FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Patrick C. Jackman (202) 606-7000 USDL-99-41 CPI QUICKLINE: (202) 606-6994 TRANSMISSION OF FOR CURRENT AND HISTORICAL MATERIAL IN THIS INFORMATION: (202) 606-7828 RELEASE IS EMBARGOED MEDIA CONTACT: (202) 606-5902 UNTIL 8:30 A.M. (EST) INTERNET ADDRESS: Friday, February 19, 1999 http://stats.bls.gov/cpihome.htm CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: JANUARY 1999 The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.2 percent in January, before seasonal adjustment, to a level of 164.3 (1982- 84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in January, the CPI-U has increased 1.7 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) also rose 0.2 percent in January, prior to seasonal adjustment. The January level of 161.0 was 1.6 percent higher than the index in January 1998. CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.1 percent in January, the same as in December. The food index advanced 0.5 percent in January after increasing 0.1 percent in December. The index for food at home, which was unchanged in December, rose 0.5 percent in January, largely as a result of increases in the indexes for fruits and vegetables and for dairy products. The energy index, which declined 1.1 percent in December, fell 0.2 percent in January. The index for petroleum-based energy was unchanged, while the index for energy services decreased 0.4 percent. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U increased 0.1 percent in January, following a 0.3 percent rise in December, as a result of deceleration in the indexes for shelter, cigarettes, and apparel. 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 1998 1999 3-mos. ended ended July Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Jan.'99 Jan.'99 All Items .2 .1 .1 .2 .2 .1 .1 1.7 1.7 Food and beverages .2 .3 .0 .5 .2 .1 .4 2.7 2.2 Housing .2 .2 .2 .2 .3 .1 -.1 1.5 2.2 Apparel -.3 1.0 -.6 .0 -.1 -.6 -1.1 -7.0 -1.5 Transportation .3 -.1 -.4 .1 -.1 -.4 -.1 -2.5 -1.6 Medical care .2 .4 .3 .2 .2 .3 .3 3.3 3.6 Recreation -.1 .2 .1 -.2 .1 .1 .4 2.4 1.4 Education and communication .1 -.5 .1 .1 .3 -.2 .3 1.6 1.0 Other goods and services .5 .2 .9 .3 -.3 4.2 2.0 25.7 10.4 Special indexes: Energy -.2 -1.0 -1.2 .1 -.3 -1.1 -.2 -6.2 -7.4 Food .3 .2 .1 .5 .1 .1 .5 2.7 2.3 All items less food and energy .2 .2 .2 .2 .1 .3 .1 2.1 2.4 Note: Seasonal factors have been recalculated to reflect developments during 1998. For this reason, some of the seasonally adjusted figures above and elsewhere in this report differ from those previously published. As previously announced, effective with release of data for January 1999, the BLS has introduced a new formula for calculating the basic components of the CPI. See page 4 for more details. See pages 5-10 for announcements of other methodological changes introduced with data for January 1999. The food and beverages index rose 0.4 percent in January. The index for food at home, which was unchanged in December, increased 0.5 percent in January, largely as a result of increases in the indexes for fruits and vegetables and for dairy products. The index for fruits and vegetables, which was unchanged in December, rose 2.2 percent in January. The index for fresh fruits increased 3.7 percent, reflecting a 13.6 percent increase in prices for citrus fruits. The index for fresh vegetables increased 0.8 percent. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, fresh vegetable prices increased 5.7 percent.) The index for processed fruits and vegetables rose 2.1 percent in January after registering declines in each of the preceding four months. The index for dairy products increased 2.3 percent in January and has risen 8.8 percent in the last six months. Partially offsetting these increases was a 0.8 percent decrease in the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs. Meat prices declined again in January; pork prices fell 1.5 percent, and the index for beef and veal dropped 1.0 percent. Poultry prices declined 0.5 percent in January. The indexes for fish and seafood and for eggs also declined, down 1.8 and 0.6 percent, respectively. Among the other major grocery store food groups, the indexes for cereal and bakery products and nonalcoholic beverages rose 0.8 and 0.5 percent, respectively, while the index for other food at home declined 0.2 percent. The other two components of the food and beverage index--food away from home and alcoholic beverages--rose 0.3 and 0.1 percent, respectively, in January. The housing component declined 0.1 percent in January. Shelter costs, which increased 0.2 percent in December, were unchanged in January. Within shelter, the indexes for rent and for owners' equivalent rent rose 0.2 and 0.1 percent, respectively, while the cost of lodging away from home declined 1.8 percent. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, the cost of lodging while away from home increased 3.2 percent.) The index for fuels and utilities declined 0.2 percent in January, the same as in December. The index for household fuels fell 0.4 percent, reflecting small declines in each of the three major household fuel indexes. The index for natural gas fell 0.5 percent, and the indexes for fuel oil and for electricity each declined 0.3 percent. The index for household furnishings and operations was unchanged in January. The transportation component declined for the third consecutive month, down 0.1 percent in January. The index for new and used vehicle prices declined 0.4 percent in January. The index for new vehicles rose 0.1 percent. (As of January, over 80 percent of the new vehicle sample was represented by 1999 models.) The index for used cars and trucks decreased 1.6 percent. The index for gasoline rose 0.1 percent in January. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices fell 1.4 percent; as of January, gasoline prices were 28.9 percent lower than their peak level in November 1990.) Public transportation costs increased 1.1 percent in January, reflecting a 1.8 percent rise in airline fares. The index for apparel decreased 1.1 percent in January, following a 0.6 percent drop in December. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, apparel prices fell 2.1 percent, reflecting post-holiday discounting.) Medical care costs rose 0.3 percent in January to a level 3.6 percent above a year ago. The index for medical care commodities--prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and medical supplies--was virtually unchanged. The index for medical care services rose 0.4 percent. Charges for professional services and for hospital and related services increased 0.3 and 0.6 percent, respectively. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, the indexes for professional services and hospital and related services rose 0.5 and 1.0 percent, respectively.) The index for recreation costs increased 0.4 percent in January, following increases of 0.1 percent in each of the two preceding months. In January, the indexes for admissions to sporting events and for fees for lessons or instructions rose 1.0 and 1.5 percent, respectively. The index for education and communication, which declined 0.2 percent in December, increased 0.3 percent in January. Educational costs rose 0.3 percent, and the index for communication increased 0.2 percent. Within the latter group, increase in the indexes for postage and for telephone services--up 3.0 and 0.4 percent, respectively--were partially offset by a 2.9 percent decline in the index for information and information processing other than telephone services. The indexes for personal computers and peripheral equipment and for computer software and accessories fell 4.4 and 2.0 percent, respectively. The index for other goods and services increased 2.0 percent in January, following a 4.2 percent rise in December. The index for tobacco and smoking products, which increased 18.5 percent in December, rose 6.6 percent in January, reflecting in part a 50 cent a pack tax increase on cigarettes in California. Tobacco accounted for 85 percent of the January advance in the other goods and services component. CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers increased 0.2 percent in January. 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 1998 1999 3-mos. ended ended July Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Jan.'99 Jan.'99 All Items .2 .1 .1 .2 .2 .2 .2 2.3 1.6 Food and beverages .3 .2 .1 .4 .2 .1 .4 2.7 2.2 Housing .2 .1 .2 .2 .3 .2 .0 1.8 2.1 Apparel -.3 .8 -.3 .4 -.1 -.5 -1.1 -6.5 -1.2 Transportation .1 -.2 -.4 .2 -.1 -.5 -.1 -2.8 -1.8 Medical care .2 .4 .3 .2 .2 .2 .3 3.2 3.5 Recreation .0 .1 .1 -.3 .1 .1 .4 2.4 .9 Education and communication .0 -.5 .2 .1 .3 -.2 .3 1.6 1.2 Other goods and services .7 .2 1.3 .2 -.5 5.8 2.5 35.6 13.6 Special indexes Energy -.2 -1.3 -1.1 .2 -.4 -1.3 -.1 -7.0 -7.6 Food .3 .2 .1 .4 .2 .0 .5 2.8 2.2 All items less food and energy .2 .2 .2 .1 .2 .4 .1 2.8 2.4 Consumer Price Index data for February are scheduled for release on Thursday, March 18, 1999, at 8:30 A.M. (EST). _________________________________________________________________________ CPI (Old Series) For the first six months of 1999, BLS will also calculate Old Series CPI-U and Old Series CPI-W based on the former method of calculating the elementary aggregates, that is, employing an arithmetic mean in all index categories. These old series data are contained in tables 1 (LAS)-4 (LAS). From December 1998 to January 1999, the Old Series CPI-U and the Old Series CPI-W rose 0.3 and 0.2 percent, respectively. These series are not seasonally adjusted. (The unadjusted CPI-U and CPI-W using the new method of calculating the elementary aggregates each rose 0.2 percent in January.) ___________________________________________________________________________ Consumer Price Index Formula Changed On April 16, 1998, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced its decision to use a new formula for calculating the basic components of the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). This change is effective with data for January 1999. The new formula, the geometric mean estimator, will be used in index categories that comprise approximately 61 percent of total consumer spending represented by the CPI-U. The remaining index categories, which are shown in the table below, will continue to be calculated as they have been. Based upon BLS research, it is expected that planned use of the new formula will reduce the annual rate of increase in the CPI by approximately 0.2 percentage point per year. The geometric mean estimator has been introduced in both the CPI-U and the CPI-W effective with data for January 1999, in accord with the past practice of introducing methodological changes at the beginning of a calendar year. BLS will continue to publish "overlap" CPI-U and CPI-W series using the former calculation method for the first six months of 1999. These indexes will not be published regularly for months subsequent to June 1999, but will be available upon request. Additional information on this change was published in the April 1998 CPI Detailed Report and is available on the Internet (http://stats.bls.gov/cpihome.htm). This information also may be obtained by writing to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes, 2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E., Room 3615, Washington, D.C. 20212 or by calling (202) 606-7000. Arithmetic Mean (Laspeyres) Formula 1. Selected shelter services: A) Rent of primary B) Owners' equivalent C) Housing at school, residence rent of primary excluding board residence 2. Selected utilities and government charges: A) Electricity C) Residential water and E) Telephone services, sewerage maintenance local charges B) Utility natural gas D) State and local F) Cable television service registration, license, and motor vehicle property tax 3. Selected medical care services: A) Physicians' services C) Eyeglasses and eye E) Hospital services care B) Dental services D) Services by other F) Nursing homes and medical professionals adult daycare ___________________________________________________________________________ Revision of the CPI Housing Sample and Estimation Process BLS has implemented the housing portion of the ongoing CPI revision process effective with the index for January 1999. This part of the CPI revision is directed at the major shelter indexes, "rent of primary residence" and "owners' equivalent rent of primary residence." The CPI has shifted to an improved estimation method for homeowner shelter costs and has introduced a new housing unit sample based on the 1990 decennial census. The new estimator for "owners' equivalent rent of primary residence" employs the same rental observations that form the basis of the revised "rent of primary residence" index. Those observations are weighted to reflect the total urban stock of owner-occupied and renter-occupied housing, respectively. The former CPI estimated the change in the implicit rents of a sample of owner-occupied units from the rent change of rental units matched specifically to them. Among other advantages, the new method does not require selection of an owner-occupied sample. The new sample provides a current set of rental housing units that, as noted above, are the basis of both the "rent of primary residence" and "owners' equivalent rent of primary residence" indexes. The decennial census provided information that BLS has used to select small geographic areas (called segments) within the CPI's 87 pricing areas that represent the urban United States. The segment selection process utilizes random sampling so that the housing sample represents all varieties and locations of the housing stock throughout each CPI pricing area. Segments have been selected for the initial sample. Augmentation segments also will be supplied to replenish the current sample. The CPI will use another sample augmentation process to bring housing units constructed since the decennial census into the CPI housing sample. Additional information on these and other changes to the housing component of the CPI can be found in the December 1996 Monthly Labor Review article, "Revision of the CPI Housing Sample and Estimators." For additional information, write to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes, 2 Massachusetts Ave., NE, Room 3615, Washington, DC 20212-0001 or telephone Frank Ptacek at 202-606-6991 ext. 278, or send e-mail to Ptacek_F@bls.gov ___________________________________________________________________________ Improvements to CPI Procedures for Handling Refunds for Utilities Effective with the calculation of the index for January 1999, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has changed its treatment of refunds for electricity, natural gas, or other utility services when the refunds are based on earlier periods' utility consumption amounts. The change affects both the price indexes and the average prices computed by the CPI program. Prior to January 1999, the CPI utility indexes reflect refunds that appear on current period bills but that were based on past period utility consumption. Generally these refunds resulted from the rollback of temporary rate increases, lower than anticipated energy costs, or a reevaluation of rates with respect to actual costs. The former practice made these indexes rather volatile and did not reflect the actual current price (for example, what a new customer would pay) for a utility service such as electricity. Under the newly implemented procedure, the CPI will disregard any refund for past excess charges when it appears on residential customer bills as a separate refund credit that is subtracted from the charges for current billing period's usage. The movement of the CPI utility indexes will reflect all changes in rates-generally in the month they are effective. The CPI utility indexes will continue to reflect current period credits that are based on current period consumption, such as those associated with purchased gas or fuel adjustments. For additional information on this change, write to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes, 2 Massachusetts Ave., NE., Room 3615, Washington, DC 20212-0001; or telephone Bob Adkins at (202) 606-6985 ext. 264, or send e-mail to Adkins_B@bls.gov ___________________________________________________________________________ Using a Hedonic Model to Adjust Television Prices in the Consumer Price Index for Changes in Quality Effective with the release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for January 1999, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has introduced an improvement in the way in which it calculates the television stratum of the CPI. As of December 1998, televisions constituted 0.201 percent in the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (the CPI-U) and 0.240 percent in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (the CPI-W). Bureau of Labor Statistics researchers developed a regression procedure, called a hedonic model, that decomposes the price of television sets into implicit prices for each important feature and component 1/. This model uses television observations collected for the CPI and provides an estimate of the value of each of the significant features and components of the sets for which prices are collected. This yields a mechanism for replacing obsolete televisions in the CPI sample with current ones, allowing the CPI to capture the price change that may occur as new models replace old ones in the market place without counting the value of quality improvements as price increases. The CPI has used similar hedonic methods to adjust apparel prices for many years. In January 1998, the CPI began using a similar approach for personal computers. In the coming years, BLS plans to extend the method to additional CPI items. Starting with the CPI for January 1999, when a television model in the CPI sample improves in some way, the value of that change, as derived from the regression estimates, will be deducted from the observed price change for that product. (Conversely, if a model deteriorates, the value of the difference will be added to the price.) For additional information on these changes, write to Bureau of Labor Statistics Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE., Room 3260 Washington, DC 20212-0001 or telephone Tim LaFleur at (202) 606-6982 ext. 253 or send e-mail to LaFleur_T@bls.gov _______________________________ 1/ Brent R. Moulton, Timothy J. LaFleur, and Karin E. Moses, "Research on Improved Quality Adjustment in the CPI: The Case of Televisions," presented to the Conference of the Ottawa Group, April 1998. __________________________________________________________________________ Treatment of Mandated Pollution Control Measures in the Consumer Price Index Changed Beginning in January 1999, modifications to goods and services made solely for purposes of meeting air pollution standards, and that do not otherwise provide direct value to consumers, will no longer be treated as quality improvements in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Price increases associated with such modifications will be reflected as increases in the index. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently undertook to explain more precisely the relationship between the CPI and a complete measure of changes in consumers' living costs. As part of this activity, the BLS reviewed the treatment of pollution control measures in the CPI. The new policy for treating pollution control measures is a direct result of that review. BLS has stated that the proper objective of the CPI is to approximate changes in the cost of living of U.S. consumers 1/. The CPI is intended to approximate a particular subindex of a complete cost-of-living index, a subindex that is limited to prices of market goods and services and is conditional upon the levels of other determinants of changes in living costs, such as the environment, crime level, and numerous government- provided goods and services. The choice of this index definition recognizes that not all important living cost determinants can be reliably measured and also provides users of the CPI with a clear specification of its scope and limitations. Given the current definition, changes in air quality, as well as in other important environmental factors, are beyond the scope of the CPI and thus properly cannot be included in its construction. A more complete explanation of the relationship between the CPI and a comprehensive measure of changes in living costs is contained in "The Treatment of Mandated Pollution Control Measures in the CPI" 2/. The new policy for the treatment of air pollution measures has become effective with CPI data for January 1999. The new practice likely will have its most significant effect on the motor fuel and new and used motor vehicle components of the index. In the vehicle indexes, the policy will apply to all vehicle models introduced on or after January 1, 1999. Since most of the 1999 model-year vehicles will be introduced before that date, the old practice was used for the 1998-to-1999 model-year changeover in most cases. Historically, quality adjustments for anti-pollution measures have been made to the new car (or new vehicle) component of the CPI since 1969 (automobile model year 1970), with their estimated dollar effect published annually. Since 1988, these data also have been utilized to make quality adjustments in the used car component. In addition, beginning in late 1994, quality adjustments were made for the introduction of reformulated gasoline, which was required in selected areas for compliance with the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990. Available information is not sufficient to make possible a complete accounting of the impacts of this policy in all years. The estimates presented below should be viewed, therefore, as approximations rather than as precise values. In adherence with standard policy, the official CPI historical data will not be revised to be consistent with the new practice. For the period from December 1968 through December 1997, the new car component of the CPI-U rose 174.2 percent. BLS estimates that not adjusting for anti-pollution measures would have resulted in an increase of 230.2 percent over this period. Quality adjustments for light trucks have been made since they were introduced into the CPI in 1983. For the period from December 1983 through December 1997, this index rose 51.4 percent, but with the quality adjustments for anti-pollution measures factored back into the index, it would have risen by an estimated 55.1 percent in this period. The CPI used car index rose 27.2 percent between December 1987 and December 1997; with the quality adjustments for anti-pollution measures factored back into the index, it would have risen approximately 28.8 percent in that 10-year period. The motor fuel component, whose index rose 7.5 percent between December 1993 and December 1997, would have increased by an estimated 15.4 percent over that period if adjustment for environmental quality change had not been made. BLS estimates that the aggregate effect of these component changes on the CPI-U All Items index would have increased the percentage change over the period from December 1968 to December 1997 from 354.4 percent to 357.7 percent. Past experience, however, is not necessarily an indicator of the future impact of this policy change. For additional information on these changes, write to Bureau of Labor Statistics Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE., Room 3130 Washington, DC 20212 or send e-mail to Jackman_P@bls.gov, or telephone Patrick Jackman at (202) 606-6950, or obtain the information on the internet at: http://stats.bls.gov/cpihome.htm. _______________________________ 1/ "Measurement Issues in the Consumer Price Index," paper prepared in response to a letter from Representative Jim Saxton, Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, June 1997. Paper available by contacting BLS or on the internet at: http://stats.bls.gov/cpihome.htm 2/ Paper available by contacting BLS or on the internet at: http://stats.bls.gov/cpihome.htm ___________________________________________________________________________ BLS to Maintain Current Reference Base of 1982-84=100 for Most CPI Index Series The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) previously indicated its intention to change the numerical reference base for both the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from their present 1982-84=100 base to a 1993-95=100 base, effective with release of the January 1999 index in February 1999. BLS also indicated that the alternate, or 1967=100 base, would be discontinued in 1999 as well. This plan was initially described in the December 1996 Monthly Labor Review, a publication which contained several articles that dealt with the 1998 CPI Revision. In 1997, the BLS decided not to implement this rebasing plan. Instead, the BLS will maintain the reference base of 1982-84=100 used for most items. In addition, the 1967=100 reference base will continue to be the alternate base for the All Items indexes. This decision was based in part on the fact that historical data have less precision after rebasing. Rebasing is simply an arithmetic transformation that does not substantially impact the index. Because the rebased index values are smaller, however, the loss of precision due to rounding is more serious. In addition, retaining the old index reference bases will spare users the inconvenience associated with conversion. Changes in the numerical reference base should not be confused with the updating of the CPI's market basket. Since release of the January 1999 CPI, the expenditure weights applied to CPI categories have been based on consumer spending patterns for 1993-95. ___________________________________________________________________________ A Note on Seasonally Adjusted and Unadjusted Data Because price data are used for different purposes by different groups, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes seasonally adjusted as well as unadjusted changes each month. For analyzing general price trends in the economy, seasonally adjusted changes are usually preferred since they eliminate the effect of changes that normally occur at the same time and in about the same magnitude every year--such as price movements resulting from changing climatic conditions, production cycles, model changeovers, holidays, and sales. The unadjusted data are of primary interest to consumers concerned about the prices they actually pay. Unadjusted data also are used extensively for escalation purposes. Many collective bargaining contract agreements and pension plans, for example, tie compensation changes to the Consumer Price Index unadjusted for seasonal variation. Seasonal factors used in computing the seasonally adjusted indexes are derived by the X-12-ARIMA Seasonal Adjustment Method. The updated seasonal data at the end of 1977 replaced data from 1967 through 1977. Subsequent annual updates have replaced 5 years of seasonal data, e.g., data from 1994 through 1998 were replaced at the end of 1998. The seasonal movement of all items and 54 other aggregations is derived by combining the seasonal movement of 73 selected components. Each year the seasonal status of every series is reevaluated based upon certain statistical criteria. If any of the 73 components change their seasonal adjustment status from seasonally adjusted to not seasonally adjusted, not seasonally adjusted data will be used for the last 5 years, but the seasonally adjusted indexes will be used before that period. Seasonally adjusted data, including the All items index levels, are subject to revision for up to five years after their original release. For this reason, BLS advises against the use of these data in escalation agreements. Effective with the calculation of the seasonal factors for 1990, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has used an enhanced seasonal adjustment procedure called Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment for some CPI series. Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment allows for better estimates of seasonally adjusted data. Extreme values and/or sharp movements which might distort the seasonal pattern are estimated and removed from the data prior to calculation of seasonal factors. Beginning with the calculation of seasonal factors for 1996, X-12-ARIMA software was used for Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment. For the fuel oil and the motor fuels indexes, this procedure was used to offset the effects that extreme price volatility would otherwise have had on the estimates of seasonally adjusted data for those series. For some women's apparel indexes and the girls' apparel index, the procedure was used to offset the effects of changes in pricing methodology. For the tobacco and smoking products index, this procedure was used to offset the effects wholesale tobacco prices and legal fees passed on to consumers. For some alcoholic beverage series, Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment was used to offset the effects of excise tax increases. For the Nonalcoholic beverages index, the procedure was used to offset the effects of a large increase in coffee prices due to adverse weather. The procedure was used to account for unusual butter fat supply reductions affecting the Fats and oils series. For the Water and sewerage maintenance index, the procedure was used to account for a data collection anomaly. A description of Intervention Analysis Seasonal Adjustment, as well as a list of unusual events modeled and seasonal factors for these items may be obtained by writing the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Division of Consumer Prices and Price Indexes, Washington, DC 20212 or by calling Claire McAnaw Gallagher on (202) 606-6968 or sending e-mail to Gallagher_C@BLS.GOV. Table 1. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): U.S. city average, by expenditure category and commodity and service group (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted) Unadjusted Relative Unadjusted indexes percent change to Seasonally adjusted importance, Jan. 1999 from- percent change from- CPI-U December 1998 Dec. Jan. 1998 1999 Jan. Dec. Oct. to Nov. to Dec. to 1998 1998 Nov. Dec. Jan. Expenditure category All items ................................... 100.000 163.9 164.3 1.7 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 All items (1967=100) ........................ - 491.0 492.3 - - - - - Food and beverages ......................... 16.408 162.7 163.9 2.2 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.4 Food ...................................... 15.422 162.3 163.6 2.3 0.8 0.1 0.1 0.5 Food at home ............................. 9.691 162.6 164.3 2.0 1.0 0.1 0.0 0.5 Cereals and bakery products ............. 1.544 182.3 184.2 2.9 1.0 0.2 0.1 0.8 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .......... 2.569 147.3 146.4 -1.3 -0.6 -0.2 -0.3 -0.8 Dairy and related products (1)........... 1.088 157.6 161.2 8.7 2.3 0.6 1.1 2.3 Fruits and vegetables ................... 1.440 200.7 208.6 3.2 3.9 -0.6 0.0 2.2 Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ........................... 1.049 131.7 133.5 -0.4 1.4 0.4 -0.2 0.5 Other food at home ...................... 2.002 152.4 153.0 2.9 0.4 0.7 -0.4 -0.2 Sugar and sweets ....................... .377 150.1 151.7 0.9 1.1 0.3 0.2 -0.1 Fats and oils .......................... .309 151.9 150.5 7.1 -0.9 -0.2 -1.9 -2.0 Other foods ............................ 1.316 166.9 167.7 2.5 0.5 1.1 -0.2 0.1 Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)...... .320 104.9 104.1 3.7 -0.8 1.3 0.1 -0.8 Food away from home (1)................... 5.730 163.0 163.5 2.7 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 Other food away from home (1) (2)........ .175 103.3 103.5 3.4 0.2 0.6 0.0 0.2 Alcoholic beverages ....................... .986 167.2 167.6 1.8 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 Housing .................................... 39.828 161.3 161.8 2.2 0.3 0.3 0.1 -0.1 Shelter ................................... 30.283 184.0 184.7 3.1 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.0 Rent of primary residence (3)............. 7.007 174.9 175.3 3.4 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 Lodging away from home (2) (3)............ 2.376 103.8 107.1 1.9 3.2 1.0 -1.0 -1.8 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (3) (4)..................... 20.529 190.7 191.0 3.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.1 Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2).. .371 99.9 99.7 -0.6 -0.2 0.2 0.0 -0.2 Fuels and utilities ....................... 4.735 126.6 126.2 -2.0 -0.3 0.3 -0.2 -0.2 Fuels .................................... 3.801 111.4 110.9 -3.1 -0.4 0.3 -0.2 -0.4 Fuel oil and other fuels ................ .227 86.1 86.6 -10.2 0.6 -0.9 -2.0 -0.1 Gas (piped) and electricity (3).......... 3.574 118.9 118.3 -2.7 -0.5 0.4 -0.1 -0.4 Household furnishings and operations ...... 4.810 126.6 126.8 1.0 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.0 Apparel .................................... 4.831 130.7 127.9 -1.5 -2.1 -0.1 -0.6 -1.1 Men's and boys' apparel ................... 1.358 130.3 128.1 -1.3 -1.7 -0.4 -0.5 -0.5 Women's and girls' apparel ................ 1.939 122.4 117.7 -2.1 -3.8 -0.4 -0.6 -1.9 Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1)......... .272 129.6 130.0 4.2 0.3 0.8 -1.3 0.3 Footwear .................................. .876 127.5 125.6 -1.4 -1.5 0.5 -0.6 -0.9 Transportation ............................. 16.999 140.7 140.4 -1.6 -0.2 -0.1 -0.4 -0.1 Private transportation .................... 15.653 137.2 136.7 -1.9 -0.4 -0.1 -0.4 -0.2 New and used motor vehicles (2)........... 7.843 100.9 100.6 0.4 -0.3 0.3 -0.1 -0.4 New vehicles ............................ 4.983 144.1 144.4 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.1 Used cars and trucks (1)................. 1.914 153.1 150.6 1.7 -1.6 0.7 -0.6 -1.6 Motor fuel ............................... 2.493 86.2 85.0 -13.1 -1.4 -1.3 -2.5 0.0 Gasoline (all types) .................... 2.476 85.7 84.5 -13.1 -1.4 -1.2 -2.6 0.1 Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........ .549 101.2 101.2 -0.1 0.0 -0.2 -0.1 -0.1 Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ..... 1.624 169.6 169.8 2.9 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.1 Public transportation (1).................. 1.346 188.4 190.4 1.8 1.1 -1.3 0.5 1.1 Medical care ............................... 5.713 245.2 246.6 3.6 0.6 0.2 0.3 0.3 Medical care commodities .................. 1.252 225.6 225.9 3.8 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.0 Medical care services ..................... 4.461 249.6 251.3 3.5 0.7 0.2 0.2 0.4 Professional services (3)................. 2.854 224.6 225.8 3.3 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.3 Hospital and related services (3)......... 1.354 291.4 294.4 3.8 1.0 0.2 0.2 0.6 Recreation (2).............................. 6.120 101.2 101.7 1.4 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.4 Video and audio (1) (2).................... 1.748 100.7 101.4 0.8 0.7 -0.3 0.2 0.4 Education and communication (2)............. 5.478 100.7 100.9 1.0 0.2 0.3 -0.2 0.3 Education (2).............................. 2.694 104.7 105.0 4.7 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.3 Educational books and supplies ........... .203 257.3 258.4 5.4 0.4 0.2 0.4 -0.7 Tuition, other school fees, and childcare 2.492 301.7 302.4 4.6 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.4 Communication (1) (2)...................... 2.783 97.1 97.3 -2.3 0.2 0.0 -0.7 0.2 Information and information processing (1) (2)................................... 2.580 96.9 96.9 -2.7 0.0 0.0 -0.7 0.0 Telephone services (1) (2)............... 2.327 100.3 100.7 0.8 0.4 0.4 -0.8 0.4 Information and information processing other than telephone services (1) (5) .253 34.8 33.8 -26.8 -2.9 -2.2 -1.4 -2.9 Personal computers and peripheral equipment (1) (2)................... .148 64.2 61.4 -36.6 -4.4 -2.8 -2.1 -4.4 Other goods and services ................... 4.624 250.3 255.4 10.4 2.0 -0.3 4.2 2.0 Tobacco and smoking products .............. 1.159 331.2 354.2 39.6 6.9 -1.2 18.5 6.6 Personal care (1).......................... 3.465 158.3 158.9 2.8 0.4 -0.1 0.2 0.4 Personal care products (1)................ .742 148.7 149.9 2.6 0.8 -0.4 -0.1 0.8 Personal care services (1)................ .973 168.3 168.8 2.7 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.3 Miscellaneous personal services .......... 1.491 237.8 238.9 3.5 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.3 Commodity and service group Commodities ................................. 42.109 142.2 142.5 0.6 0.2 -0.1 0.2 0.2 Food and beverages ......................... 16.408 162.7 163.9 2.2 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.4 Commodities less food and beverages ........ 25.702 130.2 129.9 -0.5 -0.2 -0.2 0.2 0.1 Nondurables less food and beverages ....... 14.345 132.1 131.8 -0.2 -0.2 -0.4 0.4 0.2 Apparel .................................. 4.831 130.7 127.9 -1.5 -2.1 -0.1 -0.6 -1.1 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .............................. 9.514 137.8 138.8 0.5 0.7 -0.4 0.8 0.9 Durables .................................. 11.356 127.4 127.1 -0.9 -0.2 0.2 -0.2 -0.3 Services .................................... 57.891 185.7 186.3 2.5 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.1 Rent of shelter (4)......................... 29.912 191.5 192.3 3.1 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.0 Transportation services .................... 6.963 188.4 188.8 0.9 0.2 -0.1 0.2 0.2 Other services ............................. 10.768 219.5 220.5 3.2 0.5 0.4 0.1 0.5 Special indexes All items less food ......................... 84.578 164.2 164.5 1.6 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 All items less shelter ...................... 69.717 157.8 158.1 1.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.3 All items less medical care ................. 94.287 159.4 159.8 1.6 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.1 Commodities less food ....................... 26.688 131.7 131.4 -0.4 -0.2 -0.2 0.3 0.0 Nondurables less food ....................... 15.331 134.2 133.9 0.0 -0.2 -0.2 0.3 0.1 Nondurables less food and apparel ........... 10.500 139.7 140.7 0.6 0.7 -0.3 0.7 0.9 Nondurables ................................. 30.753 147.5 147.9 1.2 0.3 -0.1 0.2 0.3 Services less rent of shelter (4)............ 27.979 192.8 193.3 1.8 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.1 Services less medical care services ......... 53.429 179.8 180.3 2.4 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.0 Energy ...................................... 6.294 98.9 98.1 -7.4 -0.8 -0.3 -1.1 -0.2 All items less energy ....................... 93.706 172.3 172.9 2.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.1 All items less food and energy ............. 78.284 174.8 175.3 2.4 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.1 Commodities less food and energy commodities ........................... 23.967 143.9 143.7 1.2 -0.1 -0.1 0.6 0.0 Energy commodities ....................... 2.720 86.3 85.2 -12.9 -1.3 -1.2 -2.5 0.0 Services less energy services ............. 54.316 192.5 193.2 2.8 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.2 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar ..... - $ .610 $ .608 - - - - - Purchasing power of the consumer dollar - old base .................................... - $ .204 $ .203 - - - - - 1 Not seasonally adjusted. 2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. 3 This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series converted to a geometric means estimator in January, 1999. 4 Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. 5 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base. - Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Table 2. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Seasonally adjusted U.S. city average, by expenditure category and commodity and service group (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted) Seasonally adjusted indexes Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent change for CPI-U 3 months ended-- 6 months ended-- Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. 1998 1998 1998 1999 Apr. July Oct. Jan. July Jan. 1998 1998 1998 1999 1998 1999 Expenditure category All items ................................... 163.9 164.2 164.4 164.6 1.2 2.0 1.5 1.7 1.6 1.6 Food and beverages ......................... 162.4 162.7 162.8 163.5 0.0 3.0 3.3 2.7 1.5 3.0 Food ...................................... 162.2 162.4 162.5 163.3 0.0 3.3 3.3 2.7 1.6 3.0 Food at home ............................. 162.5 162.7 162.7 163.5 -1.0 3.6 3.5 2.5 1.3 3.0 Cereals and bakery products ............. 182.4 182.7 182.9 184.4 2.3 2.5 2.7 4.5 2.4 3.6 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .......... 147.4 147.1 146.7 145.5 -1.9 1.6 0.3 -5.1 -0.1 -2.4 Dairy and related products (1)........... 155.0 155.9 157.6 161.2 0.5 -0.8 19.7 17.0 -0.1 18.3 Fruits and vegetables ................... 201.7 200.4 200.4 204.8 -7.1 13.1 1.6 6.3 2.5 3.9 Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ........................... 132.6 133.1 132.8 133.4 -2.7 -0.3 -1.2 2.4 -1.5 0.6 Other food at home ...................... 152.7 153.8 153.2 152.9 1.6 4.9 4.6 0.5 3.3 2.5 Sugar and sweets ....................... 150.6 151.0 151.3 151.1 0.0 -0.3 2.7 1.3 -0.1 2.0 Fats and oils .......................... 156.4 156.1 153.2 150.2 0.9 20.2 27.8 -14.9 10.1 4.3 Other foods ............................ 165.9 167.7 167.4 167.6 2.5 3.2 0.2 4.2 2.8 2.2 Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)...... 103.5 104.8 104.9 104.1 5.3 3.6 3.6 2.3 4.4 2.9 Food away from home (1)................... 162.3 162.6 163.0 163.5 2.5 2.3 3.0 3.0 2.4 3.0 Other food away from home (1) (2)........ 102.7 103.3 103.3 103.5 2.0 4.0 4.4 3.2 3.0 3.8 Alcoholic beverages ....................... 166.7 167.1 167.5 167.6 0.5 2.2 2.2 2.2 1.3 2.2 Housing .................................... 161.3 161.8 162.0 161.9 2.8 2.0 2.3 1.5 2.4 1.9 Shelter ................................... 183.7 184.3 184.6 184.6 3.4 2.9 4.0 2.0 3.2 3.0 Rent of primary residence (3)............. 173.8 174.4 174.9 175.3 3.1 3.3 3.8 3.5 3.2 3.6 Lodging away from home (2) (3)............ 103.8 104.8 103.8 101.9 4.5 -0.4 11.6 -7.1 2.0 1.8 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (3) (4)..................... 189.6 190.0 190.6 190.8 3.5 3.3 3.2 2.6 3.4 2.9 Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2).. 99.7 99.9 99.9 99.7 0.4 -4.3 1.6 0.0 -2.0 0.8 Fuels and utilities ....................... 126.8 127.2 127.0 126.8 -1.2 -2.2 -4.6 0.0 -1.7 -2.3 Fuels .................................... 111.1 111.4 111.2 110.8 -2.4 -2.8 -6.2 -1.1 -2.6 -3.7 Fuel oil and other fuels ................ 87.4 86.6 84.9 84.8 -11.0 -6.0 -12.2 -11.4 -8.5 -11.8 Gas (piped) and electricity (3).......... 118.7 119.2 119.1 118.6 -1.6 -2.9 -5.8 -0.3 -2.3 -3.1 Household furnishings and operations ...... 126.7 126.9 127.0 127.0 2.9 1.0 -0.9 1.0 1.9 0.0 Apparel .................................... 133.2 133.1 132.3 130.8 0.0 0.0 1.5 -7.0 0.0 -2.8 Men's and boys' apparel ................... 132.1 131.6 131.0 130.3 0.0 -0.3 0.3 -5.3 -0.2 -2.6 Women's and girls' apparel ................ 125.8 125.3 124.6 122.2 2.9 0.3 0.3 -11.0 1.6 -5.5 Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1)......... 130.2 131.3 129.6 130.0 5.9 -13.8 29.7 -0.6 -4.4 13.5 Footwear .................................. 128.4 129.0 128.2 127.1 -7.5 6.5 -0.3 -4.0 -0.8 -2.2 Transportation ............................. 141.3 141.1 140.6 140.4 -2.8 0.0 -1.4 -2.5 -1.4 -2.0 Private transportation .................... 137.8 137.7 137.1 136.8 -4.0 0.3 -1.2 -2.9 -1.9 -2.0 New and used motor vehicles (2)........... 100.7 101.0 100.9 100.5 0.4 1.2 0.8 -0.8 0.8 0.0 New vehicles ............................ 143.3 143.3 143.4 143.5 0.3 -0.8 -0.3 0.6 -0.3 0.1 Used cars and trucks (1)................. 153.0 154.0 153.1 150.6 0.3 8.6 4.6 -6.1 4.4 -0.9 Motor fuel ............................... 89.8 88.6 86.4 86.4 -22.7 -4.2 -10.0 -14.3 -14.0 -12.2 Gasoline (all types) .................... 89.3 88.2 85.9 86.0 -23.1 -4.7 -9.7 -14.0 -14.4 -11.9 Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........ 101.4 101.2 101.1 101.0 -1.6 2.0 0.8 -1.6 0.2 -0.4 Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ..... 168.7 169.3 169.6 169.8 2.2 2.9 4.1 2.6 2.6 3.4 Public transportation (1).................. 189.9 187.4 188.4 190.4 14.2 -2.9 -4.3 1.1 5.3 -1.7 Medical care ............................... 244.9 245.4 246.1 246.9 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.3 3.7 3.5 Medical care commodities .................. 224.6 225.3 226.1 226.2 3.5 3.9 5.1 2.9 3.7 4.0 Medical care services ..................... 249.2 249.7 250.3 251.3 3.8 3.6 3.1 3.4 3.7 3.3 Professional services (3)................. 224.5 224.9 225.4 226.1 3.7 3.5 3.5 2.9 3.6 3.2 Hospital and related services (3)......... 290.4 291.0 291.7 293.5 4.2 3.7 3.1 4.3 3.9 3.7 Recreation (2).............................. 101.0 101.1 101.2 101.6 2.4 0.4 0.4 2.4 1.4 1.4 Video and audio (1) (2).................... 101.4 101.1 101.3 101.7 0.0 0.4 1.6 1.2 0.2 1.4 Education and communication (2)............. 100.6 100.9 100.7 101.0 1.6 2.0 -1.2 1.6 1.8 0.2 Education (2).............................. 103.8 104.3 104.7 105.0 5.3 4.4 3.9 4.7 4.8 4.3 Educational books and supplies ........... 256.6 257.2 258.2 256.4 8.7 4.3 9.4 -0.3 6.4 4.4 Tuition, other school fees, and childcare 297.6 298.8 300.0 301.2 5.1 4.6 3.6 4.9 4.8 4.2 Communication (1) (2)...................... 97.8 97.8 97.1 97.3 -1.2 -0.8 -5.1 -2.0 -1.0 -3.6 Information and information processing (1) (2)................................... 97.6 97.6 96.9 96.9 -1.6 -0.8 -5.5 -2.8 -1.2 -4.2 Telephone services (1) (2)............... 100.7 101.1 100.3 100.7 2.4 4.0 -3.1 0.0 3.2 -1.6 Information and information processing other than telephone services (1) (5) 36.1 35.3 34.8 33.8 -26.3 -30.3 -27.3 -23.2 -28.4 -25.3 Personal computers and peripheral equipment (1) (2)................... 67.5 65.6 64.2 61.4 -36.2 -43.1 -35.1 -31.5 -39.8 -33.3 Other goods and services ................... 241.7 240.9 251.0 255.9 5.8 5.7 5.7 25.7 5.8 15.2 Tobacco and smoking products .............. 283.7 280.2 331.9 353.9 15.2 17.7 15.8 142.2 16.4 67.4 Personal care (1).......................... 158.1 158.0 158.3 158.9 3.4 2.9 2.8 2.0 3.1 2.4 Personal care products (1)................ 149.4 148.8 148.7 149.9 3.3 5.0 0.8 1.3 4.1 1.1 Personal care services (1)................ 167.5 167.6 168.3 168.8 2.2 2.2 3.4 3.1 2.2 3.3 Miscellaneous personal services .......... 237.2 237.8 238.8 239.4 2.8 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.2 3.8 Commodity and service group Commodities ................................. 142.3 142.2 142.5 142.8 -1.1 1.1 0.8 1.4 0.0 1.1 Food and beverages ......................... 162.4 162.7 162.8 163.5 0.0 3.0 3.3 2.7 1.5 3.0 Commodities less food and beverages ........ 130.5 130.2 130.5 130.6 -1.5 0.0 -0.6 0.3 -0.8 -0.2 Nondurables less food and beverages ....... 132.8 132.3 132.8 133.0 -3.6 2.1 0.3 0.6 -0.7 0.5 Apparel .................................. 133.2 133.1 132.3 130.8 0.0 0.0 1.5 -7.0 0.0 -2.8 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .............................. 137.4 136.9 138.0 139.3 -4.8 1.8 0.0 5.6 -1.6 2.8 Durables .................................. 127.2 127.4 127.2 126.8 -0.3 -0.3 -1.6 -1.3 -0.3 -1.4 Services .................................... 185.5 186.0 186.3 186.5 3.1 2.4 2.2 2.2 2.8 2.2 Rent of shelter (4)......................... 191.6 192.1 192.5 192.5 3.3 3.0 4.3 1.9 3.1 3.1 Transportation services .................... 187.9 187.8 188.1 188.4 3.5 -0.2 -0.6 1.1 1.6 0.2 Other services ............................. 218.8 219.6 219.8 220.8 4.2 3.2 1.8 3.7 3.7 2.8 Special indexes All items less food ......................... 164.1 164.3 164.6 164.7 1.7 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6 1.5 All items less shelter ...................... 157.7 157.8 158.0 158.4 0.5 1.3 0.8 1.8 0.9 1.3 All items less medical care ................. 159.2 159.4 159.7 159.9 1.3 1.8 1.5 1.8 1.5 1.6 Commodities less food ....................... 132.1 131.8 132.2 132.2 -1.5 0.3 -0.6 0.3 -0.6 -0.2 Nondurables less food ....................... 134.8 134.5 134.9 135.1 -3.2 1.8 0.6 0.9 -0.7 0.7 Nondurables less food and apparel ........... 139.3 138.9 139.9 141.1 -4.8 2.0 0.3 5.3 -1.4 2.7 Nondurables ................................. 147.6 147.5 147.8 148.3 -1.9 3.3 1.4 1.9 0.7 1.6 Services less rent of shelter (4)............ 192.4 192.8 193.3 193.5 2.3 2.1 0.4 2.3 2.2 1.4 Services less medical care services ......... 179.6 180.0 180.5 180.5 2.8 2.5 2.3 2.0 2.6 2.1 Energy ...................................... 100.4 100.1 99.0 98.8 -11.5 -3.4 -7.9 -6.2 -7.5 -7.1 All items less energy ....................... 172.2 172.5 173.0 173.2 2.4 2.1 2.4 2.3 2.3 2.4 All items less food and energy ............. 174.8 175.0 175.6 175.7 2.8 2.1 2.3 2.1 2.5 2.2 Commodities less food and energy commodities ........................... 143.6 143.5 144.4 144.4 1.1 0.8 0.8 2.2 1.0 1.5 Energy commodities ....................... 89.5 88.4 86.2 86.2 -21.8 -4.2 -10.4 -14.0 -13.5 -12.2 Services less energy services ............. 192.3 192.8 193.1 193.4 3.7 2.6 3.0 2.3 3.1 2.6 1 Not seasonally adjusted. 2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. 3 This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series converted to a geometric means estimator in January, 1999. 4 Indexes on a December 1982=100 base. 5 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Table 3. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U): Selected areas, all items index (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted) All items Prici- Indexes Percent change to Percent change to CPI-U ng Jan.1999 from-- Dec.1998 from-- sched- ule Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. (1) 1998 1998 1998 1999 Jan. Nov. Dec. Dec. Oct. Nov. 1998 1998 1998 1997 1998 1998 U.S. city average ........................... M 164.0 164.0 163.9 164.3 1.7 0.2 0.2 1.6 -0.1 -0.1 Region and area size(2) Northeast urban ............................. M 171.3 171.2 171.2 171.4 1.5 0.1 0.1 1.7 -0.1 0.0 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 172.3 172.2 172.2 172.5 1.8 0.2 0.2 1.8 -0.1 0.0 Size B/C 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).......... M 102.6 102.6 102.5 102.6 1.0 0.0 0.1 1.2 -0.1 -0.1 Midwest urban ............................... M 160.1 160.1 159.8 160.4 1.8 0.2 0.4 1.6 -0.2 -0.2 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 161.4 161.3 161.0 161.6 2.0 0.2 0.4 1.8 -0.2 -0.2 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 102.4 102.4 102.3 102.6 1.4 0.2 0.3 1.3 -0.1 -0.1 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 154.3 154.7 155.0 155.5 1.7 0.5 0.3 1.3 0.5 0.2 South urban ................................. M 159.8 159.6 159.6 159.9 1.5 0.2 0.2 1.5 -0.1 0.0 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 159.0 158.6 158.3 158.9 1.5 0.2 0.4 1.3 -0.4 -0.2 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)........ M 102.8 102.8 102.8 102.9 1.4 0.1 0.1 1.5 0.0 0.0 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 159.8 160.0 160.4 160.8 2.1 0.5 0.2 2.2 0.4 0.3 West urban .................................. M 165.5 165.8 165.8 166.4 2.1 0.4 0.4 1.8 0.2 0.0 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 166.3 166.5 166.5 167.3 2.4 0.5 0.5 2.1 0.1 0.0 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 103.0 103.5 103.4 103.6 1.3 0.1 0.2 1.4 0.4 -0.1 Size classes A (4)...................................... M 148.5 148.5 148.4 148.9 2.0 0.3 0.3 1.9 -0.1 -0.1 B/C (3).................................... M 102.7 102.8 102.7 102.9 1.3 0.1 0.2 1.3 0.0 -0.1 D ......................................... M 159.7 159.9 160.2 160.6 1.8 0.4 0.2 1.7 0.3 0.2 Selected local areas(5) Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI .............. M 165.7 165.4 165.1 166.1 2.0 0.4 0.6 1.4 -0.4 -0.2 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ..... M 163.2 163.4 163.5 164.2 2.0 0.5 0.4 1.4 0.2 0.1 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA ............................. M 174.8 174.7 174.7 175.0 1.7 0.2 0.2 1.6 -0.1 0.0 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT ......... 1 - 173.3 - 174.1 1.7 0.5 - - - - Cleveland-Akron, OH ......................... 1 - 160.8 - 160.6 1.5 -0.1 - - - - Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ....................... 1 - 154.0 - 155.0 1.9 0.6 - - - - Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV (6)........ 1 - 102.4 - 102.8 1.8 0.4 - - - - Atlanta, GA ................................. 2 162.0 - 161.6 - - - - 1.4 -0.2 - Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI ................. 2 161.0 - 161.2 - - - - 2.6 0.1 - Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .............. 2 148.5 - 146.1 - - - - 0.3 -1.6 - Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ................... 2 161.1 - 161.1 - - - - 1.1 0.0 - Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-DE-MD ............................. 2 170.3 - 169.0 - - - - 1.6 -0.8 - San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA .......... 2 167.2 - 167.4 - - - - 3.0 0.1 - Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA ................ 2 169.3 - 169.4 - - - - 2.7 0.1 - 1 Areas on pricing schedule 2 (see Table 10) will appear next month. 2 Regions defined as the four Census regions. See map in technical notes. 3 Indexes on a December 1996=100 base. 4 Indexes on a December 1986=100 base. 5 In addition, the following metropolitan areas are published semiannually and appear in Tables 34 and 39 of the January and July issues of the CPI Detailed Report: Anchorage, AK; Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH-KY-IN; Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO; Honolulu, HI; Kansas City, MO-KS; Milwaukee-Racine, WI; Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland-Salem, OR-WA; St. Louis, MO-IL; San Diego, CA; Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL. 6 Indexes on a November 1996=100 base. - Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Table 4. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): U.S. city average, by expenditure category and commodity and service group (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted) Unadjusted Relative Unadjusted indexes percent change to Seasonally adjusted importance, Jan. 1999 from- percent change from- CPI-W December 1998 Dec. Jan. 1998 1999 Jan. Dec. Oct. to Nov. to Dec. to 1998 1998 Nov. Dec. Jan. Expenditure category All items ................................... 100.000 160.7 161.0 1.6 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 All items (1967=100) ........................ - 478.6 479.7 - - - - - Food and beverages ......................... 18.011 161.9 163.1 2.2 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.4 Food ...................................... 16.966 161.5 162.8 2.2 0.8 0.2 0.0 0.5 Food at home ............................. 10.832 161.3 163.1 2.0 1.1 0.1 -0.1 0.6 Cereals and bakery products ............. 1.689 182.0 184.0 2.9 1.1 0.2 0.1 0.8 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .......... 3.055 146.9 146.0 -1.4 -0.6 -0.2 -0.3 -0.8 Dairy and related products (1)........... 1.193 157.4 161.1 8.9 2.4 0.6 1.2 2.4 Fruits and vegetables ................... 1.492 199.0 207.3 3.2 4.2 -0.6 -0.1 2.6 Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ........................... 1.184 130.4 132.5 -0.3 1.6 0.4 -0.3 0.6 Other food at home ...................... 2.220 151.7 152.4 2.9 0.5 0.8 -0.4 -0.2 Sugar and sweets ....................... .420 150.0 151.8 1.1 1.2 0.3 0.3 -0.1 Fats and oils .......................... .354 151.2 150.1 6.9 -0.7 -0.2 -1.9 -1.8 Other foods ............................ 1.446 166.7 167.7 2.5 0.6 1.1 -0.2 0.2 Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)...... .355 104.9 104.2 3.7 -0.7 1.5 0.0 -0.7 Food away from home (1)................... 6.133 163.0 163.5 2.6 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 Other food away from home (1) (2)........ .216 103.4 103.6 3.5 0.2 0.6 0.0 0.2 Alcoholic beverages ....................... 1.045 166.2 166.5 1.8 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.1 Housing .................................... 36.685 157.8 158.1 2.1 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.0 Shelter ................................... 27.496 178.8 179.3 3.1 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.1 Rent of primary residence (3)............. 8.500 174.6 174.9 3.4 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 Lodging away from home (2) (3)............ 1.379 104.0 107.1 2.2 3.0 1.2 -0.7 -2.1 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (3) (4)..................... 17.296 173.7 173.9 3.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2).. .320 100.3 100.1 -0.3 -0.2 0.3 0.0 -0.2 Fuels and utilities ....................... 4.850 126.4 126.0 -2.0 -0.3 0.4 -0.2 -0.2 Fuels .................................... 3.928 110.9 110.4 -3.1 -0.5 0.4 -0.2 -0.3 Fuel oil and other fuels ................ .201 86.6 87.1 -9.5 0.6 -0.9 -2.1 0.0 Gas (piped) and electricity (3).......... 3.727 118.4 117.7 -2.7 -0.6 0.4 -0.2 -0.3 Household furnishings and operations ...... 4.339 124.8 125.0 0.7 0.2 0.2 0.1 -0.1 Apparel .................................... 5.199 129.8 127.1 -1.2 -2.1 -0.1 -0.5 -1.1 Men's and boys' apparel ................... 1.474 130.2 128.1 -1.0 -1.6 -0.7 -0.5 -0.7 Women's and girls' apparel ................ 1.948 121.0 116.4 -1.8 -3.8 -0.1 -0.4 -1.9 Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1)......... .344 130.9 130.8 4.4 -0.1 1.3 -1.4 -0.1 Footwear .................................. 1.057 128.2 126.1 -1.8 -1.6 0.4 -0.5 -0.9 Transportation ............................. 19.166 139.6 139.1 -1.8 -0.4 -0.1 -0.5 -0.1 Private transportation .................... 18.109 137.1 136.5 -2.0 -0.4 0.0 -0.5 -0.2 New and used motor vehicles (2)........... 9.250 101.1 100.6 0.5 -0.5 0.4 -0.2 -0.5 New vehicles ............................ 5.224 145.3 145.5 -0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 Used cars and trucks (1)................. 3.216 154.3 151.8 1.4 -1.6 0.6 -0.6 -1.6 Motor fuel ............................... 3.066 86.0 85.0 -12.9 -1.2 -1.3 -2.7 0.2 Gasoline (all types) .................... 3.045 85.5 84.5 -13.0 -1.2 -1.5 -2.7 0.2 Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........ .682 100.5 100.6 -0.1 0.1 -0.2 -0.2 0.0 Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ..... 1.690 170.9 171.2 3.1 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.2 Public transportation (1).................. 1.056 185.1 186.8 1.1 0.9 -1.1 0.5 0.9 Medical care ............................... 4.672 244.4 245.8 3.5 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.3 Medical care commodities .................. .926 222.1 222.4 3.6 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.0 Medical care services ..................... 3.746 249.4 251.0 3.5 0.6 0.2 0.2 0.4 Professional services (3)................. 2.415 226.2 227.3 3.4 0.5 0.1 0.3 0.3 Hospital and related services (3)......... 1.114 287.4 290.4 3.9 1.0 0.2 0.2 0.8 Recreation (2).............................. 5.925 100.8 101.2 0.9 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.4 Video and audio (1) (2).................... 1.951 100.7 101.3 0.8 0.6 -0.1 0.1 0.4 Education and communication (2)............. 5.361 100.9 101.2 1.2 0.3 0.3 -0.2 0.3 Education (2).............................. 2.478 104.7 105.1 4.8 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 Educational books and supplies ........... .200 259.7 260.8 5.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 -0.6 Tuition, other school fees, and childcare 2.278 295.8 296.6 4.6 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 Communication (1) (2)...................... 2.883 97.8 98.1 -1.6 0.3 0.1 -0.7 0.3 Information and information processing (1) (2)................................... 2.733 97.7 97.8 -1.8 0.1 0.1 -0.7 0.1 Telephone services (1) (2)............... 2.519 100.4 100.8 0.9 0.4 0.4 -0.8 0.4 Information and information processing other than telephone services (1) (5) .213 36.0 35.0 -26.6 -2.8 -2.1 -1.6 -2.8 Personal computers and peripheral equipment (1) (2)................... .120 64.0 61.1 -36.7 -4.5 -3.3 -2.0 -4.5 Other goods and services ................... 4.981 252.6 259.2 13.6 2.6 -0.5 5.8 2.5 Tobacco and smoking products .............. 1.694 332.0 354.5 39.8 6.8 -1.3 18.7 6.4 Personal care (1).......................... 3.287 158.3 159.1 3.0 0.5 -0.1 0.1 0.5 Personal care products (1)................ .838 149.6 150.7 2.5 0.7 -0.4 -0.1 0.7 Personal care services (1)................ .975 168.6 169.1 2.8 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.3 Miscellaneous personal services .......... 1.253 237.4 239.1 4.0 0.7 0.2 0.4 0.5 Commodity and service group Commodities ................................. 46.764 142.3 142.5 0.8 0.1 0.0 0.3 0.2 Food and beverages ......................... 18.011 161.9 163.1 2.2 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.4 Commodities less food and beverages ........ 28.753 130.6 130.4 -0.1 -0.2 -0.2 0.5 0.1 Nondurables less food and beverages ....... 15.564 132.1 132.0 0.4 -0.1 -0.4 0.7 0.4 Apparel .................................. 5.199 129.8 127.1 -1.2 -2.1 -0.1 -0.5 -1.1 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .............................. 10.365 137.9 139.2 1.2 0.9 -0.5 1.4 1.2 Durables .................................. 13.189 127.4 126.9 -0.6 -0.4 0.1 -0.1 -0.4 Services .................................... 53.236 182.5 183.0 2.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.1 Rent of shelter (4)......................... 27.175 172.2 172.7 3.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.0 Transportation services .................... 6.800 186.1 186.4 0.8 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.1 Other services ............................. 10.144 216.1 217.1 3.1 0.5 0.3 0.0 0.5 Special indexes All items less food ......................... 83.034 160.4 160.5 1.5 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 All items less shelter ...................... 72.504 155.6 155.9 1.1 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.2 All items less medical care ................. 95.328 156.8 157.1 1.6 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 Commodities less food ....................... 29.798 132.0 131.8 0.0 -0.2 -0.2 0.5 0.1 Nondurables less food ....................... 16.609 134.1 134.1 0.4 0.0 -0.3 0.5 0.4 Nondurables less food and apparel ........... 11.410 139.7 140.9 1.2 0.9 -0.4 1.3 0.9 Nondurables ................................. 33.575 147.3 147.8 1.3 0.3 -0.1 0.3 0.3 Services less rent of shelter (4)............ 26.061 171.5 171.9 1.7 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 Services less medical care services ......... 49.490 176.9 177.3 2.4 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.1 Energy ...................................... 6.994 97.8 97.0 -7.6 -0.8 -0.4 -1.3 -0.1 All items less energy ....................... 93.006 169.3 169.8 2.4 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.2 All items less food and energy ............. 76.040 171.3 171.6 2.4 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.1 Commodities less food and energy commodities ........................... 26.531 144.1 144.0 1.8 -0.1 0.1 0.8 0.0 Energy commodities ....................... 3.267 86.2 85.2 -12.8 -1.2 -1.3 -2.6 0.2 Services less energy services ............. 49.509 189.7 190.3 2.8 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar ..... - $ .622 $ .621 - - - - - Purchasing power of the consumer dollar - old base .................................... - $ .209 $ .208 - - - - - 1 Not seasonally adjusted. 2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. 3 This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series converted to a geometric means estimator in January, 1999. 4 Indexes on a December 1984=100 base 5 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base. - Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Table 5. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): Seasonally adjusted U.S. city average, by expenditure category and commodity and service group (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted) Seasonally adjusted indexes Seasonally adjusted annual rate percent change for CPI-W 3 months ended-- 6 months ended-- Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. 1998 1998 1998 1999 Apr. July Oct. Jan. July Jan. 1998 1998 1998 1999 1998 1999 Expenditure category All items ................................... 160.4 160.7 161.0 161.3 1.0 1.8 1.5 2.3 1.4 1.9 Food and beverages ......................... 161.8 162.1 162.2 162.9 0.0 3.0 3.0 2.7 1.5 2.9 Food ...................................... 161.4 161.7 161.7 162.5 -0.3 3.3 3.0 2.8 1.5 2.9 Food at home ............................. 161.4 161.6 161.5 162.4 -1.3 3.6 3.3 2.5 1.1 2.9 Cereals and bakery products ............. 182.1 182.5 182.6 184.0 2.3 2.9 2.2 4.2 2.6 3.2 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .......... 147.0 146.7 146.2 145.1 -1.9 1.4 0.3 -5.1 -0.3 -2.4 Dairy and related products (1)........... 154.6 155.5 157.4 161.1 0.8 -1.1 19.7 17.9 -0.1 18.8 Fruits and vegetables ................... 201.3 200.1 199.9 205.0 -8.6 13.4 2.0 7.6 1.8 4.7 Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ........................... 131.4 131.9 131.5 132.3 -2.7 0.3 -1.5 2.8 -1.2 0.6 Other food at home ...................... 151.9 153.1 152.5 152.2 1.6 4.9 4.0 0.8 3.3 2.4 Sugar and sweets ....................... 150.4 150.9 151.3 151.2 0.3 -0.3 2.2 2.1 0.0 2.2 Fats and oils .......................... 155.8 155.5 152.6 149.8 0.3 19.9 27.2 -14.5 9.6 4.3 Other foods ............................ 165.7 167.6 167.2 167.5 2.5 3.2 -0.2 4.4 2.8 2.1 Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)...... 103.3 104.9 104.9 104.2 4.9 4.4 2.0 3.5 4.6 2.7 Food away from home (1)................... 162.3 162.6 163.0 163.5 2.3 2.3 3.0 3.0 2.3 3.0 Other food away from home (1) (2)........ 102.8 103.4 103.4 103.6 2.0 3.6 5.2 3.1 2.8 4.2 Alcoholic beverages ....................... 165.5 166.0 166.5 166.7 0.2 2.2 2.0 2.9 1.2 2.4 Housing .................................... 157.5 157.9 158.2 158.2 2.6 2.1 2.1 1.8 2.3 1.9 Shelter ................................... 178.3 178.9 179.2 179.3 3.3 2.8 3.9 2.3 3.0 3.1 Rent of primary residence (3)............. 173.4 174.0 174.5 174.9 2.6 3.8 3.5 3.5 3.2 3.5 Lodging away from home (2) (3)............ 103.6 104.8 104.1 101.9 5.3 -2.0 12.9 -6.4 1.6 2.8 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (3) (4)..................... 172.7 173.1 173.5 173.8 3.6 2.9 3.3 2.6 3.2 2.9 Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2).. 100.0 100.3 100.3 100.1 0.4 -4.3 2.4 0.4 -2.0 1.4 Fuels and utilities ....................... 126.5 127.0 126.8 126.5 -1.5 -1.5 -4.9 0.0 -1.5 -2.5 Fuels .................................... 110.4 110.8 110.6 110.3 -2.8 -2.5 -6.6 -0.4 -2.6 -3.5 Fuel oil and other fuels ................ 87.9 87.1 85.3 85.3 -9.0 -5.5 -11.8 -11.3 -7.3 -11.6 Gas (piped) and electricity (3).......... 118.1 118.6 118.4 118.1 -2.6 -2.0 -6.2 0.0 -2.3 -3.1 Household furnishings and operations ...... 125.0 125.2 125.3 125.2 3.3 0.3 -1.3 0.6 1.8 -0.3 Apparel .................................... 132.1 132.0 131.4 129.9 -1.5 0.0 3.4 -6.5 -0.8 -1.7 Men's and boys' apparel ................... 132.4 131.5 130.9 130.0 0.9 -0.3 2.5 -7.1 0.3 -2.4 Women's and girls' apparel ................ 124.1 124.0 123.5 121.1 -0.3 0.3 2.6 -9.3 0.0 -3.5 Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1)......... 131.0 132.7 130.9 130.8 5.2 -12.6 29.9 -0.6 -4.1 13.6 Footwear .................................. 129.0 129.5 128.8 127.7 -8.6 5.8 0.3 -4.0 -1.7 -1.9 Transportation ............................. 140.2 140.1 139.4 139.2 -3.3 0.3 -1.4 -2.8 -1.5 -2.1 Private transportation .................... 137.7 137.7 137.0 136.7 -4.2 0.6 -1.4 -2.9 -1.9 -2.2 New and used motor vehicles (2)........... 100.9 101.3 101.1 100.6 0.0 2.0 1.2 -1.2 1.0 0.0 New vehicles ............................ 144.3 144.6 144.7 144.8 0.3 -1.1 -0.6 1.4 -0.4 0.4 Used cars and trucks (1)................. 154.2 155.2 154.3 151.8 -0.5 8.8 4.0 -6.1 4.0 -1.2 Motor fuel ............................... 89.9 88.7 86.3 86.5 -22.0 -4.2 -10.4 -14.3 -13.6 -12.4 Gasoline (all types) .................... 89.5 88.2 85.8 86.0 -22.5 -4.2 -9.7 -14.7 -13.8 -12.2 Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........ 100.8 100.6 100.4 100.4 -1.6 1.6 1.2 -1.6 0.0 -0.2 Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ..... 170.0 170.6 170.9 171.2 1.9 3.4 4.3 2.9 2.7 3.6 Public transportation (1).................. 186.3 184.2 185.1 186.8 12.2 -2.9 -5.0 1.1 4.4 -2.0 Medical care ............................... 244.0 244.6 245.2 245.9 3.8 3.7 3.3 3.2 3.7 3.2 Medical care commodities .................. 221.2 221.8 222.6 222.6 3.4 3.6 4.8 2.6 3.5 3.7 Medical care services ..................... 249.0 249.5 250.1 251.0 3.8 3.8 3.1 3.3 3.8 3.2 Professional services (3)................. 226.1 226.4 227.0 227.7 3.7 3.7 3.6 2.9 3.7 3.2 Hospital and related services (3)......... 286.6 287.1 287.6 289.9 3.8 4.0 3.1 4.7 3.9 3.9 Recreation (2).............................. 100.6 100.7 100.8 101.2 2.0 0.0 -0.4 2.4 1.0 1.0 Video and audio (1) (2).................... 101.2 101.1 101.2 101.6 0.8 -0.4 1.2 1.6 0.2 1.4 Education and communication (2)............. 100.8 101.1 100.9 101.2 2.0 2.0 -0.8 1.6 2.0 0.4 Education (2).............................. 103.9 104.3 104.7 105.1 5.7 4.4 4.3 4.7 5.0 4.5 Educational books and supplies ........... 258.7 259.4 260.5 259.0 8.6 3.9 9.0 0.5 6.2 4.6 Tuition, other school fees, and childcare 291.9 293.1 294.2 295.5 5.2 4.6 3.9 5.0 4.9 4.5 Communication (1) (2)...................... 98.4 98.5 97.8 98.1 -0.8 0.4 -4.7 -1.2 -0.2 -3.0 Information and information processing (1) (2)................................... 98.3 98.4 97.7 97.8 -0.4 0.0 -4.7 -2.0 -0.2 -3.4 Telephone services (1) (2)............... 100.8 101.2 100.4 100.8 2.4 4.0 -2.7 0.0 3.2 -1.4 Information and information processing other than telephone services (1) (5) 37.4 36.6 36.0 35.0 -26.9 -31.0 -25.1 -23.3 -29.0 -24.2 Personal computers and peripheral equipment (1) (2)................... 67.5 65.3 64.0 61.1 -37.2 -44.0 -32.2 -32.9 -40.7 -32.6 Other goods and services ................... 240.3 239.2 253.0 259.3 7.4 6.7 6.9 35.6 7.0 20.4 Tobacco and smoking products .............. 283.8 280.1 332.6 353.8 17.1 16.4 15.8 141.5 16.8 67.2 Personal care (1).......................... 158.3 158.1 158.3 159.1 3.7 2.9 3.4 2.0 3.3 2.7 Personal care products (1)................ 150.4 149.8 149.6 150.7 3.9 4.7 0.8 0.8 4.3 0.8 Personal care services (1)................ 167.8 168.0 168.6 169.1 2.5 2.2 3.4 3.1 2.3 3.3 Miscellaneous personal services .......... 236.9 237.4 238.4 239.5 2.8 3.5 5.2 4.5 3.2 4.8 Commodity and service group Commodities ................................. 142.2 142.2 142.6 142.9 -1.4 1.7 0.8 2.0 0.1 1.4 Food and beverages ......................... 161.8 162.1 162.2 162.9 0.0 3.0 3.0 2.7 1.5 2.9 Commodities less food and beverages ........ 130.5 130.3 130.9 131.0 -1.8 0.3 -0.3 1.5 -0.8 0.6 Nondurables less food and beverages ....... 132.4 131.9 132.8 133.3 -4.2 2.1 0.9 2.7 -1.1 1.8 Apparel .................................. 132.1 132.0 131.4 129.9 -1.5 0.0 3.4 -6.5 -0.8 -1.7 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .............................. 137.0 136.3 138.2 139.8 -5.1 1.8 0.3 8.4 -1.7 4.3 Durables .................................. 127.2 127.3 127.2 126.7 -0.3 0.6 -0.9 -1.6 0.2 -1.3 Services .................................... 182.1 182.6 182.9 183.1 3.2 2.2 2.0 2.2 2.7 2.1 Rent of shelter (4)......................... 171.8 172.3 172.8 172.8 3.6 2.6 4.1 2.3 3.1 3.2 Transportation services .................... 185.5 185.5 185.7 185.9 2.8 0.0 -0.4 0.9 1.4 0.2 Other services ............................. 215.6 216.3 216.4 217.4 4.0 3.2 2.1 3.4 3.6 2.7 Special indexes All items less food ......................... 159.9 160.1 160.5 160.7 1.3 1.5 1.3 2.0 1.4 1.6 All items less shelter ...................... 155.4 155.5 155.9 156.2 0.0 1.6 0.8 2.1 0.8 1.4 All items less medical care ................. 156.5 156.7 157.0 157.3 0.8 1.8 1.5 2.1 1.3 1.8 Commodities less food ....................... 132.1 131.9 132.5 132.6 -2.1 0.6 -0.3 1.5 -0.8 0.6 Nondurables less food ....................... 134.4 134.0 134.7 135.3 -3.8 2.1 0.9 2.7 -0.9 1.8 Nondurables less food and apparel ........... 138.8 138.2 140.0 141.3 -4.8 1.8 0.6 7.4 -1.6 3.9 Nondurables ................................. 147.2 147.1 147.6 148.1 -1.6 3.1 1.4 2.5 0.7 1.9 Services less rent of shelter (4)............ 171.3 171.6 171.9 172.1 2.1 1.9 0.7 1.9 2.0 1.3 Services less medical care services ......... 176.5 177.0 177.4 177.5 2.8 2.3 2.1 2.3 2.6 2.2 Energy ...................................... 99.7 99.3 98.0 97.9 -12.2 -3.1 -8.4 -7.0 -7.8 -7.7 All items less energy ....................... 168.9 169.2 169.7 170.1 1.9 2.4 2.4 2.9 2.2 2.6 All items less food and energy ............. 170.9 171.3 171.9 172.1 2.6 2.1 2.1 2.8 2.4 2.5 Commodities less food and energy commodities ........................... 143.3 143.4 144.6 144.6 0.8 1.4 1.1 3.7 1.1 2.4 Energy commodities ....................... 89.8 88.6 86.3 86.5 -21.1 -4.6 -10.4 -13.9 -13.3 -12.2 Services less energy services ............. 189.5 190.0 190.3 190.6 3.5 2.6 2.8 2.3 3.0 2.6 1 Not seasonally adjusted. 2 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. 3 This index series was calculated using a Laspeyres estimator. All other item stratum index series converted to a geometric means estimator in January, 1999. 4 Indexes on a December 1984=100 base 5 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Table 6. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W): Selected areas, all items index (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted) All items Prici- Indexes Percent change to Percent change to CPI-W ng Jan.1999 from-- Dec.1998 from-- sched- ule Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. (1) 1998 1998 1998 1999 Jan. Nov. Dec. Dec. Oct. Nov. 1998 1998 1998 1997 1998 1998 U.S. city average ........................... M 160.6 160.7 160.7 161.0 1.6 0.2 0.2 1.6 0.1 0.0 Region and area size(2) Northeast urban ............................. M 168.1 168.2 168.2 168.4 1.6 0.1 0.1 1.6 0.1 0.0 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 168.1 168.2 168.2 168.5 1.9 0.2 0.2 1.8 0.1 0.0 Size B/C 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).......... M 102.2 102.2 102.3 102.4 1.1 0.2 0.1 1.2 0.1 0.1 Midwest urban ............................... M 156.2 156.2 156.0 156.6 1.8 0.3 0.4 1.5 -0.1 -0.1 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 156.7 156.7 156.5 157.1 2.1 0.3 0.4 1.9 -0.1 -0.1 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 102.1 102.1 102.0 102.3 1.2 0.2 0.3 1.0 -0.1 -0.1 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 152.4 152.9 153.3 153.6 1.8 0.5 0.2 1.5 0.6 0.3 South urban ................................. M 157.8 157.7 157.8 157.9 1.3 0.1 0.1 1.4 0.0 0.1 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 156.6 156.2 156.0 156.4 1.3 0.1 0.3 1.2 -0.4 -0.1 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)........ M 102.4 102.4 102.5 102.5 1.3 0.1 0.0 1.4 0.1 0.1 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 160.4 160.6 160.8 161.1 2.2 0.3 0.2 2.1 0.2 0.1 West urban .................................. M 161.5 161.8 161.8 162.4 1.9 0.4 0.4 1.6 0.2 0.0 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 160.5 160.7 160.8 161.6 2.3 0.6 0.5 1.8 0.2 0.1 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 102.8 103.3 103.3 103.4 1.2 0.1 0.1 1.4 0.5 0.0 Size classes A (4)...................................... M 147.0 147.0 146.9 147.4 1.9 0.3 0.3 1.7 -0.1 -0.1 B/C (3).................................... M 102.4 102.4 102.5 102.6 1.3 0.2 0.1 1.3 0.1 0.1 D ......................................... M 158.9 159.1 159.2 159.6 1.9 0.3 0.3 1.6 0.2 0.1 Selected local areas(5) Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI .............. M 160.0 159.9 159.6 160.5 2.0 0.4 0.6 1.5 -0.3 -0.2 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ..... M 156.8 157.0 157.2 157.8 1.7 0.5 0.4 1.2 0.3 0.1 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA ............................. M 170.5 170.5 170.5 170.8 1.8 0.2 0.2 1.7 0.0 0.0 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT ......... 1 - 171.5 - 172.2 1.7 0.4 - - - - Cleveland-Akron, OH ......................... 1 - 152.8 - 152.7 1.8 -0.1 - - - - Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ....................... 1 - 153.8 - 154.6 1.6 0.5 - - - - Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV (6)........ 1 - 102.2 - 102.7 1.9 0.5 - - - - Atlanta, GA ................................. 2 159.2 - 158.8 - - - - 1.3 -0.3 - Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI ................. 2 155.7 - 155.9 - - - - 2.8 0.1 - Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .............. 2 146.9 - 144.8 - - - - 0.2 -1.4 - Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ................... 2 158.6 - 158.7 - - - - 1.2 0.1 - Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-DE-MD ............................. 2 169.3 - 168.5 - - - - 1.7 -0.5 - San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA .......... 2 163.4 - 163.7 - - - - 2.7 0.2 - Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA ................ 2 164.9 - 164.9 - - - - 2.7 0.0 - 1 Areas on pricing schedule 2 (see Table 10) will appear next month. 2 Regions defined as the four Census regions. See map in technical notes. 3 Indexes on a December 1996=100 base. 4 Indexes on a December 1986=100 base. 5 In addition, the following metropolitan areas are published semiannually and appear in Tables 34 and 39 of the January and July issues of the CPI Detailed Report: Anchorage, AK; Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH-KY-IN; Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO; Honolulu, HI; Kansas City, MO-KS; Milwaukee-Racine, WI; Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland-Salem, OR-WA; St. Louis, MO-IL; San Diego, CA; Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL. 6 Indexes on a November 1996=100 base. - Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Table 1(LAS). Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U-XL): U.S. city average, by expenditure category and commodity and service group using a Laspeyres Estimator (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted) Unadjusted Relative Unadjusted percent change to importance, indexes Jan. 1999 from- CPI-U December 1998 Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. 1998 1999 1998 1998 Expenditure category All items ................................... 100.000 163.9 164.4 1.7 0.3 All items (1967=100) ........................ - 491.0 492.5 - - Food and beverages ......................... 16.408 162.7 163.9 2.2 0.7 Food ...................................... 15.422 162.3 163.6 2.3 0.8 Food at home ............................. 9.691 162.6 164.3 2.0 1.0 Cereals and bakery products ............. 1.544 182.3 183.9 2.7 0.9 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .......... 2.569 147.3 146.7 -1.1 -0.4 Dairy and related products .............. 1.088 157.6 161.1 8.6 2.2 Fruits and vegetables ................... 1.440 200.7 208.4 3.1 3.8 Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ........................... 1.049 131.7 133.4 -0.5 1.3 Other food at home ...................... 2.002 152.4 152.9 2.8 0.3 Sugar and sweets ....................... .377 150.1 151.6 0.9 1.0 Fats and oils .......................... .309 151.9 150.4 7.0 -1.0 Other foods ............................ 1.316 166.9 167.6 2.4 0.4 Other miscellaneous foods (1)......... .320 104.9 104.2 3.8 -0.7 Food away from home ...................... 5.730 163.0 163.6 2.8 0.4 Other food away from home (1)........... .175 103.3 103.5 3.4 0.2 Alcoholic beverages ....................... .986 167.2 167.6 1.8 0.2 Housing .................................... 39.828 161.3 161.9 2.3 0.4 Shelter ................................... 30.283 184.0 184.8 3.1 0.4 Rent of primary residence ................ 7.007 174.9 175.3 3.4 0.2 Lodging away from home (1)................ 2.376 103.8 107.7 2.5 3.8 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (2)......................... 20.529 190.7 191.0 3.2 0.2 Tenants' and household insurance (1)..... .371 99.9 99.7 -0.6 -0.2 Fuels and utilities ....................... 4.735 126.6 126.2 -2.0 -0.3 Fuels .................................... 3.801 111.4 110.9 -3.1 -0.4 Fuel oil and other fuels ................ .227 86.1 86.6 -10.2 0.6 Gas (piped) and electricity ............. 3.574 118.9 118.3 -2.7 -0.5 Household furnishings and operations ...... 4.810 126.6 126.9 1.0 0.2 Apparel .................................... 4.831 130.7 128.6 -0.9 -1.6 Men's and boys' apparel ................... 1.358 130.3 128.5 -1.0 -1.4 Women's and girls' apparel ................ 1.939 122.4 118.8 -1.2 -2.9 Infants' and toddlers' apparel ............ .272 129.6 130.7 4.7 0.8 Footwear .................................. .876 127.5 125.8 -1.3 -1.3 Transportation ............................. 16.999 140.7 140.4 -1.6 -0.2 Private transportation .................... 15.653 137.2 136.7 -1.9 -0.4 New and used motor vehicles (1)........... 7.843 100.9 100.6 0.4 -0.3 New vehicles ............................ 4.983 144.1 144.4 0.0 0.2 Used cars and trucks .................... 1.914 153.1 150.7 1.8 -1.6 Motor fuel ............................... 2.493 86.2 85.0 -13.1 -1.4 Gasoline (all types) .................... 2.476 85.7 84.5 -13.1 -1.4 Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........ .549 101.2 101.2 -0.1 0.0 Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ..... 1.624 169.6 169.8 2.9 0.1 Public transportation ..................... 1.346 188.4 189.9 1.5 0.8 Medical care ............................... 5.713 245.2 246.6 3.6 0.6 Medical care commodities .................. 1.252 225.6 226.0 3.9 0.2 Medical care services ..................... 4.461 249.6 251.3 3.5 0.7 Professional services .................... 2.854 224.6 225.8 3.3 0.5 Hospital and related services ............ 1.354 291.4 294.4 3.8 1.0 Recreation (1).............................. 6.120 101.2 101.7 1.4 0.5 Video and audio (1)....................... 1.748 100.7 101.3 0.7 0.6 Education and communication (1)............. 5.478 100.7 101.0 1.1 0.3 Education (1).............................. 2.694 104.7 105.0 4.7 0.3 Educational books and supplies ........... .203 257.3 258.4 5.4 0.4 Tuition, other school fees, and childcare 2.492 301.7 302.4 4.6 0.2 Communication (1)......................... 2.783 97.1 97.4 -2.2 0.3 Information and information processing (1)................................... 2.580 96.9 97.0 -2.6 0.1 Telephone services (1).................. 2.327 100.3 100.7 0.8 0.4 Information and information processing other than telephone services (3)... .253 34.8 33.9 -26.6 -2.6 Personal computers and peripheral equipment (1)...................... .148 64.2 61.6 -36.4 -4.0 Other goods and services ................... 4.624 250.3 255.1 10.3 1.9 Tobacco and smoking products .............. 1.159 331.2 352.9 39.0 6.6 Personal care ............................. 3.465 158.3 158.9 2.8 0.4 Personal care products ................... .742 148.7 149.4 2.3 0.5 Personal care services ................... .973 168.3 168.8 2.7 0.3 Miscellaneous personal services .......... 1.491 237.8 239.1 3.6 0.5 Commodity and service group Commodities ................................. 42.109 142.2 142.5 0.6 0.2 Food and beverages ......................... 16.408 162.7 163.9 2.2 0.7 Commodities less food and beverages ........ 25.702 130.2 130.0 -0.4 -0.2 Nondurables less food and beverages ....... 14.345 132.1 132.0 0.0 -0.1 Apparel .................................. 4.831 130.7 128.6 -0.9 -1.6 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .............................. 9.514 137.8 138.8 0.5 0.7 Durables .................................. 11.356 127.4 127.1 -0.9 -0.2 Services .................................... 57.891 185.7 186.4 2.5 0.4 Rent of shelter (2)......................... 29.912 191.5 192.4 3.2 0.5 Transportation services .................... 6.963 188.4 188.8 0.9 0.2 Other services ............................. 10.768 219.5 220.6 3.2 0.5 Special indexes All items less food ......................... 84.578 164.2 164.6 1.7 0.2 All items less shelter ...................... 69.717 157.8 158.2 1.2 0.3 All items less medical care ................. 94.287 159.4 159.9 1.7 0.3 Commodities less food ....................... 26.688 131.7 131.5 -0.3 -0.2 Nondurables less food ....................... 15.331 134.2 134.1 0.1 -0.1 Nondurables less food and apparel ........... 10.500 139.7 140.6 0.6 0.6 Nondurables ................................. 30.753 147.5 148.0 1.2 0.3 Services less rent of shelter (2)............ 27.979 192.8 193.4 1.8 0.3 Services less medical care services ......... 53.429 179.8 180.4 2.4 0.3 Energy ...................................... 6.294 98.9 98.1 -7.4 -0.8 All items less energy ....................... 93.706 172.3 173.0 2.4 0.4 All items less food and energy ............. 78.284 174.8 175.4 2.5 0.3 Commodities less food and energy commodities ........................... 23.967 143.9 143.9 1.3 0.0 Energy commodities ....................... 2.720 86.3 85.2 -12.9 -1.3 Services less energy services ............. 54.316 192.5 193.3 2.9 0.4 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar (1982-84=$1.00) ......................... - $ .610 $ .608 - - Purchasing power of the consumer dollar (1967=$1.00) ............................ - $ .204 $ .203 - - 1 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. 2 Index is on a December 1982=100 base. 3 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base. - Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Table 2(LAS). Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W-XL): U.S. city average, by expenditure category and commodity and service group using a Laspeyres Estimator (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted) Unadjusted Relative Unadjusted percent change to importance, indexes Jan. 1999 from- CPI-W December 1998 Dec. Jan. Jan. Dec. 1998 1999 1998 1998 Expenditure category All items ................................... 100.000 160.7 161.1 1.7 0.2 All items (1967=100) ........................ - 478.6 479.8 - - Food and beverages ......................... 18.011 161.9 163.1 2.2 0.7 Food ...................................... 16.966 161.5 162.8 2.2 0.8 Food at home ............................. 10.832 161.3 163.1 2.0 1.1 Cereals and bakery products ............. 1.689 182.0 183.7 2.7 0.9 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .......... 3.055 146.9 146.3 -1.1 -0.4 Dairy and related products .............. 1.193 157.4 161.0 8.9 2.3 Fruits and vegetables ................... 1.492 199.0 207.2 3.1 4.1 Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ........................... 1.184 130.4 132.3 -0.5 1.5 Other food at home ...................... 2.220 151.7 152.3 2.8 0.4 Sugar and sweets ....................... .420 150.0 151.6 0.9 1.1 Fats and oils .......................... .354 151.2 150.0 6.8 -0.8 Other foods ............................ 1.446 166.7 167.5 2.4 0.5 Other miscellaneous foods (1)......... .355 104.9 104.2 3.7 -0.7 Food away from home ...................... 6.133 163.0 163.5 2.6 0.3 Other food away from home (1)........... .216 103.4 103.6 3.5 0.2 Alcoholic beverages ....................... 1.045 166.2 166.5 1.8 0.2 Housing .................................... 36.685 157.8 158.1 2.1 0.2 Shelter ................................... 27.496 178.8 179.4 3.2 0.3 Rent of primary residence ................ 8.500 174.6 174.9 3.4 0.2 Lodging away from home (1)................ 1.379 104.0 107.7 2.8 3.6 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (2)......................... 17.296 173.7 173.9 3.1 0.1 Tenants' and household insurance (1)..... .320 100.3 100.1 -0.3 -0.2 Fuels and utilities ....................... 4.850 126.4 126.0 -2.0 -0.3 Fuels .................................... 3.928 110.9 110.4 -3.1 -0.5 Fuel oil and other fuels ................ .201 86.6 87.1 -9.5 0.6 Gas (piped) and electricity ............. 3.727 118.4 117.7 -2.7 -0.6 Household furnishings and operations ...... 4.339 124.8 125.0 0.7 0.2 Apparel .................................... 5.199 129.8 127.8 -0.7 -1.5 Men's and boys' apparel ................... 1.474 130.2 128.4 -0.8 -1.4 Women's and girls' apparel ................ 1.948 121.0 117.4 -0.9 -3.0 Infants' and toddlers' apparel ............ .344 130.9 131.5 4.9 0.5 Footwear .................................. 1.057 128.2 126.3 -1.6 -1.5 Transportation ............................. 19.166 139.6 139.1 -1.8 -0.4 Private transportation .................... 18.109 137.1 136.6 -1.9 -0.4 New and used motor vehicles (1)........... 9.250 101.1 100.6 0.5 -0.5 New vehicles ............................ 5.224 145.3 145.5 -0.1 0.1 Used cars and trucks .................... 3.216 154.3 151.9 1.5 -1.6 Motor fuel ............................... 3.066 86.0 85.0 -12.9 -1.2 Gasoline (all types) .................... 3.045 85.5 84.5 -13.0 -1.2 Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........ .682 100.5 100.6 -0.1 0.1 Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ..... 1.690 170.9 171.1 3.1 0.1 Public transportation ..................... 1.056 185.1 186.3 0.9 0.6 Medical care ............................... 4.672 244.4 245.8 3.5 0.6 Medical care commodities .................. .926 222.1 222.6 3.7 0.2 Medical care services ..................... 3.746 249.4 251.0 3.5 0.6 Professional services .................... 2.415 226.2 227.3 3.4 0.5 Hospital and related services ............ 1.114 287.4 290.4 3.9 1.0 Recreation (1).............................. 5.925 100.8 101.3 1.0 0.5 Video and audio (1)....................... 1.951 100.7 101.2 0.7 0.5 Education and communication (1)............. 5.361 100.9 101.2 1.2 0.3 Education (1).............................. 2.478 104.7 105.1 4.8 0.4 Educational books and supplies ........... .200 259.7 260.8 5.4 0.4 Tuition, other school fees, and childcare 2.278 295.8 296.6 4.6 0.3 Communication (1)......................... 2.883 97.8 98.1 -1.6 0.3 Information and information processing (1)................................... 2.733 97.7 97.8 -1.8 0.1 Telephone services (1).................. 2.519 100.4 100.8 0.9 0.4 Information and information processing other than telephone services (3)... .213 36.0 35.1 -26.4 -2.5 Personal computers and peripheral equipment (1)...................... .120 64.0 61.3 -36.5 -4.2 Other goods and services ................... 4.981 252.6 258.7 13.4 2.4 Tobacco and smoking products .............. 1.694 332.0 353.1 39.2 6.4 Personal care ............................. 3.287 158.3 159.0 2.9 0.4 Personal care products ................... .838 149.6 150.2 2.2 0.4 Personal care services ................... .975 168.6 169.1 2.8 0.3 Miscellaneous personal services .......... 1.253 237.4 239.3 4.1 0.8 Commodity and service group Commodities ................................. 46.764 142.3 142.6 0.8 0.2 Food and beverages ......................... 18.011 161.9 163.1 2.2 0.7 Commodities less food and beverages ........ 28.753 130.6 130.5 0.0 -0.1 Nondurables less food and beverages ....... 15.564 132.1 132.2 0.5 0.1 Apparel .................................. 5.199 129.8 127.8 -0.7 -1.5 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .............................. 10.365 137.9 139.1 1.1 0.9 Durables .................................. 13.189 127.4 126.9 -0.6 -0.4 Services .................................... 53.236 182.5 183.1 2.5 0.3 Rent of shelter (2)......................... 27.175 172.2 172.7 3.2 0.3 Transportation services .................... 6.800 186.1 186.4 0.8 0.2 Other services ............................. 10.144 216.1 217.2 3.2 0.5 Special indexes All items less food ......................... 83.034 160.4 160.6 1.6 0.1 All items less shelter ...................... 72.504 155.6 156.0 1.2 0.3 All items less medical care ................. 95.328 156.8 157.2 1.6 0.3 Commodities less food ....................... 29.798 132.0 131.9 0.1 -0.1 Nondurables less food ....................... 16.609 134.1 134.2 0.5 0.1 Nondurables less food and apparel ........... 11.410 139.7 140.8 1.1 0.8 Nondurables ................................. 33.575 147.3 147.9 1.4 0.4 Services less rent of shelter (2)............ 26.061 171.5 171.9 1.7 0.2 Services less medical care services ......... 49.490 176.9 177.3 2.4 0.2 Energy ...................................... 6.994 97.8 97.0 -7.6 -0.8 All items less energy ....................... 93.006 169.3 169.9 2.5 0.4 All items less food and energy ............. 76.040 171.3 171.7 2.5 0.2 Commodities less food and energy commodities ........................... 26.531 144.1 144.1 1.8 0.0 Energy commodities ....................... 3.267 86.2 85.2 -12.8 -1.2 Services less energy services ............. 49.509 189.7 190.4 2.9 0.4 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar (1982-84=$1.00) ......................... - $ .622 $ .621 - - Purchasing power of the consumer dollar (1967=$1.00) ............................ - $ .209 $ .208 - - 1 Indexes on a December 1997=100 base. 2 Index is on a December 1984=100 base. 3 Indexes on a December 1988=100 base. - Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Table 3(LAS). Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U-XL): Selected areas, all items index using a Laspeyres Estimator (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted) Indexes Percent change to Pricing Jan.1999 from-- CPI-U schedule (1) Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Oct. Nov. Dec. 1998 1998 1998 1999 1998 1998 1998 U.S. city average ........................... M 164.0 164.0 163.9 164.4 0.2 0.2 0.3 Region and area size(2) Northeast urban ............................. M 171.3 171.2 171.2 171.6 0.2 0.2 0.2 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 172.3 172.2 172.2 172.6 0.2 0.2 0.2 Size B/C 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).......... M 102.6 102.6 102.5 102.8 0.2 0.2 0.3 Midwest urban ............................... M 160.1 160.1 159.8 160.4 0.2 0.2 0.4 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 161.4 161.3 161.0 161.6 0.1 0.2 0.4 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 102.4 102.4 102.3 102.6 0.2 0.2 0.3 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 154.3 154.7 155.0 155.6 0.8 0.6 0.4 South urban ................................. M 159.8 159.6 159.6 160.0 0.1 0.3 0.3 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 159.0 158.6 158.3 158.9 -0.1 0.2 0.4 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)........ M 102.8 102.8 102.8 102.9 0.1 0.1 0.1 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 159.8 160.0 160.4 160.9 0.7 0.6 0.3 West urban .................................. M 165.5 165.8 165.8 166.5 0.6 0.4 0.4 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 166.3 166.5 166.5 167.3 0.6 0.5 0.5 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 103.0 103.5 103.4 103.7 0.7 0.2 0.3 Size classes A (4)...................................... M 148.5 148.5 148.4 148.9 0.3 0.3 0.3 B/C (3).................................... M 102.7 102.8 102.7 103.0 0.3 0.2 0.3 D ......................................... M 159.7 159.9 160.2 160.6 0.6 0.4 0.2 Selected local areas Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI .............. M 165.7 165.4 165.1 166.0 0.2 0.4 0.5 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ..... M 163.2 163.4 163.5 164.2 0.6 0.5 0.4 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA ............................. M 174.8 174.7 174.7 175.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT ......... 1 - 173.3 - 174.1 - 0.5 - Cleveland-Akron, OH ......................... 1 - 160.8 - 160.6 - -0.1 - Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ....................... 1 - 154.0 - 155.2 - 0.8 - Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV (5)........ 1 - 102.4 - 102.8 - 0.4 - Atlanta, GA ................................. 2 162.0 - 161.6 - - - - Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI ................. 2 161.0 - 161.2 - - - - Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .............. 2 148.5 - 146.1 - - - - Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ................... 2 161.1 - 161.1 - - - - Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-DE-MD ............................. 2 170.3 - 169.0 - - - - San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA .......... 2 167.2 - 167.4 - - - - Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA ................ 2 169.3 - 169.4 - - - - 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 Indexes on a December 1996=100 base. 4 Indexes on a December 1986=100 base. 5 Indexes on a November 1996=100 base. - Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date. Table 4(LAS). Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W-XL): Selected areas, all items index using a Laspeyres Estimator (1982-84=100, unless otherwise noted) Indexes Percent change to Pricing Jan.1999 from-- CPI-W schedule (1) Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Oct. Nov. Dec. 1998 1998 1998 1999 1998 1998 1998 U.S. city average ........................... M 160.6 160.7 160.7 161.1 0.3 0.2 0.2 Region and area size(2) Northeast urban ............................. M 168.1 168.2 168.2 168.5 0.2 0.2 0.2 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 168.1 168.2 168.2 168.5 0.2 0.2 0.2 Size B/C 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).......... M 102.2 102.2 102.3 102.5 0.3 0.3 0.2 Midwest urban ............................... M 156.2 156.2 156.0 156.6 0.3 0.3 0.4 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 156.7 156.7 156.5 157.1 0.3 0.3 0.4 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 102.1 102.1 102.0 102.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 152.4 152.9 153.3 153.7 0.9 0.5 0.3 South urban ................................. M 157.8 157.7 157.8 158.0 0.1 0.2 0.1 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 156.6 156.2 156.0 156.5 -0.1 0.2 0.3 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)........ M 102.4 102.4 102.5 102.5 0.1 0.1 0.0 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 160.4 160.6 160.8 161.2 0.5 0.4 0.2 West urban .................................. M 161.5 161.8 161.8 162.5 0.6 0.4 0.4 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 160.5 160.7 160.8 161.6 0.7 0.6 0.5 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 102.8 103.3 103.3 103.5 0.7 0.2 0.2 Size classes A (4)...................................... M 147.0 147.0 146.9 147.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 B/C (3).................................... M 102.4 102.4 102.5 102.6 0.2 0.2 0.1 D ......................................... M 158.9 159.1 159.2 159.6 0.4 0.3 0.3 Selected local areas Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI .............. M 160.0 159.9 159.6 160.5 0.3 0.4 0.6 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ..... M 156.8 157.0 157.2 157.9 0.7 0.6 0.4 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA ............................. M 170.5 170.5 170.5 170.9 0.2 0.2 0.2 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT ......... 1 - 171.5 - 172.2 - 0.4 - Cleveland-Akron, OH ......................... 1 - 152.8 - 152.8 - 0.0 - Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ....................... 1 - 153.8 - 154.8 - 0.7 - Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV (5)........ 1 - 102.2 - 102.7 - 0.5 - Atlanta, GA ................................. 2 159.2 - 158.8 - - - - Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI ................. 2 155.7 - 155.9 - - - - Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .............. 2 146.9 - 144.8 - - - - Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ................... 2 158.6 - 158.7 - - - - Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-DE-MD ............................. 2 169.3 - 168.5 - - - - San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA .......... 2 163.4 - 163.7 - - - - Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA ................ 2 164.9 - 164.9 - - - - 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 Indexes on a December 1996=100 base. 4 Indexes on a December 1986=100 base. 5 Indexes on a November 1996=100 base. - Data not available. NOTE: Index applies to a month as a whole, not to any specific date.