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Consumer Price Index

CPI Research Series

In addition to official indexes, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) program produces several other inflation products that may be of interest to particular users. These products differ from the official indexes in purpose, scope, formula, aggregation, or limitations, and may be associated with larger measurement error compared to the official published indexes. Customers should be aware of the caveats and limitations of these products.

These products are differentiated by the use of an ‘R’ before the abbreviation for that index.

  • Featured Research Series: R-CPI-U-NV

    R-CPI-U-NV

    New vehicles research index

    The new vehicles research index (R-CPI-U-NV) was published from May 2019 to April 2022. This index used a dataset purchased from J.D. Power of transaction-level new vehicle prices. This index methodology was adopted for use in the official CPI.

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  • Featured Research Series: R-CPI-E

    R-CPI-E

    CPI for Americans 62 years of age and older

    The index for the elderly (R-CPI-E) is a research price index for Americans 62 years of age and older which uses different weights than other CPI indexes. The series is predominately used by researchers, news agencies, and some companies, and has several limitations to the data.

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  • Featured Research Series: R-CPI-U-RS

    R-CPI-U-RS

    Retroactive Series

    The Retroactive Series (R-CPI-U-RS), formerly known as the Research Series, uses current methodology to estimate the CPI-U from 1978 to the present by incorporating most of the improvements made over that time span into the entire series. The series is predominately used by researchers and has some limitations.

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  • Featured Research Series: R-CPI-U-L

    R-CPI-U-L

    CPI using Laspeyres arithmetic means

    This index, called the research CPI using Laspeyres arithmetic means (R-CPI-U-L), uses a Laspeyres arithmetic mean formula for all levels of aggregation. This series is predominately used by researchers.

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  • Featured Research Series: R-CPI-U-G

    R-CPI-U-G

    CPI using geometric means

    This index, called the research CPI using geometric means (R-CPI-U-G), uses a geometric mean formula for 100 percent of items to combine individual price quotations at the lower level of aggregation while keeping the Laspeyres arithmetic mean formula for higher level aggregation. This series is predominately used by researchers.

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  • Featured Research Series: R-HICP

    R-HICP

    Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices

    The Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (R-HICP) is designed for international comparisons of consumer price inflation. The primary users of the U.S. R-HICP indexes are the International Labor Comparisons program, operated by the Conference Board, and Eurostat.

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  • Featured Research Series: R-COICOP

    R-COICOP

    Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose

    The Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (R-COICOP) is provided monthly to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to allow for international comparisons of consumer price index statistics.

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  • Featured Research Series: R-DBPI

    R-DBPI

    Disease-based price indexes

    Disease-based price indexes are research data constructed by the Bureau as an alternative to current methods of estimating inflation, real medical output, and real consumption. Disease-based prices indexes are in their nascent stages and regarded as research indexes as we learn more from the studies that we and others conduct, including most prominently the work of the Bureau of Economic Analysis on a Health Care Satellite Account.

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  • Featured Research Series: R-CPI-I and R-C-CPI-I

    R-CPI-I

    CPI for equivalized income quintile subpopulations

    These research indexes by equivalized income quintiles, the R-CPI-EQ and the R-C-CPI-EQ, paint a fuller picture of inflation than the CPI-U and C-CPI-U for users interested in the state of the economy.

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List of Research Series
Name Abbreviation Series type Description
Retroactive Series R-CPI-U-RS Historical time series based on current methods The Retroactive Series (R-CPI-U-RS), formerly known as the Research Series, uses current methodology to estimate the CPI-U from 1978 to the present by incorporating most of the improvements made over that time span into the entire series. The series is predominately used by researchers and has some limitations. See the Retroactive Series homepage for additional information and to access the data.
CPI for Americans 62 years of age and older R-CPI-E Alternative population group The index for the elderly (R-CPI-E) is a research price index for Americans 62 years of age and older which uses different weights than other CPI indexes. The series is predominately used by researchers, news agencies, and some companies, and has several limitations to the data. See the CPI for the elderly homepage for additional information and to access the data.
CPI using Laspeyres arithmetic means R-CPI-U-L Alternative formula This index, called the research CPI using Laspeyres arithmetic means (R-CPI-U-L), uses a Laspeyres arithmetic mean formula for all levels of aggregation. This series is predominately used by researchers. See the R-CPI-U-L homepage for additional information and to access the data.
CPI using geometric means R-CPI-U-G Alternative formula This index, called the research CPI using geometric means (R-CPI-U-G), uses a geometric mean formula for 100 percent of items to combine individual price quotations at the lower level of aggregation while keeping the Laspeyres arithmetic mean formula for higher level aggregation. This series is predominately used by researchers. See the R-CPI-U-G homepage for additional information and to access the data.
Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices R-HICP Alternative aggregation structure The Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (R-HICP) is designed for international comparisons of consumer price inflation. The primary users of the U.S. R-HICP indexes are the International Labor Comparisons program, operated by the Conference Board, and Eurostat. See the R-HICP homepage for additional information and to access the data.
Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose R-COICOP Alternative aggregation structure The Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (R-COICOP) is provided monthly to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to allow for international comparisons of consumer price index statistics. See the R-COICOP homepage for additional information and to access the data.
New vehicles research index R-CPI-U-NV Alternative collection methods The new vehicles research index (R-CPI-U-NV) was published from May 2019 to April 2022. This index used a dataset purchased from J.D. Power of transaction-level new vehicle prices. This index methodology was adopted for use in the official CPI. See the New Vehicles research homepage for additional information, and to access the data.
Disease-based price indexes R-DBPI Research index for specific categories Disease-based price indexes are research data constructed by the Bureau as an alternative to current methods of estimating inflation, real medical output, and real consumption. Disease-based price indexes are in their nascent stages and regarded as research indexes as we learn more from the studies that we and others conduct, including most prominently the work of the Bureau of Economic Analysis on a Health Care Satellite Account. See the Disease-Based Price Indexes homepage for additional information and to access the data.
CPI for equivalized income quintile subpopulations R-CPI-I and R-C-CPI-I Alternative population group These research indexes by equivalized income quintiles, the R-CPI-I and the R-C-CPI-I, paint a fuller picture of inflation than the CPI-U and C-CPI-U for users interested in the state of the economy. See the R-CPI-I and R-C-CPI-I homepage for additional information and to access the data.

 

Last Modified Date: March 13, 2024