Consumer durables prices dropped in 2001

In 2001, prices paid by consumers for durable commodities decreased 1.3 percent—the fourth drop in five years. Nondurables prices also fell in 2001, for the first time since 1986.

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Examples of consumer durables are furniture, televisions, new vehicles, and personal computers. Furniture prices were down by 3.1 percent and television prices down by 10.8 percent last year. Prices of new vehicles declined 0.1 percent and prices of personal computers and peripheral equipment fell by 30.7 percent.

Nondurable commodities include apparel and energy commodities such as gasoline and fuel oil. Prices for apparel fell 3.2 percent in 2001 and the price index for energy commodities dropped 24.5 percent.

These data are produced by the BLS Consumer Price Index program. Annual percent changes are December-to-December changes. For additional information on consumer price changes in 2001, see "Consumer inflation lower in 2001: energy and apparel prices declined," by Todd Wilson, Monthly Labor Review, March 2002.