Data Available | Coverage | Reference Period | Source of Data | Forms of Publication | Uses of the Data | Major Research in Progress| Measurement Issues

Current

• Consumer Price Index (HTML)(PDF)
• Subscribe to the BLS News Service-- receive the Consumer Price Index news release by e-mail.
• Upcoming Release Dates through December 2005.

Archived

• Archived CPI News releases (1994 to the present)

• Inflation Calculator
• Note: In the lists below, "Old Series" designates pre-1998 weight and item structure. To obtain 1967=100 indexes, select "Current Series".
• Most Requested Statistics--Select from lists of the most popular CPI statistics.
• Average Price Data
• Consumer Price Index-All Urban Consumers (Current Series)
• Consumer Price Index-Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (Current Series)
• Consumer Price Index-All Urban Consumers (Old Series)
• Consumer Price Index-Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (Old Series)
• Department Store Inventory Price Index
• Chained CPI-All Urban Consumers
• Create Customized Tables (one screen)--this application (previously called "Public Data Query") requires a Java-enabled browser. Choose the data you want from BLS databases on a simple, one-screen form.
• Average Price Data
• Consumer Price Index-All Urban Consumers (Current Series)
• Consumer Price Index-Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (Current Series)
• Department Store Inventory Price Index
• Chained CPI-All Urban Consumers
• Create Customized Tables (multiple screens)--a form-based query application which allows you to obtain BLS time series data based on choices you make (previously called "Selective Access").
• Average Price Data
• Consumer Price Index-All Urban Consumers (Current Series)
• Consumer Price Index-Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (Current Series)
• Consumer Price Index-All Urban Consumers (Old Series)
• Consumer Price Index-Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (Old Series)
• Department Store Inventory Price Index
• Chained CPI-All Urban Consumers
• Series Report--Already know the series identifier for the statistic you want? Use this shortcut to retrieve your data.
• Flat files (FTP)--For those who want it all. Download a flat file of the entire database or large subset of the database.

Tables and publications containing Consumer Price Indexes:

• Table Containing History of CPI-U U.S. All Items Indexes and Annual Percent Changes From 1913 to Present
• Department Store Inventory Price Indexes, August 2004 (PDF)
• Relative Importance of Components in the Consumer Price Index December 2001:
• US City Average using 1993-95 weights (TXT)
• US City Average using 1999-2000 weights (TXT)
• Relative Importance of Components in the Consumer Price Index, all areas (PDF)
• Relative Importance of Components in the Consumer Price Index December 2002:
• Relative Importances, US City Average (TXT)
• Relative Importance of Components in the Consumer Price Index, all areas (PDF)
• Relative Importance of Components in the Consumer Price Index December 2003:
• US City Average using 1999-2000 weights (TXT)
• US City Average using 2001-2002 weights (TXT)
• Relative Importance of Components in the Consumer Price Index, all areas (PDF)
• Text files of US level Relative Importances for the years 1987-2002 are available from our FTP server
• Consumer Price Index Detailed Report Tables 1-29, August 2004 (PDF 494K)
• Consumer Price Index Detailed Report Semiannual Average Tables 30-39, First Half 2004 (PDF 494K)
• Consumer Price Index Detailed Report Tables 30-39, semiannual average indexes, second half 2003 (PDF 164K)
• Consumer Price Index Detailed Report Tables 1A-23A, Annual Averages, 2002 (PDF 188K)
  
• Consumer Price Index Detailed Report Tables 1A-23A, Annual Averages 2003 (PDF 111K).
• Archived CPI Detailed Report Tables October 2000-current

Each year with the release of the January CPI, seasonal adjustment factors are recalculated to reflect price movements from the just-completed calendar year. This routine annual recalculation may result in revisions to seasonally adjusted indexes for the previous 5 years.

For information on seasonal adjustment in the CPI, including methodology, and actions taken in 2003, see our page on seasonal adjustment.

Soon after the publication of September CPI data on October 16th, 2003, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced the annual increase in its benefit payments for the coming year. This change will mean automatic increases in payments from Social Security's Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. The increase will be effective with December 2003 payments received in January 2004. Specific information on the size of the increase is available on the SSA website at http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/COLA/colasummary.html.

• BLS Handbook of Methods, Chapter 17, The Consumer Price Index (PDF)
• Note on Chained Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers

• CPI research series using current methods
• "Hedonic Quality Adjustment Methods for Clothes Dryers In the U.S. CPI " by Paul Liegey, BLS draft paper
• "Hedonic Quality Adjustment Methods for Microwave Ovens In the U.S. CPI " by Paul Liegey, BLS draft paper
• "Hedonic Quality Adjustment Methods for College Textbooks In the U.S. CPI " by Mike Reese, BLS draft paper
• "Developing a Hedonic Regression Model For Refrigerators In the U.S. CPI " by Nicole Shepler, BLS draft paper
• "Developing a Hedonic Regression Model For VCRs In the U.S. CPI " by William Thompson, BLS draft paper
• "Developing a Hedonic Regression Model For DVD Players In the U.S. CPI " by Paul Liegey, BLS draft paper
• "Developing a Hedonic Regression Model For Camcorders In the U.S. CPI " by Nicole Shepler, BLS draft paper
• "Using Hedonic Methods for Quality Adjustment in the CPI: The Consumer Audio Products Component " by Mary Kokoski, Keith Waehrer and Patricia Rozaklis, BLS draft paper
• Consumer Price Index Users Survey (PDF 262K)

• Understanding the Consumer Price Index: Answers to Some Questions (PDF 15K)
• Guide to Available CPI Data (PDF 15K)
• How to Obtain CPI Information
• How BLS Measures Changes in Consumer Prices
• How to Use the Consumer Price Index for Escalation (PDF 12K)
• Measuring Price Change for Medical Care in the CPI (PDF 24K)
• The Consumer Price Index--Why the Published Averages Don't Always Match An Individual's Inflation Experience (PDF 136KB)
• Consumer Price Indexes for Rent and Rental Equivalence
• How BLS Measures Price Change in the Consumer Price Index for Cable Television
• How BLS Measures Price Change for Lodging Away from Home in the Consumer Price Index
• How BLS Measures Price Change For Household Fuels in the Consumer Price Index
• How BLS Measures Price Change for Cellular Telephone Services in the Consumer Price Index
• How BLS Measures Price Change For Local Telephone Services in the Consumer Price Index
• How BLS Measures Price Change For Long Distance Telephone Services in the Consumer Price Index
• How BLS Measures Price Change for College Tuition and Fees in the Consumer Price Index
• How BLS Measures Price Change For Elementary and High School Tuition and Fees in the Consumer Price Index
• How BLS Measures Price Change For Airline Fares in the Consumer Price Index