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Consumer Price Index
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Uses of the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
The tables below provide a non-exhaustive list of federal, state, and local government programs or organizations that use the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Specifically, the tables list which specific CPI is used: All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), or Chained CPI for All Urban Consumers (C-CPI-U). Data is relevant as of February 2025 and will be updated annually.
Table 1: Federal government uses of the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
| Federal government departments or organizations | Programs or benefits | CPI series type | Uses | Agency source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Postal Workers Union (APWU) | Cost-of-Living Adjustments | CPI-W | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://apwu.org/cola-employees-covered-national-agreement |
| Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) | Gross Domestic Product (GDP) | CPI-U | As a deflator of other economic series | https://www.bea.gov/resources/methodologies/nipa-handbook |
| Census Bureau (Census) | Earning and Income Estimates | C-CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/income/guidance/current-vs-constant-dollars.html |
| Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) | Nonmonetary Compensation, Medical Staff Incidental Benefits, and Limited Remuneration to a Physician Exceptions | CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.cms.gov/medicare/regulations-guidance/physician-self-referral/cpi-u-updates |
| Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) | Deductible Amount for Medigap High Deductible Options F, G & J | CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.cms.gov/medicare/health-drug-plans/medigap/f-g-j-deductible-announcements |
| Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) | Medicaid Drug Rebates | CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://oig.hhs.gov/reports/all/2017/calculation-of-potential-inflation-indexed-rebates-for-medicare-part-b-drugs-2017/ |
| Department of Agriculture (USDA) | Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 | CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.congress.gov/bill/106th-congress/house-bill/2389/text |
| Department of Agriculture (USDA) | Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) | CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.fns.usda.gov/research/cnpp/usda-food-plans/cost-food-monthly-reports |
| Department of Agriculture (USDA) | Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) | CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/income-eligibility-guidelines-2025-26 |
| Department of Agriculture (USDA) | Meals for Schools and Childcare | CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.fns.usda.gov/summer/sunmeals/fr-011325 |
| Department of Agriculture (USDA) | Commodity Supplemental Food Programs | Indirect | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.fns.usda.gov/csfp/factsheet |
| Department of Defense (DOD) | U.S. Military Retirements Benefits | CPI-W | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://militarypay.defense.gov/Pay/Retirement/ |
| Department of Energy (DOE) | Weatherization Assistance Program | CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.energy.gov/scep/wap/average-cost-dwelling-unit |
| Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) | Poverty Guidelines | CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines |
| Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) | Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) | Indirect | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.liheap.org/ |
| Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) | Early Childhood Development Program Head Start Services | Indirect | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://acf.gov/ohs/about/head-start |
| Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) | Community Services Block Grants (CSBG) | Indirect | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://acf.gov/ocs/fact-sheet/csbg-fact-sheet |
| Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL/BLS) | Productivity Measures: Business Sector and Major Subsectors (MSP) | CPI-U | As a deflator of other economic series | https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/opt/data.htm |
| Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL/BLS) | Current Employment Statistics (CES) | CPI-W | As a deflator of other economic series | https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/ces/concepts.htm |
| Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (DOL/BLS) | Employment Cost Index (ECI) | CPI-U | As a deflator of other economic series | https://www.bls.gov/eci/factsheets/eci-constant-dollar-factsheet.htm |
| Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (DOL/ETA) | Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) | CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | http://www.doleta.gov/llsil/ |
| Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (DOL/ETA) | The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Youth Formula Program | Indirect | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/youth/wioa-formula/ |
| Department of Labor Job Corps (DOL/JobCorps) | Lower Living Standard Income Level | Indirect | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.jobcorps.gov/ |
| Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) | Military Veterans Pension Rate | CPI-W | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.va.gov/pension/veterans-pension-rates/ |
| Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) | Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses | CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.va.gov/oal/library/vaar/vaar852.asp#85223774 |
| Federal Employee Compensation Act (FECA) | Cost-of-Living Adjustments | CPI-W | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.dol.gov/agencies/owcp/FECA/regs/compliance/DFECfolio/FECA-PT2/group2#2090116 |
| Federal Reserve System (FRS) | Board of Governors | CPI-U | As an economic indicator | https://www.federalreserve.gov/ |
| Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) | Standards for how companies report finances | CPI-U | As an economic indicator | https://www.fasb.org/ |
| Housing and Urban Development (HUD) | Fair Market Rents Annual Adjustment Factors | CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/aaf.html |
| Internal Revenue Service (IRS) | Federal Income Tax Brackets and Personal Exemption Amounts | C-CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/RL34498 |
| Internal Revenue Service (IRS) | Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) | C-CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R44825 |
| National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) | Cost-of-Living Adjustments | CPI-W | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.nalc.org/news/research-and-economics/research |
| National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) | Cost-of-Living Adjustments | CPI-W | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://m.npmhu.org/resources/wage-charts-effective-march-8-2025-pp-07-2025 |
| National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLCA) | Cost-of-Living Adjustments | CPI-W | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.nrlca.org/ |
| Office of Personal Management (OPM) | Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) | CPI-W | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.opm.gov/retirement-center/publications-forms/csrsfers-handbook/c002/ |
| Office of Personal Management (OPM) | Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) | CPI-W | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.opm.gov/retirement-center/publications-forms/csrsfers-handbook/c002/ |
| Postal Service (USPS) | Cost-of-Living Adjustments and Postal Rates | CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.uspsoig.gov/reports/white-papers/inflation-and-us-postal-service |
| Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) | Tier I and Tier II Retirement Benefits | CPI-W | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.rrb.gov/Benefits/Retirement/GeneralInfoRetirement |
| Social Security Administration (SSA) | Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) | CPI-W | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/latestCOLA.html |
| Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) | Retirement Benefits | CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://tvars.com/2024/12/10/tvars-announces-cost-of-living-adjustment-cola-for-2025/ |
| The White House (POTUS) | Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) | CPI-U | As an economic indicator | https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/ |
| Thrift Savings Program (TSP) | Level payments or increasing payments | CPI-U | As a means of adjusting dollar values | https://www.tsp.gov/plan-news/2020-02-24-tsp-life-annuity-cola-changes/ |
Table 2 lists which CPI is used by state governments in various escalation agreements. It should be noted that some states use other inflation measures as an escalator for these programs, which are not included in this table.
Table 2: State government uses of the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
| State | State minimum wage | State income tax brackets and personal exemption amounts | State pension systems |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | - | - | - |
| Alaska | CPI-U | - | CPI-U |
| Arizona | CPI-U | CPI-U | CPI-U |
| Arkansas | - | CPI-U | CPI-U |
| California | CPI-W | - | CPI-U |
| Colorado | CPI-U | - | CPI-W |
| Connecticut | - | - | CPI-W |
| Delaware | - | - | - |
| District of Columbia | CPI-U | - | CPI-U |
| Florida | CPI-W | - | - |
| Georgia | - | - | CPI-U |
| Hawaii | - | - | - |
| Idaho | - | CPI-U | CPI-U |
| Illinois | - | - | CPI-U |
| Indiana | - | - | - |
| Iowa | - | - | - |
| Kansas | - | - | - |
| Kentucky | - | - | - |
| Louisiana | - | - | - |
| Maine | CPI-W | C-CPI-U | CPI-U |
| Maryland | - | - | CPI-U |
| Massachusetts | - | - | - |
| Michigan | CPI-W | - | - |
| Minnesota | - | C-CPI-U | - |
| Mississippi | - | - | - |
| Missouri | CPI-W | CPI-U | CPI-U |
| Montana | CPI-U | CPI-U | - |
| Nebraska | CPI-U | CPI-U | CPI-U |
| Nevada | - | - | CPI-U |
| New Hampshire | - | - | - |
| New Jersey | CPI-W | - | - |
| New Mexico | - | - | CPI-U |
| New York | CPI-W | - | CPI-U |
| North Carolina | - | - | CPI-U |
| North Dakota | - | C-CPI-U | - |
| Ohio | CPI-W | - | CPI-U and CPI-W |
| Oklahoma | - | - | - |
| Oregon | CPI-U | CPI-U | CPI-U |
| Pennsylvania | - | - | - |
| Rhode Island | - | CPI-U | CPI-U |
| South Carolina | - | C-CPI-U | CPI-U |
| South Dakota | CPI-U | - | CPI-W |
| Tennessee | - | - | CPI-U |
| Texas | - | - | CPI-U |
| Utah | - | - | CPI-U |
| Vermont | CPI-U | CPI-U | CPI-U |
| Virginia | CPI-U | - | CPI-U |
| Washington | CPI-W | - | CPI-U |
| West Virginia | - | - | - |
| Wisconsin | - | CPI-U | - |
| Wyoming | - | - | - |
| Note: Dash indicates that CPI data is not used for that escalation purpose. | |||
Table 3 lists localities which have their own minimum wage regulations tied to the CPI and which CPI the wage escalation is tied to. This list was compiled using data from the Economic Policy Institute's Minimum Wage Tracker.
Table 3: Local government uses of the Consumer Price Index (CPI)
| Local area | State | CPI series used |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | Alabama | CPI-U U.S. city average |
| Flagstaff | Arizona | CPI-U U.S. city average |
| Tucson | Arizona | CPI-U U.S. city average |
| Alameda | California | CPI-U San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Belmont | California | CPI-U San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Berkeley | California | CPI-U San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Burlingame | California | CPI-U San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Cupertino | California | CPI-U San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Dale City | California | CPI-U San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| East Palo Alto | California | CPI-U San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| El Cerrito | California | CPI-W San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Emeryville | California | CPI-U San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Forest City | California | CPI-U San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Fremont | California | CPI-W San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Half Moon Bay | California | CPI-U San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Hayward | California | CPI-U U.S. city average |
| Los Altos | California | CPI-U San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Los Angeles | California | CPI-W Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
| Los Angeles County | California | CPI-W Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
| Malibu | California | CPI-W Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
| Menlo Park | California | CPI-W San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Milpitas | California | CPI-U San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Mountain View | California | CPI-W San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Novato | California | CPI-W San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Oakland | California | CPI-W San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Palo Alto | California | CPI-W U.S. city average |
| Pasadena | California | CPI-W Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
| Petaluma | California | CPI-W San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Redwood City | California | CPI-U San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Richmond | California | CPI-W San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| San Carlos | California | CPI-U San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| San Diego | California | CPI-W U.S. city average |
| San Francisco | California | CPI-W San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| San Jose | California | CPI-W San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| San Leandro | California | Superseded by the higher state minimum wage |
| San Mateo | California | CPI-W San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| San Mateo County | California | CPI-W U.S. city average |
| Santa Clara | California | CPI-W U.S. city average |
| Santa Monica | California | CPI-W Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
| Santa Rosa | California | CPI-W U.S. city average |
| Sonoma | California | CPI-U U.S. city average |
| South San Francisco | California | CPI-U San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| Sunnyvale | California | CPI-W San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
| West Hollywood | California | CPI-W Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
| Boulder City | Colorado | CPI-U Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
| Boulder County | Colorado | CPI-U Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
| Denver | Colorado | CPI-W Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
| Edgewater | Colorado | CPI-U Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
| Chicago | Illinois | CPI-U U.S. city average |
| Cook County | Illinois | CPI-U U.S. city average |
| Portland | Maine | CPI-W Northeast Region |
| Richmond | Maine | CPI-U Northeast Region |
| Howard County | Maryland | CPI-U Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
| Montgomery County | Maryland | CPI-W Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
| Prince George's County | Maryland | Superseded by the higher state minimum wage |
| Alburquerque | New Mexico | CPI-W U.S. city average |
| Bernalillo County | New Mexico | CPI-U U.S. city average |
| Las Cruces | New Mexico | CPI-W West Region |
| Santa Fe City | New Mexico | CPI-W West Region |
| Santa Fe County | Washington | CPI-W West Region |
| Renton | Washington | CPI-U Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
| Seattle | Washington | CPI-W U.S. city average |
| SeaTac | Washington | CPI-W U.S. city average |
| Tacoma | Washington | CPI-W U.S. city average |
| Tukwila | Washington | CPI-W Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
Last Modified Date: March 18, 2026