FOR TECHNICAL INFORMATION: Patrick C. Jackman (202) 606-7000 USDL-99-91 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. (EDT) INTERNET ADDRESS: Tuesday, April 13, 1999 http://stats.bls.gov/cpihome.htm CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: MARCH 1999 The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3 percent in March, before seasonal adjustment, to a level of 165.0 (1982- 84=100), the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. For the 12-month period ended in March, the CPI-U has increased 1.7 percent. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) rose 0.2 percent in March, prior to seasonal adjustment. The March level of 161.4 was 1.7 percent higher than the index in March 1998. CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) On a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U rose 0.2 percent in March, following increases of 0.1 percent in each of the preceding three months. The food index, which increased 0.1 percent in February, declined 0.2 percent in March. The index for food at home fell 0.5 percent in March, largely as a result of a 2.2 percent decline in the index for fruits and vegetables. The energy index registered its first increase since last October--advancing 1.6 percent in March. The index for petroleum-based energy increased 3.5 percent, and the index for energy services increased 0.3 percent. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U increased 0.1 percent in March, the same as in each of the first two months of 1999. 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 Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Mar. '99 Mar. `99 All Items .1 .2 .2 .1 .1 .1 .2 1.5 1.7 Food and beverages .0 .5 .2 .1 .4 .2 -.2 1.5 2.2 Housing .2 .2 .3 .1 -.1 .1 .2 1.2 2.3 Apparel -.6 .0 -.1 -.6 -1.1 -.2 -.3 -6.2 -1.6 Transportation -.4 .1 -.1 -.4 -.1 -.1 .7 1.7 -.6 Medical care .3 .2 .2 .3 .3 .2 .2 3.3 3.5 Recreation .1 -.2 .1 .1 .4 -.1 .0 1.2 .8 Education and communication .1 .1 .3 -.2 .3 .1 .0 1.6 .9 Other goods and services .9 .3 -.3 4.2 2.0 -.1 -.6 5.0 9.0 Special Indexes Energy -1.2 .1 -.3 -1.1 -.2 .0 1.6 5.8 -3.1 Food .1 .5 .1 .1 .5 .1 -.2 1.7 2.3 All Items less food and energy .2 .2 .1 .3 .1 .1 .1 .9 2.1 For the first three months of 1999, the CPI-U advanced at a 1.5 percent seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR). This compares with an increase of 1.6 percent in all of 1998. While the overall rates of change in these two periods were virtually the same, the composition was notably different. The energy index, which decreased 8.8 percent in 1998, increased at a 5.8 percent SAAR in the first three months of 1999. Petroleum-based energy costs rose at a 12.6 percent SAAR, and charges for energy services increased at a 1.0 percent annual rate. The food index increased at a 1.7 percent SAAR thus far in 1999, following a 2.3 percent rise in 1998. Grocery store food prices increased at a 0.5 percent SAAR in the first 3 months, as increases in the indexes for dairy products, for nonalcoholic beverages, and for cereal and bakery products more than offset declines in the indexes for fruits and vegetables, for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, and for other food at home. The CPI-U excluding food and energy advanced at a 0.9 percent SAAR in the first 3 months of 1999, following a 2.4 percent rise for all of 1998. Smaller increases in the indexes for shelter and for cigarettes coupled with a larger decline in the index for apparel were largely responsible for the deceleration. The rates for selected groups for the last five and one-quarter years are shown below. Percentage change 12 months ended in December SAAR 3 months ended in March 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 All items 2.7 2.5 3.3 1.7 1.6 1.5 Food and beverages 2.7 2.1 4.2 1.6 2.3 1.5 Housing 2.2 3.0 2.9 2.4 2.3 1.2 Apparel -1.6 0.1 -0.2 1.0 -0.7 -6.2 Transportation 3.8 1.5 4.4 -1.4 -1.7 1.7 Medical care 4.9 3.9 3.0 2.8 3.4 3.3 Recreation 1.4 2.8 3.0 1.5 1.2 1.2 Education and communication 3.3 4.0 3.4 3.0 0.7 1.6 Other goods and services 4.2 4.3 3.6 5.2 8.8 5.0 Special indexes Energy 2.2 -1.3 8.6 -3.4 -8.8 5.8 Energy commodities 5.2 -3.3 13.8 -6.9 -15.1 12.6 Energy services -0.6 0.8 3.8 0.2 -3.3 1.0 All items less energy 2.6 2.9 2.9 2.1 2.4 0.9 Food 2.9 2.1 4.3 1.5 2.3 1.7 All items less food and energy 2.6 3.0 2.6 2.2 2.4 0.9 The food and beverages index declined 0.2 percent in March. The index for food at home, which rose 0.1 percent in February, decreased 0.5 percent in March. The downturn was largely due to another decrease in the index for fruits and vegetables--down 2.2 percent in March, following a 1.1 percent drop in February. In March, the index for fresh vegetables fell 5.2 percent and the index for fresh fruits declined 0.8 percent. The index for processed fruits and vegetables declined 0.2 percent. Declines in the indexes for dairy products, for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, and for other food at home also contributed to the March food decrease. The index for dairy products, which increased 9.5 percent in the 7-month period ended in February, declined 0.5 percent in March, reflecting sharp drops in the basic formula support prices. The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs, which rose 0.9 percent in February, turned back down in March, declining 0.2 percent. Prices for beef and veal, pork, and fish and seafood each declined in March, while poultry prices rose 0.6 percent, their first increase in five months.. Among the other major grocery store food groups, the indexes for cereal and bakery products and for nonalcoholic beverages rose 0.2 and 0.1 percent, respectively. The other two components of the food and beverage index--food away from home and alcoholic beverages--rose 0.2 percent and declined 0.1 percent, respectively, in March. The housing component rose 0.2 percent in March. Shelter costs, which increased 0.2 percent in February, advanced 0.3 percent in March. 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 increased 1.8 percent. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, the cost of lodging while away from home increased 3.6 percent in March and has advanced 10.3 percent in the first three months of 1999.) The index for fuels and utilities rose 0.2 percent in March. The index for household fuels increased 0.3 percent, as increases in the indexes for fuel oil and for electricity more than offset a 0.1 percent decline in the index for natural gas. The indexes for fuel oil and for electricity increased 0.9 and 0.3 percent, respectively. The index for household furnishings and operations declined 0.1 percent in March, reflecting discounting on home furnishings. The transportation component turned up in March, increasing 0.7 percent after registering declines in each of the preceding four months. A sharp upturn in the index for motor fuels and another advance in airline fares more than offset further declines in the prices for new and used vehicles. The index for gasoline rose 3.7 percent in March, its largest monthly advance since a 4.5 percent rise in August 1997. Despite the March advance, gasoline prices have fallen 5.0 percent over the last 12 months and are 27.8 percent lower than their peak level in November 1990. Public transportation costs increased 3.0 percent in March, reflecting a 4.7 percent rise in airline fares. In the four-month period ended in March, airline fares have risen 10.2 percent. On the other hand, the index for new vehicles fell 0.2 percent and the index for used cars and trucks declined 0.6 percent in March. The index for apparel declined for the fifth consecutive month, down 0.3 percent in March. (Prior to seasonal adjustment, apparel prices rose 2.3 percent, reflecting further introduction of higher-priced spring- summer wear.) Medical care costs rose 0.2 percent in March to a level 3.5 percent above a year ago. The index for medical care commodities--prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, and medical supplies--increased 0.4 percent. The index for medical care services rose 0.2 percent. Charges for physicians' services and for hospital services each increased 0.2 percent. The index for recreation costs, which declined 0.1 percent in February, was unchanged in March. A 0.5 percent decline in the index for video and audio equipment and services offset small increases in most other recreational goods and services. The index for education and communication was unchanged in March. Educational costs rose 0.4 percent, while the index for communication declined 0.3 percent. Within the latter group, decreases in the indexes for personal computers and peripheral equipment and for telephone services- -down 3.5 and 0.2 percent, respectively--more than offset a 2.8 percent increase in the index for delivery services. The index for other goods and services declined 0.6 percent in March, following a 0.1 percent decrease in February. The index for tobacco and smoking products declined for the second consecutive month--down 3.5 percent in March--following increases totaling 39.6 percent in the 12- month period ended in January. The recent declines reflect discounting of selected major brands. 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 0.1 percent in March. 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 Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Mar.'99 Mar.'99 All Items .1 .2 .2 .2 .2 .0 .1 1.2 1.7 Food and beverages .1 .4 .2 .1 .4 .1 -.2 1.5 2.2 Housing .2 .2 .3 .2 .0 .1 .3 1.5 2.1 Apparel -.3 .4 -.1 -.5 -1.1 -.4 -.4 -7.4 -1.4 Transportation -.4 .2 -.1 -.5 -.1 -.4 .6 .6 -.7 Medical care .3 .2 .2 .2 .3 .2 .3 3.3 3.5 Recreation .1 -.3 .1 .1 .4 -.2 -.1 .4 .3 Education and communication .2 .1 .3 -.2 .3 .2 .0 2.0 1.0 Other goods and services 1.3 .2 -.5 5.8 2.5 -.2 -1.0 5.0 11.5 Special Indexes Energy -1.1 .2 -.4 -1.3 -.1 -.2 2.0 7.1 -3.3 Food .1 .4 .2 .0 .5 .1 -.2 1.7 2.2 All Items less food and energy .2 .1 .2 .4 .1 .0 .0 .5 2.1 Consumer Price Index data for April are scheduled for release on Friday, May 14, 1999, at 8:30 A.M. (EDT). CPI (Old Series) For the first six months of 1999, BLS will also publish 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 February to March, 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 also rose 0.3 and 0.2 percent, respectively, in March.) __________________________________________________________________________ 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 _______________________________________________________________________ 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, Mar. 1999 from- percent change from- CPI-U December 1998 Feb. Mar. 1999 1999 Mar. Feb. Dec. to Jan. to Feb. to 1998 1999 Jan. Feb. Mar. Expenditure category All items ................................... 100.000 164.5 165.0 1.7 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.2 All items (1967=100) ........................ - 492.9 494.4 - - - - - Food and beverages ......................... 16.408 163.8 163.7 2.2 -0.1 0.4 0.2 -0.2 Food ...................................... 15.422 163.3 163.3 2.3 0.0 0.5 0.1 -0.2 Food at home ............................. 9.691 163.8 163.4 2.0 -0.2 0.5 0.1 -0.5 Cereals and bakery products ............. 1.544 183.8 183.5 2.2 -0.2 0.8 -0.4 0.2 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .......... 2.569 147.0 146.8 -0.3 -0.1 -0.8 0.9 -0.2 Dairy and related products (1)........... 1.088 162.3 161.5 8.8 -0.5 2.3 0.7 -0.5 Fruits and vegetables ................... 1.440 200.3 199.9 1.9 -0.2 2.2 -1.1 -2.2 Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ........................... 1.049 134.5 134.5 0.2 0.0 0.5 0.2 0.1 Other food at home ...................... 2.002 153.3 152.9 2.3 -0.3 -0.2 0.1 -0.2 Sugar and sweets ....................... .377 151.3 151.0 0.1 -0.2 -0.1 -0.1 -0.3 Fats and oils .......................... .309 150.9 149.4 5.1 -1.0 -2.0 0.2 -0.9 Other foods ............................ 1.316 168.2 168.1 2.3 -0.1 0.1 0.2 0.0 Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)...... .320 105.9 104.9 3.3 -0.9 -0.8 1.7 -0.9 Food away from home (1)................... 5.730 163.8 164.2 2.7 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 Other food away from home (1) (2)........ .175 103.7 103.7 3.4 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.0 Alcoholic beverages ....................... .986 168.6 168.4 2.0 -0.1 0.1 0.4 -0.1 Housing .................................... 39.828 162.3 162.8 2.3 0.3 -0.1 0.1 0.2 Shelter ................................... 30.283 185.5 186.3 3.0 0.4 0.0 0.2 0.3 Rent of primary residence (3)............. 7.007 175.6 176.0 3.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 Lodging away from home (2) (3)............ 2.376 110.5 114.5 3.0 3.6 -1.8 -0.5 1.8 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (3) (4)..................... 20.529 191.3 191.5 3.0 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.1 Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2).. .371 100.1 100.2 -0.1 0.1 -0.2 0.4 0.1 Fuels and utilities ....................... 4.735 126.0 125.9 -0.9 -0.1 -0.2 0.2 0.2 Fuels .................................... 3.801 110.6 110.5 -1.8 -0.1 -0.4 0.3 0.3 Fuel oil and other fuels ................ .227 86.2 86.2 -8.7 0.0 -0.1 -1.4 1.0 Gas (piped) and electricity (3).......... 3.574 118.0 117.9 -1.3 -0.1 -0.4 0.4 0.3 Household furnishings and operations ...... 4.810 126.7 126.7 0.3 0.0 0.0 -0.2 -0.1 Apparel .................................... 4.831 129.7 132.7 -1.6 2.3 -1.1 -0.2 -0.3 Men's and boys' apparel ................... 1.358 129.9 131.4 -1.6 1.2 -0.5 0.6 -0.8 Women's and girls' apparel ................ 1.939 120.6 126.3 -2.8 4.7 -1.9 -0.4 0.4 Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1)......... .272 126.4 125.6 1.0 -0.6 0.3 -2.8 -0.6 Footwear .................................. .876 124.8 126.4 -0.1 1.3 -0.9 -1.3 0.7 Transportation ............................. 16.999 139.8 140.6 -0.6 0.6 -0.1 -0.1 0.7 Private transportation .................... 15.653 135.9 136.4 -0.8 0.4 -0.2 -0.3 0.5 New and used motor vehicles (2)........... 7.843 99.9 99.6 -0.5 -0.3 -0.4 -0.7 -0.2 New vehicles ............................ 4.983 143.8 143.4 -0.7 -0.3 0.1 -0.3 -0.2 Used cars and trucks (1)................. 1.914 148.3 147.4 0.1 -0.6 -1.6 -1.5 -0.6 Motor fuel ............................... 2.493 83.6 86.3 -5.1 3.2 0.0 -0.3 3.6 Gasoline (all types) .................... 2.476 83.1 85.8 -5.0 3.2 0.1 -0.5 3.7 Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........ .549 100.9 100.1 -1.1 -0.8 -0.1 -0.4 -0.6 Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ..... 1.624 170.4 170.6 3.0 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 Public transportation (1).................. 1.346 193.1 198.8 2.6 3.0 1.1 1.4 3.0 Medical care ............................... 5.713 247.7 248.3 3.5 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 Medical care commodities .................. 1.252 226.8 227.7 4.2 0.4 0.0 0.2 0.4 Medical care services ..................... 4.461 252.6 253.1 3.4 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.2 Professional services (3)................. 2.854 226.8 227.4 3.2 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.3 Hospital and related services (3)......... 1.354 296.2 296.6 4.0 0.1 0.6 0.5 0.3 Recreation (2).............................. 6.120 101.8 101.8 0.8 0.0 0.4 -0.1 0.0 Video and audio (1) (2).................... 1.748 101.6 101.2 -0.2 -0.4 0.4 -0.5 -0.5 Education and communication (2)............. 5.478 100.9 100.8 0.9 -0.1 0.3 0.1 0.0 Education (2).............................. 2.694 105.3 105.4 4.9 0.1 0.3 0.8 0.4 Educational books and supplies ........... .203 261.3 261.4 5.6 0.0 -0.7 1.2 0.3 Tuition, other school fees, and childcare 2.492 303.3 303.5 4.8 0.1 0.4 0.7 0.4 Communication (1) (2)...................... 2.783 96.9 96.6 -2.7 -0.3 0.2 -0.4 -0.3 Information and information processing (1) (2)................................... 2.580 96.5 96.1 -3.2 -0.4 0.0 -0.4 -0.4 Telephone services (1) (2)............... 2.327 100.4 100.2 -0.2 -0.2 0.4 -0.3 -0.2 Information and information processing other than telephone services (1) (5) .253 33.3 32.4 -25.3 -2.7 -2.9 -1.5 -2.7 Personal computers and peripheral equipment (1) (2)................... .148 59.7 57.6 -35.1 -3.5 -4.4 -2.8 -3.5 Other goods and services ................... 4.624 255.0 253.3 9.0 -0.7 2.0 -0.1 -0.6 Tobacco and smoking products .............. 1.159 348.7 335.9 32.2 -3.7 6.6 -1.4 -3.5 Personal care (1).......................... 3.465 159.4 160.0 2.9 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.4 Personal care products (1)................ .742 149.8 150.8 2.4 0.7 0.8 -0.1 0.7 Personal care services (1)................ .973 169.3 169.9 3.2 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 Miscellaneous personal services .......... 1.491 240.6 241.1 3.6 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.1 Commodity and service group Commodities ................................. 42.109 142.2 142.6 0.8 0.3 0.2 -0.2 -0.1 Food and beverages ......................... 16.408 163.8 163.7 2.2 -0.1 0.4 0.2 -0.2 Commodities less food and beverages ........ 25.702 129.6 130.2 -0.2 0.5 0.1 -0.4 0.0 Nondurables less food and beverages ....... 14.345 131.9 133.2 0.8 1.0 0.2 -0.2 0.3 Apparel .................................. 4.831 129.7 132.7 -1.6 2.3 -1.1 -0.2 -0.3 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .............................. 9.514 138.0 138.5 2.1 0.4 0.9 -0.4 0.7 Durables .................................. 11.356 126.4 126.0 -1.6 -0.3 -0.3 -0.6 -0.2 Services .................................... 57.891 186.9 187.6 2.6 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.3 Rent of shelter (4)......................... 29.912 193.1 193.9 3.1 0.4 0.0 0.1 0.4 Transportation services .................... 6.963 189.3 190.7 1.2 0.7 0.2 0.4 0.8 Other services ............................. 10.768 221.1 221.3 2.9 0.1 0.5 0.2 0.1 Special indexes All items less food ......................... 84.578 164.7 165.3 1.7 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.2 All items less shelter ...................... 69.717 158.1 158.5 1.3 0.3 0.3 0.0 0.1 All items less medical care ................. 94.287 160.0 160.5 1.7 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.2 Commodities less food ....................... 26.688 131.1 131.7 -0.1 0.5 0.0 -0.4 0.1 Nondurables less food ....................... 15.331 134.0 135.3 0.9 1.0 0.1 -0.3 0.4 Nondurables less food and apparel ........... 10.500 140.0 140.5 2.2 0.4 0.9 -0.4 0.7 Nondurables ................................. 30.753 147.9 148.5 1.6 0.4 0.3 -0.1 0.2 Services less rent of shelter (4)............ 27.979 193.8 194.2 1.9 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.3 Services less medical care services ......... 53.429 180.9 181.5 2.4 0.3 0.0 0.2 0.3 Energy ...................................... 6.294 97.3 98.4 -3.1 1.1 -0.2 0.0 1.6 All items less energy ....................... 93.706 173.2 173.7 2.1 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 All items less food and energy ............. 78.284 175.7 176.2 2.1 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 Commodities less food and energy commodities ........................... 23.967 143.7 143.9 0.6 0.1 0.0 -0.4 -0.3 Energy commodities ....................... 2.720 83.9 86.4 -5.4 3.0 0.0 -0.5 3.5 Services less energy services ............. 54.316 194.0 194.7 2.8 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.3 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar ..... - $ .608 $ .606 - - - - - Purchasing power of the consumer dollar - old base .................................... - $ .203 $ .202 - - - - - 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-- Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. 1998 1999 1999 1999 June Sep. Dec. Mar. Sep. Mar. 1998 1998 1998 1999 1998 1999 Expenditure category All items ................................... 164.4 164.6 164.7 165.0 2.2 1.5 2.0 1.5 1.9 1.7 Food and beverages ......................... 162.8 163.5 163.8 163.4 2.3 2.3 3.0 1.5 2.3 2.2 Food ...................................... 162.5 163.3 163.5 163.2 2.3 2.5 2.8 1.7 2.4 2.2 Food at home ............................. 162.7 163.5 163.7 162.9 2.3 1.8 3.5 0.5 2.0 2.0 Cereals and bakery products ............. 182.9 184.4 183.6 183.9 2.5 2.0 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.1 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .......... 146.7 145.5 146.8 146.5 -0.3 0.3 -0.5 -0.5 0.0 -0.5 Dairy and related products (1)........... 157.6 161.2 162.3 161.5 -0.8 13.6 12.9 10.3 6.2 11.6 Fruits and vegetables ................... 200.4 204.8 202.6 198.1 12.5 -6.4 8.2 -4.5 2.6 1.6 Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ........................... 132.8 133.4 133.7 133.9 -1.8 -2.1 1.8 3.4 -1.9 2.6 Other food at home ...................... 153.2 152.9 153.1 152.8 2.7 6.0 1.8 -1.0 4.3 0.4 Sugar and sweets ....................... 151.3 151.1 151.0 150.6 -0.5 1.1 1.9 -1.8 0.3 0.0 Fats and oils .......................... 153.2 150.2 150.5 149.1 3.4 29.0 1.8 -10.3 15.5 -4.4 Other foods ............................ 167.4 167.6 167.9 167.9 3.2 2.7 2.2 1.2 2.9 1.7 Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)...... 104.9 104.1 105.9 104.9 4.0 4.4 5.1 0.0 4.2 2.5 Food away from home (1)................... 163.0 163.5 163.8 164.2 2.0 3.5 2.2 3.0 2.8 2.6 Other food away from home (1) (2)........ 103.3 103.5 103.7 103.7 2.8 6.9 2.4 1.6 4.8 2.0 Alcoholic beverages ....................... 167.5 167.6 168.3 168.1 1.5 2.4 2.7 1.4 2.0 2.1 Housing .................................... 162.0 161.9 162.1 162.5 2.8 2.3 2.5 1.2 2.5 1.9 Shelter ................................... 184.6 184.6 184.9 185.4 3.6 3.6 3.1 1.7 3.6 2.4 Rent of primary residence (3)............. 174.9 175.3 175.6 176.0 3.6 3.5 3.7 2.5 3.6 3.1 Lodging away from home (2) (3)............ 103.8 101.9 101.4 103.2 6.5 8.1 0.0 -2.3 7.3 -1.2 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (3) (4)..................... 190.6 190.8 191.3 191.5 3.5 3.2 3.2 1.9 3.4 2.6 Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2).. 99.9 99.7 100.1 100.2 -4.7 0.4 2.9 1.2 -2.2 2.0 Fuels and utilities ....................... 127.0 126.8 127.1 127.4 -0.9 -4.0 -0.3 1.3 -2.5 0.5 Fuels .................................... 111.2 110.8 111.1 111.4 -1.8 -5.2 -0.7 0.7 -3.5 0.0 Fuel oil and other fuels ................ 84.9 84.8 83.6 84.4 -7.6 -9.8 -14.1 -2.3 -8.7 -8.4 Gas (piped) and electricity (3).......... 119.1 118.6 119.1 119.4 -1.3 -4.9 0.0 1.0 -3.1 0.5 Household furnishings and operations ...... 127.0 127.0 126.7 126.6 1.3 -0.3 1.9 -1.3 0.5 0.3 Apparel .................................... 132.3 130.8 130.6 130.2 1.8 0.3 -2.7 -6.2 1.1 -4.5 Men's and boys' apparel ................... 131.0 130.3 131.1 130.1 -1.5 -2.7 0.3 -2.7 -2.1 -1.2 Women's and girls' apparel ................ 124.6 122.2 121.7 122.2 3.5 1.9 -8.2 -7.5 2.7 -7.9 Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1)......... 129.6 130.0 126.4 125.6 1.0 0.6 15.9 -11.8 0.8 1.1 Footwear .................................. 128.2 127.1 125.5 126.4 5.5 1.3 -1.2 -5.5 3.3 -3.4 Transportation ............................. 140.6 140.4 140.2 141.2 -1.4 -0.8 -1.4 1.7 -1.1 0.1 Private transportation .................... 137.1 136.8 136.4 137.1 -0.6 -1.4 -1.2 0.0 -1.0 -0.6 New and used motor vehicles (2)........... 100.9 100.5 99.8 99.6 0.4 2.4 0.8 -5.1 1.4 -2.2 New vehicles ............................ 143.4 143.5 143.0 142.7 -2.5 2.5 -0.6 -1.9 0.0 -1.2 Used cars and trucks (1)................. 153.1 150.6 148.3 147.4 10.1 2.7 3.2 -14.1 6.3 -5.8 Motor fuel ............................... 86.4 86.4 86.1 89.2 -6.2 -13.9 -11.6 13.6 -10.2 0.2 Gasoline (all types) .................... 85.9 86.0 85.6 88.8 -6.7 -14.0 -11.2 14.2 -10.4 0.7 Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........ 101.1 101.0 100.6 100.0 0.4 0.0 -0.4 -4.3 0.2 -2.4 Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ..... 169.6 169.8 170.2 170.6 2.4 3.4 3.6 2.4 2.9 3.0 Public transportation (1).................. 188.4 190.4 193.1 198.8 -10.9 4.3 -3.7 24.0 -3.6 9.2 Medical care ............................... 246.1 246.9 247.5 248.1 4.1 3.9 2.8 3.3 4.0 3.1 Medical care commodities .................. 226.1 226.2 226.6 227.5 6.0 5.3 3.1 2.5 5.7 2.8 Medical care services ..................... 250.3 251.3 252.1 252.6 3.6 3.5 2.6 3.7 3.5 3.2 Professional services (3)................. 225.4 226.1 226.4 227.0 4.2 2.9 2.7 2.9 3.6 2.8 Hospital and related services (3)......... 291.7 293.5 295.0 296.0 3.0 4.0 2.9 6.0 3.5 4.5 Recreation (2).............................. 101.2 101.6 101.5 101.5 1.2 0.8 0.0 1.2 1.0 0.6 Video and audio (1) (2).................... 101.3 101.7 101.2 100.7 0.8 2.0 -1.2 -2.3 1.4 -1.8 Education and communication (2)............. 100.7 101.0 101.1 101.1 2.4 -1.2 0.8 1.6 0.6 1.2 Education (2).............................. 104.7 105.0 105.8 106.2 5.2 4.0 4.7 5.9 4.6 5.3 Educational books and supplies ........... 258.2 256.4 259.4 260.3 5.6 5.6 8.0 3.3 5.6 5.6 Tuition, other school fees, and childcare 300.0 301.2 303.3 304.4 5.1 3.7 4.5 6.0 4.4 5.3 Communication (1) (2)...................... 97.1 97.3 96.9 96.6 0.4 -5.9 -3.2 -2.0 -2.8 -2.6 Information and information processing (1) (2)................................... 96.9 96.9 96.5 96.1 0.0 -6.3 -3.2 -3.3 -3.2 -3.2 Telephone services (1) (2)............... 100.3 100.7 100.4 100.2 4.0 -2.7 -1.6 -0.4 0.6 -1.0 Information and information processing other than telephone services (1) (5) 34.8 33.8 33.3 32.4 -23.4 -33.2 -19.2 -24.9 -28.5 -22.1 Personal computers and peripheral equipment (1) (2)................... 64.2 61.4 59.7 57.6 -33.8 -46.2 -22.8 -35.2 -40.4 -29.3 Other goods and services ................... 251.0 255.9 255.6 254.1 7.2 6.6 17.7 5.0 6.9 11.2 Tobacco and smoking products .............. 331.9 353.9 349.0 336.9 22.8 25.4 87.1 6.2 24.1 40.9 Personal care (1).......................... 158.3 158.9 159.4 160.0 3.4 1.8 2.0 4.4 2.6 3.2 Personal care products (1)................ 148.7 149.9 149.8 150.8 5.3 -0.3 -1.1 5.8 2.5 2.3 Personal care services (1)................ 168.3 168.8 169.3 169.9 1.5 4.4 2.9 3.9 2.9 3.4 Miscellaneous personal services .......... 238.8 239.4 240.4 240.7 3.3 3.6 4.1 3.2 3.5 3.7 Commodity and service group Commodities ................................. 142.5 142.8 142.5 142.4 1.1 0.6 1.4 -0.3 0.9 0.6 Food and beverages ......................... 162.8 163.5 163.8 163.4 2.3 2.3 3.0 1.5 2.3 2.2 Commodities less food and beverages ........ 130.5 130.6 130.1 130.1 0.6 -0.6 0.3 -1.2 0.0 -0.5 Nondurables less food and beverages ....... 132.8 133.0 132.7 133.1 2.1 -0.9 1.2 0.9 0.6 1.1 Apparel .................................. 132.3 130.8 130.6 130.2 1.8 0.3 -2.7 -6.2 1.1 -4.5 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .............................. 138.0 139.3 138.7 139.7 2.1 -1.2 3.0 5.0 0.4 4.0 Durables .................................. 127.2 126.8 126.0 125.7 -0.9 0.0 -0.6 -4.6 -0.5 -2.7 Services .................................... 186.3 186.5 186.9 187.5 2.7 2.4 2.4 2.6 2.5 2.5 Rent of shelter (4)......................... 192.5 192.5 192.7 193.4 3.9 3.9 3.0 1.9 3.9 2.4 Transportation services .................... 188.1 188.4 189.1 190.6 -2.1 0.9 0.6 5.4 -0.6 3.0 Other services ............................. 219.8 220.8 221.3 221.6 3.6 2.2 2.2 3.3 2.9 2.8 Special indexes All items less food ......................... 164.6 164.7 164.8 165.2 2.0 1.5 1.7 1.5 1.7 1.6 All items less shelter ...................... 158.0 158.4 158.4 158.5 1.3 0.8 1.5 1.3 1.0 1.4 All items less medical care ................. 159.7 159.9 159.9 160.2 1.8 1.5 2.0 1.3 1.7 1.6 Commodities less food ....................... 132.2 132.2 131.7 131.8 0.3 -0.3 0.6 -1.2 0.0 -0.3 Nondurables less food ....................... 134.9 135.1 134.7 135.2 1.8 -0.3 1.2 0.9 0.7 1.0 Nondurables less food and apparel ........... 139.9 141.1 140.5 141.5 2.3 -1.1 3.2 4.7 0.6 3.9 Nondurables ................................. 147.8 148.3 148.2 148.5 2.5 0.3 1.9 1.9 1.4 1.9 Services less rent of shelter (4)............ 193.3 193.5 193.8 194.4 2.3 1.3 1.9 2.3 1.8 2.1 Services less medical care services ......... 180.5 180.5 180.9 181.4 3.0 2.3 2.7 2.0 2.6 2.4 Energy ...................................... 99.0 98.8 98.8 100.4 -3.4 -9.0 -5.1 5.8 -6.3 0.2 All items less energy ....................... 173.0 173.2 173.3 173.4 2.6 2.4 2.6 0.9 2.5 1.8 All items less food and energy ............. 175.6 175.7 175.8 176.0 2.6 2.3 2.5 0.9 2.5 1.7 Commodities less food and energy commodities ........................... 144.4 144.4 143.8 143.3 1.7 1.1 2.5 -3.0 1.4 -0.3 Energy commodities ....................... 86.2 86.2 85.8 88.8 -6.2 -13.6 -12.0 12.6 -10.0 -0.4 Services less energy services ............. 193.1 193.4 193.8 194.4 2.8 3.0 2.5 2.7 2.9 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 Mar.1999 from-- Feb.1999 from-- sched- ule Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. (1) 1998 1999 1999 1999 Mar. Jan. Feb. Feb. Dec. Jan. 1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1999 U.S. city average ........................... M 163.9 164.3 164.5 165.0 1.7 0.4 0.3 1.6 0.4 0.1 Region and area size(2) Northeast urban ............................. M 171.2 171.4 171.6 171.9 1.5 0.3 0.2 1.5 0.2 0.1 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 172.2 172.5 172.4 172.8 1.5 0.2 0.2 1.4 0.1 -0.1 Size B/C 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).......... M 102.5 102.6 103.0 103.2 1.5 0.6 0.2 1.6 0.5 0.4 Midwest urban ............................... M 159.8 160.4 160.5 161.0 1.6 0.4 0.3 1.6 0.4 0.1 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 161.0 161.6 161.8 162.4 1.8 0.5 0.4 1.8 0.5 0.1 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 102.3 102.6 102.6 103.0 1.4 0.4 0.4 1.0 0.3 0.0 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 155.0 155.5 155.6 155.7 1.8 0.1 0.1 1.9 0.4 0.1 South urban ................................. M 159.6 159.9 160.0 160.6 1.5 0.4 0.4 1.4 0.3 0.1 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 158.3 158.9 158.9 159.7 1.6 0.5 0.5 1.4 0.4 0.0 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)........ M 102.8 102.9 103.0 103.3 1.5 0.4 0.3 1.4 0.2 0.1 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 160.4 160.8 160.9 161.5 2.0 0.4 0.4 1.9 0.3 0.1 West urban .................................. M 165.8 166.4 166.9 167.3 2.4 0.5 0.2 2.3 0.7 0.3 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 166.5 167.3 167.8 168.2 2.7 0.5 0.2 2.6 0.8 0.3 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 103.4 103.6 103.8 104.1 1.8 0.5 0.3 1.5 0.4 0.2 Size classes A (4)...................................... M 148.4 148.9 149.0 149.5 2.0 0.4 0.3 1.8 0.4 0.1 B/C (3).................................... M 102.7 102.9 103.0 103.3 1.5 0.4 0.3 1.3 0.3 0.1 D ......................................... M 160.2 160.6 160.7 161.1 1.9 0.3 0.2 1.8 0.3 0.1 Selected local areas(5) Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI .............. M 165.1 166.1 166.4 167.0 1.8 0.5 0.4 2.0 0.8 0.2 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ..... M 163.5 164.2 164.6 165.0 2.2 0.5 0.2 2.2 0.7 0.2 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA ............................. M 174.7 175.0 175.1 175.5 1.4 0.3 0.2 1.4 0.2 0.1 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT ......... 1 - 174.1 - 174.8 2.0 0.4 - - - - Cleveland-Akron, OH ......................... 1 - 160.6 - 161.2 1.6 0.4 - - - - Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ....................... 1 - 155.0 - 156.4 2.2 0.9 - - - - Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV (6)........ 1 - 102.8 - 103.2 1.6 0.4 - - - - Atlanta, GA ................................. 2 161.6 - 161.9 - - - - 1.5 0.2 - Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI ................. 2 161.2 - 161.2 - - - - 1.7 0.0 - Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .............. 2 146.1 - 146.6 - - - - 0.3 0.3 - Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ................... 2 161.1 - 161.4 - - - - 0.7 0.2 - Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-DE-MD ............................. 2 169.0 - 168.6 - - - - 1.0 -0.2 - San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA .......... 2 167.4 - 169.4 - - - - 3.8 1.2 - Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA ................ 2 169.4 - 170.6 - - - - 2.5 0.7 - 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, Mar. 1999 from- percent change from- CPI-W December 1998 Feb. Mar. 1999 1999 Mar. Feb. Dec. to Jan. to Feb. to 1998 1999 Jan. Feb. Mar. Expenditure category All items ................................... 100.000 161.1 161.4 1.7 0.2 0.2 0.0 0.1 All items (1967=100) ........................ - 479.8 480.9 - - - - - Food and beverages ......................... 18.011 163.0 162.9 2.2 -0.1 0.4 0.1 -0.2 Food ...................................... 16.966 162.6 162.6 2.2 0.0 0.5 0.1 -0.2 Food at home ............................. 10.832 162.6 162.3 1.9 -0.2 0.6 0.1 -0.4 Cereals and bakery products ............. 1.689 183.5 183.2 2.2 -0.2 0.8 -0.4 0.2 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .......... 3.055 146.7 146.4 -0.3 -0.2 -0.8 1.0 -0.3 Dairy and related products (1)........... 1.193 162.2 161.5 9.0 -0.4 2.4 0.7 -0.4 Fruits and vegetables ................... 1.492 199.3 198.7 2.0 -0.3 2.6 -1.4 -2.2 Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ........................... 1.184 133.4 133.6 0.4 0.1 0.6 0.2 0.2 Other food at home ...................... 2.220 152.6 152.3 2.3 -0.2 -0.2 0.1 -0.2 Sugar and sweets ....................... .420 151.3 151.1 0.1 -0.1 -0.1 -0.2 -0.1 Fats and oils .......................... .354 150.6 148.9 4.9 -1.1 -1.8 0.2 -1.1 Other foods ............................ 1.446 168.1 168.0 2.3 -0.1 0.2 0.2 0.0 Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)...... .355 105.9 105.0 3.1 -0.8 -0.7 1.6 -0.8 Food away from home (1)................... 6.133 163.8 164.1 2.6 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 Other food away from home (1) (2)........ .216 103.7 103.8 3.5 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 Alcoholic beverages ....................... 1.045 167.6 167.3 2.0 -0.2 0.1 0.5 -0.4 Housing .................................... 36.685 158.4 158.8 2.1 0.3 0.0 0.1 0.3 Shelter ................................... 27.496 179.9 180.5 3.0 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.3 Rent of primary residence (3)............. 8.500 175.3 175.6 3.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 Lodging away from home (2) (3)............ 1.379 110.3 114.2 3.1 3.5 -2.1 -0.5 1.6 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (3) (4)..................... 17.296 174.2 174.5 2.9 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2).. .320 100.4 100.6 0.1 0.2 -0.2 0.3 0.2 Fuels and utilities ....................... 4.850 125.8 125.8 -0.9 0.0 -0.2 0.2 0.4 Fuels .................................... 3.928 110.2 110.0 -1.7 -0.2 -0.3 0.1 0.5 Fuel oil and other fuels ................ .201 86.8 86.8 -8.1 0.0 0.0 -1.4 1.1 Gas (piped) and electricity (3).......... 3.727 117.5 117.3 -1.3 -0.2 -0.3 0.2 0.4 Household furnishings and operations ...... 4.339 124.8 124.9 -0.1 0.1 -0.1 -0.3 -0.2 Apparel .................................... 5.199 128.5 131.1 -1.4 2.0 -1.1 -0.4 -0.4 Men's and boys' apparel ................... 1.474 129.9 131.6 -0.9 1.3 -0.7 0.8 -0.5 Women's and girls' apparel ................ 1.948 118.8 123.9 -2.7 4.3 -1.9 -0.9 0.0 Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1)......... .344 127.2 126.5 1.6 -0.6 -0.1 -2.8 -0.6 Footwear .................................. 1.057 125.4 126.8 -0.2 1.1 -0.9 -1.2 0.5 Transportation ............................. 19.166 138.3 139.1 -0.7 0.6 -0.1 -0.4 0.6 Private transportation .................... 18.109 135.6 136.2 -0.9 0.4 -0.2 -0.5 0.6 New and used motor vehicles (2)........... 9.250 99.9 99.5 -0.5 -0.4 -0.5 -0.9 -0.2 New vehicles ............................ 5.224 145.0 144.5 -0.8 -0.3 0.1 -0.5 -0.2 Used cars and trucks (1)................. 3.216 149.6 148.7 -0.1 -0.6 -1.6 -1.4 -0.6 Motor fuel ............................... 3.066 83.5 86.4 -5.1 3.5 0.2 -0.6 4.0 Gasoline (all types) .................... 3.045 83.0 85.9 -5.1 3.5 0.2 -0.5 3.9 Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........ .682 100.5 99.8 -0.9 -0.7 0.0 -0.2 -0.5 Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ..... 1.690 171.8 172.0 3.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 Public transportation (1).................. 1.056 189.1 194.1 2.1 2.6 0.9 1.2 2.6 Medical care ............................... 4.672 246.9 247.5 3.5 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 Medical care commodities .................. .926 223.2 223.9 3.9 0.3 0.0 0.2 0.3 Medical care services ..................... 3.746 252.3 252.8 3.4 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.3 Professional services (3)................. 2.415 228.3 228.9 3.2 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.2 Hospital and related services (3)......... 1.114 292.4 292.8 4.1 0.1 0.8 0.4 0.3 Recreation (2).............................. 5.925 101.3 101.3 0.3 0.0 0.4 -0.2 -0.1 Video and audio (1) (2).................... 1.951 101.4 101.0 -0.4 -0.4 0.4 -0.6 -0.5 Education and communication (2)............. 5.361 101.2 101.0 1.0 -0.2 0.3 0.2 0.0 Education (2).............................. 2.478 105.5 105.6 5.1 0.1 0.4 0.8 0.4 Educational books and supplies ........... .200 263.9 264.0 5.6 0.0 -0.6 1.2 0.3 Tuition, other school fees, and childcare 2.278 297.8 298.0 5.0 0.1 0.4 0.8 0.4 Communication (1) (2)...................... 2.883 97.7 97.4 -2.1 -0.3 0.3 -0.4 -0.3 Information and information processing (1) (2)................................... 2.733 97.4 97.1 -2.4 -0.3 0.1 -0.4 -0.3 Telephone services (1) (2)............... 2.519 100.5 100.4 0.0 -0.1 0.4 -0.3 -0.1 Information and information processing other than telephone services (1) (5) .213 34.4 33.5 -25.2 -2.6 -2.8 -1.7 -2.6 Personal computers and peripheral equipment (1) (2)................... .120 59.3 56.9 -35.6 -4.0 -4.5 -2.9 -4.0 Other goods and services ................... 4.981 258.3 255.6 11.5 -1.0 2.5 -0.2 -1.0 Tobacco and smoking products .............. 1.694 348.9 336.0 32.4 -3.7 6.4 -1.3 -3.5 Personal care (1).......................... 3.287 159.6 160.3 3.1 0.4 0.5 0.3 0.4 Personal care products (1)................ .838 150.8 151.6 2.3 0.5 0.7 0.1 0.5 Personal care services (1)................ .975 169.6 170.2 3.2 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 Miscellaneous personal services .......... 1.253 240.8 241.4 4.2 0.2 0.5 0.4 0.2 Commodity and service group Commodities ................................. 46.764 142.2 142.5 1.0 0.2 0.2 -0.3 -0.1 Food and beverages ......................... 18.011 163.0 162.9 2.2 -0.1 0.4 0.1 -0.2 Commodities less food and beverages ........ 28.753 129.9 130.3 0.2 0.3 0.1 -0.5 0.0 Nondurables less food and beverages ....... 15.564 131.8 133.1 1.4 1.0 0.4 -0.5 0.5 Apparel .................................. 5.199 128.5 131.1 -1.4 2.0 -1.1 -0.4 -0.4 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .............................. 10.365 138.2 138.7 2.9 0.4 1.2 -0.5 0.7 Durables .................................. 13.189 126.1 125.7 -1.4 -0.3 -0.4 -0.7 -0.3 Services .................................... 53.236 183.5 184.0 2.4 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.3 Rent of shelter (4)......................... 27.175 173.2 173.8 3.1 0.3 0.0 0.2 0.2 Transportation services .................... 6.800 186.8 187.8 1.1 0.5 0.1 0.3 0.6 Other services ............................. 10.144 217.7 217.8 2.8 0.0 0.5 0.2 0.2 Special indexes All items less food ......................... 83.034 160.6 161.1 1.6 0.3 0.1 -0.1 0.2 All items less shelter ...................... 72.504 155.8 156.1 1.2 0.2 0.2 -0.1 0.1 All items less medical care ................. 95.328 157.1 157.5 1.7 0.3 0.2 -0.1 0.1 Commodities less food ....................... 29.798 131.3 131.8 0.2 0.4 0.1 -0.5 0.0 Nondurables less food ....................... 16.609 134.0 135.1 1.4 0.8 0.4 -0.5 0.4 Nondurables less food and apparel ........... 11.410 140.0 140.5 2.9 0.4 0.9 -0.4 0.6 Nondurables ................................. 33.575 147.7 148.3 1.9 0.4 0.3 -0.1 0.2 Services less rent of shelter (4)............ 26.061 172.3 172.6 1.8 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.3 Services less medical care services ......... 49.490 177.8 178.2 2.4 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.2 Energy ...................................... 6.994 96.1 97.5 -3.3 1.5 -0.1 -0.2 2.0 All items less energy ....................... 93.006 170.0 170.2 2.1 0.1 0.2 0.0 -0.1 All items less food and energy ............. 76.040 171.9 172.2 2.1 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.0 Commodities less food and energy commodities ........................... 26.531 143.7 143.7 1.0 0.0 0.0 -0.5 -0.5 Energy commodities ....................... 3.267 83.8 86.6 -5.3 3.3 0.2 -0.7 3.7 Services less energy services ............. 49.509 190.9 191.5 2.7 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar ..... - $ .621 $ .619 - - - - - Purchasing power of the consumer dollar - old base .................................... - $ .208 $ .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-- Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. 1998 1999 1999 1999 June Sep. Dec. Mar. Sep. Mar. 1998 1998 1998 1999 1998 1999 Expenditure category All items ................................... 161.0 161.3 161.3 161.5 2.0 1.5 2.3 1.2 1.8 1.8 Food and beverages ......................... 162.2 162.9 163.1 162.8 2.0 2.5 2.8 1.5 2.3 2.1 Food ...................................... 161.7 162.5 162.7 162.4 2.0 2.5 2.5 1.7 2.3 2.1 Food at home ............................. 161.5 162.4 162.6 161.9 2.0 2.0 2.8 1.0 2.0 1.9 Cereals and bakery products ............. 182.6 184.0 183.3 183.6 2.5 2.7 1.3 2.2 2.6 1.8 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .......... 146.2 145.1 146.5 146.1 -0.3 0.3 -1.1 -0.3 0.0 -0.7 Dairy and related products (1)........... 157.4 161.1 162.2 161.5 -1.1 13.9 13.2 10.8 6.2 12.0 Fruits and vegetables ................... 199.9 205.0 202.1 197.7 12.8 -6.7 8.4 -4.3 2.6 1.8 Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ........................... 131.5 132.3 132.5 132.8 -1.8 -2.1 1.5 4.0 -2.0 2.8 Other food at home ...................... 152.5 152.2 152.4 152.1 2.7 5.7 1.9 -1.0 4.2 0.4 Sugar and sweets ....................... 151.3 151.2 150.9 150.7 -1.1 1.1 2.1 -1.6 0.0 0.3 Fats and oils .......................... 152.6 149.8 150.1 148.5 4.3 27.3 1.9 -10.3 15.2 -4.4 Other foods ............................ 167.2 167.5 167.8 167.8 3.2 2.7 1.7 1.4 2.9 1.6 Other miscellaneous foods (1) (2)...... 104.9 104.2 105.9 105.0 2.8 4.8 4.7 0.4 3.8 2.5 Food away from home (1)................... 163.0 163.5 163.8 164.1 2.3 3.0 2.5 2.7 2.6 2.6 Other food away from home (1) (2)........ 103.4 103.6 103.7 103.8 2.8 7.3 2.4 1.6 5.0 2.0 Alcoholic beverages ....................... 166.5 166.7 167.5 166.9 1.5 2.7 2.9 1.0 2.1 1.9 Housing .................................... 158.2 158.2 158.4 158.8 2.3 2.1 2.6 1.5 2.2 2.0 Shelter ................................... 179.2 179.3 179.7 180.2 3.5 3.2 3.2 2.3 3.3 2.7 Rent of primary residence (3)............. 174.5 174.9 175.3 175.6 3.3 3.5 3.8 2.5 3.4 3.1 Lodging away from home (2) (3)............ 104.1 101.9 101.4 103.0 6.6 6.9 3.5 -4.2 6.7 -0.4 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (3) (4)..................... 173.5 173.8 174.2 174.6 3.3 3.1 2.8 2.6 3.2 2.7 Tenants' and household insurance (1) (2).. 100.3 100.1 100.4 100.6 -4.7 0.4 3.7 1.2 -2.2 2.4 Fuels and utilities ....................... 126.8 126.5 126.7 127.2 -0.9 -4.0 0.0 1.3 -2.5 0.6 Fuels .................................... 110.6 110.3 110.4 110.9 -1.8 -5.2 -0.7 1.1 -3.5 0.2 Fuel oil and other fuels ................ 85.3 85.3 84.1 85.0 -5.9 -10.5 -13.7 -1.4 -8.3 -7.8 Gas (piped) and electricity (3).......... 118.4 118.1 118.3 118.8 -1.3 -5.2 0.0 1.4 -3.3 0.7 Household furnishings and operations ...... 125.3 125.2 124.8 124.6 0.6 -0.3 1.3 -2.2 0.2 -0.5 Apparel .................................... 131.4 129.9 129.4 128.9 2.2 0.6 -0.6 -7.4 1.4 -4.1 Men's and boys' apparel ................... 130.9 130.0 131.1 130.5 -0.6 -3.6 1.9 -1.2 -2.1 0.3 Women's and girls' apparel ................ 123.5 121.1 120.0 120.0 3.0 3.6 -5.6 -10.9 3.3 -8.3 Infants' and toddlers' apparel (1)......... 130.9 130.8 127.2 126.5 2.9 1.3 17.2 -12.8 2.1 1.1 Footwear .................................. 128.8 127.7 126.2 126.8 5.5 1.6 -1.5 -6.1 3.5 -3.8 Transportation ............................. 139.4 139.2 138.7 139.6 -0.6 -1.7 -1.4 0.6 -1.1 -0.4 Private transportation .................... 137.0 136.7 136.0 136.8 -0.3 -1.7 -1.2 -0.6 -1.0 -0.9 New and used motor vehicles (2)........... 101.1 100.6 99.7 99.5 1.2 2.0 1.2 -6.2 1.6 -2.6 New vehicles ............................ 144.7 144.8 144.1 143.8 -2.7 2.2 0.0 -2.5 -0.3 -1.2 Used cars and trucks (1)................. 154.3 151.8 149.6 148.7 9.7 2.4 2.9 -13.7 6.0 -5.8 Motor fuel ............................... 86.3 86.5 86.0 89.4 -5.4 -15.0 -12.0 15.2 -10.3 0.7 Gasoline (all types) .................... 85.8 86.0 85.6 88.9 -6.3 -14.7 -12.1 15.3 -10.6 0.7 Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........ 100.4 100.4 100.2 99.7 -0.4 0.0 -0.4 -2.8 -0.2 -1.6 Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ..... 170.9 171.2 171.6 172.0 2.7 3.6 3.8 2.6 3.1 3.2 Public transportation (1).................. 185.1 186.8 189.1 194.1 -9.5 2.2 -3.0 20.9 -3.9 8.3 Medical care ............................... 245.2 245.9 246.4 247.2 4.3 3.7 2.7 3.3 4.0 3.0 Medical care commodities .................. 222.6 222.6 223.0 223.6 5.9 5.4 2.6 1.8 5.7 2.2 Medical care services ..................... 250.1 251.0 251.5 252.3 4.0 3.3 2.6 3.6 3.6 3.1 Professional services (3)................. 227.0 227.7 228.0 228.5 4.4 3.1 2.7 2.7 3.7 2.7 Hospital and related services (3)......... 287.6 289.9 291.2 292.2 3.0 3.9 2.7 6.6 3.4 4.6 Recreation (2).............................. 100.8 101.2 101.0 100.9 0.4 0.8 -0.4 0.4 0.6 0.0 Video and audio (1) (2).................... 101.2 101.6 101.0 100.5 0.4 2.0 -1.2 -2.7 1.2 -2.0 Education and communication (2)............. 100.9 101.2 101.4 101.4 2.8 -1.2 0.8 2.0 0.8 1.4 Education (2).............................. 104.7 105.1 105.9 106.3 5.2 4.0 4.7 6.3 4.6 5.5 Educational books and supplies ........... 260.5 259.0 262.1 263.0 5.1 5.2 8.2 3.9 5.1 6.0 Tuition, other school fees, and childcare 294.2 295.5 297.8 298.9 4.9 3.9 4.6 6.5 4.4 5.6 Communication (1) (2)...................... 97.8 98.1 97.7 97.4 1.2 -5.1 -2.8 -1.6 -2.0 -2.2 Information and information processing (1) (2)................................... 97.7 97.8 97.4 97.1 1.2 -5.5 -2.8 -2.4 -2.2 -2.6 Telephone services (1) (2)............... 100.4 100.8 100.5 100.4 4.0 -2.3 -1.6 0.0 0.8 -0.8 Information and information processing other than telephone services (1) (5) 36.0 35.0 34.4 33.5 -24.2 -30.2 -21.1 -25.0 -27.3 -23.1 Personal computers and peripheral equipment (1) (2)................... 64.0 61.1 59.3 56.9 -34.3 -43.3 -26.0 -37.5 -38.9 -32.0 Other goods and services ................... 253.0 259.3 258.7 256.1 8.8 9.2 23.9 5.0 9.0 14.1 Tobacco and smoking products .............. 332.6 353.8 349.3 337.0 22.6 26.5 88.1 5.4 24.5 40.8 Personal care (1).......................... 158.3 159.1 159.6 160.3 3.4 2.3 1.5 5.2 2.8 3.3 Personal care products (1)................ 149.6 150.7 150.8 151.6 5.8 -0.5 -1.3 5.5 2.6 2.0 Personal care services (1)................ 168.6 169.1 169.6 170.2 1.7 4.4 2.9 3.9 3.1 3.4 Miscellaneous personal services .......... 238.4 239.5 240.4 240.9 3.5 4.7 4.1 4.3 4.1 4.2 Commodity and service group Commodities ................................. 142.6 142.9 142.5 142.4 1.4 0.6 2.3 -0.6 1.0 0.8 Food and beverages ......................... 162.2 162.9 163.1 162.8 2.0 2.5 2.8 1.5 2.3 2.1 Commodities less food and beverages ........ 130.9 131.0 130.3 130.3 0.9 -0.6 1.9 -1.8 0.2 0.0 Nondurables less food and beverages ....... 132.8 133.3 132.6 133.2 2.1 -0.3 2.8 1.2 0.9 2.0 Apparel .................................. 131.4 129.9 129.4 128.9 2.2 0.6 -0.6 -7.4 1.4 -4.1 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .............................. 138.2 139.8 139.1 140.1 2.4 -1.5 5.4 5.6 0.4 5.5 Durables .................................. 127.2 126.7 125.8 125.4 -0.3 0.3 -0.3 -5.5 0.0 -3.0 Services .................................... 182.9 183.1 183.5 184.1 2.7 2.0 2.4 2.7 2.4 2.5 Rent of shelter (4)......................... 172.8 172.8 173.1 173.5 3.9 3.3 3.5 1.6 3.6 2.6 Transportation services .................... 185.7 185.9 186.5 187.7 -1.1 0.2 0.9 4.4 -0.4 2.6 Other services ............................. 216.4 217.4 217.8 218.2 3.8 2.1 2.1 3.4 2.9 2.7 Special indexes All items less food ......................... 160.5 160.7 160.6 160.9 2.0 1.3 2.0 1.0 1.6 1.5 All items less shelter ...................... 155.9 156.2 156.0 156.1 1.6 0.5 2.1 0.5 1.0 1.3 All items less medical care ................. 157.0 157.3 157.2 157.4 1.8 1.3 2.3 1.0 1.6 1.7 Commodities less food ....................... 132.5 132.6 131.9 131.9 1.2 -0.6 1.8 -1.8 0.3 0.0 Nondurables less food ....................... 134.7 135.3 134.6 135.2 2.1 -0.6 2.7 1.5 0.8 2.1 Nondurables less food and apparel ........... 140.0 141.3 140.8 141.6 2.9 -1.4 5.3 4.7 0.7 5.0 Nondurables ................................. 147.6 148.1 148.0 148.3 2.5 0.8 2.2 1.9 1.7 2.1 Services less rent of shelter (4)............ 171.9 172.1 172.3 172.8 2.4 1.2 1.4 2.1 1.8 1.8 Services less medical care services ......... 177.4 177.5 177.8 178.2 2.8 2.3 2.5 1.8 2.5 2.2 Energy ...................................... 98.0 97.9 97.7 99.7 -3.4 -9.8 -5.9 7.1 -6.7 0.4 All items less energy ....................... 169.7 170.1 170.1 170.0 2.4 2.4 2.9 0.7 2.4 1.8 All items less food and energy ............. 171.9 172.1 172.1 172.1 2.6 2.4 2.8 0.5 2.5 1.6 Commodities less food and energy commodities ........................... 144.6 144.6 143.9 143.2 2.0 1.7 4.0 -3.8 1.8 0.0 Energy commodities ....................... 86.3 86.5 85.9 89.1 -5.4 -14.7 -12.0 13.6 -10.2 0.0 Services less energy services ............. 190.3 190.6 191.0 191.6 2.8 2.8 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.7 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 Mar.1999 from-- Feb.1999 from-- sched- ule Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. (1) 1998 1999 1999 1999 Mar. Jan. Feb. Feb. Dec. Jan. 1998 1999 1999 1998 1998 1999 U.S. city average ........................... M 160.7 161.0 161.1 161.4 1.7 0.2 0.2 1.6 0.2 0.1 Region and area size(2) Northeast urban ............................. M 168.2 168.4 168.3 168.5 1.5 0.1 0.1 1.4 0.1 -0.1 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 168.2 168.5 168.1 168.3 1.5 -0.1 0.1 1.4 -0.1 -0.2 Size B/C 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).......... M 102.3 102.4 102.6 102.8 1.5 0.4 0.2 1.5 0.3 0.2 Midwest urban ............................... M 156.0 156.6 156.5 156.9 1.6 0.2 0.3 1.5 0.3 -0.1 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 156.5 157.1 157.2 157.5 1.8 0.3 0.2 1.9 0.4 0.1 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 102.0 102.3 102.2 102.6 1.3 0.3 0.4 0.8 0.2 -0.1 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 153.3 153.6 153.4 153.4 1.8 -0.1 0.0 1.7 0.1 -0.1 South urban ................................. M 157.8 157.9 158.0 158.4 1.5 0.3 0.3 1.5 0.1 0.1 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 156.0 156.4 156.4 156.9 1.4 0.3 0.3 1.4 0.3 0.0 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)........ M 102.5 102.5 102.6 102.8 1.5 0.3 0.2 1.5 0.1 0.1 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 160.8 161.1 161.0 161.5 2.1 0.2 0.3 1.9 0.1 -0.1 West urban .................................. M 161.8 162.4 162.7 163.2 2.4 0.5 0.3 2.1 0.6 0.2 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 160.8 161.6 161.9 162.3 2.7 0.4 0.2 2.5 0.7 0.2 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 103.3 103.4 103.6 104.0 1.9 0.6 0.4 1.4 0.3 0.2 Size classes A (4)...................................... M 146.9 147.4 147.4 147.7 1.9 0.2 0.2 1.8 0.3 0.0 B/C (3).................................... M 102.5 102.6 102.6 102.9 1.5 0.3 0.3 1.3 0.1 0.0 D ......................................... M 159.2 159.6 159.4 159.8 1.9 0.1 0.3 1.7 0.1 -0.1 Selected local areas(5) Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI .............. M 159.6 160.5 160.6 161.1 1.8 0.4 0.3 2.0 0.6 0.1 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ..... M 157.2 157.8 158.1 158.3 2.1 0.3 0.1 2.0 0.6 0.2 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA ............................. M 170.5 170.8 170.6 170.8 1.5 0.0 0.1 1.4 0.1 -0.1 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT ......... 1 - 172.2 - 172.3 1.8 0.1 - - - - Cleveland-Akron, OH ......................... 1 - 152.7 - 152.9 1.9 0.1 - - - - Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ....................... 1 - 154.6 - 155.8 2.0 0.8 - - - - Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV (6)........ 1 - 102.7 - 102.8 1.5 0.1 - - - - Atlanta, GA ................................. 2 158.8 - 159.1 - - - - 1.6 0.2 - Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI ................. 2 155.9 - 155.8 - - - - 1.9 -0.1 - Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .............. 2 144.8 - 145.0 - - - - 0.2 0.1 - Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ................... 2 158.7 - 158.8 - - - - 1.0 0.1 - Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-DE-MD ............................. 2 168.5 - 167.8 - - - - 1.0 -0.4 - San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA .......... 2 163.7 - 165.7 - - - - 3.8 1.2 - Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA ................ 2 164.9 - 166.0 - - - - 2.3 0.7 - 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 Mar. 1999 from- CPI-U December 1998 Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. 1999 1999 1998 1999 Expenditure category All items ................................... 100.000 164.7 165.2 1.8 0.3 All items (1967=100) ........................ - 493.3 494.9 - - Food and beverages ......................... 16.408 163.8 163.7 2.2 -0.1 Food ...................................... 15.422 163.4 163.3 2.3 -0.1 Food at home ............................. 9.691 163.8 163.5 2.1 -0.2 Cereals and bakery products ............. 1.544 183.8 183.4 2.1 -0.2 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .......... 2.569 147.3 147.0 -0.1 -0.2 Dairy and related products .............. 1.088 162.2 161.4 8.8 -0.5 Fruits and vegetables ................... 1.440 200.4 200.4 2.2 0.0 Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ........................... 1.049 134.4 134.4 0.1 0.0 Other food at home ...................... 2.002 153.1 152.8 2.2 -0.2 Sugar and sweets ....................... .377 151.2 151.0 0.1 -0.1 Fats and oils .......................... .309 150.6 149.1 4.9 -1.0 Other foods ............................ 1.316 168.1 168.0 2.3 -0.1 Other miscellaneous foods (1)......... .320 105.8 104.9 3.3 -0.9 Food away from home ...................... 5.730 163.9 164.2 2.7 0.2 Other food away from home (1)........... .175 103.7 103.7 3.4 0.0 Alcoholic beverages ....................... .986 168.6 168.4 2.0 -0.1 Housing .................................... 39.828 162.4 163.0 2.4 0.4 Shelter ................................... 30.283 185.6 186.5 3.2 0.5 Rent of primary residence ................ 7.007 175.6 176.0 3.3 0.2 Lodging away from home (1)................ 2.376 111.3 116.1 4.4 4.3 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (2)......................... 20.529 191.3 191.5 3.0 0.1 Tenants' and household insurance (1)..... .371 100.1 100.2 -0.1 0.1 Fuels and utilities ....................... 4.735 126.0 125.9 -0.9 -0.1 Fuels .................................... 3.801 110.6 110.5 -1.8 -0.1 Fuel oil and other fuels ................ .227 86.2 86.2 -8.7 0.0 Gas (piped) and electricity ............. 3.574 118.0 117.9 -1.3 -0.1 Household furnishings and operations ...... 4.810 126.8 127.0 0.6 0.2 Apparel .................................... 4.831 130.9 133.7 -0.9 2.1 Men's and boys' apparel ................... 1.358 130.6 132.0 -1.2 1.1 Women's and girls' apparel ................ 1.939 122.4 127.9 -1.5 4.5 Infants' and toddlers' apparel ............ .272 127.0 125.6 1.0 -1.1 Footwear .................................. .876 125.8 127.2 0.6 1.1 Transportation ............................. 16.999 139.8 140.7 -0.5 0.6 Private transportation .................... 15.653 135.9 136.5 -0.7 0.4 New and used motor vehicles (1)........... 7.843 99.9 99.7 -0.4 -0.2 New vehicles ............................ 4.983 143.8 143.4 -0.7 -0.3 Used cars and trucks .................... 1.914 148.4 147.5 0.1 -0.6 Motor fuel ............................... 2.493 83.6 86.3 -5.1 3.2 Gasoline (all types) .................... 2.476 83.1 85.8 -5.0 3.2 Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........ .549 100.9 100.3 -0.9 -0.6 Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ..... 1.624 170.4 170.6 3.0 0.1 Public transportation ..................... 1.346 192.6 198.4 2.4 3.0 Medical care ............................... 5.713 247.7 248.4 3.6 0.3 Medical care commodities .................. 1.252 226.9 228.1 4.4 0.5 Medical care services ..................... 4.461 252.6 253.1 3.4 0.2 Professional services .................... 2.854 226.8 227.4 3.2 0.3 Hospital and related services ............ 1.354 296.2 296.6 4.0 0.1 Recreation (1).............................. 6.120 102.0 102.0 1.0 0.0 Video and audio (1)....................... 1.748 101.5 101.1 -0.3 -0.4 Education and communication (1)............. 5.478 100.9 100.8 0.9 -0.1 Education (1).............................. 2.694 105.3 105.4 4.9 0.1 Educational books and supplies ........... .203 260.9 261.1 5.5 0.1 Tuition, other school fees, and childcare 2.492 303.2 303.4 4.8 0.1 Communication (1)......................... 2.783 97.0 96.7 -2.6 -0.3 Information and information processing (1)................................... 2.580 96.5 96.2 -3.1 -0.3 Telephone services (1).................. 2.327 100.4 100.3 -0.1 -0.1 Information and information processing other than telephone services (3)... .253 33.3 32.5 -25.1 -2.4 Personal computers and peripheral equipment (1)...................... .148 59.8 57.7 -34.9 -3.5 Other goods and services ................... 4.624 254.8 253.3 9.0 -0.6 Tobacco and smoking products .............. 1.159 347.8 335.8 32.2 -3.5 Personal care ............................. 3.465 159.4 160.1 3.0 0.4 Personal care products ................... .742 149.3 150.2 2.0 0.6 Personal care services ................... .973 169.4 170.1 3.3 0.4 Miscellaneous personal services .......... 1.491 240.9 241.5 3.7 0.2 Commodity and service group Commodities ................................. 42.109 142.4 142.8 0.9 0.3 Food and beverages ......................... 16.408 163.8 163.7 2.2 -0.1 Commodities less food and beverages ........ 25.702 129.8 130.4 0.0 0.5 Nondurables less food and beverages ....... 14.345 132.3 133.6 1.1 1.0 Apparel .................................. 4.831 130.9 133.7 -0.9 2.1 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .............................. 9.514 137.9 138.6 2.2 0.5 Durables .................................. 11.356 126.5 126.1 -1.5 -0.3 Services .................................... 57.891 187.0 187.7 2.6 0.4 Rent of shelter (2)......................... 29.912 193.2 194.2 3.2 0.5 Transportation services .................... 6.963 189.4 190.7 1.2 0.7 Other services ............................. 10.768 221.2 221.5 3.0 0.1 Special indexes All items less food ......................... 84.578 164.9 165.6 1.8 0.4 All items less shelter ...................... 69.717 158.2 158.6 1.3 0.3 All items less medical care ................. 94.287 160.1 160.6 1.8 0.3 Commodities less food ....................... 26.688 131.4 132.0 0.2 0.5 Nondurables less food ....................... 15.331 134.4 135.7 1.2 1.0 Nondurables less food and apparel ........... 10.500 139.9 140.6 2.3 0.5 Nondurables ................................. 30.753 148.1 148.8 1.8 0.5 Services less rent of shelter (2)............ 27.979 193.8 194.3 1.9 0.3 Services less medical care services ......... 53.429 181.0 181.7 2.5 0.4 Energy ...................................... 6.294 97.3 98.5 -3.1 1.2 All items less energy ....................... 93.706 173.4 173.9 2.2 0.3 All items less food and energy ............. 78.284 175.9 176.5 2.3 0.3 Commodities less food and energy commodities ........................... 23.967 144.0 144.2 0.8 0.1 Energy commodities ....................... 2.720 83.9 86.4 -5.4 3.0 Services less energy services ............. 54.316 194.1 194.9 2.9 0.4 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar (1982-84=$1.00) ......................... - $ .607 $ .605 - - Purchasing power of the consumer dollar (1967=$1.00) ............................ - $ .203 $ .202 - - 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 Mar. 1999 from- CPI-W December 1998 Feb. Mar. Mar. Feb. 1999 1999 1998 1999 Expenditure category All items ................................... 100.000 161.2 161.6 1.8 0.2 All items (1967=100) ........................ - 480.1 481.3 - - Food and beverages ......................... 18.011 163.1 163.0 2.3 -0.1 Food ...................................... 16.966 162.7 162.6 2.2 -0.1 Food at home ............................. 10.832 162.6 162.3 1.9 -0.2 Cereals and bakery products ............. 1.689 183.4 183.1 2.1 -0.2 Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs .......... 3.055 146.9 146.6 -0.2 -0.2 Dairy and related products .............. 1.193 162.1 161.3 8.9 -0.5 Fruits and vegetables ................... 1.492 199.3 199.2 2.3 -0.1 Nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials ........................... 1.184 133.3 133.4 0.2 0.1 Other food at home ...................... 2.220 152.5 152.1 2.1 -0.3 Sugar and sweets ....................... .420 151.1 151.1 0.1 0.0 Fats and oils .......................... .354 150.2 148.7 4.8 -1.0 Other foods ............................ 1.446 167.9 167.8 2.1 -0.1 Other miscellaneous foods (1)......... .355 105.7 104.9 3.0 -0.8 Food away from home ...................... 6.133 163.9 164.2 2.7 0.2 Other food away from home (1)........... .216 103.7 103.8 3.5 0.1 Alcoholic beverages ....................... 1.045 167.7 167.3 2.0 -0.2 Housing .................................... 36.685 158.5 158.9 2.2 0.3 Shelter ................................... 27.496 180.0 180.6 3.1 0.3 Rent of primary residence ................ 8.500 175.3 175.6 3.3 0.2 Lodging away from home (1)................ 1.379 111.0 115.2 4.0 3.8 Owners' equivalent rent of primary residence (2)......................... 17.296 174.2 174.5 2.9 0.2 Tenants' and household insurance (1)..... .320 100.4 100.6 0.1 0.2 Fuels and utilities ....................... 4.850 125.8 125.8 -0.9 0.0 Fuels .................................... 3.928 110.2 110.0 -1.7 -0.2 Fuel oil and other fuels ................ .201 86.8 86.8 -8.1 0.0 Gas (piped) and electricity ............. 3.727 117.5 117.3 -1.3 -0.2 Household furnishings and operations ...... 4.339 124.9 125.1 0.1 0.2 Apparel .................................... 5.199 129.7 132.1 -0.7 1.9 Men's and boys' apparel ................... 1.474 130.4 132.1 -0.5 1.3 Women's and girls' apparel ................ 1.948 120.4 125.4 -1.5 4.2 Infants' and toddlers' apparel ............ .344 128.0 126.6 1.7 -1.1 Footwear .................................. 1.057 126.3 127.6 0.4 1.0 Transportation ............................. 19.166 138.4 139.1 -0.7 0.5 Private transportation .................... 18.109 135.7 136.3 -0.8 0.4 New and used motor vehicles (1)........... 9.250 99.9 99.5 -0.5 -0.4 New vehicles ............................ 5.224 144.9 144.5 -0.8 -0.3 Used cars and trucks .................... 3.216 149.7 148.8 0.0 -0.6 Motor fuel ............................... 3.066 83.5 86.4 -5.1 3.5 Gasoline (all types) .................... 3.045 83.0 85.9 -5.1 3.5 Motor vehicle parts and equipment ........ .682 100.5 100.0 -0.7 -0.5 Motor vehicle maintenance and repair ..... 1.690 171.8 172.1 3.2 0.2 Public transportation ..................... 1.056 188.7 193.7 1.8 2.6 Medical care ............................... 4.672 247.0 247.6 3.6 0.2 Medical care commodities .................. .926 223.4 224.3 4.1 0.4 Medical care services ..................... 3.746 252.3 252.8 3.4 0.2 Professional services .................... 2.415 228.3 228.9 3.2 0.3 Hospital and related services ............ 1.114 292.4 292.8 4.1 0.1 Recreation (1).............................. 5.925 101.4 101.4 0.4 0.0 Video and audio (1)....................... 1.951 101.4 101.0 -0.4 -0.4 Education and communication (1)............. 5.361 101.2 101.1 1.1 -0.1 Education (1).............................. 2.478 105.5 105.6 5.1 0.1 Educational books and supplies ........... .200 263.5 263.7 5.5 0.1 Tuition, other school fees, and childcare 2.278 297.7 297.9 4.9 0.1 Communication (1)......................... 2.883 97.7 97.4 -2.1 -0.3 Information and information processing (1)................................... 2.733 97.5 97.1 -2.4 -0.4 Telephone services (1).................. 2.519 100.6 100.4 0.0 -0.2 Information and information processing other than telephone services (3)... .213 34.5 33.5 -25.2 -2.9 Personal computers and peripheral equipment (1)...................... .120 59.4 57.0 -35.4 -4.0 Other goods and services ................... 4.981 258.0 255.6 11.5 -0.9 Tobacco and smoking products .............. 1.694 348.0 335.9 32.4 -3.5 Personal care ............................. 3.287 159.6 160.3 3.1 0.4 Personal care products ................... .838 150.3 151.1 2.0 0.5 Personal care services ................... .975 169.7 170.4 3.3 0.4 Miscellaneous personal services .......... 1.253 241.1 241.7 4.3 0.2 Commodity and service group Commodities ................................. 46.764 142.3 142.6 1.1 0.2 Food and beverages ......................... 18.011 163.1 163.0 2.3 -0.1 Commodities less food and beverages ........ 28.753 130.1 130.6 0.4 0.4 Nondurables less food and beverages ....... 15.564 132.2 133.4 1.7 0.9 Apparel .................................. 5.199 129.7 132.1 -0.7 1.9 Nondurables less food, beverages, and apparel .............................. 10.365 138.1 138.8 3.0 0.5 Durables .................................. 13.189 126.2 125.8 -1.3 -0.3 Services .................................... 53.236 183.6 184.1 2.5 0.3 Rent of shelter (2)......................... 27.175 173.3 173.9 3.1 0.3 Transportation services .................... 6.800 186.9 187.9 1.1 0.5 Other services ............................. 10.144 217.8 218.0 2.9 0.1 Special indexes All items less food ......................... 83.034 160.8 161.3 1.8 0.3 All items less shelter ...................... 72.504 155.9 156.2 1.3 0.2 All items less medical care ................. 95.328 157.2 157.6 1.7 0.3 Commodities less food ....................... 29.798 131.6 132.0 0.4 0.3 Nondurables less food ....................... 16.609 134.3 135.4 1.7 0.8 Nondurables less food and apparel ........... 11.410 139.9 140.5 2.9 0.4 Nondurables ................................. 33.575 147.9 148.5 2.0 0.4 Services less rent of shelter (2)............ 26.061 172.3 172.7 1.8 0.2 Services less medical care services ......... 49.490 177.8 178.3 2.4 0.3 Energy ...................................... 6.994 96.1 97.5 -3.3 1.5 All items less energy ....................... 93.006 170.1 170.4 2.2 0.2 All items less food and energy ............. 76.040 172.0 172.4 2.3 0.2 Commodities less food and energy commodities ........................... 26.531 144.0 144.0 1.2 0.0 Energy commodities ....................... 3.267 83.8 86.6 -5.3 3.3 Services less energy services ............. 49.509 191.0 191.6 2.8 0.3 Purchasing power of the consumer dollar (1982-84=$1.00) ......................... - $ .620 $ .619 - - Purchasing power of the consumer dollar (1967=$1.00) ............................ - $ .208 $ .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 Mar.1999 from-- CPI-U schedule (1) Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Dec. Jan. Feb. 1998 1999 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 U.S. city average ........................... M 163.9 164.4 164.7 165.2 0.8 0.5 0.3 Region and area size(2) Northeast urban ............................. M 171.2 171.6 171.7 172.1 0.5 0.3 0.2 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 172.2 172.6 172.6 173.1 0.5 0.3 0.3 Size B/C 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).......... M 102.5 102.8 103.0 103.3 0.8 0.5 0.3 Midwest urban ............................... M 159.8 160.4 160.6 161.2 0.9 0.5 0.4 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 161.0 161.6 161.9 162.5 0.9 0.6 0.4 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 102.3 102.6 102.7 103.1 0.8 0.5 0.4 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 155.0 155.6 155.7 155.8 0.5 0.1 0.1 South urban ................................. M 159.6 160.0 160.2 160.8 0.8 0.5 0.4 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 158.3 158.9 159.1 159.8 0.9 0.6 0.4 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)........ M 102.8 102.9 103.1 103.4 0.6 0.5 0.3 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 160.4 160.9 161.1 161.7 0.8 0.5 0.4 West urban .................................. M 165.8 166.5 167.0 167.5 1.0 0.6 0.3 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 166.5 167.3 167.9 168.4 1.1 0.7 0.3 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 103.4 103.7 103.9 104.3 0.9 0.6 0.4 Size classes A (4)...................................... M 148.4 148.9 149.1 149.6 0.8 0.5 0.3 B/C (3).................................... M 102.7 103.0 103.1 103.5 0.8 0.5 0.4 D ......................................... M 160.2 160.6 160.8 161.3 0.7 0.4 0.3 Selected local areas Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI .............. M 165.1 166.0 166.4 166.9 1.1 0.5 0.3 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ..... M 163.5 164.2 164.7 165.2 1.0 0.6 0.3 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA ............................. M 174.7 175.2 175.4 175.8 0.6 0.3 0.2 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT ......... 1 - 174.1 - 175.2 - 0.6 - Cleveland-Akron, OH ......................... 1 - 160.6 - 161.1 - 0.3 - Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ....................... 1 - 155.2 - 156.4 - 0.8 - Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV (5)........ 1 - 102.8 - 103.4 - 0.6 - Atlanta, GA ................................. 2 161.6 - 162.1 - - - - Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI ................. 2 161.2 - 161.3 - - - - Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .............. 2 146.1 - 146.8 - - - - Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ................... 2 161.1 - 161.4 - - - - Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-DE-MD ............................. 2 169.0 - 168.7 - - - - San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA .......... 2 167.4 - 169.5 - - - - Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA ................ 2 169.4 - 170.8 - - - - 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 Mar.1999 from-- CPI-W schedule (1) Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Dec. Jan. Feb. 1998 1999 1999 1999 1998 1999 1999 U.S. city average ........................... M 160.7 161.1 161.2 161.6 0.6 0.3 0.2 Region and area size(2) Northeast urban ............................. M 168.2 168.5 168.4 168.7 0.3 0.1 0.2 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 168.2 168.5 168.3 168.5 0.2 0.0 0.1 Size B/C 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3).......... M 102.3 102.5 102.7 102.8 0.5 0.3 0.1 Midwest urban ............................... M 156.0 156.6 156.6 157.1 0.7 0.3 0.3 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 156.5 157.1 157.2 157.6 0.7 0.3 0.3 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 102.0 102.3 102.3 102.7 0.7 0.4 0.4 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 153.3 153.7 153.5 153.5 0.1 -0.1 0.0 South urban ................................. M 157.8 158.0 158.1 158.5 0.4 0.3 0.3 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............. M 156.0 156.5 156.5 157.0 0.6 0.3 0.3 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)........ M 102.5 102.5 102.7 102.9 0.4 0.4 0.2 Size D - Nonmetropolitan (less than 50,000) ............................... M 160.8 161.2 161.2 161.7 0.6 0.3 0.3 West urban .................................. M 161.8 162.5 162.8 163.3 0.9 0.5 0.3 Size A - More than 1,500,000 ............ M 160.8 161.6 162.0 162.4 1.0 0.5 0.2 Size B/C - 50,000 to 1,500,000 (3)......... M 103.3 103.5 103.7 104.1 0.8 0.6 0.4 Size classes A (4)...................................... M 146.9 147.4 147.5 147.8 0.6 0.3 0.2 B/C (3).................................... M 102.5 102.6 102.7 103.0 0.5 0.4 0.3 D ......................................... M 159.2 159.6 159.5 159.9 0.4 0.2 0.3 Selected local areas Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI .............. M 159.6 160.5 160.6 161.1 0.9 0.4 0.3 Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA ..... M 157.2 157.9 158.1 158.5 0.8 0.4 0.3 New York-Northern N.J.-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT-PA ............................. M 170.5 170.9 170.8 171.0 0.3 0.1 0.1 Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT ......... 1 - 172.2 - 172.7 - 0.3 - Cleveland-Akron, OH ......................... 1 - 152.8 - 152.9 - 0.1 - Dallas-Fort Worth, TX ....................... 1 - 154.8 - 155.9 - 0.7 - Washington-Baltimore, DC-MD-VA-WV (5)........ 1 - 102.7 - 103.0 - 0.3 - Atlanta, GA ................................. 2 158.8 - 159.3 - - - - Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI ................. 2 155.9 - 155.9 - - - - Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX .............. 2 144.8 - 145.2 - - - - Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL ................... 2 158.7 - 158.8 - - - - Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-DE-MD ............................. 2 168.5 - 167.9 - - - - San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA .......... 2 163.7 - 165.8 - - - - Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA ................ 2 164.9 - 166.2 - - - - 1 Foods, fuels, and several other items priced every month in all areas; most other goods and services priced as indicated: M - Every month. 1 - January, March, May, July, September, and November. 2 - February, April, June, August, October, and December. 2 Regions defined as the four Census regions. See map in technical notes. 3 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.