FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Patrick C. Jackman (202) 606-7000 USDL-97-450 CPI QUICKLINE: (202) 606-6994 TRANSMISSION OF MATERIAL IN FOR CURRENT AND HISTORICAL THIS RELEASE IS EMBARGOED INFORMATION: (202) 606-7828 UNTIL 8:30 A.M. (EST) MEDIA CONTACT: (202) 606-5902 Tuesday, December 16, 1997 INTERNET ADDRESS: http://stats.bls.gov/cpihome.htm CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: NOVEMBER 1997 The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) declined 0.1 percent before seasonal adjustment in November to a level of 161.5 (1982-84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in November, the CPI-U has increased 1.8 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) remained unchanged in November, prior to seasonal adjustment. The November 1997 CPI-W level of 158.5 was 1.7 percent higher than the index in November 1996. CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.1 percent in November, following increases of 0.2 percent in each of the preceding four months. The food index increased 0.2 percent in November. Grocery store food prices increased 0.1 percent in November, as another sharp increase in prices for dairy products was largely offset by a decline in the index for nonalcoholic beverages. The energy index, which increased 0.1 percent in October, declined 0.2 percent in November. The index for petroleum-based energy declined 1.9 percent, while the index for energy services rose 1.6 percent. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U rose 0.1 percent after advancing 0.2 percent in October. The smaller advance in November reflects a sharp downturn in airline fares and smaller increases in the indexes for tobacco and smoking products and for shelter. 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 3-mos. ended Ended May June July Aug. Sept.Oct. Nov. Nov.'97 Nov.'97 All Items .1 .1 .2 .2 .2 .2 .1 2.3 1.8 Food and beverages .4 .2 .3 .4 .1 .2 .1 1.5 1.7 Housing .1 .3 .2 .1 .3 .3 .3 3.4 2.5 Apparel and upkeep .1 -.2 .2 -1.0 .3 .1 .2 2.1 1.0 Transportation -.8 -.3 .1 .6 .4 .1 -.7 -.8 -.6 Medical care .3 .2 .0 .2 .2 .1 .3 2.4 2.6 Entertainment .2 .5 .1 .2 -.2 .2 -.2 -1.2 1.4 Other goods and services .2 .2 .3 .6 .3 .7 .3 5.4 4.9 Special Indexes: Energy -2.4 .0 -.1 1.7 1.3 .1 -.2 4.8 -.4 Food .4 .2 .3 .4 .1 .2 .2 1.8 1.7 All items less Food and energy .2 .1 .2 .1 .2 .2 .1 2.1 2.2 Beginning with release of the CPI for January 1998 on February 24, 1998, the BLS will introduce a new geographic area sample, a revised item structure, and updated expenditure weights into the CPI. See page 4 for further details. For the first 11 months of 1997, the CPI-U advanced at a 1.8 percent seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR). This compares with an increase of 3.3 percent in all of 1996. The energy and food components have been largely responsible for the moderation thus far in 1997. The energy index has declined at a 2.1 percent SAAR, while food prices have risen at a 1.8 percent annual rate. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U has risen at a 2.1 percent SAAR in the first 11 months of 1997, following a 2.6 percent increase in all of 1996. The food and beverage index rose 0.1 percent in November. The index for grocery store food prices, which increased 0.2 percent in October, rose 0.1 percent in November. Another sharp increase in the index for dairy products--up 0.9 percent after increasing 1.5 percent in October--was largely offset by a 0.3 percent drop in the index for the other food at home category. This decrease was due to a decline in prices for nonalcoholic beverages as coffee prices fell 2.2 percent and the index for carbonated drinks declined 0.6 percent. The index for fruits and vegetables rose 0.4 percent in November after registering a 0.3 percent increase in October. The index for fresh vegetables rose 3.3 percent, while the index for fresh fruits declined 2.4 percent in November. The index for processed fruits and vegetables rose 0.6 percent. The other two major grocery store food groups--cereal and bakery products and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs- -each increased 0.1 percent. Within the latter group, prices for beef and pork each declined in November, while poultry and egg prices rose 1.2 and 3.2 percent, respectively. The other two components of the food and beverage index--restaurant meals and alcoholic beverages-- rose 0.3 and 0.1 percent, respectively. The housing component rose 0.3 percent in November, the same as in each of the two preceding months. Shelter costs rose 0.2 percent. Within shelter, renters' costs were unchanged as a decline in the index for lodging while out of town offset a 0.2 percent rise in residential rents. Homeowners' costs rose 0.3 percent and maintenance and repair costs increased 0.1 percent. The index for fuel and other utilities, which increased 0.3 percent in October, advanced 0.9 percent in November. The index for household fuels rose 1.5 percent, reflecting increases of 3.1 percent in the index for natural gas, 0.9 percent in the index for electricity, and 0.1 percent in the index for fuel oil. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, charges for electricity fell 1.5 percent, reflecting the shift to off-season rates in some areas.) The index for other utilities and public services rose 0.3 percent. The index for telephone services rose 0.2 percent, as charges for intrastate toll calls increased 1.2 percent after declining 0.6 percent in October. The index for household furnishings and operation increased 0.1 percent in November, the same as in each of the two preceding months. The transportation component, which increased 0.1 percent in October, declined 0.7 percent in November. The indexes for motor fuels and new vehicles declined for the second consecutive month and public transportation costs turned down in November. The index for gasoline, which declined 0.6 percent in October, fell 2.3 percent in November. New vehicle purchase costs declined again in November; the index for new vehicle prices decreased 0.2 percent and automobile finance charges dropped 1.1 percent. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, new vehicle prices increased 0.5 percent. As of November, about 45 percent of the new vehicle sample was represented by 1998 models. The 1998 models will continue to be phased in over the next several months as they replace old models at dealerships.) The index for used cars declined 0.1 percent. Public transportation costs declined 2.3 percent in November. The index for airline fares, which rose 3.8 percent in October, declined 3.9 percent in November. Other intercity transportation costs also declined in November, decreasing 0.3 percent. The index for apparel and upkeep increased 0.2 percent in November, following a 0.1 percent rise in October. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, apparel commodity prices fell 0.1 percent.) Medical care costs rose 0.3 percent in November to a level 2.6 percent above a year ago. The index for medical care commodities-- prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and medical supplies--rose 0.2 percent. The index for medical care services rose 0.4 percent. Charges for professional services and for hospital and related services increased 0.1 and 0.4 percent, respectively. Entertainment costs, which rose 0.2 percent in October, decreased 0.2 percent in November, reflecting declines in most entertainment commodity and service categories. The index for other goods and services rose 0.3 percent in November, following an increase of 0.7 percent in October. The moderation was largely due to a smaller increase in the index for tobacco and smoking products, which rose 0.1 percent, following increases of 1.4 and 1.5 percent in the two preceding months. CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers rose 0.1 percent in November. 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 3-mos. ended ended May June July Aug. Sept.Oct. Nov. Nov. `97 Nov. `97 All Items .0 .1 .2 .2 .3 .2 .1 2.0 1.7 Food and beverages .4 .2 .3 .4 .1 .2 .1 1.5 1.7 Housing .1 .3 .2 .0 .3 .2 .4 3.7 2.5 Apparel and upkeep .2 -.3 .2 -1.0 .2 .1 .1 1.2 .9 Transportation -1.0 -.4 .1 .7 .4 -.1 -.7 -1.4 -1.0 Medical care .3 .2 .1 .2 .2 .2 .3 2.6 2.6 Entertainment .1 .5 .1 .4 -.2 .1 -.2 -1.7 1.3 Other goods and services .1 .0 .3 .5 .5 .8 .4 6.8 5.1 Special Indexes: Energy -2.4 0 -.2 2.0 1.2 .1 -.3 4.1 -.7 Food .3 .3 .3 .3 .1 .2 .1 1.8 1.6 All items less food and energy .2 .1 .2 .0 .2 .2 .1 1.9 2.0 After seasonal adjustment, the level of the CPI-U for All Items was 161.8 in November; the seasonally adjusted CPI-W for All Items was 158.6. Beginning with January 1997 data, BLS is reporting the level of the seasonally adjusted U.S. City Average All Items CPI-U and CPI-W in this monthly news release. Effective with the release of January 1998 data in February 1998, the seasonally adjusted All Items indexes will be fully integrated into the releases, appearing in tables 2 and 5 and in the text where relevant. Like other seasonally adjusted CPI data, 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. Consumer Price Index data for December are scheduled for release on Tuesday, January 13, 1998, at 8:30 A.M. (EST). Releases for the remainder of 1998: Feb. 24 Aug. 18 Mar. 19 Sep. 17 Apr. 14 Oct. 16 May 14 Nov. 17 June 16 Dec. 15 July 14 Jan. 14, 1999 Planned CPI Publication Changes Beginning in 1998, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will introduce 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 are taken in order to ameliorate the effects of these changes. Beginning with the release of the January, 1997 index, data series that are changing or being dropped from publication have been footnoted in all BLS published tables. This provided an early warning to 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 will be 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 currently available seven major groups to the new total of eight. Currently the major groups are: 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 will remain 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 develops an updated area sample design, decides on new local area indexes and changes the frequency of publication for local area indexes in order to better reflect these new demographics. In addition to the national index, the BLS currently publishes indexes for 29 metropolitan areas. In 1998, it will continue 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 currently publishes separately, constitute a new Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area. A single index will be published for this consolidated area. The new publication plan for local area indexes, to begin with the index for January 1998, is summarized below: * Monthly indexes will be published for the three largest metropolitan areas. Because of sample design considerations, indexes for the Philadelphia and San Francisco areas, both currently published monthly, will be published every other month following the release of the December, 1997 index. * Bimonthly indexes will be published for the next 11 largest areas, including Atlanta and Seattle, which currently have semiannual average indexes. * Semiannual average indexes will be published for 12 additional areas, including Pittsburgh and St. Louis, which currently have bimonthly indexes. * The BLS will continue to publish separate indexes for the four Census regions of the United States. However, beginning in 1998, there will only be two area size classes for metropolitan areas, instead of the current 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 current 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 will 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 will be published, beginning in January, 1998: 1. Metropolitan Areas for which a local index will be 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 will be 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 Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX Atlanta, GA Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA 3. Metropolitan Areas for which a local index will be 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 Using a hedonic model to adjust prices of personal computers in the Consumer Price Index for changes in quality Effective with the release of data for January 1998, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will introduce an improved quality adjustment technique in the new stratum of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) called Personal Computers and Peripheral Equipment. Currently, personal computers are part of the Information Processing Equipment stratum. As previously announced, beginning with the CPI for January 1998, Information Processing Equipment will become an expenditure class entitled Information and Information Processing Other Than Telephone Services. Personal Computers and Peripheral Equipment will be one of four strata in that expenditure class. Analysts in the Producer Price Index (PPI) program have developed and implemented a regression procedure, called a hedonic model, that decomposes the price of personal computers into implicit prices for each important feature and component of the computer. This model, which has been used in the PPI since 1991, provides a way to estimate the value of changes or improvements. The CPI has used similar hedonic methods to adjust apparel prices for many years. Starting with the CPI for January 1998, when a personal computer or selected item of peripheral equipment, such as a modem, in the CPI sample improves in some way, a regression-based quality adjustment will be made. The value of the improvement, as derived from the PPI regression estimates, will be deducted from the observed price change for the product. (Conversely, if a model deteriorates, the value of the difference will be added to the price.) Additional information on these changes will be published in the June 1997 CPI Detailed Report and is available on the Internet (at http://stats.bls.gov/cpihome.htm). This information can also be obtained by writing to Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes, Room 3260, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20212 or by telephoning Joseph Chelena at (202) 606-6982 ext. 255. 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) Relative Unadjusted indexes Unadjusted Seasonally adjusted importance, percent change to percent change from- December Oct. Nov. Nov. 1997 from- Aug. to Sept. to Oct. to 1996 1997 1997 Nov. 1996 Oct. 1997 Sept. Oct. Nov. Expenditure category All items .................................. 100.000 161.6 161.5 1.8 -0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 All items (1967=100) ....................... - 484.1 483.9 - - - - - Food and beverages ....................... 17.484 158.7 158.9 1.7 .1 .1 .2 .1 Food ................................... 15.913 158.2 158.5 1.7 .2 .1 .2 .2 Food at home ......................... 10.040 159.0 159.1 1.2 .1 -.1 .2 .1 Cereals and bakery products ........ 1.479 178.4 178.0 1.5 -.2 .2 .2 .1 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..... 3.002 148.9 149.3 .3 .3 -.2 -.3 .1 Dairy products 1/ .................. 1.245 145.7 147.0 -1.5 .9 .1 1.5 .9 Fruits and vegetables 2/ ........... 1.974 188.5 189.5 1.7 .5 -.3 .3 .4 Other food at home ................. 2.340 149.0 147.7 3.0 -.9 .2 -.1 -.3 Sugar and sweets ................. .331 148.2 147.4 2.2 -.5 .5 -.3 .4 Fats and oils .................... .246 141.7 140.4 -.3 -.9 .7 -.6 -.2 Nonalcoholic beverages ........... .724 136.6 134.7 5.9 -1.4 -.1 -.2 -1.2 Other prepared food .............. 1.039 162.5 161.5 2.0 -.6 .4 .1 .0 Food away from home .................. 5.873 158.2 158.6 2.5 .3 .3 .1 .3 Alcoholic beverages .................... 1.571 163.7 163.7 2.2 .0 .2 .1 .1 Housing 2/ ............................... 41.203 157.7 157.7 2.5 .0 .3 .3 .3 Shelter ................................ 28.194 177.8 177.7 3.1 -.1 .2 .3 .2 Renters' costs 3/ 4/.................. 7.994 187.7 185.9 3.3 -1.0 .4 .6 .0 Rent, residential .................. 5.731 168.2 168.7 3.1 .3 .3 .2 .2 Other renters' costs 4/ ............ 2.263 225.4 216.6 4.2 -3.9 .4 1.7 -.5 Homeowners' costs 3/ 4/............... 20.000 183.3 183.9 3.0 .3 .1 .2 .3 Owners' equivalent rent 3/ ......... 19.616 183.6 184.2 3.0 .3 .1 .2 .3 Household insurance 3/ 4/ .......... .383 166.9 167.0 1.5 .1 .7 -.1 .1 Maintenance and repairs 1/ 4/ ........ .200 144.7 144.9 2.7 .1 -2.0 1.5 .1 Maintenance and repair services 1/ 4/ ................. .123 153.4 153.7 4.1 .2 -2.7 2.1 .2 Maintenance and repair commodities 1/ 4/ .............. .077 132.7 132.7 .3 .0 -.8 .5 .0 Fuel and other utilities 2/ ............ 7.102 130.8 131.1 2.1 .2 .6 .3 .9 Fuels ................................ 3.878 117.4 117.7 1.7 .3 1.0 .4 1.5 Fuel oil and other household fuel commodities .................... .424 95.3 96.6 -8.8 1.4 .1 -.3 .6 Gas (piped) and electricity (energy services)....................... 3.453 125.1 125.3 3.0 .2 1.1 .5 1.6 Other utilities and public services 4/ ...................... 3.224 162.5 162.8 2.5 .2 .3 .1 .3 Household furnishings and operation 2/ . 5.908 125.4 125.2 .3 -.2 .1 .1 .1 Housefurnishings 4/ .................. 3.332 110.1 109.7 -1.0 -.4 -.1 .1 -.1 Housekeeping supplies ................ 1.093 143.3 143.4 1.1 .1 .1 -.1 .1 Housekeeping services 4/ ............. 1.482 153.3 153.7 2.7 .3 .3 .1 .5 Apparel and upkeep ....................... 5.330 134.9 134.7 1.0 -.1 .3 .1 .2 Apparel commodities 4/ ................. 4.786 131.2 131.1 .9 -.1 .3 .1 .2 Men's and boys' apparel .............. 1.280 133.1 133.0 1.4 -.1 .4 .2 -.5 Women's and girls' apparel............ 2.102 128.3 128.8 1.7 .4 1.0 -.5 1.0 Infants' and toddlers' apparel 1/ .... .186 126.2 126.0 -.6 -.2 -.5 -.4 -.2 Footwear ............................. .718 130.6 129.3 1.3 -1.0 -.5 1.5 -.5 Other apparel commodities 4/.......... .500 145.5 143.6 -3.6 -1.3 -1.0 .3 -.1 Apparel services 1/ 4/ ................. .545 163.7 163.4 1.6 -.2 .1 .0 -.2 Transportation ........................... 17.140 144.5 143.9 -.6 -.4 .4 .1 -.7 Private transportation ................. 15.499 140.9 140.6 -.6 -.2 .4 -.2 -.5 New vehicles ......................... 4.955 143.3 144.0 -.6 .5 .1 -.3 -.2 New cars ........................... 3.952 140.6 141.3 -.7 .5 .0 -.2 -.1 Used cars ............................ 1.278 147.9 147.6 -5.7 -.2 -.1 -.5 -.1 Motor fuel ........................... 3.171 106.7 104.6 -3.0 -2.0 1.7 -.5 -2.1 Gasoline ........................... - 106.5 104.1 -2.8 -2.3 1.8 -.6 -2.3 Maintenance and repairs .............. 1.533 163.9 164.0 2.2 .1 -.1 .2 .2 Other private transportation 4/....... 4.562 178.4 179.0 1.6 .3 .1 -.1 -.1 Other private transportation commodities 4/.................. .589 104.3 104.5 -.6 .2 -.2 -.3 .0 Other private transportation services 4/ .................... 3.973 196.0 196.6 1.9 .3 .2 .0 -.1 Public transportation .................. 1.642 190.9 185.9 -.7 -2.6 1.2 2.7 -2.3 Medical care ............................. 7.346 235.8 236.4 2.6 .3 .2 .1 .3 Medical care commodities ............... 1.273 215.6 215.8 1.8 .1 .1 .0 .2 Medical care services .................. 6.073 240.5 241.2 2.7 .3 .2 .1 .4 Professional medical services ........ 3.472 216.8 217.1 2.9 .1 .1 .2 .1 Entertainment 4/ ......................... 4.352 163.1 162.9 1.4 -.1 -.2 .2 -.2 Entertainment commodities 4/ ........... 1.957 144.3 144.3 .2 .0 .1 -.2 -.2 Entertainment services 4/ .............. 2.395 184.9 184.6 2.4 -.2 -.5 .5 -.3 Other goods and services 2/ .............. 7.145 229.4 229.9 4.9 .2 .3 .7 .3 Tobacco and smoking products ........... 1.601 250.2 250.7 6.1 .2 1.4 1.5 .1 Personal care 1/ ....................... 1.145 153.3 154.3 2.1 .7 .1 .4 .7 Toilet goods and personal care appliances 1/ .................... .588 144.5 146.1 1.0 1.1 .1 .6 1.1 Personal care services 1/ ............ .557 163.4 163.5 3.1 .1 .1 .4 .1 Personal and educational expenses 4/ ... 4.398 265.6 265.8 5.1 .1 -.1 .5 .4 School books and supplies ............ .264 242.4 242.4 5.1 .0 -.1 .7 .2 Personal and educational services 4/ . 4.134 267.5 267.8 5.1 .1 -.1 .5 .4 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) - Continued Relative Unadjusted indexes Unadjusted Seasonally adjusted importance, percent change to percent change from- December Oct. Nov. Nov. 1997 from- Aug. to Sept. to Oct. to 1996 1997 1997 Nov. 1996 Oct. 1997 Sept. Oct. Nov. Commodity and service group All items .................................. 100.000 161.6 161.5 1.8 -.1 .2 .2 .1 Commodities .............................. 42.873 142.4 142.3 .6 -.1 .3 .0 -.1 Food and beverages ..................... 17.484 158.7 158.9 1.7 .1 .1 .2 .1 Commodities less food and beverages .... 25.389 132.5 132.2 -.3 -.2 .4 .0 -.2 Nondurables less food and beverages .. 15.147 135.8 135.3 .4 -.4 .7 .1 -.3 Apparel commodities 4/ ............. 4.786 131.2 131.1 .9 -.1 .3 .1 .2 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................... 10.362 141.3 140.6 .2 -.5 .8 -.1 -.6 Durables ............................. 10.242 127.8 127.9 -1.3 .1 -.1 -.1 -.1 Services ................................. 57.127 181.0 181.0 2.9 .0 .2 .3 .2 Rent of shelter 3/ ..................... 27.577 185.0 185.0 3.1 .0 .2 .3 .3 Household services less rent of shelter 3/ 4/....................... 8.698 146.4 146.7 2.7 .2 .6 .4 .8 Transportation services ................ 7.148 186.9 186.2 1.4 -.4 .3 .6 -.6 Medical care services .................. 6.073 240.5 241.2 2.7 .3 .2 .1 .4 Other services ......................... 7.631 212.7 212.7 3.9 .0 -.2 .4 .1 Special indexes All items less food ........................ 84.087 162.2 162.1 1.9 -.1 .3 .2 .1 All items less shelter ..................... 71.806 156.9 156.8 1.4 -.1 .3 .2 .1 All items less homeowners' costs 3/ 4/...... 80.000 162.4 162.2 1.6 -.1 .2 .2 .1 All items less medical care ................ 92.654 157.4 157.3 1.8 -.1 .3 .2 .1 Commodities less food ...................... 26.960 133.8 133.5 -.1 -.2 .4 -.1 -.2 Nondurables less food ...................... 16.718 137.4 137.0 .7 -.3 .7 .1 -.2 Nondurables less food and apparel .......... 11.932 142.5 141.9 .5 -.4 .8 -.1 -.3 Nondurables ................................ 32.631 147.4 147.3 1.2 -.1 .4 .0 .1 Services less rent of shelter 3/ 4/ ........ 29.550 189.8 189.8 2.7 .0 .3 .4 .2 Services less medical care services ........ 51.054 175.5 175.4 2.9 -.1 .2 .5 .1 Energy ..................................... 7.049 111.5 110.7 -.4 -.7 1.3 .1 -.2 All items less energy ...................... 92.951 168.3 168.3 2.1 .0 .2 .2 .1 All items less food and energy ........... 77.038 170.8 170.8 2.2 .0 .2 .2 .1 Commodities less food and energy commodities ................. 23.364 142.7 142.8 .4 .1 .2 .1 .0 Energy commodities ................... 3.596 105.7 103.9 -3.7 -1.7 1.5 -.4 -1.9 Services less energy services .......... 53.674 186.7 186.7 2.9 .0 .2 .3 .1 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar: 1982-84=$1.00 1/ ......................... - $.619 $.619 -1.9 .0 -.3 -.2 .0 1967=$1.00 1/ ............................ - .207 .207 - - - - - 1/ Not seasonally adjusted. 2/ This index series will undergo a change in composition in January, 1998. 3/ Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. 4/ This index series will no longer appear in its present form after December, 1997. See Table X for a comparable index series. - 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 3 months ended- 6 months ended- Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Feb. May Aug. Nov. May Nov. 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 Expenditure category All items .................................... - - - - 2.5 0.8 2.0 2.3 1.6 2.1 Food and beverages ......................... 158.6 158.7 159.0 159.2 .5 .8 3.9 1.5 .6 2.7 Food ..................................... 158.3 158.4 158.7 159.0 .3 .8 3.9 1.8 .5 2.8 Food at home ........................... 159.2 159.1 159.4 159.6 -.8 -.3 4.7 1.0 -.5 2.8 Cereals and bakery products .......... 178.0 178.3 178.7 178.9 .2 1.1 2.5 2.0 .7 2.3 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ....... 149.4 149.1 148.7 148.8 .0 .3 2.4 -1.6 .1 .4 Dairy products 1/ .................... 143.4 143.5 145.7 147.0 -8.1 -2.2 -5.4 10.4 -5.2 2.2 Fruits and vegetables 2/.............. 191.4 190.8 191.4 192.1 -2.1 -6.2 15.3 1.5 -4.2 8.2 Other food at home ................... 148.7 149.0 148.8 148.3 2.2 5.4 5.6 -1.1 3.8 2.2 Sugar and sweets ................... 147.6 148.4 147.9 148.5 4.8 1.4 .5 2.5 3.1 1.5 Fats and oils ...................... 141.5 142.5 141.7 141.4 .8 -.8 -.8 -.3 .0 -.6 Nonalcoholic beverages ............. 137.1 136.9 136.6 135.0 -.6 20.2 11.9 -6.0 9.3 2.6 Other prepared food ................ 161.5 162.1 162.3 162.3 3.8 -1.2 3.5 2.0 1.3 2.8 Food away from home .................... 157.4 157.8 158.0 158.4 2.6 1.8 2.8 2.6 2.2 2.7 Alcoholic beverages ...................... 163.4 163.7 163.8 164.0 3.0 1.2 2.7 1.5 2.1 2.1 Housing 2/ ................................. 156.9 157.3 157.7 158.2 3.1 1.3 2.1 3.4 2.2 2.7 Shelter .................................. 176.6 177.0 177.5 177.9 3.3 3.3 2.8 3.0 3.3 2.9 Renters' costs 3/ 4/.................... 185.7 186.4 187.6 187.6 4.3 3.1 2.0 4.2 3.7 3.1 Rent, residential .................... 167.3 167.8 168.2 168.6 2.5 3.7 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.0 Other renters' costs 4/ .............. 223.8 224.8 228.6 227.5 8.9 1.6 -.4 6.8 5.2 3.1 Homeowners' costs 3/ 4/ ................ 182.4 182.6 182.9 183.5 2.7 3.2 3.4 2.4 2.9 2.9 Owners' equivalent rent 3/ ........... 182.8 183.0 183.3 183.9 2.9 3.1 3.4 2.4 3.0 2.9 Household insurance 3/ 4/ ............ 165.7 166.8 166.7 166.9 -.5 1.7 1.7 2.9 .6 2.3 Maintenance and repairs 1/ 4/ .......... 145.5 142.6 144.7 144.9 3.4 2.6 6.6 -1.6 3.0 2.4 Maintenance and repair services 1/ 4/ 154.4 150.2 153.4 153.7 2.2 4.1 12.6 -1.8 3.1 5.1 Maintenance and repair commodities 1/ 4/ ................ 133.1 132.1 132.7 132.7 4.9 .6 -2.9 -1.2 2.7 -2.1 Fuel and other utilities 2/............... 129.9 130.7 131.1 132.3 6.3 -6.5 1.6 7.6 -.3 4.5 Fuels .................................. 115.4 116.5 117.0 118.8 9.6 -12.7 .0 12.3 -2.2 6.0 Fuel oil and other household fuel commodities ...................... 96.7 96.8 96.5 97.1 -1.1 -21.1 -12.6 1.7 -11.7 -5.7 Gas (piped) and electricity (energy services)......................... 122.8 124.1 124.7 126.7 10.5 -11.8 1.6 13.3 -1.3 7.3 Other utilities and public services 4/ . 162.0 162.5 162.7 163.2 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 2.0 3.0 Household furnishings and operation 2/ ... 125.1 125.2 125.3 125.4 .3 1.9 -1.9 1.0 1.1 -.5 Housefurnishings 4/ .................... 110.1 110.0 110.1 110.0 .0 1.1 -4.9 -.4 .5 -2.7 Housekeeping supplies .................. 143.1 143.3 143.1 143.2 2.3 1.1 .6 .3 1.7 .4 Housekeeping services 4/ ............... 152.7 153.1 153.3 154.0 -.5 4.3 3.8 3.4 1.9 3.6 Apparel and upkeep ......................... 132.2 132.6 132.7 132.9 2.8 3.1 -4.1 2.1 2.9 -1.0 Apparel commodities 4/ ................... 128.3 128.7 128.8 129.1 2.5 3.5 -4.8 2.5 3.0 -1.2 Men's and boys' apparel ................ 130.5 131.0 131.2 130.6 -1.5 7.0 .0 .3 2.7 .2 Women's and girls' apparel ............. 124.3 125.5 124.9 126.1 8.7 2.9 -9.7 5.9 5.7 -2.2 Infants' and toddlers' apparel 1/ ...... 127.3 126.7 126.2 126.0 1.6 22.4 -18.1 -4.0 11.5 -11.3 Footwear ............................... 128.1 127.4 129.3 128.6 -.9 1.9 2.5 1.6 .5 2.1 Other apparel commodities 4/............ 145.2 143.7 144.1 144.0 -4.2 -6.1 -1.1 -3.3 -5.1 -2.2 Apparel services 1/ 4/ ................... 163.6 163.7 163.7 163.4 3.3 1.7 1.7 -.5 2.5 .6 Transportation ............................. 144.2 144.8 144.9 143.9 1.4 -4.6 1.7 -.8 -1.7 .4 Private transportation ................... 141.2 141.7 141.4 140.7 3.4 -6.6 2.6 -1.4 -1.7 .6 New vehicles ........................... 144.3 144.4 144.0 143.7 -.6 -.3 .0 -1.7 -.4 -.8 New cars ............................. 141.7 141.7 141.4 141.2 -.6 -.3 -.3 -1.4 -.4 -.8 Used cars .............................. 148.0 147.8 147.0 146.8 .5 -5.3 -14.0 -3.2 -2.4 -8.8 Motor fuel ............................. 106.2 108.0 107.5 105.2 13.1 -29.3 15.2 -3.7 -10.6 5.3 Gasoline ............................. 105.9 107.8 107.2 104.7 13.6 -30.0 17.1 -4.5 -10.8 5.8 Maintenance and repairs ................ 163.4 163.2 163.5 163.9 2.3 2.5 3.0 1.2 2.4 2.1 Other private transportation 4/......... 178.0 178.2 178.1 178.0 1.8 2.1 2.3 .0 1.9 1.1 Other private transportation commodities 4/.................... 105.0 104.8 104.5 104.5 .0 -1.1 .8 -1.9 -.6 -.6 Other private transportation services 4/ ...................... 195.5 195.8 195.8 195.6 2.1 2.7 2.3 .2 2.4 1.2 Public transportation .................... 184.5 186.7 191.7 187.2 -13.3 15.1 -8.0 6.0 -.1 -1.3 Medical care ............................... 235.5 235.9 236.1 236.9 2.3 3.8 1.7 2.4 3.1 2.1 Medical care commodities ................. 215.5 215.7 215.6 216.0 2.7 4.4 -.6 .9 3.5 .2 Medical care services .................... 239.8 240.3 240.5 241.4 2.2 3.6 2.2 2.7 2.9 2.4 Professional medical services .......... 216.3 216.6 217.0 217.3 2.9 4.4 2.4 1.9 3.6 2.2 Entertainment 4/ ........................... 163.4 163.0 163.3 162.9 2.0 1.7 3.2 -1.2 1.9 1.0 Entertainment commodities 4/ ............. 144.7 144.9 144.6 144.3 .6 -1.1 2.5 -1.1 -.3 .7 Entertainment services 4/ ................ 185.1 184.2 185.1 184.6 3.1 3.8 4.0 -1.1 3.5 1.4 Other goods and services 2/................. 226.9 227.5 229.1 229.9 3.9 5.9 4.3 5.4 4.9 4.9 Tobacco and smoking products ............. 243.2 246.5 250.2 250.4 2.7 9.2 .5 12.4 5.9 6.3 Personal care 1/ ......................... 152.5 152.7 153.3 154.3 .8 2.9 -.3 4.8 1.9 2.2 Toilet goods and personal care appliances 1/ ...................... 143.5 143.7 144.5 146.1 -3.8 2.3 -1.7 7.4 -.8 2.8 Personal care services 1/ .............. 162.7 162.8 163.4 163.5 5.4 4.0 1.0 2.0 4.7 1.5 Personal and educational expenses 4/ ..... 262.8 262.5 263.7 264.7 5.3 5.4 7.0 2.9 5.4 4.9 School books and supplies .............. 241.2 241.0 242.6 243.1 3.0 6.0 8.0 3.2 4.5 5.6 Personal and educational services 4/ ... 264.3 264.0 265.2 266.2 5.5 5.4 6.9 2.9 5.4 4.9 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) - Continued Seasonally adjusted indexes Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent change for 3 months ended- 6 months ended- Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Feb. May Aug. Nov. May Nov. 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 Commodity and service group All items .................................... - - - - 2.5 .8 2.0 2.3 1.6 2.1 Commodities ................................ 141.9 142.3 142.3 142.2 1.7 -1.7 1.1 .8 .0 1.0 Food and beverages ....................... 158.6 158.7 159.0 159.2 .5 .8 3.9 1.5 .6 2.7 Commodities less food and beverages ...... 131.8 132.3 132.3 132.0 2.1 -3.3 -.6 .6 -.6 .0 Nondurables less food and beverages .... 134.3 135.2 135.3 134.9 4.2 -5.2 1.2 1.8 -.6 1.5 Apparel commodities 4/ ............... 128.3 128.7 128.8 129.1 2.5 3.5 -4.8 2.5 3.0 -1.2 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel ...................... 140.3 141.4 141.3 140.5 6.1 -8.2 2.9 .6 -1.3 1.7 Durables ............................... 128.2 128.1 128.0 127.9 .0 -.9 -3.4 -.9 -.5 -2.2 Services ................................... 180.0 180.4 181.0 181.4 3.0 2.7 2.7 3.1 2.9 2.9 Rent of shelter 3/ ....................... 184.1 184.4 185.0 185.5 3.1 3.4 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.0 Household services less rent of shelter 3/ 4/...................... 145.2 146.1 146.7 147.9 4.8 -3.0 1.7 7.6 .8 4.6 Transportation services .................. 185.1 185.7 186.9 185.8 -1.5 5.1 .2 1.5 1.8 .9 Medical care services .................... 239.8 240.3 240.5 241.4 2.2 3.6 2.2 2.7 2.9 2.4 Other services ........................... 211.9 211.5 212.4 212.7 4.4 4.7 5.1 1.5 4.5 3.3 Special indexes All items less food .......................... 161.2 161.7 162.0 162.2 2.8 .8 1.8 2.5 1.8 2.1 All items less shelter ....................... 156.1 156.5 156.8 156.9 2.1 .0 1.6 2.1 1.0 1.8 All items less homeowners' costs 3/ 4/........ 161.6 162.0 162.4 162.5 2.3 .2 1.8 2.2 1.3 2.0 All items less medical care .................. 156.5 156.9 157.2 157.3 2.6 .5 2.1 2.1 1.6 2.1 Commodities less food ........................ 133.3 133.8 133.7 133.4 2.4 -2.9 -.3 .3 -.3 .0 Nondurables less food ........................ 135.9 136.9 137.0 136.7 3.9 -4.0 .6 2.4 -.1 1.5 Nondurables less food and apparel ............ 142.0 143.2 143.0 142.5 3.7 -8.1 5.5 1.4 -2.4 3.5 Nondurables .................................. 146.5 147.1 147.1 147.3 2.8 -3.0 3.1 2.2 -.1 2.6 Services less rent of shelter 3/ ............. 188.3 188.9 189.6 190.0 2.4 2.4 2.2 3.7 2.4 2.9 Services less medical care services .......... 174.3 174.7 175.5 175.7 2.8 2.6 2.8 3.3 2.7 3.0 Energy ....................................... 110.2 111.6 111.7 111.5 10.8 -20.5 6.4 4.8 -6.2 5.6 All items less energy ........................ 167.7 168.0 168.3 168.5 1.7 2.7 1.7 1.9 2.2 1.8 All items less food and energy ............. 170.1 170.4 170.8 171.0 2.2 2.9 1.4 2.1 2.5 1.8 Commodities less food and energy commodities .......................... 142.0 142.3 142.4 142.4 1.1 1.7 -2.2 1.1 1.4 -.6 Energy commodities ..................... 105.2 106.8 106.4 104.4 11.5 -28.3 11.4 -3.0 -10.6 3.9 Services less energy services ............ 185.8 186.1 186.7 186.9 2.7 3.5 2.8 2.4 3.1 2.6 1/ Not seasonally adjusted. 2/ This index series will undergo a change in composition in January, 1998. 3/ Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. 4/ This index series will no longer appear in its present form after December, 1997. See Table X for a comparable index series. - 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: Selected areas, all items index (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted) Indexes Percent change to Percent change to Area Pricing Nov. 1997 from- Oct. 1997 from- schedule Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Nov. Sept. Oct. Oct. Aug. Sept. 1/ 1997 1997 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 U.S. city average ...................... M 160.8 161.2 161.6 161.5 1.8 0.2 -0.1 2.1 0.5 0.2 Region and area size 2/ Northeast urban......................... M 167.8 168.4 168.7 168.5 1.9 .1 -.1 2.2 .5 .2 Size A - More than 1,200,000 ........ M 168.4 169.2 169.5 169.3 2.0 .1 -.1 2.3 .7 .2 Size B - 500,000 to 1,200,000 3/..... M 166.2 166.0 166.0 165.8 1.7 -.1 -.1 2.2 -.1 .0 Size C - 50,000 to 500,000 3/........ M 166.8 167.1 167.6 167.5 1.9 .2 -.1 2.3 .5 .3 North Central urban .................... M 157.2 157.5 157.7 157.7 1.7 .1 .0 2.1 .3 .1 Size A - More than 1,200,000 ........ M 158.0 158.3 158.4 158.4 2.0 .1 .0 2.3 .3 .1 Size B - 360,000 to 1,200,000 3/..... M 156.3 156.2 156.7 156.9 1.6 .4 .1 1.8 .3 .3 Size C - 50,000 to 360,000 3/........ M 158.8 159.6 159.7 159.3 1.4 -.2 -.3 2.0 .6 .1 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ......... M 152.6 153.4 153.2 153.7 1.2 .2 .3 1.4 .4 -.1 South urban ............................ M 157.1 157.5 157.8 157.8 1.7 .2 .0 1.9 .4 .2 Size A - More than 1,200,000 ........ M 155.9 156.4 156.7 156.4 1.7 .0 -.2 2.0 .5 .2 Size B - 450,000 to 1,200,000 3/..... M 160.8 160.6 160.9 161.2 1.9 .4 .2 2.0 .1 .2 Size C - 50,000 to 450,000 3/........ M 156.1 156.7 157.2 157.3 1.7 .4 .1 1.6 .7 .3 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ......... M 156.4 157.1 156.9 157.1 1.6 .0 .1 1.7 .3 -.1 West urban ............................. M 161.5 162.1 162.8 162.8 2.3 .4 .0 2.3 .8 .4 Size A - More than 1,250,000 ........ M 161.7 162.3 163.1 162.8 2.3 .3 -.2 2.4 .9 .5 Size C - 50,000 to 330,000 3/........ M 166.8 167.4 168.3 169.2 3.2 1.1 .5 3.1 .9 .5 Size classes A 4/ ................................. M 145.1 145.6 146.0 145.8 2.0 .1 -.1 2.3 .6 .3 B 3/ ................................. M 161.2 161.2 161.5 161.6 1.7 .2 .1 2.0 .2 .2 C 3/ ................................. M 160.5 161.0 161.5 161.6 2.0 .4 .1 2.1 .6 .3 D .................................... M 156.8 157.4 157.6 157.8 1.3 .3 .1 1.4 .5 .1 Selected local areas Chicago-Gary-Lake County, IL-IN-WI...... M 162.5 162.1 162.5 162.9 2.2 .5 .2 2.3 .0 .2 Los Angeles-Anaheim-Riverside, CA ...... M 159.7 160.5 161.1 160.7 1.5 .1 -.2 1.4 .9 .4 N.Y.-Northern N.J.-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT M 170.8 171.7 172.3 172.0 2.1 .2 -.2 2.4 .9 .3 Phil.-Wilmington-Trenton, PA-NJ-DE-MD 5/ ......................... M 166.8 168.6 167.7 166.4 1.3 -1.3 -.8 1.7 .5 -.5 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA 5/ .. M 161.2 161.6 162.5 162.6 3.6 .6 .1 3.6 .8 .6 Baltimore, MD 6/ ....................... 1 - 156.7 - 156.0 .8 -.4 - - - - Boston-Lawrence-Salem, MA-NH ........... 1 - 167.8 - 169.4 1.9 1.0 - - - - Cleveland-Akron-Lorain, OH ............. 1 - 157.3 - 157.1 2.1 -.1 - - - - Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL .............. 1 - 158.5 - 159.5 2.0 .6 - - - - St. Louis-East St. Louis, MO-IL 7/ ..... 1 - 155.1 - 152.9 1.0 -1.4 - - - - Washington, DC-MD-VA 6/ ................ 1 - 163.6 - 161.8 .4 -1.1 - - - - Dallas-Fort Worth, TX .................. 2 151.2 - 152.8 - - - - 1.4 1.1 - Detroit-Ann Arbor, MI .................. 2 156.9 - 157.9 - - - - 2.7 .6 - Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX ......... 2 145.4 - 147.3 - - - - 2.9 1.3 - Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley, PA 7/ ........ 2 157.5 - 157.9 - - - - 2.2 .3 - 1/ Foods, fuels, and several other items priced every month in all areas; most other goods and services priced as indicated: M - Every month. 1 - January, March, May, July, September, and November. 2 - February, April, June, August, October, and December. 2/ Regions defined as the four Census regions. See map in technical notes. 3/ Starting in January, 1998, a new Size Class B/C will be introduced, composed of current Size Class B and Size Class C cities. There will be no individual Size Class B or Size Class C. 4/ Indexes on a December 1986=100 base. 5/ Indexes for the cities of Philadelphia and San Francisco will no longer be published on a monthly basis starting in January, 1998. Beginning in February, 1998 they will be published on a bi-monthly basis. 6/ Indexes for the cities of Washington and Baltimore will no longer be published separately after December, 1997. Beginning in January, 1998 the two cities will be published as a Washington-Baltimore combined metropolitan area. 7/ Indexes for the cities of Pittsburgh and St. Louis will no longer be published on a bi-monthly basis after December, 1997. Beginning in July, 1998 they will be published semi-annually, each January and July. - Data not available. NOTE: Local area CPI indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a smaller sample size than the national index and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local area indexes show greater volatility than the national index, although their long-term trends are similar. Therefore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics strongly urges users to consider adopting the national average CPI for use in their escalator clauses. 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) Relative Unadjusted indexes Unadjusted Seasonally adjusted importance, percent change to percent change from- December Oct. Nov. Nov. 1997 from- Aug. to Sept. to Oct. to 1996 1997 1997 Nov. 1996 Oct. 1997 Sept. Oct. Nov. Expenditure category All items .................................. 100.000 158.5 158.5 1.7 0.0 0.3 0.2 0.1 All items (1967=100) ....................... - 472.3 472.2 - - - - - Food and beverages ....................... 19.436 158.1 158.3 1.7 .1 .1 .2 .1 Food ................................... 17.749 157.7 157.9 1.6 .1 .1 .2 .1 Food at home ......................... 11.387 158.0 158.1 1.1 .1 .0 .3 .1 Cereals and bakery products ........ 1.688 178.0 177.8 1.5 -.1 .2 .3 .1 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ..... 3.535 148.5 149.0 .3 .3 -.3 -.2 .0 Dairy products 1/ .................. 1.387 145.5 146.8 -1.6 .9 .1 1.6 .9 Fruits and vegetables 2/ ........... 2.086 187.7 188.4 1.7 .4 -.4 .5 .2 Other food at home ................. 2.691 148.4 147.0 2.8 -.9 .3 -.1 -.4 Sugar and sweets ................. .373 148.0 147.3 2.3 -.5 .5 -.3 .4 Fats and oils .................... .282 141.4 140.2 -.2 -.8 .5 -.4 -.1 Nonalcoholic beverages ........... .841 135.2 133.3 5.2 -1.4 -.1 -.1 -1.1 Other prepared food .............. 1.194 162.3 161.3 2.0 -.6 .4 .1 -.1 Food away from home .................. 6.362 158.2 158.6 2.5 .3 .3 .2 .3 Alcoholic beverages .................... 1.687 162.8 162.8 2.0 .0 .0 .1 .1 Housing 2/ ............................... 38.747 154.4 154.5 2.5 .1 .3 .2 .4 Shelter ................................ 25.867 172.7 172.8 3.0 .1 .2 .3 .2 Renters' costs 3/ 4/.................. 8.079 163.6 162.7 3.2 -.6 .3 .4 .1 Rent, residential .................. 6.580 167.9 168.4 3.1 .3 .3 .2 .2 Other renters' costs 4/ ............ 1.499 224.6 215.6 4.0 -4.0 .4 1.2 -.4 Homeowners' costs 3/ 4/............... 17.599 167.1 167.6 2.9 .3 .2 .2 .3 Owners' equivalent rent 3/ ......... 17.277 167.4 167.9 2.9 .3 .2 .2 .3 Household insurance 3/ 4/ .......... .322 151.3 151.4 .9 .1 .5 .1 .1 Maintenance and repairs 1/ 4/ ........ .189 142.6 142.8 2.1 .1 -1.9 1.1 .1 Maintenance and repair services 1/ 4/ ................. .105 154.4 154.7 3.2 .2 -2.7 1.4 .2 Maintenance and repair commodities 1/ 4/ .............. .084 127.8 127.9 .6 .1 -.6 .5 .1 Fuel and other utilities 2/ ............ 7.344 130.6 130.9 2.2 .2 .7 .4 1.0 Fuels ................................ 3.979 116.8 117.3 1.9 .4 1.0 .6 1.5 Fuel oil and other household fuel commodities .................... .391 95.0 96.4 -8.8 1.5 .1 -.2 .5 Gas (piped) and electricity (energy services)....................... 3.588 124.6 124.9 3.1 .2 1.1 .6 1.7 Other utilities and public services 4/ ...................... 3.365 163.3 163.6 2.6 .2 .3 .1 .3 Household furnishings and operation 2/ . 5.536 123.9 123.7 .3 -.2 .1 .1 .0 Housefurnishings 4/ .................. 3.261 109.0 108.5 -.9 -.5 -.1 .1 -.2 Housekeeping supplies ................ 1.129 143.9 144.2 1.3 .2 .3 .0 .2 Housekeeping services 4/ ............. 1.145 156.2 156.6 2.8 .3 .3 .1 .4 Apparel and upkeep ....................... 5.348 133.9 133.6 .9 -.2 .2 .1 .1 Apparel commodities 4/ ................. 4.838 130.5 130.2 .9 -.2 .2 .1 .2 Men's and boys' apparel .............. 1.286 132.4 132.7 1.4 .2 .3 -.1 -.3 Women's and girls' apparel............ 2.053 126.8 127.0 1.6 .2 .7 -.6 .8 Infants' and toddlers' apparel 1/ .... .240 127.7 127.1 -.5 -.5 -.1 -.5 -.5 Footwear ............................. .799 131.8 130.4 1.2 -1.1 -.5 1.7 -.7 Other apparel commodities 4/.......... .461 145.4 143.5 -3.5 -1.3 -1.2 1.0 .1 Apparel services 1/ 4/ ................. .510 162.8 162.6 1.6 -.1 .1 .0 -.1 Transportation ........................... 19.190 143.6 143.1 -1.0 -.3 .4 -.1 -.7 Private transportation ................. 17.934 141.1 140.8 -1.0 -.2 .3 -.1 -.6 New vehicles ......................... 4.893 144.7 145.1 -.6 .3 .1 -.1 -.4 New cars ........................... 3.533 140.2 140.8 -.8 .4 .0 -.2 -.3 Used cars ............................ 2.320 149.4 149.2 -5.4 -.1 -.2 -.5 -.1 Motor fuel ........................... 3.921 106.6 104.4 -3.4 -2.1 1.4 -.5 -2.2 Gasoline ........................... - 106.3 104.0 -3.2 -2.2 1.6 -.6 -2.4 Maintenance and repairs .............. 1.616 164.9 165.1 2.3 .1 .0 .1 .2 Other private transportation 4/....... 5.185 173.8 174.3 1.4 .3 .1 -.1 .0 Other private transportation commodities 4/.................. .742 103.6 103.6 -.6 .0 -.2 -.2 -.1 Other private transportation services 4/ .................... 4.442 191.6 192.3 1.7 .4 .1 .0 .0 Public transportation .................. 1.256 187.8 183.9 -.3 -2.1 1.2 2.2 -1.7 Medical care ............................. 6.251 235.2 235.8 2.6 .3 .2 .2 .3 Medical care commodities ............... 1.047 212.9 213.1 1.9 .1 .2 .0 .3 Medical care services .................. 5.204 240.3 240.8 2.6 .2 .2 .2 .2 Professional medical services ........ 2.973 218.1 218.5 3.0 .2 .1 .2 .2 Entertainment 4/ ......................... 4.015 160.6 160.3 1.3 -.2 -.2 .1 -.2 Entertainment commodities 4/ ........... 2.036 143.1 142.9 .1 -.1 .1 -.3 -.3 Entertainment services 4/ .............. 1.979 185.3 184.9 2.5 -.2 -.4 .4 -.3 Other goods and services 2/ .............. 7.012 226.1 226.7 5.1 .3 .5 .8 .4 Tobacco and smoking products ........... 2.117 249.9 250.5 6.2 .2 1.4 1.5 .1 Personal care 1/ ....................... 1.107 153.3 154.3 2.0 .7 .1 .5 .7 Toilet goods and personal care appliances 1/ .................... .610 145.4 147.1 1.2 1.2 .2 .5 1.2 Personal care services 1/ ............ .497 163.5 163.7 3.2 .1 .1 .3 .1 Personal and educational expenses 4/ ... 3.788 260.8 261.2 5.3 .2 .2 .4 .3 School books and supplies ............ .232 244.7 244.7 5.2 .0 .0 .6 .3 Personal and educational services 4/ . 3.556 262.4 262.8 5.2 .2 .2 .4 .3 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) - Continued Relative Unadjusted indexes Unadjusted Seasonally adjusted importance, percent change to percent change from- December Oct. Nov. Nov. 1997 from- Aug. to Sept. to Oct. to 1996 1997 1997 Nov. 1996 Oct. 1997 Sept. Oct. Nov. Commodity and service group All items .................................. 100.000 158.5 158.5 1.7 .0 .3 .2 .1 Commodities .............................. 47.057 142.3 142.1 .4 -.1 .2 .1 -.1 Food and beverages ..................... 19.436 158.1 158.3 1.7 .1 .1 .2 .1 Commodities less food and beverages .... 27.621 132.7 132.3 -.5 -.3 .4 .0 -.4 Nondurables less food and beverages .. 16.215 135.7 135.1 .4 -.4 .7 .1 -.4 Apparel commodities 4/ ............. 4.838 130.5 130.2 .9 -.2 .2 .1 .2 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .................... 11.377 141.2 140.5 .2 -.5 .8 -.1 -.6 Durables ............................. 11.407 127.3 127.3 -1.7 .0 .0 -.1 -.3 Services ................................. 52.943 178.0 178.1 2.8 .1 .3 .3 .3 Rent of shelter 3/ ..................... 25.329 166.2 166.3 3.1 .1 .3 .2 .2 Household services less rent of shelter 3/ 4/....................... 8.553 134.5 134.8 2.7 .2 .6 .4 .8 Transportation services ................ 7.314 184.2 184.0 1.5 -.1 .2 .4 -.2 Medical care services .................. 5.204 240.3 240.8 2.6 .2 .2 .2 .2 Other services ......................... 6.542 209.4 209.5 4.0 .0 .0 .4 .1 Special indexes All items less food ........................ 82.251 158.6 158.5 1.7 -.1 .3 .2 .1 All items less shelter ..................... 74.133 154.8 154.7 1.2 -.1 .3 .2 .0 All items less homeowners' costs 3/ 4/...... 82.401 148.6 148.5 1.4 -.1 .3 .2 .1 All items less medical care ................ 93.749 154.9 154.9 1.7 .0 .3 .2 .1 Commodities less food ...................... 29.308 133.9 133.5 -.4 -.3 .3 .0 -.3 Nondurables less food ...................... 17.901 137.3 136.7 .5 -.4 .8 .0 -.3 Nondurables less food and apparel .......... 13.064 142.4 141.7 .4 -.5 .8 -.1 -.5 Nondurables ................................ 35.651 147.2 147.0 1.1 -.1 .3 .1 -.1 Services less rent of shelter 3/ 4/ ........ 27.613 169.0 169.1 2.7 .1 .3 .4 .3 Services less medical care services ........ 47.738 172.7 172.8 2.9 .1 .3 .4 .2 Energy ..................................... 7.901 111.0 110.1 -.7 -.8 1.2 .1 -.3 All items less energy ...................... 92.099 165.2 165.3 1.9 .1 .1 .2 .1 All items less food and energy ........... 74.350 167.1 167.2 2.0 .1 .2 .2 .1 Commodities less food and energy commodities ................. 24.996 142.2 142.2 .3 .0 .2 .1 .0 Energy commodities ................... 4.312 105.8 104.0 -3.9 -1.7 1.2 -.4 -2.1 Services less energy services .......... 49.354 183.9 184.0 2.9 .1 .2 .3 .1 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar: 1982-84=$1.00 1/ ......................... - $.631 $.631 -1.7 .0 -.3 -.2 .0 1967=$1.00 1/ ............................ - .212 .212 - - - - - 1/ Not seasonally adjusted. 2/ This index series will undergo a change in composition in January, 1998. 3/ Indexes on a December 1984=100 base. 4/ This index series will no longer appear in its present form after December, 1997. See Table X for a comparable index series. - 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): 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 3 months ended- 6 months ended- Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Feb. May Aug. Nov. May Nov. 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 Expenditure category All items .................................... - - - - 2.3 0.3 2.1 2.0 1.3 2.0 Food and beverages ......................... 158.1 158.2 158.5 158.7 .3 1.0 3.6 1.5 .6 2.6 Food ..................................... 157.6 157.8 158.1 158.3 .3 .8 3.6 1.8 .5 2.7 Food at home ........................... 158.2 158.2 158.6 158.7 -1.3 .3 4.1 1.3 -.5 2.7 Cereals and bakery products .......... 177.5 177.9 178.4 178.6 .0 1.6 1.8 2.5 .8 2.2 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs ....... 149.1 148.7 148.4 148.4 -.3 .8 2.5 -1.9 .3 .3 Dairy products 1/ .................... 143.0 143.2 145.5 146.8 -8.3 -2.4 -5.7 11.1 -5.4 2.4 Fruits and vegetables 2/.............. 190.9 190.2 191.1 191.4 -2.7 -5.5 15.6 1.1 -4.1 8.1 Other food at home ................... 147.9 148.3 148.2 147.6 2.2 5.1 4.7 -.8 3.7 1.9 Sugar and sweets ................... 147.5 148.2 147.7 148.3 5.3 1.6 .0 2.2 3.5 1.1 Fats and oils ...................... 141.3 142.0 141.4 141.2 .3 .0 -.8 -.3 .1 -.6 Nonalcoholic beverages ............. 135.6 135.4 135.2 133.7 -.6 17.8 10.7 -5.5 8.2 2.3 Other prepared food ................ 161.4 162.1 162.3 162.1 3.6 -1.0 3.5 1.7 1.3 2.6 Food away from home .................... 157.4 157.8 158.1 158.5 2.9 1.3 3.1 2.8 2.1 3.0 Alcoholic beverages ...................... 162.8 162.8 163.0 163.2 2.3 2.0 2.7 1.0 2.1 1.9 Housing 2/ ................................. 153.4 153.9 154.2 154.8 2.9 1.3 1.8 3.7 2.1 2.8 Shelter .................................. 171.6 172.0 172.5 172.9 3.1 3.4 2.6 3.1 3.2 2.8 Renters' costs 3/ 4/.................... 162.4 162.9 163.6 163.7 3.3 3.8 2.2 3.2 3.6 2.7 Rent, residential .................... 167.0 167.5 167.9 168.3 2.5 3.5 3.2 3.2 3.0 3.2 Other renters' costs 4/ .............. 223.9 224.7 227.5 226.5 7.4 4.6 -.7 4.7 6.0 2.0 Homeowners' costs 3/ 4/ ................ 166.1 166.5 166.8 167.3 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.9 3.0 2.9 Owners' equivalent rent 3/ ........... 166.5 166.8 167.1 167.6 3.0 3.2 2.9 2.7 3.1 2.8 Household insurance 3/ 4/ ............ 150.3 151.1 151.2 151.3 -2.4 1.3 2.4 2.7 -.5 2.6 Maintenance and repairs 1/ 4/ .......... 143.8 141.1 142.6 142.8 2.3 2.9 6.1 -2.8 2.6 1.6 Maintenance and repair services 1/ 4/ 156.5 152.2 154.4 154.7 1.1 4.3 12.7 -4.5 2.7 3.7 Maintenance and repair commodities 1/ 4/ ................ 128.0 127.2 127.8 127.9 3.8 .9 -1.9 -.3 2.4 -1.1 Fuel and other utilities 2/............... 129.5 130.4 130.9 132.2 6.0 -6.5 1.6 8.6 -.5 5.0 Fuels .................................. 114.7 115.8 116.5 118.3 9.3 -13.1 .3 13.2 -2.6 6.6 Fuel oil and other household fuel commodities ...................... 96.5 96.6 96.4 96.9 -.8 -22.1 -11.9 1.7 -12.0 -5.3 Gas (piped) and electricity (energy services)......................... 122.2 123.5 124.3 126.4 10.1 -12.1 1.7 14.5 -1.6 7.9 Other utilities and public services 4/ . 162.8 163.3 163.5 164.0 2.0 2.0 3.3 3.0 2.0 3.1 Household furnishings and operation 2/ ... 123.6 123.7 123.8 123.8 .3 2.0 -1.9 .6 1.1 -.6 Housefurnishings 4/ .................... 109.0 108.9 109.0 108.8 .0 1.5 -4.3 -.7 .7 -2.5 Housekeeping supplies .................. 143.4 143.8 143.8 144.1 2.3 1.7 -.8 2.0 2.0 .6 Housekeeping services 4/ ............... 155.5 156.0 156.2 156.8 .0 3.5 4.2 3.4 1.7 3.8 Apparel and upkeep ......................... 131.5 131.7 131.8 131.9 3.4 3.4 -4.1 1.2 3.4 -1.5 Apparel commodities 4/ ................... 128.0 128.2 128.3 128.5 3.5 3.5 -4.8 1.6 3.5 -1.7 Men's and boys' apparel ................ 130.4 130.8 130.7 130.3 -1.2 6.4 .9 -.3 2.5 .3 Women's and girls' apparel ............. 123.6 124.5 123.7 124.7 10.8 2.6 -9.4 3.6 6.6 -3.1 Infants' and toddlers' apparel 1/ ...... 128.4 128.3 127.7 127.1 1.3 23.0 -17.9 -4.0 11.6 -11.2 Footwear ............................... 129.0 128.3 130.5 129.6 -1.6 1.6 2.5 1.9 .0 2.2 Other apparel commodities 4/............ 144.6 142.8 144.2 144.4 -5.0 -5.0 -3.3 -.6 -5.0 -1.9 Apparel services 1/ 4/ ................... 162.7 162.8 162.8 162.6 3.3 1.5 2.0 -.2 2.4 .9 Transportation ............................. 143.4 144.0 143.9 142.9 2.5 -6.4 1.7 -1.4 -2.1 .1 Private transportation ................... 141.3 141.7 141.5 140.6 3.4 -7.3 2.3 -2.0 -2.1 .1 New vehicles ........................... 145.4 145.6 145.4 144.8 -.5 .0 -.5 -1.6 -.3 -1.1 New cars ............................. 141.3 141.3 141.0 140.6 -.6 .0 -.6 -2.0 -.3 -1.3 Used cars .............................. 149.5 149.2 148.5 148.3 1.0 -5.0 -13.7 -3.2 -2.0 -8.6 Motor fuel ............................. 106.3 107.8 107.3 104.9 13.1 -29.9 15.7 -5.2 -10.9 4.7 Gasoline ............................. 106.1 107.8 107.2 104.6 13.2 -30.3 18.0 -5.5 -11.2 5.6 Maintenance and repairs ................ 164.4 164.4 164.6 164.9 1.5 3.3 3.0 1.2 2.4 2.1 Other private transportation 4/......... 173.6 173.7 173.6 173.6 1.4 1.6 2.6 .0 1.5 1.3 Other private transportation commodities 4/.................... 104.1 103.9 103.7 103.6 -.8 -.4 .8 -1.9 -.6 -.6 Other private transportation services 4/ ...................... 191.2 191.4 191.4 191.4 1.9 1.9 2.8 .4 1.9 1.6 Public transportation .................... 182.3 184.4 188.4 185.2 -12.1 11.6 -5.5 6.5 -1.0 .3 Medical care ............................... 234.7 235.1 235.6 236.2 2.3 3.7 1.7 2.6 3.0 2.2 Medical care commodities ................. 212.5 212.9 212.9 213.6 2.9 4.0 -1.1 2.1 3.5 .5 Medical care services .................... 239.5 240.0 240.5 241.1 2.1 3.8 2.2 2.7 2.9 2.4 Professional medical services .......... 217.7 218.0 218.4 218.9 2.9 4.6 2.6 2.2 3.7 2.4 Entertainment 4/ ........................... 161.0 160.6 160.7 160.3 1.8 1.0 4.1 -1.7 1.4 1.1 Entertainment commodities 4/ ............. 143.6 143.7 143.3 142.9 .6 -1.7 3.1 -1.9 -.6 .6 Entertainment services 4/ ................ 185.6 184.8 185.5 184.9 2.7 4.5 4.4 -1.5 3.6 1.4 Other goods and services 2/................. 222.7 223.9 225.6 226.4 4.1 6.4 2.9 6.8 5.3 4.9 Tobacco and smoking products ............. 242.7 246.1 249.9 250.2 2.9 9.1 .5 12.9 5.9 6.5 Personal care 1/ ......................... 152.4 152.6 153.3 154.3 .3 3.2 -.5 5.1 1.7 2.2 Toilet goods and personal care appliances 1/ ...................... 144.4 144.7 145.4 147.1 -3.3 2.2 -1.6 7.7 -.5 2.9 Personal care services 1/ .............. 162.8 163.0 163.5 163.7 5.4 4.0 1.0 2.2 4.7 1.6 Personal and educational expenses 4/ ..... 257.5 257.9 259.0 259.8 6.1 5.7 5.5 3.6 5.9 4.5 School books and supplies .............. 243.1 243.1 244.5 245.2 2.9 6.5 7.9 3.5 4.7 5.7 Personal and educational services 4/ ... 258.8 259.2 260.3 261.2 6.3 5.7 5.3 3.8 6.0 4.5 Table 5. 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) - Continued Seasonally adjusted indexes Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent change for 3 months ended- 6 months ended- Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Feb. May Aug. Nov. May Nov. 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 Commodity and service group All items .................................... - - - - 2.3 .3 2.1 2.0 1.3 2.0 Commodities ................................ 141.9 142.2 142.3 142.1 2.0 -2.2 1.4 .6 -.1 1.0 Food and beverages ....................... 158.1 158.2 158.5 158.7 .3 1.0 3.6 1.5 .6 2.6 Commodities less food and beverages ...... 131.9 132.4 132.4 131.9 3.1 -4.1 -.6 .0 -.6 -.3 Nondurables less food and beverages .... 134.3 135.2 135.3 134.7 4.2 -5.8 1.8 1.2 -.9 1.5 Apparel commodities 4/ ............... 128.0 128.2 128.3 128.5 3.5 3.5 -4.8 1.6 3.5 -1.7 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel ...................... 140.2 141.3 141.2 140.3 6.7 -9.5 3.8 .3 -1.7 2.0 Durables ............................... 127.7 127.7 127.6 127.2 .0 -.9 -4.3 -1.6 -.5 -2.9 Services ................................... 176.9 177.4 177.9 178.4 3.0 2.5 2.5 3.4 2.8 3.0 Rent of shelter 3/ ....................... 165.3 165.8 166.2 166.6 3.3 3.2 2.7 3.2 3.2 2.9 Household services less rent of shelter 3/ 4/...................... 133.4 134.2 134.8 135.9 5.2 -3.5 1.8 7.7 .8 4.7 Transportation services .................. 183.0 183.4 184.1 183.7 -.7 3.8 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.5 Medical care services .................... 239.5 240.0 240.5 241.1 2.1 3.8 2.2 2.7 2.9 2.4 Other services ........................... 208.4 208.3 209.1 209.3 4.9 4.8 4.5 1.7 4.8 3.1 Special indexes All items less food .......................... 157.5 158.0 158.3 158.4 2.9 .3 1.5 2.3 1.5 1.9 All items less shelter ....................... 154.1 154.5 154.8 154.8 2.1 -.8 1.8 1.8 .7 1.8 All items less homeowners' costs 3/ 4/........ 147.9 148.3 148.6 148.7 2.5 -.3 1.6 2.2 1.1 1.9 All items less medical care .................. 154.1 154.5 154.8 154.9 2.4 .0 2.1 2.1 1.2 2.1 Commodities less food ........................ 133.4 133.8 133.8 133.4 3.0 -3.8 -.3 .0 -.4 -.1 Nondurables less food ........................ 135.9 137.0 137.0 136.6 4.5 -6.3 2.4 2.1 -1.0 2.2 Nondurables less food and apparel ............ 141.8 142.9 142.8 142.1 4.6 -9.4 6.5 .8 -2.7 3.6 Nondurables .................................. 146.5 147.0 147.1 147.0 2.5 -3.0 3.6 1.4 -.3 2.5 Services less rent of shelter 3/ ............. 167.8 168.3 169.0 169.5 2.9 1.5 2.4 4.1 2.2 3.3 Services less medical care services .......... 171.5 172.0 172.7 173.1 2.9 2.4 2.6 3.8 2.6 3.2 Energy ....................................... 110.0 111.3 111.4 111.1 11.2 -21.9 7.6 4.1 -6.8 5.8 All items less energy ........................ 164.6 164.8 165.2 165.4 1.5 2.5 1.7 2.0 2.0 1.8 All items less food and energy ............. 166.5 166.8 167.1 167.3 2.2 2.9 1.0 1.9 2.6 1.5 Commodities less food and energy commodities .......................... 141.5 141.8 141.9 141.9 1.1 1.4 -2.5 1.1 1.3 -.7 Energy commodities ..................... 105.7 107.0 106.6 104.4 11.9 -29.1 13.1 -4.8 -10.9 3.7 Services less energy services ............ 183.2 183.6 184.1 184.3 2.5 3.6 2.9 2.4 3.0 2.7 1/ Not seasonally adjusted. 2/ This index series will undergo a change in composition in January, 1998. 3/ Indexes on a December 1984=100 base. 4/ This index series will no longer appear in its present form after December, 1997. See Table X for a comparable index series. - 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: Selected areas, all items index (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted) Indexes Percent change to Percent change to Area Pricing Nov. 1997 from- Oct. 1997 from- schedule Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Nov. Sept. Oct. Oct. Aug. Sept. 1/ 1997 1997 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 1996 1997 1997 U.S. city average ...................... M 157.8 158.3 158.5 158.5 1.7 0.1 0.0 1.9 0.4 0.1 Region and area size 2/ Northeast urban......................... M 164.9 165.6 165.8 165.7 1.7 .1 -.1 2.1 .5 .1 Size A - More than 1,200,000 ........ M 164.5 165.4 165.5 165.5 1.8 .1 .0 2.1 .6 .1 Size B - 500,000 to 1,200,000 3/..... M 163.7 163.4 163.5 163.2 1.6 -.1 -.2 2.1 -.1 .1 Size C - 50,000 to 500,000 3/........ M 167.8 168.6 168.9 168.9 1.7 .2 .0 2.2 .7 .2 North Central urban .................... M 153.6 153.9 154.0 154.0 1.5 .1 .0 2.0 .3 .1 Size A - More than 1,200,000 ........ M 153.6 153.9 153.9 153.8 1.7 -.1 -.1 2.1 .2 .0 Size B - 360,000 to 1,200,000 3/..... M 152.3 152.3 152.7 153.0 1.5 .5 .2 1.7 .3 .3 Size C - 50,000 to 360,000 3/........ M 156.1 156.9 156.9 156.5 1.3 -.3 -.3 2.1 .5 .0 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ......... M 150.9 151.5 151.1 151.6 1.0 .1 .3 1.3 .1 -.3 South urban ............................ M 155.5 155.9 156.1 156.2 1.6 .2 .1 1.7 .4 .1 Size A - More than 1,200,000 ........ M 154.0 154.5 154.7 154.5 1.6 .0 -.1 1.8 .5 .1 Size B - 450,000 to 1,200,000 3/..... M 156.5 156.6 156.8 157.1 1.7 .3 .2 1.9 .2 .1 Size C - 50,000 to 450,000 3/........ M 155.9 156.4 156.9 157.1 1.6 .4 .1 1.4 .6 .3 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ......... M 157.0 157.7 157.3 157.5 1.5 -.1 .1 1.6 .2 -.3 West urban ............................. M 158.0 158.6 159.3 159.2 2.1 .4 -.1 2.2 .8 .4 Size A - More than 1,250,000 ........ M 156.5 157.2 157.9 157.7 2.2 .3 -.1 2.3 .9 .4 Size C - 50,000 to 330,000 3/........ M 163.5 164.1 164.9 165.6 3.0 .9 .4 2.9 .9 .5 Size classes A 4/ ................................. M 143.9 144.4 144.7 144.6 1.8 .1 -.1 2.1 .6 .2 B 3/ ................................. M 158.0 158.0 158.3 158.4 1.5 .3 .1 1.9 .2 .2 C 3/ ................................. M 159.4 160.0 160.4 160.5 1.8 .3 .1 1.9 .6 .3 D .................................... M 156.0 156.6 156.7 156.9 1.2 .2 .1 1.3 .4 .1 Selected local areas Chicago-Gary-Lake County, IL-IN-WI...... M 156.7 156.4 156.9 157.2 1.8 .5 .2 2.1 .1 .3 Los Angeles-Anaheim-Riverside, CA ...... M 154.0 154.7 155.4 154.9 1.3 .1 -.3 1.4 .9 .5 N.Y.-Northern N.J.-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT M 166.7 167.7 168.1 168.0 2.0 .2 -.1 2.3 .8 .2 Phil.-Wilmington-Trenton, PA-NJ-DE-MD 5/ ......................... M 165.9 167.9 166.8 165.9 1.2 -1.2 -.5 1.6 .5 -.7 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA 5/ .. M 158.1 158.6 159.5 159.5 3.4 .6 .0 3.4 .9 .6 Baltimore, MD 6/ ....................... 1 - 155.6 - 154.6 .7 -.6 - - - - Boston-Lawrence-Salem, MA-NH ........... 1 - 166.2 - 167.8 1.5 1.0 - - - - Cleveland-Akron-Lorain, OH ............. 1 - 149.2 - 149.1 2.0 -.1 - - - - Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL .............. 1 - 156.1 - 157.0 1.6 .6 - - - - St. Louis-East St. Louis, MO-IL 7/ ..... 1 - 154.0 - 151.9 .9 -1.4 - - - - Washington, DC-MD-VA 6/ ................ 1 - 161.1 - 159.1 .3 -1.2 - - - - Dallas-Fort Worth, TX .................. 2 151.1 - 152.8 - - - - 1.4 1.1 - Detroit-Ann Arbor, MI .................. 2 151.6 - 152.4 - - - - 2.4 .5 - Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX ......... 2 144.9 - 146.3 - - - - 2.7 1.0 - Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley, PA 7/ ........ 2 151.0 - 151.3 - - - - 2.2 .2 - 1/ Foods, fuels, and several other items priced every month in all areas; most other goods and services priced as indicated: M - Every month. 1 - January, March, May, July, September, and November. 2 - February, April, June, August, October, and December. 2/ Regions defined as the four Census regions. See map in technical notes. 3/ Starting in January, 1998, a new Size Class B/C will be introduced, composed of current Size Class B and Size Class C cities. There will be no individual Size Class B or Size Class C. 4/ Indexes on a December 1986=100 base. 5/ Indexes for the cities of Philadelphia and San Francisco will no longer be published on a monthly basis starting in January, 1998. Beginning in February, 1998 they will be published on a bi-monthly basis. 6/ Indexes for the cities of Washington and Baltimore will no longer be published separately after December, 1997. Beginning in January, 1998 the two cities will be published as a Washington-Baltimore combined metropolitan area. 7/ Indexes for the cities of Pittsburgh and St. Louis will no longer be published on a bi-monthly basis after December, 1997. Beginning in July, 1998 they will be published semi-annually, each January and July. - Data not available. NOTE: Local area CPI indexes are byproducts of the national CPI program. Each local index has a smaller sample size than the national index and is, therefore, subject to substantially more sampling and other measurement error. As a result, local area indexes show greater volatility than the national index, although their long-term trends are similar. Therefore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics strongly urges users to consider adopting the national average CPI for use in their escalator clauses.