Consumer Price Index - Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W)
12-Month Percent Change
Series Id: CWUR0000SA0
Not Seasonally Adjusted
Area: U.S. city average
Item: All items
Base Period: 1982-84=100
Apr
Jan
2016
Oct
July
Apr
Jan
2015
Oct
July
Apr
Jan
2014
Oct
July
Apr
Jan
2013
Oct
July
Apr
Jan
2012
Oct
July
Apr
Jan
2011
Oct
July
Apr
5
Jan
2010
4
3
0.8
2
1
0
-1
-2
Year
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul
Aug Sep
Oct Nov Dec
Annual
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
3.3
1.8
3.1
1.5
1.6
-0.8
1.2
1.4
4.3
1.7
1.5
1.6
-0.3
1.5
3.9
2.2
0.8
1.5
-0.4
2.1
3.6
2.1
1.4
1.5
-0.4
2.8
2.3
3.1
1.9
1.0
-0.6
0.7
3.0
3.0
2.9
1.3
1.4
-0.6
0.5
2.9
3.6
2.4
0.9
2.0
-0.8
0.8
2.6
4.1
1.6
1.2
2.1
-0.6
1.4
4.1
1.6
1.8
2.0
-0.4
1.6
4.1
1.3
2.0
1.9
-0.3
1.4
4.4
2.0
1.0
1.6
-0.6
1.3
3.8
1.7
1.1
1.1
0.1
1.7
3.2
1.7
1.5
0.3
0.4
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Query of “CPI-W. U.S. City Average, All
Items,“ “Not Seasonally Adjusted,” “2009-2014,” “12-Month Percent
Change,” http://data.bls.gov/pdq/querytool.jsp?survey=cw (accessed May 23, 2016).
Consumer Price Index - All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
12-Month Percent Change Series Id: CUUR0000SA0
Not Seasonally Adjusted
Area: U.S. city average
Item: All items
Base Period: 1982-84=100
4.5
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Jan
Apr
July
Oct
Jan
Apr
July
Oct
Jan
Apr
July
Oct
Jan
Apr
July
Oct
Jan
Apr
July
Oct
Jan
Apr
July
Oct
Jan
Apr
2010
4
3.5
3
2.5
1.1
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
-0.5
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual
2010
2.6
2.1
2.3
2.2
2.0
1.1
1.2
1.1
1.1
1.2
1.1
1.5
1.6
2011
1.6
2.1
2.7
3.2
3.6
3.6
3.6
3.8
3.9
3.5
3.4
3.0
3.2
2012
2.9
2.9
2.7
2.3
1.7
1.7
1.4
1.7
2.0
2.2
1.8
1.7
2.1
2013
1.6
2.0
1.5
1.1
1.4
1.8
2.0
1.5
1.2
1.0
1.2
1.5
1.5
2014
1.6
1.1
1.5
2.0
2.1
2.1
2.0
1.7
1.7
1.7
13
0.8
1.6
2015 -0.1
0.0 -0.1 -0.2
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.2
0.0
0.2
0.5
0.7
0.1
2016
1.0
1.4
0.9
1.1
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Query of “CPI-U. U.S. City Average, All
Items,“ “Not Seasonally Adjusted,” “2009-2014,” “12-Month Percent Change,”
http://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet (accessed May 23, 2016).
The Consumer Price Index
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures the average change in prices over time for a fixed market
basket of goods and services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes two indexes: the index for all
urban consumers (CPI-U) covers the spending habits of 87 percent of the population of the United
States and the index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) covers the spending habits
of 32 percent of the population.
CPI-U covers, in addition to wage earners and clerical workers, professional, managerial, and technical
workers, unemployed persons, retirees, and others not in the labor force. CPI-W covers those
households in which clerical or wage occupations earn more than one-half of the income, and at least
one of the members are employed for 37 weeks or more in such an occupation. People who live in
rural areas, members of the armed services, and persons in institutions are not covered by either index.
Since the CPI is predicated on the purchase of a fixed market basket of goods and services, in the same
proportions, month after month, it is a price index rather than a cost-of-living index. In addition,
because it is expenditure-based rather than income-based, the CPI does not include the effect of
income-related changes in items such as income taxes or social security taxes. Also, it does not reflect
noncash items, such as certain benefits received as part of a job, or services supplied by government
agencies without payment of a specific fee.
Uses of the CPI
Because the CPI measures the price change of a constant market basket of goods and services over
time, a principal use of the CPI is an indicator of inflation. As an economic indicator, it is used by the
Executive Branch, Congress, and the Federal Reserve Board to determine and evaluate federal
economic policy.
A second use of the CPI is to adjust other economic statistics for price change and translate current
dollar amounts into inflation-free values. Statistics adjusted by the CPI include retail sales, hourly and
weekly earnings, and personal consumption expenditures used to calculate the Gross Domestic Product
(GDP).
In addition to private-sector workers whose wages or pensions are adjusted according to changes in the
CPI, the index affects the income of persons receiving benefits under such federal social programs as
social security, military and federal civil service retirement and survivors’ pay, and food stamps. The
official “poverty threshold” estimate, which is the basis of eligibility in many health and welfare
programs of the federal, as well as state and local governments, is updated periodically using the CPI.
Consumer Price Index Levels to Three Decimal Places
Effective with the January 2007 release of the CPI, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has begun
computing percent changes based upon three decimal place indexes rather than one decimal place
indexes. This change applies to the All Items Consumer Price Index and all component indexes for the
CPI-U and CPI-W for the U.S. City Average and for all other published areas. In addition, the CPI
index values are displayed to three decimal places in all paper and electronic publications. As in the
past, percent changes are rounded to one decimal place.
1
This change in procedure addresses a rounding issue that has resulted in published percent changes that
are 0.1 percentage point higher or lower than the same changes based on unrounded index values (i.e.,
indexes to three or more decimal places). The levels of future indexes will be affected only in that they
will be published to three decimal places rather than one. Official CPI data previously published will
not be revised.
2
Consumer Price Index
For Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers
This table shows the one-month, three-month, six-month, one-year, two-year, three-year, and four-year
change in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the
appropriate previous dates to the most current month. For example, the April 2016 CPI-W level of
233.438 was 0.8 percent higher than the index in April 2015 and 0.5 percent higher than the index in
March 2016.
From April 2015 to April 2016, the changes in the major expenditure categories of the CPI-W
were as follows: Food and beverages: 0.9 percent; Housing: 2.0 percent; Apparel: -0.6 percent; Transportation:
-2.8 percent; Medical care: 3.2 percent; Recreation: 1.0 percent; Education and Communication:
0.8 percent; and Other goods and services: 2.3 percent. The annual change of the Energy Component
was -9.2 percent, and the annual change in All-items less food and energy ('the core rate of inflation')
was 2.1 percent.
CPI-W All Items, U.S. City Average (1982-84=100)
Change In Index To
Time Period
Current Month
Month
April
Year
2016
Index
233.438
Current Month
Percent
--
One Month Ago
March
2016
232.209
0.5%
Three Months Ago
January
2016
231.061
1.0%
Six Months Ago
October
2015
232.373
0.5%
One Year Ago
April
2015
231.520
0.8%
Two Years Ago
April
2014
233.443
0.0%
Three Years Ago
April
2013
228.949
2.0%
Four Years Ago
April
2012
227.012
2.8%
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Table 6. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and
Clerical Workers (CPI-W): U.S. City Average, by Expenditure Category and Commodity and Service Group,"
http://www.bls.gov/cpi/cpid1604.pdf (accessed March 16, 2016), pgs. 21-22; and BLS, query of "Urban Wage Earners and
Clerical Workers (Current Series), " "One Screen Data Search," "US City Average," "All-Items," "Not Seasonally Adjusted," Under
"Databases and Tables," http://data.bls.gov/pdq/querytool.jsp?survey=cw (accessed May 23 2016).
*
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has begun computing percent changes based upon three decimal place indexes
(233.438), rather than one decimal place indexes (233.4).
Prepared by: IBEW Research Department, May 2016
April
CONSUMER PRICE INDEX FOR URBAN WAGE EARNERS
AND CLERICAL WORKERS (CPI-W)
Month
January
February
March
April
2011
216.400
217.535
220.024
221.743
2012
223.216
224.317
226.304
227.012
2013
226.520
228.677
229.323
228.949
2014
230.040
230.871
232.560
233.443
2015
228.294
229.421
231.055
231.520
May
June
July
August
222.954
222.522
222.686
223.326
226.600
226.036
225.568
227.056
229.399
230.002
230.084
230.359
234.216
234.702
234.525
234.030
232.908
233.804
233.806
233.366
September
223.688 228.184 230.537
234.170
232.661
October
November
December
223.043 227.974 229.735
222.813 226.595 229.133
221.166 225.889 229.174
233.229
231.551
229.909
232.373
231.721
230.791
2016
231.061
230.972
232.209
233.438
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, query.
Change
Points
Annual CPI Increases
Percent
December 2014 to December 2015
0.882
0.4%
December 2013 to December 2014
0.735
0.3%
December 2012 to December 2013
3.285
1.5%
December 2011 to December 2012
4.723
2.1%
CPI Increases
March 2016 to April 2016
April 2015 to April 2016
April 2014 to April 2015
April 2013 to April 2014
April 2012 to April 2013
1.229
1.918
-1.923
4.494
1.937
0.5%
0.8%
-0.8%
2.0%
0.9%
Note: To Calculate the percent increase for a given period: (Step1) divide the later date's index
number by the earlier date's index number, (Step 2) subtract 1 from the result of the division,
and (Step 3) multiply this result by 100.
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
233.438
1.008
0.008
/
x
231.520
1.000
100
=
=
=
Prepared by: IBEW Research Department, May 2016
1.008
0.008
0.8%
Consumer Price Index
For Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers
COST-OF-LIVING INCREASE BY U.S. CITY AND REGIONAL AREA
CPI-U
CPI-W
April
2016
Percent
change to
April 2016
from
April 2015
April
2016
Percent
change to
April 2016
from
April 2015
239.261
1.1%
233.438
0.8%
Northeast urban
Midwest urban
254.270
225.609
1.0%
0.8%
250.421
219.816
0.7%
0.5%
South urban
231.975
0.9%
227.955
0.6%
246.589
1.8%
238.757
1.5%
229.197
248.368
262.619
0.7%
2.0%
1.0%
221.206
239.536
257.289
0.1%
1.6%
1.0%
------
------
------
------
Atlanta, GA
Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI
Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX
Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL
Phil.-Wilm.-Atlantic City, PA-NJ-DE-MD
223.820
221.412
215.513
248.741
245.300
1.9%
1.1%
1.4%
1.4%
0.6%
220.923
216.175
210.981
244.758
246.439
1.6%
1.0%
1.1%
0.8%
0.5%
San Fran.-Oakland-San Jose, CA
264.565
2.7%
259.386
2.6%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA
253.815
2.5%
249.396
2.6%
"--" Not published this month.
--
--
--
--
Area
U.S. City Average
Region
West urban
Selected Local Areas
Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL-IN-WI
Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange, CA
New York-Northern NJ-Long Island,
NY-NJ-CT-PA
Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA-NH-ME-CT
Cleveland-Akron, OH
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
Washington-Baltimore,
DC-MD-VA-WV6
6
Indexes on a November 1996=100 base
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Table 10. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U):
Selected areas, all items index," and "Table 17. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W):
Selected areas, all items index," http://www.bls.gov/cpi/cpid1604.pdf (accessed May 23, 2016).
Prepared by: IBEW Research Department, May 2016