    Owners' equivalent rent of primary                                                                                  
        residence (3).........................  169.5   170.0   170.6   170.9    3.2    2.9    3.4    3.3    3.0    3.4 
    Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2)..  100.5   100.5    99.7    99.3      -      -    2.0   -4.7      -   -1.4 
   Fuels and utilities .......................  128.0   128.5   128.4   128.0    0.9    0.3   -7.2    0.0    0.6   -3.6 
    Fuels ....................................  112.5   112.9   112.8   112.4    0.0   -1.7   -9.4   -0.4   -0.9   -5.0 
     Fuel oil and other fuels ................   92.5    92.0    92.0    91.1  -11.6    0.4  -13.4   -5.9   -5.8   -9.8 
     Gas (piped) and electricity .............  120.0   120.6   120.5   120.0    1.3   -1.9   -9.4    0.0   -0.3   -4.8 
   Household furnishings and operations ......  124.8   125.3   125.0   125.0   -1.3    0.6    2.9    0.6   -0.3    1.8 
                                                                                                                        
  Apparel ....................................  130.5   130.7   131.1   131.5   -0.9    0.0   -4.5    3.1   -0.5   -0.8 
   Men's and boys' apparel ...................  131.9   131.7   131.1   131.4    4.1    1.5    2.2   -1.5    2.8    0.3 
   Women's and girls' apparel ................  123.0   122.9   124.0   124.6   -3.4   -2.8   -3.5    5.3   -3.1    0.8 
   Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1).........  124.5   126.9   127.4   125.4  -15.5   -5.5   -6.2    2.9  -10.6   -1.7 
   Footwear ..................................  126.6   126.5   127.1   129.0    3.5    6.4  -11.4    7.8    4.9   -2.3 
                                                                                                                        
  Transportation .............................  140.4   140.4   140.6   140.4    3.1   -3.6   -6.0    0.0   -0.3   -3.1 
   Private transportation ....................  137.9   137.8   138.1   138.0    3.2   -3.9   -6.7    0.3   -0.4   -3.3 
    New and used motor vehicles (2)...........  100.0   100.2   100.3   100.3      -      -    0.0    1.2      -    0.6 
     New vehicles ............................  144.9   145.0   144.4   144.0   -0.5   -2.2    0.8   -2.5   -1.4   -0.8 
     Used cars and trucks (1).................  148.8   149.5   151.3   152.3   -9.1   -0.5   -1.9    9.7   -4.9    3.8 
    Motor fuel ...............................   93.3    92.4    93.2    92.4   19.1  -15.4  -33.2   -3.8    0.4  -19.8 
     Gasoline (all types) ....................   92.7    91.9    92.5    91.7   21.5  -16.0  -34.1   -4.2    1.0  -20.6 
    Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........  100.5   100.0   100.0   100.6   -0.8   -1.2   -0.4    0.4   -1.0    0.0 
    Motor vehicle maintenance and repair .....  166.7   166.8   167.0   167.7    1.5    3.5    2.2    2.4    2.5    2.3 
   Public transportation .....................  188.7   188.4   187.0   185.5    0.9   -0.6   10.4   -6.6    0.1    1.5 
                                                                                                                        
  Medical care ...............................  238.8   239.8   240.5   241.6    2.1    3.4    2.7    4.8    2.8    3.7 
   Medical care commodities ..................  215.1   216.6   218.1   218.5    0.2    2.8    0.9    6.5    1.5    3.7 
   Medical care services .....................  244.0   244.9   245.4   246.6    2.4    3.7    3.0    4.3    3.0    3.7 
    Professional services ....................  221.3   222.0   222.7   223.9    2.6    3.0    3.1    4.8    2.8    4.0 
    Hospital and related services ............  280.8   281.4   282.0   282.8    2.5    4.3    2.8    2.9    3.4    2.8 
                                                                                                                        
  Recreation (2)..............................  100.9   101.0   100.8   100.9      -      -    3.6    0.0      -    1.8 
   Video and audio (1) (2)....................  101.4   101.4   101.1   101.1    1.6    0.4    5.7   -1.2    1.0    2.2 
                                                                                                                        
  Education and communication (2).............  100.3   100.5   100.9   101.0      -      -    1.2    2.8      -    2.0 
   Education (2)..............................  101.2   101.8   102.3   102.6      -      -    4.9    5.6      -    5.3 
    Educational books and supplies ...........  248.7   250.7   252.6   252.4    4.2    4.5    4.3    6.1    4.4    5.2 
    Tuition, other school fees, and childcare   284.7   286.4   287.5   288.5    4.9    5.6    5.1    5.4    5.2    5.3 
   Communication (1) (2)......................   99.5    99.5    99.7    99.8   -3.5    0.8   -2.0    1.2   -1.4   -0.4 
    Information and information processing (1)                                                                          
        (2)...................................   99.5    99.5    99.7    99.8   -3.5    0.8   -2.0    1.2   -1.4   -0.4 
     Telephone services (1) (2)...............  100.4   100.5   101.2   101.4      -      -    1.6    4.0      -    2.8 
     Information and information processing                                                                             
         other than telephone services (1) (4)   44.8    44.1    42.6    41.8  -10.6   -4.8  -29.6  -24.2   -7.7  -26.9 
      Personal computers and peripheral                                                                                 
          equipment (1) (2)...................   88.3    86.0    81.9    79.5      -      -  -39.2  -34.3      -  -36.8 
                                                                                                                        
  Other goods and services ...................  229.6   232.8   234.6   234.3    5.2    6.2    3.9    8.4    5.7    6.2 
   Tobacco and smoking products ..............  253.9   264.4   268.3   266.6    8.7    9.4    3.7   21.6    9.1   12.3 
   Personal care (1)..........................  155.5   155.9   156.7   156.8   -0.3    3.5    4.2    3.4    1.6    3.8 
    Personal care products (1)................  148.2   148.4   150.5   150.3   -0.8    3.9    5.9    5.8    1.5    5.8 
    Personal care services (1)................  164.9   165.5   165.7   165.6    0.7    2.7    2.0    1.7    1.7    1.8 
    Miscellaneous personal services ..........  231.3   231.8   232.3   233.1    4.5    4.5    2.3    3.1    4.5    2.7 
                                                                                                                        
          Commodity and service group                                                                                   
                                                                                                                        
 Commodities .................................  140.9   141.2   141.6   141.6    2.0   -0.3   -3.1    2.0    0.9   -0.6 
  Food and beverages .........................  159.2   159.2   160.1   160.2    2.6    1.5    1.3    2.5    2.0    1.9 
  Commodities less food and beverages ........  130.0   130.3   130.6   130.5    1.8   -2.1   -5.1    1.5   -0.2   -1.8 
   Nondurables less food and beverages .......  131.1   131.3   132.2   131.9    4.3   -2.3   -8.9    2.5    0.9   -3.4 
    Apparel ..................................  130.5   130.7   131.1   131.5   -0.9    0.0   -4.5    3.1   -0.5   -0.8 
    Nondurables less food, beverages, and                                                                               
        apparel ..............................  135.8   135.9   137.2   136.9    7.1   -3.6  -11.7    3.3    1.6   -4.5 
   Durables ..................................  127.3   127.4   127.0   127.0   -2.5   -1.2    0.0   -0.9   -1.9   -0.5 
 Services ....................................  179.6   180.2   180.6   180.9    2.5    2.7    2.3    2.9    2.6    2.6 
  Rent of shelter (3).........................  168.3   169.0   169.3   169.8    2.9    3.4    2.7    3.6    3.2    3.1 
  Transportation services ....................  185.5   185.6   185.5   185.3    1.8    0.9    3.8   -0.4    1.3    1.6 
  Other services .............................  212.0   212.9   213.6   214.2    2.5    3.5    3.5    4.2    3.0    3.8 
                                                                                                                        
                Special indexes                                                                                         
                                                                                                                        
 All items less food .........................  158.2   158.7   159.1   159.2    2.3    1.0   -0.5    2.6    1.7    1.0 
 All items less shelter ......................  154.1   154.4   154.9   154.9    2.1    0.3   -1.3    2.1    1.2    0.4 
 All items less medical care .................  154.7   155.1   155.6   155.7    2.4    1.0   -0.5    2.6    1.7    1.0 
 Commodities less food .......................  131.5   131.8   132.1   132.0    1.5   -1.5   -5.3    1.5    0.0   -1.9 
 Nondurables less food .......................  133.1   133.3   134.1   134.0    3.6   -1.7   -8.3    2.7    0.9   -2.9 
 Nondurables less food and apparel ...........  137.3   137.6   138.6   138.2    7.3   -1.7  -12.1    2.6    2.7   -5.0 
 Nondurables .................................  145.5   145.5   146.4   146.3    3.6   -0.5   -3.2    2.2    1.5   -0.5 
 Services less rent of shelter (3)............  169.7   170.1   170.7   170.8    2.2    2.4    0.9    2.6    2.3    1.8 
 Services less medical care services .........  174.1   174.5   175.0   175.4    2.6    2.6    2.1    3.0    2.6    2.6 
 Energy ......................................  102.4   102.2   102.5   101.9    9.1   -8.7  -21.2   -1.9   -0.2  -12.1 
 All items less energy .......................  166.4   166.9   167.4   167.6    1.7    2.2    1.7    2.9    2.0    2.3 
  All items less food and energy .............  168.5   169.1   169.5   169.7    1.5    2.2    1.9    2.9    1.8    2.4 
   Commodities less food and energy                                                                                     
       commodities ...........................  142.0   142.5   142.7   142.7   -0.6    0.6    0.0    2.0    0.0    1.0 
    Energy commodities .......................   93.3    92.4    93.1    92.4   16.0  -14.2  -32.1   -3.8   -0.2  -19.2 
   Services less energy services .............  186.4   187.0   187.5   187.9    2.7    2.9    3.3    3.3    2.8    3.3 

   1 Not seasonally adjusted.
   2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base.
   3 Indexes on a December 1984=100 base
   4 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base.
   - Data not available.
 NOTE:  Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 Table 6. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): Selected areas, all items index 

 (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                All items                                  
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
                                               Prici-           Indexes             Percent change to    Percent change to 
                     CPI-W                       ng                                  June1998 from--      May1998 from--   
                                               sched-                                                                      
                                                 ule   Mar.   Apr.    May   June                                           
                                                 (1)   1998   1998   1998   1998   June   Apr.    May    May   Mar.   Apr. 
                                                                                   1997   1998   1998   1997   1998   1998 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                           
 U.S. city average ...........................   M    158.7  159.1  159.5  159.7    1.5    0.4    0.1    1.5    0.5    0.3 
                                                                                                                           
            Region and area size(2)                                                                                        
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
 Northeast urban .............................   M    166.0  166.3  166.4  166.5    1.3    0.1    0.1    1.4    0.2    0.1 
   Size A -  More than 1,500,000 .............   M    165.8  166.0  166.1  166.3    1.4    0.2    0.1    1.4    0.2    0.1 
   Size B/C  50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)..........   M    101.3  101.5  101.5  101.5    1.0    0.0    0.0    1.2    0.2    0.0 
                                                                                                                           
 Midwest urban (4)............................   M    154.4  155.0  155.6  155.7    1.7    0.5    0.1    1.8    0.8    0.4 
   Size A   - More than 1,500,000 ............   M    154.7  155.4  155.9  156.2    2.2    0.5    0.2    2.1    0.8    0.3 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    101.3  101.7  102.1  101.9    1.3    0.2   -0.2    1.7    0.8    0.4 
   Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                                                   
       50,000) ...............................   M    150.7  150.9  151.3  151.3    0.3    0.3    0.0    0.7    0.4    0.3 
                                                                                                                           
 South urban .................................   M    156.0  156.4  156.7  157.1    1.1    0.4    0.3    1.0    0.4    0.2 
   Size A -  More than 1,500,000 .............   M    154.7  155.1  155.3  155.9    1.3    0.5    0.4    1.1    0.4    0.1 
   Size B/C -  50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)........   M    101.3  101.5  101.8  101.8    0.7    0.3    0.0    0.9    0.5    0.3 
   Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                                                   
       50,000) ...............................   M    158.2  159.1  159.6  160.4    2.5    0.8    0.5    2.1    0.9    0.3 
                                                                                                                           
 West urban ..................................   M    159.4  159.6  160.3  160.3    1.8    0.4    0.0    1.6    0.6    0.4 
   Size A   - More than 1,500,000 ............   M    158.1  158.5  159.4  159.3    2.1    0.5   -0.1    2.1    0.8    0.6 
   Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).........   M    102.1  102.0  102.2  102.1    0.8    0.1   -0.1    0.7    0.1    0.2 
                                                                                                                           
                 Size classes                                                                                              
                                                                                                                           
   A (5)......................................   M    145.0  145.4  145.8  146.0    1.7    0.4    0.1    1.7    0.6    0.3 
   B/C (3)....................................   M    101.4  101.6  101.9  101.8    0.9    0.2   -0.1    1.2    0.5    0.3 
   D .........................................   M    156.8  157.3  157.8  158.1    1.5    0.5    0.2    1.4    0.6    0.3 
                                                                                                                           
            Selected local areas(6)                                                                                        
                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                           
 Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI ..............   M    158.3  159.0  159.9  160.2    2.7    0.8    0.2    2.8    1.0    0.6 
 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA .....   M    155.1  155.6  156.2  156.1    1.5    0.3   -0.1    1.4    0.7    0.4 
 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island,                                                                                       
     NY-NJ-CT-PA .............................   M    168.2  168.5  168.6  168.8    1.6    0.2    0.1    1.6    0.2    0.1 
                                                                                                                           
 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT .........   1    169.3      -  168.9      -      -      -      -    2.0   -0.2      - 
 Cleveland-Akron, OH .........................   1    150.1      -  151.2      -      -      -      -    2.3    0.7      - 
 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX .......................   1    152.8      -  152.8      -      -      -      -      -    0.0      - 
 Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV (7)........   1    101.3      -  101.3      -      -      -      -    0.8    0.0      - 
                                                                                                                           
 Atlanta, GA .................................   2        -  157.7      -  159.3      -    1.0      -      -      -      - 
 Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI .................   2        -  153.5      -  154.0    2.8    0.3      -      -      -      - 
 Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX ..............   2        -  144.8      -  145.1    0.7    0.2      -      -      -      - 
 Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ...................   2        -  157.4      -  157.6      -    0.1      -      -      -      - 
 Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City,                                                                                    
     PA-NJ-DE-MD .............................   2        -  166.5      -  167.4    1.3    0.5      -      -      -      - 
 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA ..........   2        -  160.8      -  161.7    3.0    0.6      -      -      -      - 
 Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA ................   2        -  161.9      -  162.8      -    0.6      -      -      -      - 

   1 Areas on pricing schedule 2 (see Table 10) will appear next month. 
   2 Regions defined as the four Census regions.  See map in technical notes.
   3 Indexes on a December 1996=100 base.
   4 The 'North Central' region has been renamed the 'Midwest' region by the Census Bureau.  It is composed of the same
 geographic entities.
   5 Indexes on a December 1986=100 base.
   6 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; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland-Salem,
 OR-WA; St. Louis, MO-IL; San Diego, CA; Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL.
   7 Indexes on a November 1996=100 base.
   - Data not available.
 NOTE:  Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 Table 1(OS).  Old Series 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)
                                                                                        
                                                                                        
                                                                            Unadjusted  
                                                Relative    Unadjusted    percent change
                                               importan-     indexes            to      
                Item and group                    ce,                    June 1998 from-
                                                December                                
                                                  1997     May     June                 
                                                           1998    1998    June    May  
                                                                           1997    1998 
                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                        
             Expenditure category                                                       
                                                                                        
                                                                                        
 All items ...................................  100.000   162.9   163.0     1.7     0.1 
 All items (1967=100) ........................        -   488.1   488.2       -       - 
                                                                                        
   Food and beverages ........................   17.465   160.6   160.1     1.9     -.3 
     Food ....................................   15.886   160.2   159.7     2.0     -.3 
       Food at home ..........................    9.964   160.7   159.8     1.6     -.6 
         Cereals and bakery products .........    1.476   180.6   181.6     1.9      .6 
         Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ......    2.921   146.1   146.2    -1.1      .1 
         Dairy products ......................    1.218   148.4   148.0     2.7     -.3 
         Fruits and vegetables ...............    1.982   200.1   193.5     5.3    -3.3 
         Other food at home ..................    2.366   148.9   149.4     1.1      .3 
           Sugar and sweets ..................     .332   149.5   150.4     1.6      .6 
           Fats and oils .....................     .241   141.2   143.3     1.2     1.5 
           Nonalcoholic beverages ............     .747   133.0   132.3    -1.9     -.5 
           Other prepared food ...............    1.046   165.0   165.9     2.9      .5 
       Food away from home ...................    5.923   160.6   160.7     2.6      .1 
     Alcoholic beverages .....................    1.578   164.9   165.3     1.6      .2 
                                                                                        
   Housing ...................................   41.469   159.6   160.3     2.2      .4 
     Shelter .................................   28.640   181.1   181.7     3.2      .3 
       Renters' costs (1).....................    8.169   192.3   193.2     3.5      .5 
         Rent, residential ...................    5.810   171.1   171.6     3.1      .3 
         Other renters' costs ................    2.359   234.6   236.5     4.3      .8 
       Homeowners' costs (1)..................   20.269   186.3   186.8     3.1      .3 
         Owners' equivalent rent (1)..........   19.881   186.7   187.3     3.3      .3 
         Household insurance (1)..............     .388   166.3   165.4      .1     -.5 
       Maintenance and repairs ...............     .202   146.4   146.3     2.1     -.1 
         Maintenance and repair services .....     .126   156.1   156.1     4.1      .0 
         Maintenance and repair commodities ..     .076   133.1   132.8    -1.0     -.2 
     Fuel and other utilities ................    7.015   129.2   131.0     -.7     1.4 
       Fuels .................................    3.769   112.8   115.6    -3.5     2.5 
         Fuel oil and other household fuel                                              
     commodities .............................     .368    92.1    89.9    -8.3    -2.4 
         Gas (piped) and electricity (energy                                            
     services)................................    3.401   120.2   123.7    -3.0     2.9 
       Other utilities and public services ...    3.246   165.6   166.1     2.7      .3 
     Household furnishings and operation .....    5.814   126.3   126.1      .3     -.2 
       Housefurnishings ......................    3.232   110.4   109.9    -1.2     -.5 
       Housekeeping supplies .................    1.090   145.5   145.9     2.1      .3 
       Housekeeping services .................    1.492   155.3   155.7     2.6      .3 
                                                                                        
   Apparel and upkeep ........................    5.291   134.9   132.4      .0    -1.9 
     Apparel commodities .....................    4.748   131.1   128.3     -.2    -2.1 
       Men's and boys' apparel ...............    1.292   133.4   130.8     1.4    -1.9 
       Women's and girls' apparel.............    2.072   128.4   124.6     -.8    -3.0 
       Infants' and toddlers' apparel ........     .182   127.2   124.8    -6.1    -1.9 
       Footwear ..............................     .719   128.6   128.4     1.7     -.2 
       Other apparel commodities .............     .484   145.6   142.7    -2.5    -2.0 
     Apparel services ........................     .543   166.0   166.4     2.0      .2 
                                                                                        
   Transportation ............................   16.620   142.0   141.7    -1.6     -.2 
     Private transportation ..................   15.054   138.2   138.1    -1.8     -.1 
       New vehicles ..........................    4.829   143.3   142.5    -1.2     -.6 
         New cars ............................    3.842   140.6   139.9    -1.3     -.5 
       Used cars .............................    1.195   149.8   150.7     -.7      .6 
       Motor fuel ............................    2.925    94.9    95.0   -10.3      .1 
         Gasoline ............................        -    94.3    94.4   -10.4      .1 
       Maintenance and repairs ...............    1.546   166.0   166.5     2.4      .3 
       Other private transportation ..........    4.560   179.3   179.1     1.4     -.1 
         Other private transportation                                                   
     commodities .............................     .574   103.3   103.7    -1.0      .4 
         Other private transportation services                                          
     .........................................    3.986   197.3   197.1     1.7     -.1 
     Public transportation ...................    1.566   189.8   187.9      .7    -1.0 
                                                                                        
   Medical care ..............................    7.426   241.2   241.9     3.2      .3 
     Medical care commodities ................    1.280   221.6   222.2     2.9      .3 
     Medical care services ...................    6.145   245.8   246.5     3.3      .3 
       Professional medical services .........    3.518   221.7   222.5     3.2      .4 
                                                                                        
   Entertainment .............................    4.339   164.6   165.1     1.5     0.3 
     Entertainment commodities ...............    1.924   144.1   144.1      .1      .0 
     Entertainment services ..................    2.415   188.2   189.2     2.5      .5 
                                                                                        
   Other goods and services ..................    7.390   236.3   235.8     5.7     -.2 
     Tobacco and smoking products ............    1.688   270.2   267.0    10.7    -1.2 
     Personal care ...........................    1.152   156.9   156.9     2.7      .0 
       Toilet goods and personal care                                                   
     appliances ..............................     .589   149.5   149.6     3.7      .1 
       Personal care services ................     .564   165.1   165.2     1.6      .1 
     Personal and educational expenses .......    4.550   269.0   269.3     4.7      .1 
       School books and supplies .............     .273   248.3   248.2     4.6      .0 
       Personal and educational services .....    4.277   270.8   271.1     4.6      .1 
                                                                                        
          Commodity and service group                                                   
                                                                                        
                                                                                        
 All items ...................................  100.000   162.9   163.0     1.7      .1 
   Commodities ...............................   42.255   142.6   141.9      .3     -.5 
     Food and beverages ......................   17.465   160.6   160.1     1.9     -.3 
     Commodities less food and beverages .....   24.791   131.8   131.0     -.8     -.6 
       Nondurables less food and beverages ...   14.865   134.6   133.3     -.7    -1.0 
         Apparel commodities .................    4.748   131.1   128.3     -.2    -2.1 
         Nondurables less food, beverages, and                                          
     apparel .................................   10.117   139.4   139.0     -.8     -.3 
       Durables ..............................    9.926   127.9   127.6    -1.1     -.2 
   Services ..................................   57.745   183.4   184.1     2.7      .4 
     Rent of shelter (1)......................   28.016   188.6   189.2     3.3      .3 
     Household services less rent of shelter                                            
     (1)......................................    8.687   145.5   147.4      .3     1.3 
     Transportation services .................    7.097   187.9   187.5     1.6     -.2 
     Medical care services ...................    6.145   245.8   246.5     3.3      .3 
     Other services ..........................    7.799   215.7   216.2     3.5      .2 
                                                                                        
                Special indexes                                                         
                                                                                        
                                                                                        
 All items less food .........................   84.114   163.4   163.6     1.6      .1 
 All items less shelter ......................   71.360   157.5   157.4     1.1     -.1 
 All items less homeowners' costs (1).........   79.731   163.4   163.3     1.3     -.1 
 All items less medical care .................   92.574   158.5   158.6     1.6      .1 
 Commodities less food .......................   26.369   133.2   132.4     -.7     -.6 
 Nondurables less food .......................   16.443   136.4   135.3     -.4     -.8 
 Nondurables less food and apparel ...........   11.695   141.1   140.7     -.5     -.3 
 Nondurables .................................   32.329   147.7   146.9      .8     -.5 
 Services less rent of shelter (1)............   29.728   191.2   192.0     2.1      .4 
 Services less medical care services .........   51.599   177.6   178.3     2.6      .4 
 Energy ......................................    6.695   103.6   105.1    -6.4     1.4 
 All items less energy .......................   93.305   170.7   170.6     2.3     -.1 
   All items less food and energy ............   77.419   173.2   173.2     2.4      .0 
     Commodities less food and energy                                                   
     commodities .............................   23.076   144.2   143.3      .8     -.6 
       Energy commodities ....................    3.293    94.8    94.6   -10.1     -.2 
     Services less energy services ...........   54.343   189.8   190.2     3.0      .2 
 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar:                                               
     1982-84=$1.00 ...........................        -  $ .614  $ .614       -       - 
     1967=$1.00 ..............................        -  $ .205  $ .205       -       - 

   1 Indexes on a December 1982=100 base.
   - Data not available.
 NOTE:  Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 Table 2(OS).  Old Series 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)
                                                                                        
                                                                                        
                                                                            Unadjusted  
                                                Relative    Unadjusted    percent change
                                               importan-     indexes            to      
                Item and group                    ce,                    June 1998 from-
                                                December                                
                                                  1997     May     June                 
                                                           1998    1998    June    May  
                                                                           1997    1998 
                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                        
             Expenditure category                                                       
                                                                                        
                                                                                        
 All items ...................................  100.000   159.7   159.7     1.5     0.0 
 All items (1967=100) ........................        -   475.6   475.6       -       - 
                                                                                        
   Food and beverages ........................   19.434   159.8   159.4     1.8     -.3 
     Food ....................................   17.739   159.5   159.0     1.9     -.3 
       Food at home ..........................   11.309   159.5   158.7     1.4     -.5 
         Cereals and bakery products .........    1.689   180.2   181.2     1.9      .6 
         Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ......    3.441   145.8   145.9    -1.1      .1 
         Dairy products ......................    1.358   148.1   147.6     2.6     -.3 
         Fruits and vegetables ...............    2.100   198.7   192.4     5.1    -3.2 
         Other food at home ..................    2.722   148.3   148.7     1.0      .3 
           Sugar and sweets ..................     .376   149.3   150.3     1.5      .7 
           Fats and oils .....................     .277   140.7   142.8     1.1     1.5 
           Nonalcoholic beverages ............     .863   131.7   131.0    -1.9     -.5 
           Other prepared food ...............    1.206   165.0   165.9     3.1      .5 
       Food away from home ...................    6.430   160.6   160.7     2.6      .1 
     Alcoholic beverages .....................    1.695   163.9   164.2     1.3      .2 
                                                                                        
   Housing ...................................   39.037   156.1   156.8     2.1      .4 
     Shelter .................................   26.305   175.8   176.4     3.2      .3 
       Renters' costs (1).....................    8.250   167.4   168.0     3.3      .4 
         Rent, residential ...................    6.686   170.8   171.3     3.2      .3 
         Other renters' costs ................    1.564   234.8   236.7     4.1      .8 
       Homeowners' costs (1)..................   17.864   169.8   170.3     3.1      .3 
         Owners' equivalent rent (1)..........   17.538   170.2   170.7     3.2      .3 
         Household insurance (1)..............     .327   151.0   150.5      .5     -.3 
       Maintenance and repairs ...............     .191   143.9   143.8     1.5     -.1 
         Maintenance and repair services .....     .107   157.0   157.1     3.4      .1 
         Maintenance and repair commodities ..     .084   127.7   127.5     -.9     -.2 
     Fuel and other utilities ................    7.274   129.1   131.0     -.5     1.5 
       Fuels .................................    3.875   112.3   115.2    -3.4     2.6 
         Fuel oil and other household fuel                                              
     commodities .............................     .338    92.1    90.0    -7.8    -2.3 
         Gas (piped) and electricity (energy                                            
     services)................................    3.537   119.7   123.2    -3.0     2.9 
       Other utilities and public services ...    3.399   166.6   167.1     2.8      .3 
     Household furnishings and operation .....    5.458   124.7   124.5      .2     -.2 
       Housefurnishings ......................    3.171   109.0   108.5    -1.4     -.5 
       Housekeeping supplies .................    1.130   146.4   146.7     2.3      .2 
       Housekeeping services .................    1.157   158.2   158.4     2.6      .1 
                                                                                        
   Apparel and upkeep ........................    5.311   133.3   130.6     -.9    -2.0 
     Apparel commodities .....................    4.801   129.7   126.8    -1.2    -2.2 
       Men's and boys' apparel ...............    1.298   132.5   130.0      .9    -1.9 
       Women's and girls' apparel.............    2.019   126.3   122.1    -2.2    -3.3 
       Infants' and toddlers' apparel ........     .233   128.3   125.9    -5.9    -1.9 
       Footwear ..............................     .800   129.4   129.5     1.8      .1 
       Other apparel commodities .............     .450   142.3   139.0    -5.0    -2.3 
     Apparel services ........................     .510   165.0   165.4     2.0      .2 
                                                                                        
   Transportation ............................   18.597   141.0   140.8    -1.8     -.1 
     Private transportation ..................   17.389   138.4   138.3    -2.0     -.1 
       New vehicles ..........................    4.781   144.5   143.7    -1.2     -.6 
         New cars ............................    3.439   140.1   139.3    -1.4     -.6 
       Used cars .............................    2.179   151.4   152.3     -.7      .6 
       Motor fuel ............................    3.608    95.0    95.1   -10.2      .1 
         Gasoline ............................        -    94.5    94.6   -10.3      .1 
       Maintenance and repairs ...............    1.634   167.0   167.5     2.3      .3 
       Other private transportation ..........    5.188   174.5   174.4     1.3     -.1 
         Other private transportation                                                   
     commodities .............................     .727   102.7   103.0     -.8      .3 
         Other private transportation services                                          
     .........................................    4.460   192.8   192.6     1.7     -.1 
     Public transportation ...................    1.208   186.8   185.3      .7     -.8 
                                                                                        
   Medical care ..............................    6.331   240.6   241.2     3.2      .2 
     Medical care commodities ................    1.054   218.9   219.5     2.9      .3 
     Medical care services ...................    5.276   245.5   246.1     3.2      .2 
       Professional medical services .........    3.020   223.1   224.0     3.3      .4 
                                                                                        
   Entertainment .............................    4.006   161.8   162.3     1.4     0.3 
     Entertainment commodities ...............    2.005   142.7   142.7      .0      .0 
     Entertainment services ..................    2.001   188.9   190.0     2.7      .6 
                                                                                        
   Other goods and services ..................    7.285   234.4   233.5     6.2     -.4 
     Tobacco and smoking products ............    2.237   270.4   266.7    10.7    -1.4 
     Personal care ...........................    1.116   156.8   156.9     2.8      .1 
       Toilet goods and personal care                                                   
     appliances ..............................     .612   150.2   150.3     3.7      .1 
       Personal care services ................     .504   165.4   165.4     1.7      .0 
     Personal and educational expenses .......    3.932   264.7   264.9     4.7      .1 
       School books and supplies .............     .241   250.5   250.4     4.5      .0 
       Personal and educational services .....    3.692   266.2   266.4     4.7      .1 
                                                                                        
          Commodity and service group                                                   
                                                                                        
                                                                                        
 All items ...................................  100.000   159.7   159.7     1.5      .0 
   Commodities ...............................   46.401   142.4   141.7      .1     -.5 
     Food and beverages ......................   19.434   159.8   159.4     1.8     -.3 
     Commodities less food and beverages .....   26.967   131.8   131.0    -1.0     -.6 
       Nondurables less food and beverages ...   15.915   134.1   132.8    -1.0    -1.0 
         Apparel commodities .................    4.801   129.7   126.8    -1.2    -2.2 
         Nondurables less food, beverages, and                                          
     apparel .................................   11.114   139.2   138.6     -.9     -.4 
       Durables ..............................   11.052   127.5   127.4     -.9     -.1 
   Services ..................................   53.599   180.3   181.0     2.6      .4 
     Rent of shelter (1)......................   25.761   169.3   169.9     3.3      .4 
     Household services less rent of shelter                                            
     (1)......................................    8.554   133.6   135.4      .2     1.3 
     Transportation services .................    7.302   185.3   185.0     1.6     -.2 
     Medical care services ...................    5.276   245.5   246.1     3.2      .2 
     Other services ..........................    6.706   212.7   213.2     3.6      .2 
                                                                                        
                Special indexes                                                         
                                                                                        
                                                                                        
 All items less food .........................   82.261   159.6   159.7     1.4      .1 
 All items less shelter ......................   73.695   155.3   155.1      .8     -.1 
 All items less homeowners' costs (1).........   82.136   149.4   149.3     1.1     -.1 
 All items less medical care .................   93.669   155.8   155.8     1.3      .0 
 Commodities less food .......................   28.662   133.1   132.3     -.9     -.6 
 Nondurables less food .......................   17.610   135.9   134.7     -.8     -.9 
 Nondurables less food and apparel ...........   12.809   140.7   140.2     -.6     -.4 
 Nondurables .................................   35.349   147.3   146.4      .5     -.6 
 Services less rent of shelter (1)............   27.838   170.2   171.0     2.0      .5 
 Services less medical care services .........   48.322   174.7   175.4     2.5     0.4 
 Energy ......................................    7.483   102.9   104.3    -6.7     1.4 
 All items less energy .......................   92.517   167.4   167.3     2.1     -.1 
   All items less food and energy ............   74.778   169.5   169.4     2.2     -.1 
     Commodities less food and energy                                                   
     commodities .............................   24.717   143.6   142.7      .6     -.6 
       Energy commodities ....................    3.946    95.0    94.9   -10.0     -.1 
     Services less energy services ...........   50.062   186.9   187.4     3.0      .3 
 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar:                                               
     1982-84=$1.00 ...........................        -  $ .626  $ .626       -       - 
     1967=$1.00 ..............................        -  $ .210  $ .210       -       - 

   1 Indexes on a December 1984=100 base.
   - Data not available.
 NOTE:  Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 Table 3(OS) Old Series Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Selected areas, all
 items index

 (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)
                                                                                                      
                                                                                                      
                                               Prici-           Indexes             Percent change to 
                                                 ng                                  June1998 from--  
                     Area                      sched-                                                 
                                                 ule                                                  
                                                 (1)   Mar.   Apr.    May   June   Mar.   Apr.    May 
                                                       1998   1998   1998   1998   1998   1998   1998 
                                                                                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                      
 U.S. city average ...........................   M    162.2  162.6  162.9  163.0    0.5    0.2    0.1 
                                                                                                      
             Selected local areas                                                                     
                                                                                                      
 Chicago-Gary-Lake County, IL-IN-WI ..........   M    163.8  164.7  165.4  165.5    1.0     .5     .1 
 Los Angeles-Anaheim-Riverside, CA ...........   M    161.3  161.7  162.0  162.0     .4     .2     .0 
 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT    M    173.1  173.1  173.1  173.2     .1     .1     .1 
                                                                                                      
 Boston-Lawrence-Salem, MA-NH.................   1    171.2      -  170.9      -      -      -      - 
 Cleveland-Akron-Lorain, OH ..................   1    157.9      -  158.7      -      -      -      - 
 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX .......................   1    153.3      -  153.4      -      -      -      - 
                                                                                                      
 Detroit-Ann Arbor, MI .......................   2        -  159.3      -  159.5      -     .1      - 
 Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX ..............   2        -  146.4      -  146.0      -    -.3      - 
 Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ...................   2        -  160.1      -  160.0      -    -.1      - 
 Philadelphia-Wilmington-Trenton, PA-NJ-DE-MD    2        -  167.1      -  167.9      -     .5      - 
 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA ..........   2        -  164.8      -  165.8      -     .6      - 
                                                                                                      
             Region and area size                                                                     
                                                                                                      
 Northeast urban .............................   M    169.3  169.5  169.4  169.5     .1     .0     .1 
 Midwest urban (2)............................   M    158.4  159.1  159.5  159.4     .6     .2    -.1 
 South urban .................................   M    158.5  158.9  159.1  159.4     .6     .3     .2 
 West urban ..................................   M    163.3  163.6  164.3  164.2     .6     .4    -.1 
                                                                                                      
            Population size classes                                                                   
                                                                                                      
 A (3)........................................   M    146.6  147.0  147.2  147.3     .5     .2     .1 
 D ...........................................   M    158.2  158.7  159.0  159.3     .7     .4     .2 
                                                                                                      
 Region/Population size class cross                                                                   
 classifications                                                                                      
                                                                                                      
 Northeast Size A -  More than 1,500,000 .....   M    170.2  170.2  170.2  170.3     .1     .1     .1 
 Midwest Size A   - More than 1,500,000 ......   M    159.3  160.0  160.4  160.5     .8     .3     .1 
 South Size A -  More than 1,500,000 .........   M    157.6  157.8  157.8  158.3     .4     .3     .3 
 West Size A   - More than 1,500,000 .........   M    163.7  164.2  164.9  164.9     .7     .4     .0 
 Midwest Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                        
     50,000) .................................   M    153.3  153.5  153.7  153.6     .2     .1    -.1 
 South Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                          
     50,000) .................................   M    158.4  159.1  159.5  160.2    1.1     .7     .4 

   1 The 'All items' index size B/C is on a December 1996=100 base.
   2    The 'North Central' region has been renamed the 'Midwest' region by the Census Bureau.  It is
 composed of the same geographic entities.
   3 Indexes on a December 1986=100 base.
   - Data not available.
 NOTE:  Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.

 Table 4(OS) Old Series Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W):
 Selected areas, all items index

 (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted)
                                                                                                      
                                                                                                      
                                               Prici-           Indexes             Percent change to 
                                                 ng                                  June1998 from--  
                     Area                      sched-                                                 
                                                 ule                                                  
                                                 (1)   Mar.   Apr.    May   June   Mar.   Apr.    May 
                                                       1998   1998   1998   1998   1998   1998   1998 
                                                                                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                      
 U.S. city average ...........................   M    158.8  159.2  159.7  159.7    0.6    0.3    0.0 
                                                                                                      
             Selected local areas                                                                     
                                                                                                      
 Chicago-Gary-Lake County, IL-IN-WI ..........   M    157.9  158.7  159.6  159.5    1.0     .5    -.1 
 Los Angeles-Anaheim-Riverside, CA ...........   M    155.1  155.6  156.0  155.9     .5     .2    -.1 
 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT    M    168.5  168.6  168.7  168.6     .1     .0    -.1 
                                                                                                      
 Boston-Lawrence-Salem, MA-NH.................   1    169.5      -  169.0      -      -      -      - 
 Cleveland-Akron-Lorain, OH ..................   1    149.7      -  151.1      -      -      -      - 
 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX .......................   1    152.5      -  152.7      -      -      -      - 
                                                                                                      
 Detroit-Ann Arbor, MI .......................   2        -  153.8      -  153.8      -     .0      - 
 Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX ..............   2        -  145.0      -  144.8      -    -.1      - 
 Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ...................   2        -  157.3      -  157.5      -     .1      - 
 Philadelphia-Wilmington-Trenton, PA-NJ-DE-MD    2        -  166.0      -  167.1      -     .7      - 
 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA ..........   2        -  161.2      -  162.2      -     .6      - 
                                                                                                      
             Region and area size                                                                     
                                                                                                      
 Northeast urban .............................   M    166.1  166.3  166.4  166.4     .2     .1     .0 
 Midwest urban (2)............................   M    154.5  155.2  155.8  155.6     .7     .3    -.1 
 South urban .................................   M    156.2  156.6  157.0  157.2     .6     .4     .1 
 West urban ..................................   M    159.3  159.7  160.3  160.3     .6     .4     .0 
                                                                                                      
            Population size classes                                                                   
                                                                                                      
 A (3)........................................   M    145.0  145.4  145.8  145.8     .6     .3     .0 
 D ...........................................   M    156.9  157.4  157.9  158.2     .8     .5     .2 
                                                                                                      
 Region/Population size class cross                                                                   
 classifications                                                                                      
                                                                                                      
 Northeast Size A -  More than 1,500,000 .....   M    165.8  166.0  166.1  166.2     .2     .1     .1 
 Midwest Size A   - More than 1,500,000 ......   M    154.5  155.3  155.9  155.8     .8     .3    -.1 
 South Size A -  More than 1,500,000 .........   M    154.8  155.1  155.3  155.7     .6     .4     .3 
 West Size A   - More than 1,500,000 .........   M    158.0  158.5  159.3  159.3     .8     .5     .0 
 Midwest Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                        
     50,000) .................................   M    151.0  151.1  151.6  151.4     .3     .2    -.1 
 South Size D -  Nonmetropolitan  (less than                                                          
     50,000) .................................   M    158.3  159.2  159.8  160.5    1.4     .8     .4 

   1 The 'All items' index size B/C is on a December 1996=100 base.
   2    The 'North Central' region has been renamed the 'Midwest' region by the Census Bureau.  It is
 composed of the same geographic entities.
   3 Indexes on a December 1986=100 base.
   - Data not available.
 NOTE:  Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.