CPI C&S Question and Answer Brochure

BLS REGIONAL ECONOMIC
ANALYSIS AND INFORMATION
OFFICES… CONTINUED

CONFIDENTIALITY AND
BURDEN STATEMENTS

Atlanta

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, its employees,
agents, and partner statistical agencies will
use the information you provide for statistical
purposes only and will hold the information in
confidence to the full extent required by law.
In accordance with the Confidential Information
Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of
2002 (Title 5 of Public Law 107-347) and other
applicable Federal laws, your responses will
not be disclosed in identifiable form without
your informed consent.

Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center
61 Forsyth Street S.W.
Room 7T50
Atlanta, GA 30303-8817
Phone: (404) 893-4222
Fax (404) 893-4221

Chicago

J. C. Kluczynski Federal Office Building
230 South Dearborn Street
9th Floor
Chicago, IL 60604-1505
Phone: (312) 353-1880
Fax: (312) 353-1886

Dallas

A. Maceo Smith Federal Building
525 S. Griffin Street
Room 221
Dallas, TX 75202-5028
Phone: (972) 850-4800
Fax: (972) 850-4804

Kansas City

Two Pershing Square Building
2300 Main Street
Suite 1190
Kansas City, MO 64108-2426
Phone: (816) 285-7000
Fax: (816) 285-7009

San Francisco

90 7th Street
14th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94103-6715
Phone: (415) 625-2270
Fax: (415) 625-2351

Confidentiality Statement:

Voluntary Nature of the Program:

This report is authorized by law, 29 U.S.C.2.
Your voluntary cooperation is needed to make
the results of this survey comprehensive,
accurate and timely.

Initiation Burden Statement:

We estimate that it will take an average of 1 hour
per initial interview, and approximately 20 minutes
per subsequent visit to complete the survey.

Pricing Burden Statement:

We estimate that it will take an average of 20
minutes per interview to complete this survey.
If you have any comments regarding these
estimates or any other aspect of the survey,
send them directly to the Division of Consumer
Prices and Prices Indexes (202-691-7000),
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts
Ave., NE, Washington, DC 20212. Persons are
not required to respond to pricing inquires
unless data collection schedules display
current and valid OMB numbers.
OMB #1220-0039
Approval Expires: June 30, 2014

The Consumer
Price Index:
Commodities And
Services Survey:
Questions And Answers
U.S. Department of Labor
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
May 2009 (Revised)

Questions and Answers
about the Consumer Price
Index (CPI)

We need your help measuring the rate of
inflation in the U.S. economy. The Bureau
of Labor Statistics (BLS) is asking for your
voluntary participation in the Consumer Price
Index survey to help provide an accurate
measurement of the changes in the cost
of the many goods and services normally
purchased by urban consumers. Here are
several questions and answers that provide
information about the CPI. Thank you for
your cooperation in this important program.

What is the CPI?

The CPI is the Nation’s chief measure of
inflation at the retail level. It measures
changes over time in the cost of buying a
fixed market basket of goods and services
needed for day-to-day living. Calculated
and published by BLS, the CPI is used by
business, labor, and government for making
informed economic decisions. It is widely
used to adjust payments under collective
bargaining agreements. The Federal Government uses the CPI to adjust Social Security
payments, personal income taxes, and other
program payments for the effects of inflation.

What does the CPI include?

The CPI measures price changes for all types
of goods and services that are purchased by
urban consumers, whether costly or inexpensive, whether purchased often or infrequently.
Each item is represented in the index in
proportion to consumer spending on it. These
items are divided into eight major groups:
Food and beverages, apparel, transportation,
medical care, recreation, education and

communication, other goods and services, and
housing. Investments, such as purchases of
stocks, bonds, or homes, are not priced in the
CPI because they do not represent consumption
of goods and services by consumers.

How does BLS get the
information on the price
change in the CPI?

BLS employees visit selected retail stores, houses,
apartments, and other establishments in urban
areas on a regular basis to collect prices of the
items included. Prices are collected monthly in
Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. In all
other areas, food, fuel, and other selected items
are priced monthly; the rest of the items are
priced every other month.

Who is covered by the CPI?

There are, in effect, two CPIs. One represents the
expenditures of all urban consumers (CPI-U);
the other represents expenditures of urban wage
earners and clerical workers (CPI-W). The indexes
do not take into account the buying habits of
persons living on farms or in rural areas, persons
in military service, or those in institutions.

How was my establishment
selected to participate?

Your establishment was selected primarily from
information obtained from a household survey.
In this survey, households reported on where they
purchased various types of goods and services
and the dollar amounts of these purchases.
From these data, a sample of establishments was
selected for pricing of several categories of items.

When and how is the CPI
published?

The CPI data appear first in a news release
usually issued between the 14th and the 18th

day of each month, reporting the data for
the previous month. Generally, the CPI is
reported in the newspapers and on television
at this time.

How can I get CPI data?

Information is available on the BLS-CPI
homepage at http://www.bls.gov/cpi/home.
htm shortly after release of the CPI data.
The Monthly Labor Review also publishes
CPI data each month. The most comprehensive report on the CPI is the periodical
CPI Detailed Report, issued monthly.

BLS REGIONAL
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
AND INFORMATION
OFFICES
Boston

JFK Federal Building
Room E-310
Boston, MA 02203-0002
Phone: (617) 565-2327
Fax: (617) 565-4182

New York

201 Varick Street
Room 808
New York, NY 10014-4811
Phone: (212) 337-2400
Fax: (212) 337-2532

Philadelphia

The Curtis Center
Suite 610 E
170 South Independence Mall West
Philadelphia, PA 19106-3305
Phone: (215) 597-3282
Fax: (215) 861-5720