CPI (Consumer Price Index)

Extracted Attributes

• Type

  Statistical estimate

• Purpose

  Estimates level of prices of goods and services bought by households

• Adjustments

  Prices adjusted for changes in quality or features

• Primary Use

  Track price changes over time, measure inflation, compare inflation rates

• Basket Updates

  Periodically updated to reflect changes in consumer spending habits

• Additional Uses

  Adjust income eligibility for government assistance, federal tax brackets, federally mandated cost of living increases, private sector wage and salary increases, consumer and commercial rent escalations

• Data Collection

  Prices collected from a sample of retail and service establishments, often monthly

• Producer (U.S.)

  U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

• Calculation Method

  Weighted average price of a market basket of consumer goods and services

• Population Groups Covered (U.S.)

  Urban consumers (CPI-U), urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W)

Timeline

• The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 2.9 percent for the 12 months ending August 2025 (as reported in August 2024 data). Prices for all items less food and energy rose 3.1 percent, food prices increased 3.2 percent, and energy prices increased 0.2 percent since August 2024. (Source: web_search_results)

  2024-08-01

• The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 2.7 percent for the 12 months ending July 2025 (as reported in August 2024 data). (Source: web_search_results)

  2024-07-01

• The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 2.7 percent for the 12 months ending June 2025 (as reported in August 2024 data). (Source: web_search_results)

  2024-06-01

• CPI cools to 3% inflation, noted as a positive indicator for the U.S. economic outlook and the likelihood of a Federal Reserve rate cut. (Source: document_959aa5af-793e-4ed6-8fcf-daf30b27fb0f)

  XXXX-XX-XX

Consumer price index

A consumer price index (CPI) is a statistical estimate of the level of prices of goods and services bought for consumption purposes by households. It is calculated as the weighted average price of a market basket of consumer goods and services. Changes in CPI track changes in prices over time. The items in the basket are updated periodically to reflect changes in consumer spending habits. The prices of the goods and services in the basket are collected (often monthly) from a sample of retail and service establishments. The prices are then adjusted for changes in quality or features. Changes in the CPI can be used to track inflation over time and to compare inflation rates between different countries. While the CPI is not a perfect measure of inflation or the cost of living, it is a useful tool for tracking these economic indicators. It is one of several price indices calculated by many national statistical agencies.

Web Search Results

• Consumer price index - Wikipedia

  A consumer price index (CPI) is a statistical estimate of the level of prices of goods and services bought for consumption purposes by households. It is calculated as the weighted average price of a market basket of consumer goods and services "Service (economics)"). Changes in CPI track changes in prices over time.( The items in the basket are updated periodically to reflect changes in consumer spending habits. The prices of the goods and services in the basket are collected (often monthly) [...] A CPI is a statistical estimate constructed using the prices of a sample of representative items whose prices are collected periodically. Sub-indices and sub-sub-indices can be computed for different categories and sub-categories of goods and services, which are combined to produce the overall index with weights reflecting their shares in the total of the consumer expenditures covered by the index. The annual percentage change in the CPI is used as a measure of inflation. A CPI can be used to [...] The index is usually computed monthly, or quarterly in some countries, as a weighted average of sub-indices for different components of consumer expenditure, such as food, housing, shoes, and clothing, each of which is, in turn, a weighted average of sub-sub-indices. At the most detailed level, the elementary aggregate level (for example, men's shirts sold in department stores in San Francisco), detailed weighting information is unavailable, so indices are computed using an unweighted

• Handbook of Methods Consumer Price Index Calculation

  The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by consumers for a representative basket of consumer goods and services. The CPI measures inflation as experienced by consumers in their day-to-day living expenses. The CPI is used to adjust income eligibility levels for government assistance, federal tax brackets, federally mandated cost of living increases, private sector wage and salary increases, and consumer and commercial rent escalations.

• What is the consumer price index and how is it used?

  The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change over time in the price paid by urban households for a set of typical goods and services that people buy and consume, such as food, housing, and medical care. The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, produces the CPI to represent a statistical estimate of inflation, which is a general increase in prices and decrease in the purchasing value of money. Poverty FAQs [...] The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes the CPI as reflecting the buying habits of two population groups relative to consumer goods and services: (1) urban or metropolitan-area wage earners and clerical workers; professional, managerial, and technical workers; the self-employed; short-term workers; the unemployed; retirees, and others not in the labor force (CPI-U); and (2) those in hourly wage earning or clerical jobs (CPI-W). [...] Source: Consumer Price Index Overview, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024. The CPI is used as an economic gauge; a deflator of other economic series; and to adjust dollar values. Specific examples of CPI uses include the following:

• CPI Home : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

  Bureau of Labor Statistics>Consumer Price Index>Home Consumer Price Index Home CPI Home The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services. Indexes are available for the U.S. and various geographic areas. Average price data for select utility, automotive fuel, and food items are also available. Charts [...] The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 2.9 percent for the 12 months ending August 2025, after rising 2.7 percent over the same period in June and July. Prices for all items less food and energy rose 3.1 percent, food prices increased 3.2 percent, and energy prices increased 0.2 percent since August 2024.read more» 1234 Home Subjects Data Tools Publications Economic Releases Classroom Beta Help improve this site

• Glossary:Consumer price index (CPI) - Statistics Explained - Eurostat

  The consumer price index, abbreviated as CPI, measures the change over time in the prices of consumer goods and services acquired, used or paid for by households. It is an important measure of inflation in the European Union (EU)).